The Finest Hitch Bike Racks of 2023

There are numerous methods to move bikes together with your automobile, however hitch bike racks are arguably the perfect. With so many fashions and kinds to select from, nonetheless, discovering the proper hitch rack in your wants and price range could be a problem. At Bikerumor, we’ve examined dozens of the perfect hitch racks available on the market to search out the perfect methods to conveniently and safely transport your treasured bikes wherever you go.

Whether or not you’re doing mountain bike shuttles with a giant crew, heading out on an off-the-cuff trip or to a race, or loading up the household for a weekend trip, we’ve discovered the perfect choices accessible in 2023. Our staff assessed every mannequin’s ease of use, weight limits, versatility, safety features, and meeting, to offer you the main points you must make a extra knowledgeable buy choice. 

Right here you’ll discover our prime suggestions adopted by the perfect of the remainder that are all additionally nice merchandise worthy of consideration. Should you’d like to check product specs be sure you take a look at our comparability chart and discuss with our complete purchaser’s information and FAQ to assist reply any questions.

Editor’s Word: This evaluate was up to date on Nov. 17, 2023, with the addition of the Thule Epos and 1Up Recon Rack to our product choice, make some adjustments to our award winners, and to make sure the accuracy of the knowledge supplied.

The Finest Hitch Bike Racks of 2023

Better of the Relaxation

Hitch Bike Racks Comparability Chart

Why Ought to You Belief Bikerumor?

The staff at Bikerumor is obsessive about all issues biking. We trip for work, enjoyable, health, coaching, racing, and commuting. We don’t simply write about bikes, they’re a driving pressure in our on a regular basis lives. Such as you, we regularly use our autos to move ourselves and our treasured bicycles, and hitch-mounted bike racks are our most well-liked manner to take action. 

For over a decade, we’ve been testing the newest bikes, applied sciences, elements, and equipment, together with bike racks. In that point, we’ve gotten our fingers on nearly each bike rack available on the market whether or not for testing and evaluate or private use. We’re all the time looking for the perfect, most secure, and most safe technique to transport our bikes to the trailhead, for a weekend getaway, or to the subsequent race. According to maintaining bikes secure and safe, we’ve additionally totally examined and reviewed the perfect bike locks. We additionally worth our private security, which is why we’ve examined the greatest mountain bike helmets and the greatest street bike helmets too.

Our editors have been testing biking gear for years and have developed a eager sense of what makes an ideal product. Every rack featured right here has been totally used and examined by one, or a number of members, of our employees to tease out the usually refined efficiency variations that separate the nice from the perfect. In actual fact, many of those fashions are our private racks which have seen a number of years of heavy use and abuse. Relaxation assured, we have now our fingers on the heartbeat, and as new fashions hit the market, we’ll take a look at these too, and preserve this evaluate as up-to-date as potential. We’re dedicated to serving to you discover the proper rack to fulfill your wants and price range.

Shopping for Recommendation: The way to Select a Hitch Bike Rack

There are a lot of kinds of motorcycle racks available on the market, however we really feel that hitch-mount racks are one of the simplest ways to move your bikes. Hitch racks are available a number of kinds, nonetheless, so that you’ll want to find out which is the best choice for the bikes you personal and the automobile you’ll apply it to. Right here we break down the principle variations between tray racks, vertical carry racks, and prime tube hanging racks, in addition to different necessary issues to contemplate when buying a hitch rack. 

Kinds of Hitch Mount Bike Racks

There are benefits and downsides to every sort of rack. Right here we’ll clarify the variations together with the professionals and cons related to every type.

Tray or Platform Hitch Bike Racks

Most of the time, we select the tray or platform type rack over the others because of their ease of use and bike attachment strategies. The bike’s tires relaxation on a tray or platform with arms that usually clamp down on the entrance wheel whereas the rear wheel is strapped into place. Some fashions use arms to seize each the entrance and rear wheels. Tray racks are essentially the most secure and safe. Some fashions permit for left-right changes so you possibly can keep away from handlebar-to-seat interference between bikes. Severe cyclists usually select tray racks as a result of most designs maintain the bike with none body contact, serving to to maintain your trip in pristine situation.

