A mediocre hitch bike rack can spell disaster and ruin your planned day of fun in the mountains or at the bike park. We’ve all experienced some difficulties when it comes to transporting bikes.
Although biking is fun, it’s a pain to load them into a car and take their tires off. Too much work takes away from the joy of the day.
Kuat Racks NV 2.0 Bike Rack – Premium and Tough
The Kuat Racks NV Bike Rack is a premium choice that’s going to provide you with great service for years to come. It can carry two different bikes, and its heavy, durable frame allows it to hold bikes that are quite hefty. It can take a variety of wheel sizes, so there are a ton of different bikes you can use with this rack.
The bikes are kept well apart, and installing the hitch on the back of your vehicle is easy. No tools are necessary for the tightening phase of the installing process. The hitch presses down with a weight of 49 pounds for optimal security and tightness, even during the bumpier segments of a road trip. Adjusting the rack is relatively easy with the foot assist that was designed with the user in mind. Releasing bikes is easy, too, with an intuitive release button near the ratchet arm.
The trail doc is an interesting addition to the rack, since it provides some great functionality away from the hitch. The doc acts as a repair stand that you can take practically anywhere, since it’s light enough for easy transportation. Once you bring it to your bike, you can make some quick repairs or adjustments and be on your way once again.It’s a great pick if you like to go off-road biking or mountain biking.
Features:
- Two-Bike capacity
- Can carry bikes up to 60 lbs
- 20-29” wheels accepted
- Integrated repair stand
It’s a good thing that the rack adjustments are easy, since the entire apparatus is actually quite heavy. This can make it a challenge for some, but we feel that the foot pedal makes up for this small flaw. Folding the rack up is going to be a bit of an effort, but the stability and sturdiness you get in return make it a small price to pay, in our eyes.
While you get a lot of value from this bike rack, it is a bit pricey, and you can see what you’re paying for in weight alone. It’s a good pick if you’re looking for the utmost quality and security over the price factor. Knowing that you’re buying a bike rack that will last for years to come might be enough to justify the high initial cost, as you won’t need to replace this rack with another as parts degrade or fall out.Pros
- Easy to release bikes with foot assist
- No need for complicated installation tools
- Adjustable tire cradle system
- Powder coat finish
Cons
- Somewhat pricey
- Heavy
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Allen Sports Deluxe Hitch-Mounted Bike Rack – Affordable for Groups
Let’s look at the Allen Sports Deluxe Bike Rack. It can carry four bikes in total, as opposed to two, so already this is a good choice for families or if you’re planning on making a trip with several friends. The hitch can support up to 140 pounds altogether, so whether you’re mixing the bike weights or bringing four identical bikes each weighing up to 36 pounds, keep this value in mind. The long carry arms are a blessing for making sure that all four bikes aren’t constantly ramming into one another and making noise as you drive.
The rack utilizes a patented tie-down system that’s unique to racks from Allen Sports. This system combines the traditional clamp tech, used by most modern bike hitches to keep tires and frames in place, with a strap that can be added and wound around the bikes, making them even more secure. When you use this tie system, be careful not to secure the bikes too close to one another, or they’ll be more likely to knock into one another as they rattle during transport.
Installing the hitch isn’t totally tool-free, but it is very easy, even for beginners. The hitch is made to last with sturdy steel construction that doesn’t rust easily, although it’s lighter than you would expect. This isn’t a flaw, really, but you should keep it in mind as you drive, in case you go over any minor bumps or drops. The light weight of the hitch will let it move perhaps more than you’re used to.
Features:
- Four-Bike capacity
- Accepts 140 lbs in total
- Features long carry arms
It also requires a really secure hitch clamp to be effective. Some hitches only need to be secured lightly; you’ll want to double-check this one’s security before you drive. This may be due to the construction of the hitch clamp itself. Whatever the case, it’s good to know that there’s a lifetime warranty in case something goes wrong. In this case, you’re getting great value for money as long as you’re willing to use the warranty, as a hitch of this price isn’t going to last as long as something like the Kuat.
