Rivian R1T tailgate pad installed review: it's a winner (with a caveat)

[itiming]

At least 4 of the bikes will be fat bikes, so may not be able to have the front wheel in the fork w/o interfering with the 1st bike on the hitch rack.

Sponsored

 

[Effopec]

Getting ready to order one of these and have a couple of quick questions:

1) my first use will likely be a 1200 mile drive hauling 2 bikes. Would you have any concerns with that? Would most of you recommend this over racks? (I have the cross bars, but not the bike racks at this time). I like the idea of having this for short trips with up to 4 bikes, and not having to have 4 bike mounts for the rack. Also, what solutions have people found to lock the bikes? I'll be staying in a rural highway side hotel or two during the trip and hope to be able to just lock the bikes in the back overnight.
2) I have a tri-fold tonneau cover. Any chance it can stay in place at the first position (folded twice) while hauling bikes, or would the rear tires likely interfere?

 

[itiming]

After strongly considering a tailgate pad, I decided that tailgate pad mounted bikes will interfere with the tonneau cover. Most of my bike rack trips will be 40-60 miles, so I decided on a more solid connection.

I have a Kuat hitch mount, which easily carries 4 bikes. However, the hitch mount rack blocks the tailgate from opening (pictured). It also disables the rear sensors and blocks lights/turn signals.

I decided to add racks to the bed mounted cross bars. I plan to add two Kuat (Rivian) racks on the cross bars together with one (pictured) Thule tandem rack. That way, I have full safety lights/sensors and full use of the bed/tailgate. The Kuat racks have a built-in cable lock; also the Rivian cable (or other cable/chain lock) can be used.

 

[not_a_car_guy]

I don't think this accessory solves all your problem with the hitch rack, but might solve the "blocks the tailgate" problem.

I'm also curious if anyone has tried this with a Rivian yet and whether it does provide enough clearance for the tailgate.

https://saris.com/products/swing-away-accessory

 

[adam12]

just received the pad. Looks and fits great. Agree that the straps appear loose, but on my initial trip the bike did not move and appears stable.

 

[dduffey]

Getting ready to order one of these and have a couple of quick questions:

1) my first use will likely be a 1200 mile drive hauling 2 bikes. Would you have any concerns with that? Would most of you recommend this over racks? (I have the cross bars, but not the bike racks at this time). I like the idea of having this for short trips with up to 4 bikes, and not having to have 4 bike mounts for the rack. Also, what solutions have people found to lock the bikes? I'll be staying in a rural highway side hotel or two during the trip and hope to be able to just lock the bikes in the back overnight.
2) I have a tri-fold tonneau cover. Any chance it can stay in place at the first position (folded twice) while hauling bikes, or would the rear tires likely interfere?

Rivian sells an extended gear guard cable. There are a few tricks to cover more bikes.

1. Only lock one side. You can start by looping the cable trough the wheel and frame on the furthest bike and back through the cable. Then weave the free end through the other bikes to the lock. It won't be enough for all four bikes, but you can use the shorter cable and other lock for the closest bike(s).

2. Buy a generic security cable, using the "trick" above, you can loop it though bikes and itself ... Then loop the Rivian gear guard cable through the end(s) of the generic cable. You could do this with 4 different cables, one per bike, if desired, then have the one Rivian cable to lock all the other cables.

3. My current solution is using a manual lock to lock one side of the extended Rivian cable to the bed tie down opposite the air compressor. Then I weave the free end through the bikes and into the gear guard lock. The advantage of this is you don't have to loop the cable and if the Rivian won't unlock for some reason, you can always manually unlock the other side. You do lose some use of that tie down though.

My Enduro bike is long enough that it needs the length of the full bed.

 

[Coj]

*Edit (the caveat): the down tube clips loosen on their own after limited driving, and needs to be addressed. I am demoting this from “a winner” to “a reasonable pad that perfectly fits the truck’s tailgate but with one major flaw” … planning to modify the downtube clips to a simple double-ring strap when I get a minute.

I ordered the tailgate pad when it popped up in the gear shop last Friday. It arrived a couple of days ago, but I hadn’t had time to install it until today.

