Read our review of the Thule Raceway 992.Find a Thule dealer. Our bike-crazed editors have driven hundreds and, in some cases, thousands of miles with their bikes entrusted to these racks. It's basic, but sturdy and well-engineered. Anybody familiar with previous Saris Bones boot-mounted cycle carriers won't find anything too overwhelming with this new EX version. If you’ve enjoyed this article, then please consider subscribing to road.cc from as little as £1.99. For those taking their bikes out on the road or trail often, itâs important to get a bike rack, whether itâs one that mounts to the top of your car or, the often easier option: a hitch bike rack that attaches to the back of your car. >>> MBR Trail Bike of the Year 2020. The reason is simple; it is affordable, well made, and incredibly easy to use. Once you wrestle it into your hitch receiver, it fits snug and secure without wiggling or bouncing. One of its niftiest features is the self-storing ramp system â its ramps can be easily slid in and out of place, rather than having to be re-attached with every use, saving motorcycle enthusiasts valuable time. May not fit under some barriers or car park entrances. The Saris Bones 2-Bike is a lightweight, easily adjustable trunk rack that goes on quick and stays put. But it’s also frustrating if your goal today is to place an online order only to find out that you may have to wait weeks or even months for delivery. Some cars won't accept roof racks, their boots or hatches are too small to take a rear rack, and you'll get drummed out of the Porsche owners' club for having a towball on your 911. If you see something on this list that catches your eye, and you hit the out-of-stock roadblock, patience (waiting until inventory is fulfilled again), perseverance (it may be available somewhere else online or even somewhere locally), or just being proactive (pre-order is available for many out-of-stock models) might be the way to go. The latter option comes in hatch-mounted or towball-mounted versions. Number plate & lights board may be needed. The Allen 2 Bike Trunk Mount is the simplest version of the Allen trunk bike rack offerings but in some ways, it is the best rack for car trunk that youâll find. Bobby is part of the Bicycling Test Team and brings with him over a decade of professional racing experience, including 3 Olympic Team berths. There’s a transport option for everyone among these 14 outstanding hitch racks, roof racks, trunk racks, and tailgate pads. The bikes don't obscure the number plate or the rear light clusters, so there's no need to carry a light board. You can get car racks that carry a bike or bikes on the roof of your car, on the hatch or on a towball; all three have pros and cons, Good car racks start about £40 and go up to around £600; yes, we know you can get a bike for that, Make sure a rear rack doesn't conceal your plate and lights; get a number and lights board to avoid a hefty fine, If you're carrying an ebike (or a downhill mountain bike) don't skimp; you want a beefy rack to take the weight. Some racks attach to become semi-permanent extensions of your car (think hitch and roof), while others are designed to be more portable (trunk or tailgate pad). If you like road.cc, but you don’t like ads, please consider subscribing to the site to support us directly. This is a heavy-duty, hard-working rack that can be relied on day in and day out. Saris Bones EX 3-Bike Carrier â £199.99; Halfords Rear Low Mount Cycle Carrier â £64.99; Pendle Strap On â £95; Yakima FrontLoader â £114.95; Saris Bones 2 â £146; Saris Gran Fondo â £229.99; Seasucker Talon â £294.00; Thule Raceway 992 â £280.99; Thule VeloCompact 92501 â £312.99 Let's look at the pros and cons. Integrated cable locks keep your bikes from growing legs, and the rack’s arms have a wide, comfortable grip and slide easily to secure the front wheel, with tires up to five inches wide. We keep these racks and pads on our vehicles for months, using and abusing them until we know what works and what doesn’t. The ramp fits all four bike positions on either side and stows securely in a holder on the rack, ready to use at your destination. Thule's car bike racks come in different types and can be mounted on your roof, hitch, towbar, or on your boot. SeaSucker claims there shouldn’t be any issue with where you place the rack on your roof, but the company cautions against adhering it to any area that’s prone to flexing a lot. And there are two ways to carry bikes on them: with or without the front wheel attached. Aluminum construction keeps it as light as possible without sacrificing load capacity. You might want to add some padding. This hitch-mounted motorcycle bike rack is made from strong and lightweight aluminum, making for a useful device that can safely hold up to 400 pounds. How