The initial installation took a little longer than with other pickup racks we tried, because it took some measuring to get the grippers in the right place on the truck bed. Easy to install and easy to use. The bicycle restraint system doesn’t contact the beautiful paint job on your frame but instead grabs secure hold of the wheels, twice in front and once in the back. That means you can confidently place your pride and joy onto the rack, without worrying about it getting scratched. For the next 3 months, the co-op will pilot a bike buyback program in partnership with The Pro’s Closet, a leading reseller of … We found the MTR hard to tighten in the hitch; the bolt has a built-in key to turn it, but the tab doesn’t provide leverage to get the bolt tight. While that thousand dollar rack may be the gold standard chances are there’s a $50 or $60 rack somewhere that will do nearly as good a job. Although the Yakima HighSpeed is a fine fork-mount rack, it isn’t compelling for the price. The Tyger Auto Deluxe 1 Bike Trunk Mount is compatible with the full range of domestic vehicles and sets up in about a minute. Thule's car bike racks come in different types and can be mounted on your roof, hitch, towbar, or on your trunk. Overall construction - The rack needs to be well engineered, well-built and able to stand up to the elements. So it’s actually quite adaptable. Still, if you already own a 2-inch hitch rack and want the capability of swinging it 90 degrees to the side, the BackSwing is the better of the two we’ve tested. Hoobbii Rear Bike Basket, Waterproof Metal Wire Bicycle Basket with Adjustable Cargo Net and Waterproof Rainproof Cover Fits to Most Rear Bike Racks. (The company claims the Bones has the strongest frame on the market, but we couldn’t verify or disprove that claim.) And if you tend to carry the same bikes, you probably have to sort out the positioning only once. The Thule ProRide was the only roof rack we tested that supports a bike by clamping around a frame tube, rather than supporting it by a wheel or the forks. Topping the list is a handle … 99 It’s also easy to use and affordable, making it a good alternative to the Kuat Beta—and it’s available in a three-bike version. We look at the clips that attach those straps to the trunk or bumper and we look at how the bike sits in the rack both by itself and when there are multiple bikes on it. And for style-conscious riders, the Sherpa 2.0 looks great, with its metallic powder-coat finish and anodized accents. The Yakima BackSwing is an adapter that’s designed to let any 2-inch hitch rack swing to the side. The HighRoad fits a wide variety of bikes, and it lets you lock your bikes to the rack as well as lock the rack to the vehicle’s roof, which not all roof racks do. Because bikes are secured by the frame, tire width, wheel … And although it securely held our mountain bikes, we found that a bike with skinnier tires wobbled a bit. It even comes in a rainbow of fun colors—ours was bright blue. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee It secures the bike by the front wheel, avoiding any contact with the frame, and in our tests it held a variety of bikes solidly—even more so than some fork-mount roof racks, which bike enthusiasts often consider to be the most secure type. The integrated cable locks also allow you to secure bikes to the rack. The Kuat NV Base 2.0 is essentially the same as the NV 2.0, but without the integrated work stand. But if you want a wheel-mount roof rack that can carry kids’ bikes (20 inches to 29 inches) or fat bikes (with tires up to 5 inches thick), it’s a good choice. The icing on the cake is the built in cable bike lock that makes sure that if you need to stop into the store that your bike is still there when you come out. You adjust it by using removable pins, which allows for a level of retractability other racks can’t match (just be sure not to lose the pins). We liked the Yakima HalfBack a lot. And during a test drive, the clamps on the rear wheels of both bikes loosened, so we had to retighten them. We were initially wooed by the Yakima HangOut’s sleek, lightweight design—it weighs only 15 pounds—and secure bike cradles. It holds your bike solidly by the front wheel, which we like better than fork-mount designs because the rack doesn’t contact your bike’s frame, and you don’t have to take off the bike’s front wheel and carry it separately. Plus, you’ll need to buy a $55 adapter to mount thru-axle bikes. One of the things we really like about this Ikuram Bike Rack is that it has padded bike cradles. 