PROS: Good tray racks usually maintain bikes with no body contact so that they gained’t scratch or rub on the paint. In addition they are inclined to have extra space between bikes, making it simpler to load greater bikes and fatter tires. They’re very versatile and most can maintain a variety of wheel sizes, tire widths, and forms of bikes. Some have excessive weight limits making them appropriate for transporting heavy e-bikes. Low loading heights imply you don’t must raise your bikes that top to get them on the rack.

CONS: Most tray racks can solely match 2 bikes (some can max out at 4 with add-ons). They’re typically fairly costly, and including a 2-bike extension to a 2-bike rack will increase the price much more. Tray racks are sometimes massive and heavy, making storage tougher when you don’t simply depart them in your automobile.

Vertical Carry Hitch Bike Racks

What was as soon as a really area of interest type of rack is turning into extra widespread as extra manufacturers have began making racks that cling the bikes vertically. Historically, vertical carry hitch racks have been generally used for shuttling mountain bikes. Earlier fashions held bikes by the crown of a suspension fork. Extra not too long ago, this type of rack has turn out to be extra versatile. Some new fashions function angled wheel baskets/trays that seize the entrance wheel whereas others assist them by the handlebar. Vertical carry racks may be a few of the best to load, though it should be executed in a particular order. Most fashions are provided in a number of variations with carrying capacities usually various between 4 to six bikes. 

PROS: Able to carrying numerous bikes. Comparatively fast and simple to load bikes. Usually no body contact. 

CONS: Cumbersome and really heavy. Troublesome to maneuver round and retailer when not in use. Bikes must be loaded and unloaded so as. Some designs are solely able to carrying mountain bikes with suspension forks. Most solely are available a 2” receiver dimension.

Prime Tube Hanging Hitch Bike Racks

Prime tube hanging bike racks usually maintain your bike’s body by hanging the highest tube throughout two arms that reach out from its assist beam. You merely slide your bike over these arms, relaxation it on them, then strap it into place. Higher fashions have cradles and rubber or ratcheting ladder straps in addition to some methodology of stopping your bikes from swaying forwards and backwards. These racks are available numerous sizes with carrying capacities ranging between 2 and 5 bikes. At Bikerumor, we personal and trip bikes that we care about, so that is our least favourite technique to transport bikes as a result of inherent downsides of the highest tube cling design.

PROS: Inexpensive, simpler to retailer (particularly if the arms fold down), lighter weight.

CONS: Helps the bikes by the body and may injury the paint. Bikes typically make contact with one another. Non-traditional body shapes (like step-through frames), actually small (child’s) bikes, or full suspension mountain bikes may be exhausting to suit, correctly safe, or require an adapter. Hanging racks are nowhere close to as secure or safe as tray racks. Decrease weight limits.

Product Issues

Tray vs. Vertical Carry vs. Prime Tube Cling: Which is the perfect?

Choosing the proper type of rack will depend upon a number of components together with what number of and what sort of bikes you must carry, how typically you propose to make use of it, and the way a lot you’re keen to spend. Most of the time, we go for tray racks or vertical hanging racks as they’re the simplest to load, most secure and safe, and are much less more likely to injury the paint in your body. These are usually the most costly choices, nonetheless, so they might not make monetary sense for these on a price range or much less frequent rack customers. Prime tube hanging racks may be a greater possibility for many who solely use a motorbike rack sometimes or are much less involved with the looks of their bike’s body. 

How Many Bikes Do You Want To Carry?

It could appear apparent, however the variety of bikes you propose to hold when searching for a motorbike rack. Many racks may be bought in various sizes/carrying capacities or extensions may be added on to deal with extra bikes. 

Most tray racks include house for 2 bikes, though some are provided in single or three-bike configurations. Many producers supply add-ons for tray racks (relying on the mannequin) that may broaden capability by one or two bikes. Tray rack add-ons can add considerably to the price of your rack system.

