Bikeboot or Bikeshoe, any bad reviews?

[simimi]

Hi,

Looking to set my 4x8 trailer up to carry 3 bikes, (YZF400, CR80 and TTR125) and like the idea of the bikeshoe type chock.

Anybody have anything bad to say about either of these? I did a search and only heard good things. Seems that it would be nice to not deal with tie-downs anymore and just ride the bike up, clamp it and ride away.....ok maybe a tie down on the rear to keep them from bounding around.

Was also looking at an E-channel set up on **** and it looked great. A combo of E-channel and Pingle wheel chocks, all movable and tie down points as well, but that would be about $200, and then still have to deal with tie downs, etc.

Any advice appreciated,

Mike

 

[truespode]

I have 3 bike shoes on my 5x10 open trailer and 2 bike shoes in the back of my truck for when I don't use the trailer.

I love them.

The bike shoes in the truck are attached to a piece of 3/4" plywood and I can take the plywood out very easily so I do not have to mount the bike shoes directly to the bed. I use tie downs lightly pulled down on the handlebars just to keep the bikes from swaying.

Ivan

 

[Okiewan]

A vote for bike shoes ... 2 of them in my trailer for several years, no problems, no tie-downs needed. If it wasn't enclosed (trailer) I would probably use tie-downs (like TrueSpode) just to be safe, but over MANY miles, a bike has never come out of either shoe.

 

[oldguy]

We use the bikeboots (3 big bikes and 1 50cc) in our toyhauler and in over 5000 miles of towing the past season we never had a bike come loose. Used his slip mounts which hard mount to the floor and then the bikeboot just slips into them. When the bikeboots are removed there is just the small (1"x 1 1/2" x 1/4" high) plates still there.
We got them on that Ecove place for about $45 plus shipping.

 

[buffmaster]

A buddy of mine has the bike shoe. He loves it and will probably never switch.

 

[TVRider]

Oldguy,

Will the quick mounts work on a bikeshoe as well as the bikeboots you have? What keeps the shoe from slipping out of the mounts? Do they go in then move sideways, front, back?

Thanks,

Tommy

 

[bikepilot]

Dont know anything about the quick mounts, but I have bike shoes in my trailer and pick up truck. They are excelent for full size bikes but usually do not work for anything smaller. It is not the wheel diamater that is a problme, but the clamp is too wide to fit between the fork legs. It will not fit betweent the forks of a 1991kx80 big wheel, a 1985 YZ80 or a 1983 YZ80. It will only fit a little ways between the forks of a 2003KX100. Just enough so that it will hold the wheel, but not enough to keep the locking part from fliping foward and releasing the wheel. I usually clamp the wheel then strap the locking lever of the bike shoe down on the 03kx100. I have clamped many different years of YZ125s, KX250, CR500, XR650L, XR250L, WXC250 etc.. without the slightest trouble.

Bottom line = they can not be beat for full size bikes but dont really work for anything smaller. I.E bike shoes will probably not work for the CR80 or TTR125 unless you can find some with a narrower clamp.

 

[simimi]

Well I mounted all three last night, and they seem to work fine. The design of the full size clamp is just like the ATK but the two smaller ones have a different style, and actually I like them better. No problems with the locking lever, I will shoot a couple of photos and post or check out the great photo's at http://bikeboot.com/.

BTW, all three bikes fit well on the 4x8 trailer. I put my full size bike in the middle, about 1ft behind the other two bikes and mounted the side bikeboots about 4" in from the sides of the trailer. looks like it will work just fine.

Mike

BTW the price was great on the bikeboots, but the paint quality is not what I expected, definately not a true powder coat, more like a spray can coat.

 

[1tontj]

Who makes these bike boots? Could not find them on e.b.a.y. right now.

Thanks,
Phil

 

[1tontj]

Never mind - found it.
Search for bikeboot, not bike boot

 

[simimi]

Follow up post, now that I have several trips on the new trailer.

The 21" bikeboot is perfect, holds the bike rock solid. The 17 and 19" are not the same design, and while they look like they would work better, I do not think they as good. they do the job OK, but I need to toss a single strap on the bike to ensure it stands straight up, otherwise the bike will sometimes tilt to one side. Not sure if it is how I put the bike into the clamp, but one tie down takes care.

My round trip to my riding site is 150 miles, mostly freeway and everything works fine. I can load and unload bikes as fast as I can move them on and off the trailer.

Overall a much better solution than tie downs, and I get compliments or questions on them every trip,

Mike

 

[OldMaiconut]

I gave up on bike boots after realizing they wreck your wheel bearings. The bike will sway side to side, and since the front wheel is clamped tight, the entire force is transferred to the front axle. I was only getting about a month between bearing changes. I ride about 3 or 4 times a month on average, and the longest my bike is on the trailer was about an hour. Tie downs are a hassle, but so is changing wheel bearings once a month... the bike boots also don't accomodate front disc guards very well.

 

[High Lord Gomer]

We've been using bike shoes on 2-4 bikes for 35,000 miles over the last 2 or 3 years. I've only had one come out and that was due to a flat front tire and someone else putting the bike in. If it had been tightened down properly, I don't think it would have moved (even with a flat front tire).

 

[BRush]

If you want to run bike shoes without tie-downs, you need to have a fairly rigid mounting surface. I have two bike shoes on a 3/4 piece of plywood fixed to the floor in my Ford van. The plywood and the van floor flex enough so that the bike sways more than I like so I always run two lightly attached tie-downs.

 

[bikepilot]

I'v trailerd two bikes in bike shoes for many thousands of miles without any adverse affects on the wheel bearings. I suspect that your wheel bearings are failing for another reason, perhaps poor presurewashing technique...I dont really know, but I do not think its the bike shoes. If the wheel bearings can handle all the bumps and jump landings I should think they would not mind supporting the weight of the bike and holding it up.

 

[OldMaiconut]

It has to do with the side to side motion. My 3 boots are welded to 2" angle iron the full width of my trailer front and rear, so solid mounting isn't the issue. In a bike boot, the wheel is rigidly clamped so any side to side motion is transferred to the axle. I won't use them any more, but that's my opinion...your results may vary.

 

[jumpingjoe628]

I got the bike shoe as well and I love it. Its in a chevy van and I like to use 2 tie downs to secure the bike from swaying. My friend has been using the bike shoe for years now and he HAS had problems with his wheel bearings. It might have to do with his post-wash routine because I haven't had a problem with my bearings yet and I go over the entire bike with a little compressed air and then continue to take off the wheels and plastics to inspect the rest of the bike after every ride. I trust my life with this bike as I am riding it at an expert level and don't want any failures while I'm wide open.

 

[tnrider]

i have used them for a few years - as other said, they work great on full size bikes. i had to modify a standard version to hold the ttr125 and i even had to modifiy the mini version to better hold the xr70. nothing major. for the ttr125 i moved the hinge point on the closing mechanism - made it tighten on the wheel better. for the xr70, i had to open the floor plate some as it was too tight for the xr's front wheel.

i also use light tiedowns as they do sway quite a bit (at least on my weak open trailer) not sure if they still sway in my enclosed trailer (have not tried riding back there...). i do loose tiedows to handlebars and also tie the rear wheel to a single mount point almost directly below the wheel. if you don't secure the rear wheel, the bike will swing all over the place on bumps.