Trailer Hitch Bike Racks?

Anyone have any decent recs on hitch bike racks? Thule seems to be a top brand, but is it worth the higher price as compared to around $100 rack on Amazon?

 

I mean, its OT here, but I've never found better than the Kuat, the Sherpas are nice, but you're best off trying to find one used, the new pricing is fucking ridiculous.

 

I suggest a standing rack as opposed to a hanging rack. I have a yakima but the Thule is really nice and kuat is really nice but all three are gonna be expensive. The cheap Amazon racks will drive you crazy just in how loud and bouncy your bikes are. What i feel is really the best way to transport your bikes if you don't have a canopy or other style cover is a bike mat and hang them over your tailgate that is by far the easiest cheapest and most secure way to travel with your bike.

 

Yeah unfortunately cheap in this case means cheap. The cheap ones aren't worth it. I have a rack that I don't love...but it's stout. It doesn't fold, doesn't do anything fancy, just a solid, welded metal rack. You do have to take the front tire off, but it holds two bikes. Not even sure what brand it is, and they probably don't make them anymore. A friend gave it to me a few years back.

 

I've had an Allen Sports Deluxe 4-Bike Hitch Mount Rack since 2016 (

$149 Allen Sports Deluxe 4-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (2" Receiver) , Black

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TRTSW46). Paid $65 for it back then; now it's $150. I don't haul my bikes that often but it has performed decently over the past 9 years; no issues.

 

Thanks, this is all tracks on the others that seem to be well built in my research so far too. Looks like it'll have to be an investment worth investing in. I'll take a peak at marketplace and used markets--although I dread re-activating FB anytime I need to lookup things to buy on the used market smh.

I do have a canopy, otherwise I would absolutely just throw them over the tailgate--currently I just have two bikes in the bed one on top of the other with a moving blanket in-between (they aren't high-end bikes so I'm not too worried). Certainly not the ideal way and it's also a pain in the ass getting them in and out.

 

Call me crazy, but also help me to understand why you wouldn't just put your bike in the truck bed? Those hitch racks are great for SUVs and cars but it seems like overkill for a truck. Edit: and BTW, don't buy one of those POS racks off scAmazon. They are absolute garbage.

 

I won't use this style of rack because it has a penchant for clamping shift/brake cables to top tubes, then dragging the cabls back and forth across the paint.

YMMV but some of the bikes I've ridden on over the years may have a resale value higher than the car they were attached to at the time. If I was dragging around some Huffy hi-ten tank everywhere it'd be a different story.

 

Mine is similar to this one but is much older. I bought it back in 2016-17 time frame when my wife got a road bike. It holds 4 bikes and is very solid. It has the fold up system for when not in use but on the vehicle and it folds down to allow vehicles with tailgates (had it on my Odyssey) to open the back without removing the bikes. Haven't used it in awhile since both of our current vehicles don't have hitches and the CR-V can't have the right sized receiver needed installed. I can put it on the Tundra now that I have it though if needed.

 

Nice, wow that price jump is absolutely insane. I think this is what my friend has and offered me to use for the weekend. I would just need an adapter sleeve for our larger hitch since his is for a sedan.

 

I have this thing for our heavy ass e-bikes and its been awesome. No rattling around because it uses a bolt instead of a hitch pin at the receiver so it's always tight against the hitch. 150lbs capacity was all I needed

$77 MaxxHaul 70210 Hitch Mount Bike Rack 4-Bike Rack, Black For Cars Trucks SUV's Minivans, Large

https://www.amazon.com/MaxxHaul-70210-4-Bike-Deluxe-Hitch/dp/B00AK9YMIM/

 

Bought this one for 2 mountain bikes, cheap, solid, so far so good. The Velcro straps will wear out over time I’m sure.
Arksen 2" Hitch Mounted Rack...

$140 Arksen Hitch Mounted Bike Rack Smart Tilting 2-Bike Platform Style 150 lbs Capacity Carrier for Standard, Fat Tire and Electric Bicycle Fits SUV Pickup Truck RV Camper - 2" Receiver

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BV2MQSLP?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

I've got the same one as @KNABORES (3 bike model) and it works pretty good. I still use a tailgate pad most often though, even with a canopy on the bed.
These are some of the best hitch racks you can get and really hold their resale value on the 2nd hand market. https://1up-usa.com/product-category/racks/hitch-bike-racks/

 

Not crazy at all for asking, its a perfectly reasonable question and what I've been getting away with doing so far. I just threw them in the bed for a quick and easy temporary way to take them to the beach. But having them lay on top of each other risks damaging them, especially the frame and derailleur. I do have them configured to try and avoid any of that and it's been fine so far. I may just keep doing it since one is a mountain bike and the other is GIANT Escape hybrid that I bought during covid--some of these racks are worth more than both of these bikes combined tbh. It's also just a massive pain in the ass to climb in and out of the bed, take off/put on the front tires of both bikes, and arrange everything to fit properly every time--not to mention all the space it takes up. Long story short, lookin like I'll manage a cheap and dirty option for these cheaper bikes, and if/when I ever upgrade to more high end options is when I'll have to invest in a legit rack.