Relatively short review:

1) Quality seems decent. It’s not felt-covered like my Fox pads were, but it does appear to be relatively well made and has enough protection to keep the tailgate paint from being scratched. 10/10 for the money, for sure.​

2) Fit is perfect. Once it’s strapped down, it’s very clear it was designed for the Rivian and not just a knockoff of an existing pad.​

3) First installation is easy, 2nd installation is stupid-simple. It has 4 clips for quick-release, and re-installs in just a couple minutes. Very pleased here.​

4) Hold-downs are thoughtfully designed, with a quick-release clip and a velcro hold for the strap to keep it from backing off.​

Overall, super pleased. Much better than loading up the Kuat every time for sure (though that’s sticking around for trips and the e-Bike).

 

[Coj]

I had a great experience putting on and using for a recent trek.

 

[CGM55082]

Questions for those with the tailgate pad. 1) Can you lower and close the tailgate with the pad on or does it need to be removed to do this? 2) Does the pad work with the powered tonneau cover? 3) Would the tailgate pad be sufficient for hauling heavier small tire ebikes like a Rad Runner?

 

[MountainBikeDude]

Questions for those with the tailgate pad. 1) Can you lower and close the tailgate with the pad on or does it need to be removed to do this? 2) Does the pad work with the powered tonneau cover? 3) Would the tailgate pad be sufficient for hauling heavier small tire ebikes like a Rad Runner?

1. Yes, no issues
2. Yes, works against both powered and manual tonneau. I have the manual one.
3. No idea

Bonus. It's totally worth it in all honesty. It's fantastic quality

 

[Marchin_MTB]

Questions for those with the tailgate pad. 1) Can you lower and close the tailgate with the pad on or does it need to be removed to do this? 2) Does the pad work with the powered tonneau cover? 3) Would the tailgate pad be sufficient for hauling heavier small tire ebikes like a Rad Runner?

I have a RaceFace pad and the answer to your first two questions is yes. Safe to say that the Rivian pad will allow you to operate the tailgate and tonneau as well. Not sure about #3. I suppose if the bike is very heavy, throwing it over the tailgate will put a lot of pressure on the down tube so you will want to have a lot of padding. You also have to consider where the battery is mounted on the e-bike.

 

[mannlister]

Echoing what others have said - my straps do NOT keep my road bikes secure, regardless of what strap, tuck, fold method I use. Do we have defective clips? Or are there replacements available on Amazon that fit and work? Any help here would be appreciated.

 

[freshpow]

1. Yes, no issues
2. Yes, works against both powered and manual tonneau. I have the manual one.
3. No idea

Bonus. It's totally worth it in all honesty. It's fantastic quality

You're able to fully close the tailgate with pad on and manual tonneau in place? I can get my tailgate to shut most of the way if I really slam it, enough that it seems securely latched, but it noticeably pokes out more than normal and the truck shows it as open when you get in to drive. Saw a Youtube review where the guy had the same result as me. What's the trick?!

 

[Schaef]

Echoing what others have said - my straps do NOT keep my road bikes secure, regardless of what strap, tuck, fold method I use. Do we have defective clips? Or are there replacements available on Amazon that fit and work? Any help here would be appreciated.

I have the same issue with my road bike. Our three other bikes work fine. For those bike the space between the top tube and down tube is small enough that the straps can extend around the top tube. For my road bike the distance is too great and I have to wrap around the down tube. My straps don’t seem to hold tight when close to the pad. My work around is to fold up a hand towel a few times and put it on top of the down tube. It is still a little wobbly, but good enough for smooth drives. I bought the pad from the first batch sold, so I’m not sure if they have improved the design. If anyone has any advice to improve it, I would love to hear.

 

[mkhuffman]

This question isn't directly related to the OP, but it is directly related to the fact that everyone responding here transports bikes.

I don't have a T yet, but I am seriously considering the Tri-Max T. I would like to put a bike under inside the bed with the tonneau cover closed. Is that possible? I think I have seen posts that the bed is too short to fit a bike inside and closed up. Is that true?

For sure I will want the tailgate pad for short trips to the trails...

Sponsored