In European countries, cargo vans are much more predominant than pickup trucks. Tailgate pads are scarce, and racks that make van transport easier are a popular choice.
This is where Bikestow enters the picture. The brand is known in the UK for its in-van bike racks, which allow multiple bikes to be transported easily without rubbing together. Now, hoping to cater to a pickup-truck-loving U.S. market, the brand introduces the Storm-Three – a weatherproof truck-bed bike rack.
One bike rack, multiple uses
I inadvertently walked past the Bikestow booth at Sea Otter and stopped for a chat because of the unique bike rack on display. Initially, I figured that what I was looking at, which was the Storm-Three, was more along the lines of a bike storage solution – something that would go in your garage or even in an apartment.
And one of the Bikestow reps told me that I was, in fact, correct. Well, partially correct, that is. He explained that the Storm-Three’s main purpose was to carry bikes – three bikes, to be exact – in the bed of a pickup truck. However, it can also easily double as bike storage or even a bike stand for washing or working on a bike.
Obviously, this isn’t the first bike rack to be used for something other than transporting bikes. I know quite a few people whose racks double as a wash rack or even a mechanic’s stand. But I have yet to come across someone who uses their hitch rack to store their bike in their apartment. (Though perhaps you could with the 1UP Rack Stash.)
With Bikestow’s Storm-Three, you can easily store bikes at home, and the rep at Sea Otter mentioned he knows some riders who do so. The rack is 37” wide and 35” tall. It hinges at the top, creating a bottom opening depth of 30”. When folded up, it is only about 2.5” thick for easy storage.
The Storm-Three is intended to sit at the far back of the truck bed, near the cab, where it is strapped into place. The rack’s feet have a rubber cover to help prevent slipping, but Bikestow also offers a rubber mat for extra grip and to keep the bed clean. Of course, the rack is waterproof and uses stainless steel hardware.
Along with being versatile, Bikestow points out other advantages of the Storm-Three. Tailgate pads are a solid option, as they keep bikes out of the area behind a car, where road grit and grime can damage them. However, tailgate pads notoriously cause wear as they rub against a bike and don’t always do the best job of keeping it secure. Bikes tend to shift and clank into each other.
The Storm-Three keeps the bikes away from road grime and better secures them so they don’t contact each other. Each bike is secured at three points on the tire, and at no time is there any contact with the frame. Bikestow says to simply load the bikes smallest to largest.
Once secured in the bed of the truck, the tire sits in the rack’s cradles and is secured at the top with Bikestow’s “v-sliders.” Bikestow says the Storm-Three fits wheel sizes from 26” up to 29”, and accommodates tires from 23mm to 3” wide. While Bikestow doesn’t provide information on individual bike weight limits, they do say the rack is approved for e-bikes.
The Bikestow Storm-Three comes fully assembled, save for the braces you’ll need to snap into place when you unfold it. It is available on Bikestow’s website and retails in the U.S. for $749, which is much more than any tailgate pad but in line with the price of a quality hitch rack.
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