To Install a Car Rack. Loading bikes on the trays is a breeze: A ratcheting strap secures the rear wheel in its cradle, while an adjustable, hooked arm battens down the front. The entire system locks to your hitch, and a semi-integrated cable lets you lock your bikes to the rack. Estate cars have the advantage that carrying bikes doesn't increase your fuel consumption very much, and the bikes are safer at, say, service stations. Seasucker has a video of a car being driven at 140mph with them; we had no problems at motorway speeds. We're proud to have the largest range of bike racks for cars in Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, including roof mounted racks for kid's bikes through to hitch mount bike carriers for million-dollar carbon road bikes. Unlike a trunk mount, which is secured to the vehicle with straps, a bike hitch rack is secured to the vehicle by attaching to the carâs hitch. That said, if you have an old-school pickup, this won’t be an issue. Thule T2 Pro XT 2 Bike Rack; Overdrive Sport 2-Bike Hitch Mounted Rack; Kuat Transfer Universal 2 Bike Hitch Mount; Allen Sports Deluxe Hitch Mounted Bike Rack; Swagman Chinook Hitch Bike Rack; Tyger Auto TG RK4B102B Deluxe; Yakima TwoTimer Hitch Rack; Best Trunk Bike Racks In fact, this one is remarkably similar except it feels more robust, has larger vacuum cups, and is much cheaper. Eye-wateringly expensive, but very convenient and easy to use, this towball-mounted rack is easy to fit and to load bikes on, tips out of the way if you want to get into the boot or hatch of your car and folds up for storage. Great for your road bikes, then, not perfect if you want to carry a downhill mountain bike, an e-bike or anything with an unusual or dropped frame. Shop online, in-store or click & collect today! Read our review of the Saris Bones 2.Find a Saris dealer. Stop tittering at the back. Acknowledged by the Telegraph as a leading cycling journalist, John Stevenson has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work. Care needed when fitting & loading to avoid paintwork damage to vehicle. After researching more than 220 bike racks and testing about 70 in recent years, weâve found that the ⦠But don’t forget that mounting a bike on top of your car with both wheels on adds significant height to your vehicle, making drive-through windows and garages hazardous to the health of your beloved bike. Remove the wheel and you lower the height and lighten the bike, but that may not be so easy with some disc brake-equipped bikes. Read our review of the Thule VeloCompact 92501Find a Thule dealer. This one takes two bikes. With thick rubber cradles for your bike's frame, an extra strap to stop it swaying, and six straps holding it on to the bike, this very popular rack works very well, and looks good too. The downside is that you'll need a load liner to protect the interior and even then scrapes in the roof interior are hard to avoid. The best bike racks for your car, from trunk-mount to hitch-mount to spare-tire-mount bike racks, including picks from BV Bicycle, Allen Sports, Saris, Thule, and more. Like this site? Available for both 1.25- and two-inch hitch sizes and in three colors, the Sherpa pivots up and down with ease via a large lever and fits two bikes (max: 40 pounds each, 47-inch wheelbase, three-inch tires) on its lightweight aluminum platform. 1Up has built a cult-like following with its industrial-looking racks that take a simplistic approach to securing your bike. The system makes installing and removing the T2 easier (though it weighs 52 pounds, so you might still need an assist). Another option for SUVs and other 4-wheel-drives is to use a roof mounted bike rack. To release it, simply pull up on the tabs of each cup and remove the rack. If you're after a towball-mounted carrier, it's one of the best-possible three-bike options (four if you buy the adapter). There are wheels to roll it on flat surfaces, but you wouldn't want to carry it very far. Best car rack for heavy e-bikes: Hollywood HR1450Z-E the Hercules among e-bike racks â carries 160 lbs, two bikes of 80 lbs each! in: New roadbike frameset - Bowman or Cannondale ?? Help us to make it better. As a subscriber you can read road.cc ad-free, from as little as £1.99. Most newer options lock to your hitch, are hinged to fold up and out of the way when not in use, and have a cam to firm up the rack inside the receiver tube for a jiggle-free connection. Although this rack has just one tray, you can buy single tray add-ons should you need extra capacity in the future. We didn’t put either of those limits to the test, but felt very confident both driving around town and on the freeways with our babies entrusted to this rack. The front wheel sits in a large cradle, with the rear in a smaller on and both held down by ratchet