BEHIND THE BRAND

VELOCIRAX

BIKE TRANSPORTATION MEET STORAGE SOLUTION

Photos by Dusten Ryen

Up until recently we had never heard of Velocirax. Being located on the West Coast we have used and seen more than our fair share of North Shore racks, Lolo racks and several other more traditional carriers from Kuatt, Thule and others. Last November while driving through Utah, we linked up with a St. George legend and Velocirax apostle named Norm Nielsen and we quickly started seeing a ton more Velocirax bike racks on the Utah roads and highways. Located just a few hours north of St. George in Alpine, Utah, brothers Blake and Bryce Owen started this passion project out of necessity and have been quickly growing beyond the Beehive State. In this episode of our Behind the Brand Series, we will be getting to know Blake and Bryce and just what possessed them to make their own bike rack and incorporate some truly unique features. With over 40 years of experience in mechanical engineering and business management, these outdoor enthusiasts found themselves in a place that spawned a unique and capable bike rack that could change a lot of things for people with bike storage and transportation problems.

Back in 2018 the brothers attended a self-reliance class and with nothing more than an idea they were pushed and motivated by the class to pursue the vision and take action. Blake and Bryce have been lifelong adventurers and tinkerers and the desire to take their large families out into nature without any simple solution put their passions to the test as they began bending tubes, cutting, welding and testing their version of a vertical bike rack. While Bryce has an MBA and is motivated to grow his business through a lifetime of experience in other verticals, Blake is an engineer and leads the charge when it comes to design, theory and production.

After months of 3D modeling, stress and strain calculations and plenty of welding, breaking and modifying, the brothers were ready for some off-road abuse testing with the only mission being, “We’re not leaving until the rack fails.” Long story short their trusty Toyota Tacoma started breaking before the rack did and they kept pushing it even harder. After feeling confident in the design and transportation capabilities, the next major goal was to make the rack useful off the vehicle, rather than just another accessory that needed to be stored.

“It was frustrating coming home and seeing a garage full of bikes and not being able to park inside,” the brothers agreed. “It was paramount that we built something that could be helpful and useful when it came time to store the bikes at home. And we had to make it safe and easy enough that our young kids and wives could load bikes too.” Every rack ships with a wall mounting bracket so that the Velocirax unit can stand against your wall and hold the bikes neatly and out of the way. A unique and well-designed feature for sure.

Camping mode is another awesome feature of the Velocirax system. If you are posting up for post ride snacks or spending the weekend camping out, having a secure place to organize your bikes and lock them together is a definite plus. Nice touch.

TECH FEATURES

WEIGHT RATINGS
• Requires a Class III 2” hitch with a capacity of 500lbs.
• All Velocirax models have a max weight of 230lbs
• Each bike slot has a max weight capacity of 55lbs.

RACK HEIGHT
• Overall height of the Velocirax bike rack is 58 inches.

BIKE SPACING
• Spacing changes depending on the rack system but varies from 10 to 15 inches.

BIKE CARRYING CAPACITY
• Three to seven bike options are available