Vertical hanging racks are usually provided in a number of sizes, often between 4 and 6 bikes. Whereas the upfront value of vertical hanging racks is substantial, it finally ends up being some of the cost-effective methods to move 4 to six bikes (some manufacturers go as much as 7) aside from a tailgate pad. 

Prime tube hanging racks are provided in numerous sizes ranging between 2 and 5 bikes. 

How A lot Do Your Bikes Weigh?

The appearance of and proliferation of electrical bikes has made weight capability a standard concern for these trying into a brand new bike rack buy. Not all racks are created equal on this regard, so weight limits needs to be thought-about primarily based on the bikes you propose to hold. With many e-MTBs and electrical bikes weighing within the neighborhood of fifty to 60 lbs, and generally extra, rack producers have been designing racks to deal with this new breed of bicycles. If you’re planning to move heavy e-bikes, it is very important get a rack that meets or exceeds the burden of your bikes for security. The Thule Epos has the best weight per bike capability of all of the fashions we examined at 75 lbs, adopted intently by the Yakima StageTwo at 70 lbs. It needs to be famous that some racks are rated for RV and off-road use, though the burden limits usually drop down barely in these functions.

Loading Heavy Bikes

Heavyweight electrical bikes are harder to load, so some producers have responded with rack designs and equipment to assist make it simpler. Lifting a 60 lb bike up and into place on a tray rack is awkward and should even be not possible for these with restricted power or mobility. Many manufacturers now supply loading ramps that may be bought to permit customers to roll bikes up onto the trays of sure racks. A choose few racks even include this accent included, just like the Yakima OnRamp. Different racks, just like the Thule Epos, Yakima StageTwo, and the Kuat Piston Professional X, are appropriate with aftermarket ramps, and the racks themselves have excessive weight limits to deal with these heavyweight rigs.

Bike Attachment Issues

Relying on the kind of bikes you’ve gotten and the way a lot you care about your body’s end, the way in which a rack secures the bike could also be an necessary consideration. Fashionable carbon fiber and aluminum bikes may be very costly, so the very last thing most individuals need to do is injury the paint or body materials whereas transporting their treasured rides. For that reason, prime tube hanging racks ought to usually be prevented by these with costly carbon bikes since they carry bikes by the body. Restricted house between bikes additionally makes bike-on-bike contact troublesome to keep away from.

Tray Racks

Most tray racks, however not all, keep away from body contact by securing the bike with both a entrance wheel clamp and rear wheel ladder strap, or with twin clamp arms that sandwich the bike from each ends. Entrance wheel clamping fashions such because the Thule T2 Professional XTR, Rocky Mounts MonoRail, Kuat NV 2.0, and Yakima StageTwo have hook-shaped ratcheting arms that lock the entrance wheel down and a strap that holds the rear wheel tight towards the tray. These fashions keep away from body contact, nevertheless it needs to be famous that the entrance wheel hook can probably make contact with the fork and depart abrasion marks over time, and the rear wheel strap can depart some minor scuffing in your rear rim. Twin clamp fashions just like the 1Up-USA Heavy Obligation Double, Kuat Piston Professional X, and Rocky Mounts GuideRail, maintain bikes by the tires, making it simple to keep away from any undesirable body, fork, and even rim contact.

Vertical Carry Racks

Vertical carry racks differ in the way in which they maintain bikes, with choices that assist bikes by the fork’s crown, entrance wheel, or handlebar. Fashions with entrance wheel baskets/cradles, just like the VelociRAX and the 1Up Recon, make the least quantity of contact with the bike as they typically solely contact the entrance tire and have straps that maintain the rear wheels in place. Racks that carry bikes by the fork crown, just like the North Shore Racks and Yakima HangOver, have padded cradles that make direct contact with each the crown of your suspension fork and the underside of the pinnacle tube and have the potential to trigger abrasion marks in these areas. Vertical racks that assist bikes by the handlebar are a bit extra versatile than the fork-carry fashions, however additionally they have the potential to trigger minor abrasion injury to your handlebar’s end.

