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.
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 2020
Following are the best hitch bike racks for the year 2020
- 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 2020
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.