Bicycle rack installable in a pickup truck bed or trailer

摘要

An improved, simple rack for the secure transport of bicycles and small motorcycles in the bed of a pickup truck or trailer without clamping, strapping or dissasembly of the cycle, and with minimal obstruction of the load-carrying bed floor, has individual cycle wheel receptacles with both fixed and spring-loaded wheel clamping brackets, that are secured to at least one rack rail assembly that is secured to opposite sides of the truck or trailer bed. In order to secure a cycle in the rack, a front or rear wheel of the cycle is lifted up and pushed into the wheel receptacle between the fixed and spring-loaded wheel clamping brackets. In order to unload the cycle, the wheel is pushed against the spring-loaded wheel clamping bracket, thereby releasing the wheel from the fixed wheel clamping bracket, and is, then, pulled upwardly from the wheel receptacle.

主权项

1. A bicycle transport rack securable to upper portions of opposed side walls of a cargo bed, said rack comprising:
at least one rack rail assembly securable between said opposed upper portions; and at least one wheel receptacle having
a base member securable to said at least one rack rail assembly;an upwardly-facing V-channel bracket, secured to the base member, which transversely locates and grips a lower edge of a cycle wheel;a first wheel clamping bracket rigidly affixed to said base member, said first wheel clamping bracket having a first V-shaped clamp at a distal end thereof which grips a transversely located cycle wheel on its circumference at a first distance from said V-channel bracket; anda second wheel clamping bracket pivotally affixed to said base member and spring biased toward said first wheel clamping bracket, said second wheel clamping bracket having a second V-shaped clamp at a distal end thereof which grips a transversely located cycle wheel on its circumference at a second distance from said V-channel bracket and at a third distance from said first V-shaped clamp; and wherein a cycle wheel secured by said V-channel bracket and said first and second wheel clamping brackets cannot be removed from said at least one wheel receptacle without, first, pivoting said second wheel clamping bracket away from said first wheel clamping bracket.