Though we’ve discovered this tray-style hitch rack to be probably the most reasonably priced one which’s straightforward to load and use total, we have now picks for cyclists with different wants.
These embody the cheaper Küat Beta hanging hitch rack, the ebike-friendly Thule EasyFold XT 2, the Saris Bones EX 3-Bike trunk rack, the Saris SuperClamp EX 4-Bike tray rack, the Yakima HighRoad roof rack, and the Inno Velo Gripper pickup-bed provider.
Our decide
In efficiency and worth, the Sherpa 2.0 stands out. Much less effort is required to mount this light-weight two-bike mannequin in your automobile and to stow it away than with many different tray racks. This rack can also be less complicated than most to safe within the hitch, and its low top makes loading bikes straightforward. The Sherpa 2.0 holds most forms of bikes (as much as 40 kilos every). It tilts out of the best way, even when totally loaded, letting you entry your automobile, and it folds up compactly.
Funds decide
If in case you have funds or storage constraints, the two-bike, hanging-style Küat Beta is an effective different to the Küat Sherpa 2.0. As a result of it’s a dangling rack, it isn’t as straightforward to load, and it’s a must to unload your bikes to tilt the rack down. However the Beta is solidly constructed and holds bikes securely. At solely 18 kilos, it’s additionally one of many lightest hitch racks we’ve examined, so it’s straightforward to put in. And in contrast to most hitch racks, the Beta folds utterly flat, making it easy to retailer—hold it on a storage wall hook or stash it in a closet.
Improve decide
Whether or not it’s worthwhile to transport heavier ebikes otherwise you simply desire a rack that’s straightforward to load, the Thule EasyFold XT 2 is difficult to beat. It’s costly, however this rack can maintain two bikes as much as 65 kilos every, and its foldable ramp helps you to roll bikes onto the rack as an alternative of lifting them. This rack is lighter than competing fashions, and it folds as much as the dimensions of a giant airline carry-on bag. The EasyFold can also be fast to put in and consists of built-in cable locks. Nonetheless, the EasyFold holds bikes by the body, which some riders don’t want, and the clamps may be awkward to make use of.
Additionally nice
The Saris Bones EX 3-Bike is solidly constructed but light-weight, straightforward to mount and to retailer, and may match virtually any automobile. Fabricated from molded plastic, the Bones EX is simpler to elevate onto the again of a automobile and strap on than its rivals. It remained secure even at excessive speeds and with fast stops. The totally adjustable legs match over even large manufacturing facility spoilers, and the entire contraption folds almost flat for storage. In our survey of some 20 bike golf equipment, the Bones garnered one of many highest rankings. As with all trunk racks, loading your bike requires lifting it increased than you’d need to with a trunk rack. (The Bones 2-Bike mannequin, which we examined beforehand, remains to be accessible and even cheaper. However the EX, which additionally is available in a two-bike model, is a major improve, particularly in case your automobile has a big spoiler.)
Additionally nice
If it’s worthwhile to carry 4 bikes, we advocate the Saris SuperClamp EX 4-Bike. The SuperClamp EX is without doubt one of the lightest four-bike tray-style hitch racks accessible, and it might probably accommodate two bikes weighing as much as 60 kilos every, plus two others as much as 35 kilos every. Utilizing a deal with on the rear, you’ll be able to simply fold up the rack when it’s empty, or tilt it down when it’s loaded, to entry the automobile. This rack isn’t as easy to mount because the Küat Sherpa 2.0, and like all different four-bike racks, it’s accessible just for 2-inch hitch receivers.
Additionally nice
Though they’re dearer than trunk racks and never as straightforward to make use of as hitch racks, roof racks permit you unimpeded entry to a automobile’s cargo space, they usually’re the one possibility for some automobile designs. (They’ll additionally dramatically cut back your automobile’s gasoline financial system.) Of the roof racks we examined, the Yakima HighRoad was the best to work with, each when mounting it and loading a motorcycle. It holds your bike solidly by the entrance wheel, which we like higher than fork-mount designs as a result of the rack doesn’t contact your bike’s body. Your automobile does want roof rails to mount the rack onto (that is true of all roof racks).
Additionally nice
Trunk racks received’t work on a pickup, and it’s possible you’ll need to preserve the hitch free for towing. The Inno Velo Gripper secures a motorcycle to the aspect of a pickup truck’s mattress. This place retains a motorcycle out of the driving force’s line of sight, one thing we didn’t discover to be true with different pickup carriers we examined. The Velo Gripper’s clamps are additionally compact sufficient which you could toss them in a toolbox while you aren’t toting a motorcycle. The Velo Gripper is accessible in two variations: The RT201 is designed to suit common pickup-bed sides, and the RT202 is designed to be used with C-channel bed-rail methods.