Race Face T3 Tailgate Pad Review

Tech Features

Most mountain bikers will be familiar with Race Face components, and the T3 tailgate pad is their latest offering for getting bikes to and from the trailhead or for shuttle laps with the crew. Building on the T2 pad, the T3 offers a more comprehensive and secure fit for your truck, and the fold-down high-density frame padding allows the pad to work with virtually any flat tonneau truck-bed cover.

The frame straps can be attached at any point along the width of the tailgate to accommodate multiple bikes of different types and sizes, and the straps themselves can be adjusted in size to fit any type of frame, including bulky ebikes.

Race Face has added a ridged compression-molded foam pad on the outside of the T3 that has multiple channels that securely hold your bike’s fork and offers additional protection for your truck and bike.

The outside of the tailgate pad is constructed from a PVC tarpaulin material that is durable and designed to hold up to virtually any weather condition, while the inside features a micro-brushed lining that protects your truck’s paint and is resistant to scuffing.

Race Face offers the T3 tailgate pad in full-size (six-bike capacity), mid-size (five-bike capacity), and half-stack (two-bike capacity) sizes to accommodate any type and style of truck.

Field Test Results

We tested the full-size version of Race Face’s T3 tailgate pad, which can fit up to six bikes. When first unboxing, the pad can be a bit confusing since it is basically three pieces, but the installation video on their web page and YouTube is very helpful in getting everything oriented and installed properly.

Once you get it installed on the truck, the T3 pad is very secure and is able to conform to a range of tailgate sizes and shapes while having full access to the reverse camera and tailgate handle.

Loading bikes into the truck is just like any other tailgate pad, but the frame pad and strap system felt more secure and offered better bike protection than some other pads on the market. The ability to place the frame straps anywhere along the width of the pad was helpful as well when loading different types and sizes of bikes.

The compression-molded foam system on the outside of the pad was effective in keeping the forks and bike in place, and offered an extra layer of protection for the fork’s lowers.

The real highlight, at least for us, was the tonneau-cover compatibility. As Race Face claims, the T3’s frame pads conveniently folded down and out of the way to allow our hard-folding tonneau cover to close easily and securely, as opposed to having to remove the pad completely to utilize the cover.

Overall, we were impressed with the quality and versatility of the T3 tailgate pad and would recommend it to anyone who wants a long-lasting shuttle solution that can hold virtually any type of bike.

Hits

• Comprehensive and adjustable tailgate coverage

• Ability to change frame strap location

• Tonneau-cover compatibility

Misses

• Expensive for a tailgate pad

Star Rating: ★★★★★

Price: $259
Contact: www.raceface.com