It may be worthwhile to pick this one up if you know that you aren’t going to be using it very often or if it’s for a one-time deal, such as a cross-country move or a competitive event.In any case, while it’s strong enough to last for some time, we don’t recommend it as a pick for a long-term solution for your bike rack needs. You’ll want to go with something with more longevity.Pros
- Patented tie-down system
- Easy to install
- Lifetime warranty
- Sturdy steel construction
Cons
- Heavy
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Swagman XC Cross-Country 2-Bike Hitch Mount Rack – Good for Light Bikes
Now let’s see about the Swagman XC Cross-Country Mount Rack. This can carry two bikes in total, although there are upgrades to allow you to switch to a larger, four-bike model. Each set of arms can carry a bike up to 35 pounds in weight, so it’s a better mount for lighter bikes or kids’ bikes. Despite this relatively light weight limit, the arms are very adjustable, even for larger tires and bikes of varying lengths and shapes.
This means that if you have some more niche bike types, like a carbon-frame bike, it’ll be right at home with this hitch. Larger bikes and tires will, of course, have more difficulty than smaller bike types, due to both the weight limit and the fact that the arms can’t fit fat tires without another additional upgrade that you may not feel like spending the money for.
The hitch makes use of an anti-wobble device that basically tightens the bolts more securely than some other competitors. This is good, because the tire locks themselves aren’t the sturdiest we’ve seen, and you’ll probably want to triple-check before you start on any off-road or bumpy excursion. That being said, the experience while driving is very quiet and smooth, in large part due to the anti-wobble design.
Features:
- Two-bike capacity
- 35 lbs per bike
- Adjusts to different bike frame sizes
The hitch is also smartly made with its center arm design folding down for really easy access. Whether this means that kids can load their own bikes or just more convenience for any loader, it’s a good feature that deserves recognition. The entire piece is also really easy to install.It’s a great choice if you have smaller or lighter bikes than most other riders. Because of its focus, it’ll be a lighter weight to lift up and down, too, so if this is a concern and you aren’t comfortable lifting heavier bike racks, you could always pick something like this one and eliminate that worry as well.Pros
- Very versatile for different bike types
- Center arms fold down for easy access
- Anti-wobble hitch device
- Easy to install
Cons
- Weak tire locks
- Can’t fit fat tires without accessory purchase
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Kuat Transfer Universal 2 Bike Hitch Mount – Versatile and Easy to Use
The Kuat Transfer Universal Mount is another higher-quality, higher-priced hitch rack that can fit two bikes, each with a maximum weight of around 40 pounds. This is right in the middle of most common bike weight ranges for hitch racks. It has a good spread of accepted tire sizes, too, around 20-29 inches. These aren’t great for fat tires but are fine for “larger” tires that don’t quite fit the “fat” description.
Even if it doesn’t fit the “fat” category, the adjustability is still valuable because it means that you aren’t locked into one specific bike type for the rest of the rack’s lifetime. This can make it a good choice if you find yourself transporting a lot of kids’ bikes or if you have several of your own for different occasions, such as a road bike and a mountain bike, depending on your mood. This versatility also means that different types show bikes can be transported together, although we do recommend driving carefully.
The hitch has a handy foot pedal we really like, since it makes locking the frame and making adjustments with the rack easier and safer than crawling around underneath the bikes as they’re being loaded. This foot pedal also allows anyone, even kids, to use the rack and get their bike down.
Features:
- Two-bike capacity
- 20-29” tires
- 40 lbs per bike
There are some upgrades available for security pins and cable locks if you’re planning on biking in areas where you’d like a bit more security. However, since this rack is already a bit high when it comes to price, you’ll have to decide if the potential risk is worth another investment. For what you get out of the box, the bikes are secured pretty well and don’t shake too noisily. Importantly, they don’t touch each other, so if you have frames that you want pristine for a show or event, this is a good choice.Due to the lack of touching, we did notice that the arms are a bit weaker than some competitor models. You won’t run the risk of the bikes falling out of the carrier or anything similarly disastrous, but you might find that you can hear them shifting as you drive.
For show bikes, we recommend adding some padding or wrapping a cloth around the bikes just to be safe. While this can be annoying after a while, it’s not a large enough flaw to dock it too many points in our eyes.Pros
- Holds larger tires
- Foot pedal at pivot for locking
- Can upgrade rack security with pin and cable locks
- Doesn’t contact or scratch bike frame
Cons
- Bikes are susceptible to wobbling since the frame isn’t touched
- A bit pricey
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