If you are an avid bike rider, I am sure that long, bike-less trips are nothing short of agonizing for you. For non-riders, I know it sounds weird but sometimes you need to take a road trip just so you can ride your bike.
This is why you need a bike rack; so you can carry your bike around anywhere as long as you have a car.
There are many different types of bike racks you can get but we will be focusing on the hitch mount bike rack. It is an aerodynamically efficient and a good, ergonomic option, especially compared to the other kinds of bike racks available.
How to Choose the Best Hitch Bike Racks?
To mount your bike on a hitch rack, you need to make sure that your car has a hitch receiver where the rack will be installed. If you don’t have a hitch receiver on your vehicle, you can easily get one from your local car-parts distributor and install it on your own.
Style:
Hitch mount style bike racks come in two different styles:
Platform Style:
Platform style hitch bike racks can support a maximum number of 5-6 bikes. The platform is basically a tray on which you can load the bikes and lock it as you need.
Hanging Style:
A hanging style hitch bike mount is basically there to support the bike using either its wheels or the frame. The bike then hangs on the hitch throughout the ride. The hanging style bike rack is cheaper than the platform style rack but it is less efficient as well. It can hold 3-4 bikes at one time.
Budget:
There is not just one kind of bike rack for everyone, there are many different modifications available. Naturally, the greater the number of modifications, the more expensive your hitch mount bike rack will be.
This is why there is no need to go above the limit on what you need. Check and see what modifications your bike(s) will need and install a hitch accordingly.
Later in this article, we have mentioned good budget bike racks like Schwinn along with more heavy duty ones like the Yakima and Thule bike racks.
| Serial | Name | Rating | Price | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Allen Sports Deluxe 2-Bike Hitch Mount Rack | 4.2 | $$ | Reviews |
| 2 | Yakima Products Hold Up Tray Style Bike Rack | 4.3 | $$$ | Reviews |
| 3 | Swagman XC Cross-Country 2-Bike Hitch Mount Rack | 4.5 | $$ | Reviews |
| 4 | Schwinn 4-Bike Hitch Mount Rack | 3.3 | $$ | Reviews |
| 5 | Advantage SportsRack FlatRack 2 Bike Carrier | 4.2 | $$ | Reviews |
How Many Bikes Can a Hitch Bike Rack Hold?
This depends on the class of hitch that is installed on your vehicle. The classes of hitch receivers range from Class I-Class III. Class I hitches have the least weight capacity and, therefore, can usually hold either only one or two bikes. Class III hitches have the most weight capacity and can easily hold up to 5-6 bikes.
The class of the hitch on your vehicle depends on the vehicle you own. The bigger the vehicle, the higher the class of the hitch you have. For example, class III hitches are usually found in large vehicles like SUVs.
Advantages of a Hitch Mount Bike Rack
There are many advantages to a hitch mount bike rack that make it a better choice than other kinds of bike racks:
- Highly aerodynamic
- Very easy to load and unload bikes on and from it
- Many different styles
- Different prices and modifications
Disadvantages of a Hitch Mount Bike Rack
- Modifications are expensive
- May block rear view of the driver
Where Can I Get the Best Hitch Bike Racks From?
These bike racks can be bought from local car shops and from local car-parts distributors. You can talk to the person in charge of the best brands and the modifications that will fit you perfectly.
Other than that, these hitch mount bike racks are also easily available on Amazon, from where they can be delivered right to your doorstep.
The Best Hitch Bike Racks 2018
Following are the best hitch bike racks for the year 2018
- Allen Sports Deluxe 2 – Bike Hitch Mount Rack
- Yakima Products, Hold up Tray Style Bike rack
- Swagman XC Cross-Country 2 – Bike Hitch Mount Rack
- Schwinn 4 – Bike Hitch Mount Rack
- Advantage Sports Rack Flat Rack 2 Bike Carrier
Reviews of The Best Hitch Bike Racks 2018
Allen Sports Deluxe 2 – Bike Hitch Mount Rack
Claims and General Information:
The Allen Sports Deluxe is a 2-bike hitch rack.
It fits 1¼ and 2-inch hitches and comes with a no-wobble bolt to stop the bikes from moving around too much.
This hitch mount bike rack also comes with a tie-down cradle system to securely lock and protect the bike.
The design of this rack is not just suited to one kind of bike, it caters to many different sizes and designs.
The maximum weight capacity of this rack is around 70 lbs.
The rack itself weighs a total of 20.6 pounds.
Reviews:
When we opened the shipped package, we noticed that this rack had to be assembled before installation. To our delight, the rack was very easy to assemble and install because of the easy instructions that are given.
When we first loaded our bikes on the rack and went for a drive, we noticed that there was considerable sway. For a while we were afraid of seriously damaging our bikes on the way, so we have to secure them with bungee cords. This, unfortunately, was a huge drawback of this bike rack.
The lock on the rack is good and secure, though. So you know your bike will not go flying away on the road.
This rack is quite sturdy and durable as well.
Overall it is very cheap and provides good value for money. If you are an occasional user of the rack, it is best for you.
What we Liked: What we Disliked:
Yakima Products, Hold up Tray Style Bike Rack
Claims and General Information:
You will find that this Hitch Mount Platform style bike rack is very easy to assemble and install.