4.7 out of 5 stars 375. In the front, a tightening knob clicks when you’ve reached the right pressure for securing the forks, and the rear section slides out to fit the rear wheel. Trunk Mount Bike Racks. Swapping out the fork skewer mount for a thru-axle is pretty easy, and this rack has a cutout for a disc brake caliper. Both procedures are easy to do, and they work well. The Bed Rider is basically a tension rod that sits on top of the bed rails and is designed to screw tight and lock in place. It is also available in a five-bike version. But while the clamp assembly in front that holds a bike is easy to tighten with a knob, putting it together every time you mount and dismount a bike is cumbersome. Because it’s a hanging rack, it isn’t as easy to load as the Sherpa 2.0, and you must unload your bikes to tilt the rack down for vehicle access. The Express will leave your bike, your car and your bank account intact and provide you years of reliable service. As with the Sherpa 2.0, the Beta is available for 1¼-inch and 2-inch hitch receivers. ... REI… It’s great for electric bikes, but it is quite a bit more expensive than our top pick. The Swagman Race Ready is a beefy, extruded-aluminum wheel-mount rack with a ratcheting arm that clamps over the front wheel. It’s also easy to use: After inserting a lockable pin through the receiver tube, you simply turn a knob to tighten the rack in the receiver hitch—a much simpler and quicker process than for most other models, which make you crouch down near the hitch to tighten a nut on the receiver bolt. But the NV 2.0 is also considerably heavier—it weighs a whopping 56 pounds, about 20 pounds more than the Sherpa 2.0—and it’s more expensive. The locks are also short and could barely reach the rear frame triangle of our bikes. The Kuat Trio is similar in design to the RockyMounts SwitchHitter. Though we expect all bike racks to mount securely to your vehicle and hold your bikes tightly, here are the other things we look for: For each of the 70 bike racks we tested for this guide, we went through the whole ownership experience. It wasn’t as easy to use as the latest designs, though, lacking a knob for securing the rack to the hitch receiver and the nifty pull-handle tilting system of the Pro XT and SuperClamp EX. But it wasn’t as easy to use as the best models, despite its higher price: Releasing the clamping arms was a little trickier than with other racks. But the installation and adjustment process felt unnecessarily frustrating. The Velo Gripper is available in two versions: The RT201 is designed to fit regular pickup-bed sides, and the RT202 is designed for use with C-channel bed-rail systems. The rack is also unusually wide, which can make it unwieldy. We also had concerns about the possibility of its plastic saddles damaging the finish on a bike. As you’d expect for its low price, the Beta doesn’t include integrated locks for the bikes. The SuperClamp EX is one of the lightest four-bike tray-style hitch racks available, and it can accommodate two bikes up to 60 pounds each, along with two others up to 35 pounds each. Finally, the hook that holds the front wheel may not work if a bike has a front fender. In our tests, assembling the Sherpa 2.0 was relatively easy. Unlike some racks that weigh 50 pounds and more the Swagman tips the scales at a svelte 5 pounds and costs less than a pair of jeans. The Beta doesn’t hold bikes quite as solidly as the Sherpa 2.0 does—during our test drives, the bikes swung a little more on the rack’s arms, but we never worried that they’d come loose. It’s made of cheap plastic and doesn’t have any adjustments; on cars with trunks, the rack’s set angle allows the bike to contact the car’s rear (which it did on our VW Jetta). Don’t forget to also bring your bike lock, so you can secure your bike wherever you go. Thule and Yakima sell several types of add-on crossbars and mounts, but you should check the fit guide on the rack manufacturer’s website or talk to a bike-shop representative. Trunk mounted bike racks can be stored away in the house or in the trunk until you need them and they typically come pre-assembled and ready to go. A good bike rack, no issues with the bikes staying secure while on the freeway. The Bell Trunk Rack is lightweight, easy to deploy and, like several other racks on this list, is secured by way of adjustable restraining straps. The Bones’s center leg extends upward onto the trunk or hatch, and the other two extend down to sit on or against the car’s bumper. Therefore, REI has one of the best bike racks sections available online. - The litmus test of any bike rack is whether or not any of its component parts scratch or otherwise damage your vehicle while you travel. No longer will you have to spend an hour attaching your bikes and then spend the whole car journey looking nervously in the rear-view mirror. It securely fastens each bike into position and stops them from wobbling about, giving you peace of mind. Although they’re more expensive than trunk racks and not as easy to use as hitch racks, roof racks give