BOLT IT ON BIKE TRANSPORT REVIEW

FASTEST AND EASIEST VAN MTB AND MOTO RACK?

Words by Drew Rohde
Photos by Dusten Ryen & Cole Gregg

Whether you’re the type of rider whose vehicle is merely a tool or it’s a point of pride and representation of your style, the Bolt It On rack will have you moving your motos and mountain bikes with swiftness. Bolt It On is a small California company that has been proudly making their racks for nearly twenty years. They’ve earned quite a reputation in the dirt bike and motorcycle world, especially with van drivers and toy hauler or trailer owners as their system is beyond simple to install and use. It’s a tool-free system that doesn’t require any drilling for most applications and can be quickly installed or removed from your vehicle. Another huge benefit is that it takes up very little floor space when not in use!

ABOUT THE BOLT IT ON BIKE RACK

Bolt It On laser cuts and welds their racks out of high grade steel that is very nicely powder coated in a glossy black finish. All the knobs are large and easy to grab, and the attachment points remain secure. We like the spring-loaded pull pins as they make configuration adjustments a breeze. From a hardware and material standpoint, the product is very nicely manufactured and thought out.

Depending on your needs, Bolt It On can do anything from build you a full custom rack solution to offering you a complete “System” kit. Our particular kit is essentially the 3 Dirt Bike and Bicycle Transport System for Vans. You may be asking, what rack fits my van? Well, this particular kit will work in Mercedes Sprinters, Ford Transits, Ram Promasters as well as Ford E-Series and Chevrolet vans. Some vans may require additional bracket purchases to work with factory D-rings or seat brackets.

The kit comes with a 67” crossbar, two leg supports, two wheel chocks and one extended wheel chock to offset the middle bike and prevent bars from hitting. It also includes two quick ties and a hardware kit.

If you look around the Bolt It On website, you’ll notice they have an entire section devoted to wheel chocks. They have options to hold anything from fully-dressed Harley baggers to Golf Carts, UTVs and mountain bikes. When it comes to their Moto and MTB chocks, they have two generations of chocks available, we opted for the latest, Gen 2 Pro wheel chock as it has some nice features that we really enjoyed for MTB applications.

The Bolt It On Gen 2 Pro Wheel Chock fits tire sizes from 26 to 29 and 700c and widths from 1” to 5.5-inches as well as any size dirt bike tire. It also has a nice safety strap to hold bicycles more securely. The chock can adjust easily via the quick grab knob to accommodate different wheel diameters and also to slide side-to-side over the crossbar.

Bolt It On also have a variety of accessories from Quick Tie, tie-down points, gear/boot poles, to bicycle stands, like we reviewed earlier this year.

USING THE BOLT IT ON RACK

From the installation to daily use, the Bolt It On rack is one of the most intuitive and easy to use bike racks I’ve ever tested. I can install or remove the entire system in less than five minutes if I’m hustling and loading the bikes is even faster. I can roll the bike right into the rack and easily adjust the arm to hold them in place. The bikes do move a little bit more side to side but not enough to cause damage or be an issue that would prevent me from recommending the system.

With my 3-bike rack I’ve tried running them all in forward position as well as alternating forwards/backwards and all three loaded up with rear wheel in the tray. I had no issues with any of these patterns, however I’d really like to see if I could add one or even two more chocks for more bikes as I have the room inside my 148 mid roof Ford Transit.

As far as holding dirt bikes, I am even more happy with the Bolt It On system. Rolling the motors into the van is so easy and the chock holds the bike while I reach down to secure the tie downs on the hooks attached to the crossbar. The angled offset chock allows me to fit even more motos inside the van thanks to increase bar clearance.

The Wolf’s Last Word

If you are looking for a quick, easy to use dirt bike or mountain bike rack inside your van, truck bed, cargo trailer or toy hauler, then I’d highly suggest checking out the Bolt It On system. I have two friends who also purchased this rack system for their dirt biking adventures and they’re equally stoked on how they’ve held up over the last couple years of use.

This system is clean, looks good, doesn’t take up a lot of floor space and goes in or out of your vehicle faster than anything else I’ve used yet.

Price: $941.99 (3 Bike Pro Kit)
Website: Boltiton.com