 

Nice, yeah when I referenced sub $100 racks on Amazon one of these Maxxhauls is what I initially looked at.

 

Rigd Supply makes some cool stuff. Probably overkill but check them out.

they are fellow 1st gen owners
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCX4jO7yn2-/?igsh=MW5uam5qMG1hZWNjdw==

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBrx4QIPHeB/?igsh=aDZ4dDhpMWR6NzU1

 

Thanks for the explanation! I personally have NO problem throwing 3 or 4 $4000 mountain bikes in the back of my truck. They're mountain bikes, made to take abuse. I am careful about placing padding between them, especially if carbon fiber. But to each their own! I do have a tailgate pad for when I have the bed topper off, which is rarely. I also like the added security of having them locked in the bed with tinted glass on the topper.

 

I perfer Kuat. They are mountain bikers, donate a lot of money to trails and race sponsorships. And they have awesome customer service.

 

I have a kuat 2 tray hitch rack. It's worth the price tag I paid for it 10 years ago. Not sure what they are selling for these days though. I also have 2 roof rack mounted rocky mounts racks that I bought at a huge discount from e-trailer.com. I think they are called the brass knuckles trays.

 

My usual arrangement

 

Just babysit market place i bought my 4 bike yakima stand up rack with all new rubber straps for 175 2 years ago. They were 600ush new at the time. Also if you are not in a hurry fall is a good time to catch a deal .

 

Swagman CHINOOK Hitch Mount Bike Rack

I have this one. Works great for 2 bikes. On all of them i recommend locktite on all assembly bolts.

 

What kind of bikes and how many? I've had a couple of vehicles setup to carry 6 mountain bikes for shuttle days in the past. Currently run a tailgate pad because I'm lazy, I can leave it on all the time, and I'm usually carrying a mountain bike. Road and gravel bikes don't get as many road trips.

Personally I love North Shore MTB racks, all steel construction, basic mechanical hinges, and they fold in half out of the way when not in use. BUT only useful with mountain bikes.

Next in vertical bike racks, made here in Portland, Lolo racks. Similar to a North Shore, but different hanging mechanism that works with mountain and road bikes. Friends have them and I've borrowed them, good racks, but don't fold in half like the North Shores when not in use.

For a standard hitch carrier that the bikes rest on their wheels on, Kuat. Everyone I know that works in the bike industry that doesn't have a vertical rack uses Kuat. They're pricey, but you can get replacement parts for just about anything.

Yakima...I've owned a few, actually really like one of their roof rack carriers, but generally overpriced plastic garbage, hard to get spare parts if something breaks, and if it gets backed into, might as well throw it out. I've had friends repair Kuats multiple times and are still using them after accidents. Usually while turning around at night on forest roads.

There's no reason a good bike rack can't last for a long time. Avoid anything where the bike hangs by the top tube and especially anything that clamps any part of the bike other than the wheels. Carbon fiber has really low compression strength when it comes to clamps and is quite easy to break compared to even aluminum frames. Integrated locks are a really nice feature, but only rely on them to keep the bike from flying off the rack or hopefully not walking off while running inside a gas station. Super easy to cut. When road tripping I always have multiple locks on the bikes and the hitch, and it always stays in site of me.

For your use case that you answered and I did actually go back and read, just get a tail gate pad. You can leave the front wheels on, still have room in the bed for other stuff, and they do pop up used from time to time. Just make a point of measuring carefully when picking one. Width wise we take a full size pad, but all the modern trucks have such high bed sides that the pads have gotten really tall. My Dakine pad actually wraps around under the tailgate a little because it's so tall.

 

I bought similar when someone stole the rack off my car in Sannah GA while we were there on vacation with the kids back in 2015. I still don't know how they popped the lock, but needed something to get us and the bikes home. It wasn't a bad purchase, and it worked well, but the rubber was stiff on the upper arms, so U used a cut pool noodle on the top tube for the nicer Ti-framed bike I had at the time. I'd take a cheaper platform rack like this over the "hanger" racks that only hole the top tube with a strap, any day of the week.

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Had a Y5 like the one in that pic for years. Cool bike

 

Thule, kuat, Yakima, all fine.

as was said above, the hanging style is newest and makes a huge difference protecting the bike and ease of loading or unloading. Tons of these around here.

https://www.velocirax.com/products/velocirax-3x

perfect if you want to have stuff like camping equipment in the bed.

 

Sweet Yota love!! Sold!!

 

Seeing this reminded me. The broker I used down in Macon to sell vintage race bikes until a few years ago had these on her vehicle for quick/easy/detachible hauling: https://www.seasucker.com/collections/bike

Great for cars, maybe for camper shell roofs. Spendy. But they are based on some sort of marine (boat) technology, and they hold like a damn anchor.

 

Love mine...its heavy but its a beast. Keeps bikes tight against the truck, not above my roof line and is easy to load and unload. I did have to buy a cross bar adapter for my daughter's bike since the frame isnt big enough to work with the rack. Cant fully open the tailgate even with the rack tilted over, so I added some foam gasket to where it does touch.