you unimpeded access to your vehicle’s rear compartment, and they’re the only option for some car designs. We spent 65 hours researching and testing 13 front and rear child-carrying bike seats and found the Thule Yepp Nexxt Maxi to be the best for most people. Hitch. Like all roof racks, though, the HighRoad is harder to load bikes onto than our other picks, and it can reduce your car’s highway gas mileage. Quality - Many of us here have bike racks and have been through the car bike rack selection process. The Kuat NV 2.0 is a larger sibling of the Sherpa 2.0. Shop for Trailer Hitch Bike Racks at REI - FREE SHIPPING With $50 minimum purchase. Some also have a bike lock. You can also carry a second bike with Kuat’s add-on extension. The Transfer is also available as a 1-Bike (described below) or 3-Bike version. It wasn’t dangerous, just annoying. You don’t have to remove the front wheel, but if your bike won’t fit in your pickup’s bed with the wheels on, you may have to lower the tailgate. GearHungry may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Cargo carriers provide secure, streamlined options for hauling a lot of camping gear and other cargo on top of … We recommend the Saris SuperClamp EX 4-Bike if you need to carry three or four bikes (or ones that are heavier than the Sherpa 2.0 can hold). But we still think the Sherpa 2.0 is a better buy. Everything from the 4 restraining straps to the bike cradles are simple and strong and the rack comes with a limited lifetime warranty from the manufacturer. Our test vehicles included sedans, hatchbacks, SUVs, and pickup trucks. However, it swayed more than the Kuat Highline or the Saris Bones, likely due to a lack of side straps. *At the time of publishing, the price was $160. The Yakima HoldUp exhibited some shortcomings in our testing. If you’re on a budget, want to carry two bikes, and don’t mind giving up some of the convenience of the Kuat Sherpa 2.0, we recommend the Kuat Beta, a hanging-style hitch rack. We’ve replaced the now-discontinued Kuat Highline with our previous trunk rack pick, the Saris Bones. At least three of our testers separately had the handle snap back and pinch their fingers against the frame of the rack as they used it, which proved to be a dealbreaker for us. Whereas other racks require you to fiddle with brackets and Allen screws, the HighRoad uses three rubber straps that slide under any type of crossbar. When possible, we folded, tilted, or swung the rack to see how easily we could access a vehicle’s rear cargo area. (We tested the Bones 2-Bike, but a Bones 3-Bike model is also available.). He was previously the automotive editor for Consumer Reports and the senior feature editor for Motor Trend. The SuperClamp EX held our bikes securely with clamps on the front and rear tires, without contacting their frames. Ibera Bike Rack - Bicycle Touring Carrier Plus+ for Disc Brake Mount, Frame-Mounted for Heavier Top & Side Loads, Height Adjustable for 26"-29" Frames 4.6 out of 5 stars 3,038 … If your vehicle didn’t come with one, you’ll need to buy an add-on system. It’s basically a nylon-covered pad that wraps around a truck’s tailgate, and it lets you carry up to five bikes by extending the front wheels over the tailgate and securing the bikes’ diagonal down tubes with Velcro straps. Eric Evarts, who has tested roof racks, hitch racks, and pickup-bed carriers for Wirecutter, has been a fervent cyclist since childhood. It has similar features, is just as sturdy, and can be expanded to carry four bikes with an add-on accessory. The Sherpa 2.0 also has one of the lowest lift heights—only 26½ inches, compared with 29 inches or more for most other tray racks (and even higher for other types of racks), so you don’t have to strain to load your bikes. Folding the Bones up is easy, and the curved arms and legs collapse until the rack is nearly flat. It is designed … Despite its light weight, it was sturdy and stable during our driving tests, even at higher speeds and with quick stops. Price - We’re big believers in value. Can be scaled to accommodate up to 4 bikes, Eliminates contact with frame and car paint job, One of the highest carrying capacities out there. When you’re adjusting the arms, you have to be careful not to loosen the knob that holds the legs to the center tube all the way, or the nut on the other end of its screw will fall to the ground. The Thule Helium Aero 2 was a previous pick for hanging hitch racks, but it costs about twice as much as the Kuat Beta. It will accommodate most 20-29” wheel bikes with tires as much as 3 inches in diameter. It’s solidly constructed, and it held our bikes securely. But that’s about all it has going for it. This sale includes all Thule car racks, rooftop boxes & thule accessories. The Inno Velo Gripper is easy to install, and it secures a bike to the side of a pickup truck’s bed. A plastic knob on each leg allows you to loosen its grip on the toothed part of the tube to slide it over to a smooth section, where you can freely spin the leg to the perfect position. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Some bike racks seem big enough to carry the space shuttle. rei.com. Unfortunately, when we were trying it on our Nissan Frontier, with plastic bed rails, the rack rotated off the bed rails, even though it was locked. It’s compatible with most models of SUV, sedan, hatchback or minivan. Once mounted, the Bones is sturdy and stable. The straps that hold the rack to the car feed through the central tube, which means you can place the anchors at the top, sides, and bottom of the car and pull on both sides at once for a tight, even fit. It does a better job than most adapting to the more or less vertical tail end of the SUV but doesn’t shy away from other vehicles styles either. But there’s no way to lock the clamps to the truck. Also, the FullSwing fit so snugly into our vehicle’s hitch receiver that it was difficult to insert it while also supporting its weight. And it folds flat for storage, which makes it perfect for apartment dwellers and others who have limited space for their cycling gear. It holds two bikes by the fork tubes and lets you lock them in place. Hitch Bike Racks – Thule T2 Pro XT 2 Platform Bike Rack vs Allen Sports Hanging. *At the time of publishing, the price was $220. We then drove through a mix of conditions, including along curvy, two-lane back roads, on the highway, and over rough pavement or dirt roads, making frequent quick stops and sharp turns to assess how much the rack and mounted bikes moved. This offering from RELIANCER offers a stylish and easier to use solution for storing one bike in your home or garage. It accepts thru-axle designs, and RockyMounts claims that the SwitchHitter fits all styles of crossbars. For our latest update, we tested four single-bike tray racks that offer solo riders several advantages: a lower cost, a lighter weight, and the flexibility to add an extension for a second or third bike if necessary. The bikes wobbled more, and it was hard to reach the lever to tilt it down. Next up, we’ve got another four bike rack that fits into a two-inch hitch. The Velo Gripper doesn’t come with a way to lock the clamps or the bike, although you can often lock your bike to the truck directly. They’re affordable, they can be installed and removed very quickly and you don’t have to worry about getting your bike up and down from the roof: a practice that has led to innumerable scratched paint jobs. If you need to carry three or four bikes, we recommend the Saris SuperClamp EX 4-Bike, which provides a nice balance of ease of use, features, and price. The Saris Freedom SuperClamp is one of the lightest and least expensive two-bike hitch racks we tested. But it’s a pain to install, and you can’t make any adjustments to the arms. Overall, we liked the four-bike version of the Yakima RidgeBack. Our bike racks are secure, affordable, and versatile, guaranteed to … Curbside Pickup Available NOW! Like the Pro XT, the T2 Classic can be expanded to carry four bikes with an add-on attachment, but at 50 pounds (or 94 pounds with the extension), the T2 Classic is notably heavier than our equivalent hitch-rack picks, and it doesn’t include bike locks. So we’ll read what people have to say, take their points under advisement and then check out the product ourselves and make our own determination. In our survey of bike clubs, the 1UP USA 2″ Heavy Duty Double was one of the highest-rated racks. It’s available for 1¼-inch and 2-inch hitch receivers. Thule’s straps securely hold bikes, but they take some strength to pull tightly. This process isn’t even as seamless as on some more expensive hanging hitch racks—you have to unclasp a wire retainer and remove a pin, rather than just using a one-step latch—but we didn’t find it difficult. Finally, the Insta-Gater 501 is more than twice as expensive as the Inno Velo Gripper, so it’s worth considering only if you need a rack that doesn’t touch your bike frame. It’s also easier than most to secure in the hitch, and its low lift height makes mounting bikes easier. This rack, which is super-easy to install, load bikes onto, and store, can carry two bikes up to 65 pounds each. Sample Thule Bike Rack … Allen Sports Deluxe Trunk Mounted Bike Rack, Hollywood Racks Express Trunk Mounted Bike Rack, Allen Sports 4-Bike Hitch Racks for 2 in. They sit up toward the front of the truck bed so the bikes enjoy the added safety of being on the rack and in the bed of the truck at the same time. The fully adjustable curved arms fit over all but the most massive rear trunk spoilers, and the whole contraption folds flat for storage. It has