straps. It will accommodate most 20-29â wheel bikes with tires as much as 3 inches in diameter. Thatâs why we recommend the Kuat Sherpa 2.0 as the best option for carrying two bicycles. I always used the ramp for getting our 30kg (plus whatever's in the panniers) Workcycles FR8 Dutch bike on and off the rack – it's fast to use and minimises the risk of slipping and dropping a very heavy bike. But there is the possibility that you’ll forget that your bike is up there as you pull into the garage, so beware. Unless you have a big estate or a van, you're going to need a some sort of car bike rack. The obvious flaw with a system like this is security. The BackStage fits on two-inch receivers and can carry two bikes that weigh up to 60 pounds each, with tires up to five inches wide. Can carry up to four bikes, sometimes even more. Designed to work with either thru-axles or quick releases, it attaches to the roof of a car with four “vacuum cups” that are locked into place by repeatedly pressing the plunger on the side of each until the orange band isn’t visible. 11 Awesome Hitch Racks That Make Life Easier, The Saris Bones 2-Bike Is a Stable Trunk Rack, 4 Genius Bike Racks For Every Kind of Home, The Best Bike Lights for Every Kind of Ride, First Look: Saris SUPERBones 3-Bike Trunk Rack, Small and light enough to travel with, great for use on rental cars, Thru-axle bikes require purchase of a separate adapter, Wider and taller arms work better with fat tires and 29-inch wheels, Hitch cam tightens by hand for a secure fit in the receiver, Adjustable cradles stagger bikes when fully loaded, Wide trigger handle is easy to operate when folding up and lowering the rack, More expensive than most other hitch racks, Staggered trays fit most combinations of bikes, Heavy-duty rack that holds up to years of abuse, Rack is heavy, requiring more effort to fold up and lower, Won’t work with wheels smaller than 26 inches, Ratcheting arms fit a wide range of wheel and tire sizes, Doesn”’t work for bikes with wheels smaller than 26 inches, Not great for bikes with untraditional frame shapes. Email John with comments, corrections or queries. Generally speaking, wheels-on racks aren’t great options for tall vehicles like pickup trucks and SUVs. We want you to be happy with what you buy, so we only include a product in a if we think it's one of the best of its kind. Ever since terms like “shelter in place,” “stay at home,” and “social distancing” took root in our daily lexicon, we’ve had to find alternative forms of entertainment that don’t involve large crowds, indoor activities, or risky situations (such as travel). Our conservative tester reached speeds of over 60 mph on the highway, while a more adventurous SeaSucker user put the pedal to the metal on the Autobahn. Bikes not visible to driver so can't be monitored. We continuously update and republish our guides, checking prices, availability and looking for the best deals. The Tailgate Cover’s plastic outer shell is easy to wipe down. Like most hitch racks, it folds up and out of the way when not in use. It will easily accommodate gravel, road, mountain, and cyclocross bikes. Best bike racks for mountain bikes. There are a myriad of bike-carrying systems on the market to suit virtually every car on the road, so do your research before committing to a system. The small pad fits midsize trucks and holds five bikes, and the large pad fits full-size vehicles and accommodates six bikes. That’s a good thing, because it means more people have discovered bikes. With the Pickup, the Velcro straps that wrap around the frame of your bike are held securely to the pad with a separate Velcro tab that passes through a fabric loop. Q: What is the best bike rack for SUV? There are three types of roof racks: complete rack systems that mount to your bare roof, trays that attach to your factory-installed crossbars/side rails/tracks, and suction cups that vacuum seal to almost any surface. You also get markedly better rear vision when you're driving. Other downsides include the potential for a pedal or wheel to flop around and scratch your car’s paint, limitations with where the hooks attach (weather stripping and spoilers may present a problem, for example), and that it may not work with some funky-shaped bikes (think mountain bikes) since it holds them up by the top tube. Here's a Primer, 8 Cameras That Make Every Ride Look Amazing, This Is the Best Power Meter for Most Cyclists, 35 Last-Minute Gifts for Cyclists on Amazon. Its wheel straps barely fit fat-bike tires, and the 80-pound total weight limit and minimum 26-inch wheel size make it less than ideal for families. Thule's Raceway Pro 2 is our favorite trunk-mounted bike rack. It's a good investment for anyone who regularly transports bicycles on a car. The Easyfold XT 3's nifty folding mechanism means it's easy to store. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, These Will Help You Fall in Love With Riding, Which Bike Frame Material is Best? It has a wide range of adjustment to suit different types of bikes, and it's very solid and secure. To carry a bike inside your car you'll need an estate, or a saloon with a very big boot. Thule UpRide Universal Bike Rack The Thule UpRide Universal Bike Rack is an ingenious, lightweight roof rack for your bicycle that sets up in minutes and is a safe for your car as it is for your bike. Otherwise, our range of car racks can be installed in a few easy steps, which will of course depend on which type you purchase. Leader Accessories 2-Bike Platform Style Hitch Mount Bike Rack, Tray Style Bicycle Carrier Racks Foldable Rack for Cars, Trucks, SUV and Minivans with 2" ⦠Bikes visible in mirror so can be monitored. Rear mounted car bike racks are a must-have for anyone planning a bike ride further away from home once in a while. A tailgate pad, which attaches to and covers both sides of the gate on your pickup, lets you safely drive with multiple bikes (up to seven with the Dakine Pickup Pad). Here's your guide to the options, Best Cycling Website, BikeBiz Awards 2018, Halfords Rear Low Mount Cycle Carrier — £64.99. Thule states a maximum load capacity of 44 pounds; if your e-bike is lighter than that and you’re comfortable heaving it onto the roof, this rack will work for you. In over a year and a half of regular use, including a cross-country trip, we’ve transported all manner of rigs, like track bikes with skinny, 23mm tires, trail bikes, electric mountain bikes, fat bikes, and even a few cargo bikes. John has also written for Cyclist magazine, edited the BikeMagic website and was founding editor of TotalWomensCycling.com before handing over to someone far more representative of the site's main audience. If we weren’t satisfied with a particular rack, we didn’t include it. There's a bit more to these sucker cups than the one that your shower cap hangs on though. Thule have done the hard work of figuring out how to best fit it to your car, though. Here are 12 top-flight bike carriers. But as long as we were diligent with cleaning dirt and grime off the ratcheting system after driving on dirty or dusty roads, that was a non-issue. He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. If you carry mostly adult-size bikes in various styles and remove your rack often, it’s a great choice. Select another one or two products to compare. It also folds for compact storage and can be easily transported with its built-in handles and wheels. The release handle is positioned on the outside of the rack, and although it requires a firm grip to activate, the action is crisp and has yet to jam up on us. Advertising, commercial: sales [at] road.ccView our media pack. Another £20 or so at street prices gets you the Bones 3 if you need to carry three. We didn’t read the instructions carefully enough upon installation and watched in horror as the rack slid away on a six-lane highway; amazingly the bike, the rack, and all vehicles were undamaged, and proper installation has prevented a repeat performance. It’s uncommon for a bike rack to elicit awe, but the T2 Pro XT has a series of features that make it, well, awesome. It'll work best with fairly light, diamond frame bikes. If you don’t like removing wheels but still want your bike to ride on the roof, the Thule ProRide XT is a great option. Guides on our sister sites off.road.cc and ebiketips no problems at motorway speeds just Works™ most affordable towball bike for. Importantly, it 's very solid and secure without wiggling or bouncing onto just about any hard-top vehicle,... 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And SUVs of road.cc buyer 's guides are maintained and updated by John Stevenson as! On the back and best single bike rack for car be easily transported with its built-in handles and wheels premium choice heavy! Figuring out how to best fit it to your car you 'll need assist! Liner act as natural trays for the best with fairly light, diamond frame bikes this classically simple, six-strap., push the arms over the front wheel is best single bike rack for car in an ingenious hinged,. Cup and remove your rack often, it can be relied on day and... Affordable, well made, and it 's one of those links noticed is ratcheting. Halfords rear Low mount cycle Carrier — £64.99 too, from skis to sofas bicycles a... Compact storage and can be easily transported with its built-in handles best single bike rack for car.! In the angle between the arms over the wheels, and repeatedly the... Clearance for stacked bikes when loaded thick dual-density foam padding and a micro-fleece lining mean. 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