The tools you will need to assemble and install this hitch bike rack are included in the package.
Loading your bike in this Yakima hitch bike rack is easy and fast.
This rack can easily accommodate many different types of bikes.
The rack does not come in contact with the frame of the bike either; in case you are worried about that damaging your bike.
It can easily carry 2-4 bikes.
The rack weighs a total of 49 pounds.
Reviews:
The claims for easy assembly and installation of this bike rack are quite true.
One thing that annoyed us was the very secure hitch pin used to secure the rack to the hitch receiver. It needs a wrench to screw and unscrew. So taking off the rack is quite a pain. The secure hold is great but the inconvenience is irritating too.
The rack can carry 4 bikes with no trouble at all.
The bikes fit in really well too. You do not have to make too much room for them.
Another unfortunate thing about this rack is that you cannot lock the bikes in place when you are driving because the wheels of the car will not allow you to do so. So you would do better to keep the bikes locked when you are parked in one place.
You can easily adjust this bike rack to fit most kinds of bikes, which is great!
The rack is very heavy and sturdy. This contributes to its durability. We can safely say that this is a high-quality product that is efficient for heavy use.
Overall, this rack is quite expensive but it provides good value for money.
What we Liked: What we Disliked:
Swagman XC Cross-Country 2 – Bike Hitch Mount Rack
Claims and General Information:
The Swagman XC is a 2-bike carrier hitch.
Its maximum capacity is 35 pounds per bike.
This hitch bike rack can be folded out to access the rear of the car.
The rack also has ratchet arms that can help adjust pretty much any type of bike into it.
The rack also includes an anti-wobbling hitch-device to secure your bike in one place during a drive.
This hitch mount bike rack mainly fits class III hitches.
It weighs a total of 5 pounds.
Reviews:
Right off the bat, we noticed that this hitch mount bike rack is very lightweight. It is probably the lightest rack on this list.
In spite of it being so lightweight, it is a very high-quality rack.
The rack can be folded and carried when it is not attached to the car. It can also be folded when attached so you can have access to the rear of your car.
It is, unfortunately, not very durable. You can see it rusting after only a couple of months of use. This is why we recommend that you be extra-careful when using it. In fact, this rack is best for occasional users.
The rack is very easy to install and remove.
It is, unfortunately not very secure on the hitch. You might want to invest in some extra protection to keep it in place.
When you are driving, you will notice that the bikes do sway and wobble a bit on this rack. It is not too much but a little extra protection may be necessary for some people.
Overall, this bike rack is not very expensive and is actually good value for money.
What we Liked: What we Disliked:
Schwinn 4 – Bike Hitch Mount Rack
Claims and General Information:
The Schwinn is a 4-bike rack hitch.
It has a fold-away design to make it easier to access the rear of the vehicle.
This rack has hold-downs which separate the bikes and prevent them from coming in contact with each other.
The rack is fairly easy to assemble and install.
It is made of steel tubing to increase durability.
The rack weighs a total of 27.5 pounds.
Reviews:
This Schwinn hitch mount bike rack is a very heavy bike rack.
Unfortunately, it is not a very durable rack. This is why it is best if you keep it for infrequent use.
This rack causes the bikes in it to sway quite a bit. This is why you might need something else to secure the bikes well in place.
We can safely say that this bike rack is well-designed. You may Keeps keep the bikes well-above ground but not so much to block the view of the driver from the rear. This reduces friction from the ground and keeps the bikes from being damaged during commutes.
This hitch bike rack can even be folded to make it easy to access the rear of the vehicle.
Mounting the bike on the rack is a slightly tricky business though it will take some getting used to.
Overall this rack is quite cheap and therefore good value for money.
What we Liked: What we Disliked:
Advantage Sports Rack Flat Rack 2 Bike Carrier
Claims and General Information:
This bike carrier rack is great for easy and quick loading of the bikes in the rack.
This Advantage Sports rack is durable and rust-resistant.
It is a 2-bike rack.
The rack folds away for access to the rear of the vehicle it is attached to.
The maximum weight of each bike that goes on the rack should not be more than 33 pounds.
It weighs a total of 20.9 pounds.
Reviews:
We love the fact that this rack comes assembled. We installed it on the car ourselves which was a pretty easy job.
We would also like to point out that this rack carries a decent amount of weight in terms of bikes as well. So we can say it is quite durable and heavy duty.
Thankfully, there is minimal to no swaying of the bikes when you are driving your vehicle.
Loading the bikes on the rack is not a very easy job, though. We had to spend a good 20-25 minutes in perfectly loading and securing the bikes in place so that no problems come up when we are driving.
This rack is very lightweight which is great as the car does not feel too weighted from behind.
Overall, this rack is not too expensive and provides really good value for money.
What we Liked: What we Disliked:
Conclusion
All the bike racks we have mentioned in this article are good-quality racks. We have reviewed them all in detail so you select one that is best suited to your needs.
Even so, there is one bike mount hitch rack that for us, was a clear winner. This is the Yakima Products, Hold up Tray Style bike rack. Even though it is a little on the expensive side, this bike rack is very high quality and will easily last a couple of years.