generously sized foam pads to protect your car’s paint job, equally gentle bike cradles that leave your bike paint job unscathed and 4 adjustable straps to secure the rack to your trunk. Oops.). Arrives fully assembled, ready to install, Simple and affordable like a bike rack should be, Make sure the rack isn’t covering your license plate. The hitch rack also leans back out of the way to allow you access to the trunk or the back of your SUV. Available in 4, 5 and 6 bike capacities, 2" receivers only. We do have a couple of, ahem, bones to pick with the Saris. As an editorial assistant at Wirecutter, he strapped nine racks (one at a time, of course) on the back of his Acura TSX and tested them during drives around Los Angeles. We suggest simply locking the rack … … You won’t have to remove you bike seats either because you fear they might get nabbed while you’re in the store. Its ultralight, 20-pound weight and compact dimensions make it easy to mount, although you do have to cinch a bolt down through the hitch to secure it (Kuat includes a 19 mm wrench for the job). This lightweight model is easier to mount on your car and to stow away than most other tray racks. One advantage is that it can carry up to four bikes with an add-on extension. It’s lightweight, holds one or two bikes securely, and lets you access your vehicle even when the rack is loaded. The Transfer was a little heavier, wasn’t as easy to install on the vehicle, required more assembly, and didn’t come with locks (although a separate lock kit is available). And when you’re done biking, the Bones folds nearly flat for storage. Make sure you also check our guide to the best roof racks. If you already own a roof rack, a roof bike rack could be the simplest solution, however a trunk or hitch mounted rack … However, its materials seem cheap and not durable, and while we were driving, the rack shook from side to side quite a bit. The Yakima FourTimer was the least expensive four-bike tray rack we’ve tested, and it could be a good choice if saving money is a top priority. When you’re not carrying bikes, it easily folds up and out of the way; to fold it back down, you just step on a convenient foot release. It’s one of the most expensive models we’ve tested, but its premium price includes luxury-like features that also make it one of the best overall racks we’ve tested. The Apex XT doesn’t fold flat for storage. Visit REI Co-op online and in-store. The wheels sit in this track and are strapped down firmly. The Velo Gripper’s clamps are also compact enough that you can simply toss them in a toolbox when you aren’t toting a bike. But we couldn’t get the locking mechanisms to engage on the roof straps for securing the rack to the vehicle. The Sherpa 2.0 holds most types of bikes (up to 40 pounds each), tilts out of the way (even when fully loaded) so you can get in your vehicle, and folds up compactly when you aren’t using it. For each update to this guide, we’ve also performed a thorough scan of the latest models available from all of the major manufacturers, selecting the most promising for hands-on evaluations. Best Bike Locks For Maximum Safety In 2021, This product guide was written by GearHungry Staff. We asked which types of racks were better for different types of people, which ones were the easiest to mount and use, and lots more. Still the truck bed bike rack can come in handy, particularly when you want to transport several bikes. That said, the EasyFold XT has built-in reflectors and even a license-plate mount to keep things visible and legal. $45.99 $ 45. … The roof mounted bike rack has the advantage of keeping your rear window clear so you can see what’s behind you when you’re driving. And even with only three aluminum bikes mounted on the rack, it sagged enough that we had to lift all the bikes and the swung-open rack to get it back into place. The Bell Cantilevered Trunk Bike Rack is engineered to fit a wide variety of trunk styles and sizes and also to attach with rock solid certainty to the back of your SUV or hatchback. Adaptability - Not all racks will fit all passenger vehicles. The T2 can accommodate up to 4 bikes (depending on size) with a total load capacity of an amazing 120 pounds. Even with bikes loaded, it easily tilts down so you can open your vehicle’s rear hatch or trunk. Because not every bike rack is universal (and even some of those that claim to be are not) finding the right bike rack can be tricky. If a thousand dollar rack is great but there’s one 1/10th the price that is nearly as good, it’s a far better value and we’ll take that every time. It’s a lean, mean bike carrying machine that you can install by yourself in under a minute. Although we think this tray-style hitch rack is the easiest to load and use overall, we also have picks for cyclists with other needs.