Bed Extender Bust - 2015 Chevrolet Colorado Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,316
edited August 2015 in Chevrolet
imageBed Extender Bust - 2015 Chevrolet Colorado Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds puts its 2015 Chevrolet Colorado and the new bed extender to the test of hauling two dirtbikes. The Colorado worked fine, the bed extender not so much.

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Comments

  • iamthestigiamthestig Member Posts: 85
    If I had an air compressor with me, I would have tried deflating the rear and/or front tires on the bikes to gain the inch or so of space needed to secure the bed extender. I agree it's big miss for the makers of the bed extender. Clearly they don't have a dirt bike.
  • ebeaudoinebeaudoin Member Posts: 509
    That's a shame, especially given how much Chevy is using dirt bikes/ATVs in their marketing and advertising material.
  • csubowtiecsubowtie Member Posts: 143
    That's one of the reasons I want one of these trucks specifically is to haul a dirtbike or two. Granted, I wouldn't knock the truck for this, it doesn't bother me one bit to haul the bikes with the tailgate down. That's just a stupid design for the bed extender. Why isn't more squared off like the Nissan ones? Why doesn't it reach to the end of the tailgate? The hard part of those things is in the connection, not the shape and size!
  • quadricyclequadricycle Member Posts: 827
    iamthestig said:

    If I had an air compressor with me, I would have tried deflating the rear and/or front tires on the bikes to gain the inch or so of space needed to secure the bed extender.

    Deflating the tires was the first thing that I thought of. Even if you don't have a compressor, a bicycle pump would work. Not ideal though...

  • reminderreminder Member Posts: 383
    That's why you buy the long bed.
  • allthingshondaallthingshonda Member Posts: 878
    The bummer of it all is that the bed extender exists not so that there's less worry about the bikes falling off the back — that's what tie-downs are for — but so you can throw things like gear bags, coolers and stands in the bed without them falling out.

    Wait, what? But that's exactly what you tried to do. Use the bed extender to keep the bikes in the truck. You then say complain that you had to put everything in the cab. With two bikes in the bed where were you planning on putting the gear bags, coolers and stands? Even if the bed extender worked the bikes are at the edge of the tailgate, where were these coolers going to go?
  • csubowtiecsubowtie Member Posts: 143
    Coolers and gear go in between and next to the bikes. You just don't want them sliding out the back of the bed through the open tailgate, hence he tried to use the bed extender. Chances are if he weren't photo documenting this on a professional website, he would have put that stuff in the back and maybe run a bungee cord through the handles. People here tend to be all safety nanny in the comments section. e.g. WHAT!! You only have 6 tie down straps holding that 300 lb motorcycle in the Ram with the tailgate down?!!? What if terrorists put an IED in the gas tank that detonated when you hit 50 mph? You could kill MILLIONS!!!
  • metalmaniametalmania Member Posts: 167
    csubowtie said:

    That's just a stupid design for the bed extender. Why isn't more squared off like the Nissan ones?

    I think it isn't squared off so that it will fit between the wheel wells if it's flipped back in to the bed. Seems like a silly oversight if it's not sized to go right to the edge of the tailgate.

  • hopsterhopster Member Posts: 6
    Love me some Jawbone Canyon hill climbs. I think I am leaning used Transit over any truck for my next camping/dirtbike mobile...I don't use the truckiness of a truck enough...just need a bit of ground clearance and I'm happy.
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