The Thule 501 - Insta-Gater is the ultimate rack for transporting a bicycle in a truck bed - NO DRILLING OR BOLTING.  One of the only truck racks that does not require removal of the bike's front wheel.  If the truck bed is long enough to accommodate the length of the bike than the Insta Gater is the way to go.  The Thule Insta Gator will hold a wide range of bikes.  Because the rack does not come in contact with the bicycle frame the only thing to consider is wheel compatibility.  The Insta Gator holds most 29 inch wheel/tire combination and then small wheels all the way down to 20 inch.  Tires can be as wide as 3 inch downhill mountain bike knobbies and as narrow as 20mm road bike slicks. 

The rack is positioned against the truck's tailgate, to install, open the tailgate extend the anchor straps down into the place between the bed and the tailgate.  Next, just close the tailgate, ratchet the straps tight and the Insta Gater is ready to load up.  Just grab the bike, roll the front wheel in between the hoops and ratchet the hook down to the back side of the front wheel.  That's it, there's no need to strap or hold down the rear wheel.  The bike is held tight and ready for fast removal by simple pressing the release lever on the hold down and drop the arm out of the way.  The release lever can be locked using a Thule Lock Cylinder which is sold separately.

The Insta-Gator comes configured with the Ratcheting Quick-Load arm located toward the passenger side of the vehicle. It may be re-configured to the drivers side.  Up to three Insta-Gaters may be used if the pickup bed width adjacent to the tailgate is 51 inches or greater, or two Insta-Gaters with a width of 34 inches or greater

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