What Type of Bikes Do You Have?

Together with the quantity and weight of the bikes you must transport is the forms of bikes you’ve gotten. Whereas hitch racks are extremely versatile when it comes to bike match, not all will work with each bike. Some racks are designed to work with nearly any bike on the market and may assist an enormous vary of wheel sizes, tire widths, and wheelbase lengths, whereas others are extra restricted. You will need to contemplate these components when looking for the rack that most closely fits your wants and the bikes you’ll be transporting.

The character of tray rack designs means they’re among the many most versatile when it comes to bike match. Most work with various wheel sizes and tires starting from skinny street bikes to mountain bike treads. Many fashions can match as much as 5-inch vast fatties, though some require fats bike kits. A limiting issue for some tray racks is wheelbase size, so select correctly in case you have an excellent lengthy downhill or enduro bikes.

Vertical carry racks differ of their versatility relying on how they assist the bike. Some fashions maintain the bike by the crown of the fork and solely work with mountain bikes with suspension forks. Fashions that use entrance wheel baskets or cling the bike by the handlebars work with a larger number of bikes, together with these with inflexible forks or drop handlebars.

Prime tube hanging racks are the least versatile as a result of manner wherein they assist the bikes. Grownup-size frames with straight prime tubes work the perfect. Curved tubes, small frames, or full suspension bikes could also be troublesome or not possible to place correctly over the assist arms. Most manufacturers make adapters to hold non-compatible frames.

What Dimension Is Your Hitch Receiver?

When ordering a motorbike rack, it’s essential to get one which matches the scale of the receiver in your automobile. Many autos, however actually not all, include hitch receivers put in, so be sure you double-check the scale. It will likely be both the bigger 2” or the smaller 1.25”. Can’t inform simply by trying? Merely measure the width of the receiver opening to search out the scale. Should you don’t have already got one, it’s potential to get one put in on most autos. Native auto outlets or U-haul places can usually care for it for you. In lots of instances, it’s also potential to do it your self, and trailer hitch kits can usually be discovered on-line to suit your yr, make, and mannequin of car.

If getting a trailer hitch put in, the two” dimension is our suggestion as it’s usually stronger and may assist extra weight. This makes it higher for transporting tray racks with add-ons, racks with swing-away attachments, or vertical hanging racks. The 1.25” dimension additionally works properly sufficient, however the weight ranking is usually a bit decrease and a few racks are solely provided within the 2” dimension. Adapters can be found to go between the 2 sizes, and a few racks even include adjustable receiver ends that may be switched between them.

Swing Away and Tilt Options

Most high quality tray racks have a tilt operate so you possibly can fold it up when not in use, flat for transporting bikes, and tilt it down and away to entry the rear of the automobile. Some racks have handy tilt-release handles or foot pedals and may be tilted down even with bikes on the rack. Others have much less user-friendly launch mechanisms that require you to succeed in beneath or round loaded bikes to tilt the rack. Most vertical and prime tube hanging racks even have tilt options for simpler entry to the rear of the automobile.

Individuals who have camper vans, cabover campers, or just need vast open entry to the again of the automobile ought to contemplate racks that swing away or including a swing away/pivoting attachment to the rack of your alternative. This enables the whole rack to pivot out and to the facet, making it simpler to open massive doorways or just take pleasure in unrestricted entry to your trunk (boot), truck mattress, or camper. A choose few racks include this function constructed into the design, just like the Rocky Mounts Backstage, however most main producers additionally make swing-away attachments. These attachments are usually solely accessible within the 2” receiver dimension for racks that even have 2” receiver ends.

