We expect innovative products from Ogio, and the Step Up ramp is no exception. Any dirt guy sees the potential in the ramp immediately.The basic idea is that the ramp folds, and when unfolded, has a step in the middle. When you push a bike up or down the ramp, the rear wheel stops at the step halfway up. That lets you regroup, step up on a stand or even climb into the bed of the truck while the bike requires only minimal input to balance. When you are ready, push or pull the bike the rest of the way up.If you have a taller truck, and you load by yourself, the Ogio ramp and a stand to step on makes the job safe and pretty easy. The drawback compared to a regular ramp is the same feature that makes this ramp unique.When you push a bike up the ramp, the front wheel drops when it goes over the mid-way step in the ramp. At that point the bike takes a serious push to regain momentum and roll the rear wheel up to its resting spot.If you have a tall truck, and try to unload without something to step down on, the bike will still stop at the step and leave you dangling from the handlebar. If you use something stable to stand on, the ramp works well. Even with a high truck and a steep ramp angle, most bikes' rear wheels rest easily on the step and don't try to roll back. You need a good push to get the bike up from the step in the middle of the stand, so using a normal moto stand as a step is typically not stable enough. The ramp still works if you have a short truck, but do you need the step in the ramp as a help? Probably not.
The ramp is rated for 500 pounds, but it has warning stickers that direct you not to ride a bike up the ramp, and with the step, we felt no desire to attempt it. It also warns against using the ramp as a seat, but it sure makes a great one.There are also stickers warning you to avoid pinching yourself while folding and unfolding it. You can pinch the crap out of yourself, and unfortunately I was stupid enough to test that as well.It would be easy to look at this $139.99 ramp and think it solves all the problems involved in loading a bike into a full-size or taller truck, but that isn't really true. If anything, it takes more muscle to load one, but in a safer and more controlled way.