Car Clearance

The clearance between the rack, bikes, and your automobile is worthy of consideration. No one desires to have their rear window damaged by their handlebar whereas in transit or have to loosen and switch their handlebar each time they load a motorbike on the within tray. Some trailer hitches are mounted additional beneath the automobile, making the rack itself sit nearer to the rear bumper. Further components just like the type of car and the design of the bumper and rear door additionally play a task. Some racks play good with nearly any automobile whereas others can have a tighter match that may trigger contact between handlebars and rear home windows or doorways. That is most typical with tray racks and autos with vertical rear doorways like campervans that may be extra problematic on this regard in comparison with these with sloping rear ends like station wagons and hatchbacks.

Most rack producers present technical specs or match guides on their web sites for reference. This hyperlink to Kuat’s Piston Professional X Match Information is an efficient instance that offers you all of the measurements you want for that particular rack. Evaluating your measurements to the rack’s specs ought to offer you an thought of whether or not or not a rack will match. Nonetheless, that doesn’t all the time resolve the handlebar clearance challenge, though that’s usually most prevalent with vertical rear doorways. In some instances, it might be essential to get a hitch extension to realize the right clearance in your automobile. Thankfully, most manufacturers supply hitch extensions as an aftermarket accent, a few of which additionally elevate and decrease the peak of the rack. Vertical hanging racks often have fewer clearance points as they usually have an angle adjustment to place it correctly to keep away from any interference with the rear of the automobile.

Safety

Bikes may be very costly, so maintaining them secure is a precedence for many customers. The very last thing anybody desires is to cease for a fast errand and discover their bike(s) stolen after they return. Many racks, however not all, include included safety features like cable locks built-in or semi-integrated into their design. Whereas these options are undoubtedly significantly better than nothing, they’re usually little greater than a theft deterrent. We all the time advocate including a beefy aftermarket lock to your rack for an added layer of safety and peace of thoughts. You may be taught extra in our evaluate of the perfect bike locks.

Racks are additionally pretty costly, so maintaining them secure and safe can be essential. Thankfully, most hitch racks include hitch pin locks or locking knobs to safe them to the automobile. Some require using particular safety allen keys to tighten or loosen them on the hitch. Hitch pin locks are pretty cheap, and an ideal addition to any rack that doesn’t already include one.

Meeting

Once you buy a hitch bike rack from a brick-and-mortar retailer, they are going to usually assemble the rack for you and probably even aid you set up it in your automobile. Once you buy a rack on-line, it often arrives at your property in a big field with some meeting required to organize it to be used. The meeting course of varies between fashions and a few are extra concerned than others, however usually, it isn’t too troublesome. Most fashions include detailed directions and the instruments wanted to finish the steps within the course of. Usually you could find an tutorial meeting video (or scan a QR code) when you want to see it executed. We advocate following the directions precisely for the simplest and most streamlined meeting.

Storage

Whereas many individuals will select to go away their hitch rack on their autos always, most individuals will take it off seasonally or after they aren’t planning to make use of it for an prolonged interval. You’ll want someplace to maintain it, and most hitch racks are pretty cumbersome and take up a good quantity of house in your storage, shed, or storage location. That is very true of most vertical hanging and tray fashions, though a number of collapse to a smaller dimension to make storing them extra handy. Some corporations make wall-mountable hitch docks that may maintain your rack up off the bottom to maintain issues tidier. Prime tube hanging racks are usually the simplest to retailer given their narrower collapsed dimensions.

Worth

There’s no denying that hitch bike racks are costly. Costs have been steadily rising and the highest-end fashions now prime $1,000. Except you’re rolling in disposable revenue, that’s a troublesome tablet to swallow for most individuals. Positive, costlier racks usually have fancy options and high-end finishes, however most individuals don’t want to spend that a lot to get a rack that will get the job executed.

Realistically, the least costly fashions we examined work practically in addition to the high-priced choices. All of them work higher than no rack in any respect. After all, the value of some racks goes manner up when you must add capability. Tray racks get way more costly once you issue add-ons into the equation. These needing to hold many bikes without delay could be smart to take a look at the vertical hanging choices. Whereas the upfront value is pretty excessive, they value lower than some racks with add-ons for carrying 4 or extra bikes at a time.

Regularly Requested Questions About Hitch Bike Racks

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