The Best Bike Racks for Any Vehicle

Whether you’re headed on a weekend trip, to the local trail system for a lunch ride or the top of your favorite descent, a good bike rack is crucial. It’s no fun to have to fold down your back seat to wrestle your bike inside, twisting the handlebars and taking off the front wheel in the process. Just returned from a particularly muddy ride? Hope you brought a tarp.

Enter the humble yet handy bike rack, your headache-sparing, space-saving alternative. It’ll free up your car’s interior for the rest of your gear, your dog, or a riding partner, depending on the capacity of your vehicle and your rack.

What to Look for in a Bike Rack

There are five main types of bike racks: a tray hitch mount, hanging hitch mount, trunk, roof and truck bed. Which rack you choose depends on your preferred method of loading your bikes, as well as your vehicle. With each style, there are considerations. Access to the rear of your vehicle, number of bikes, ease of loading and unloading said bikes, weight capacity, locking ability and of course, price all factor into your choice.

Trunk-Mounted Bike Racks:

Trunk-mounted bike racks rest on the trunk of your vehicle, and are ideal for those with smaller cars or sedans that need to get their bike from point A to point B. Truck-mounted bike racks are great if you don’t already have crossbars on your vehicle or the ability to mount a hitch. Popular brands include Thule and Saris, among others.

The benefit of a trunk-mounted bike rack is that you can still transport your bike, even if you don’t have a beefy rig to throw it into. The drawback? Accessing your trunk becomes a hassle, and if you’re already short on space, this can be a deal breaker.

Hitch Bike Racks:

Hitch mounts, which include both tray and hanging models, are probably the easiest way to transport multiple bikes. The benefit of a hitch-mounted bike rack is that you’ve got your bikes right at your fingertips and can load and unload without hoisting heavy rides over your head to a roof rack.

Hitch-mounted racks aren’t all sunshine though — for one, you’ve got to, you know, actually have a trailer hitch to use one. Also, unless it’s a folding rack, hitch-mounted bike racks can still make it tricky to access your trunk (which likely has all your bike gear in it.)

Roof Racks:

Finally, roof racks: These mounts save the most space, keep bikes out of harm’s way (unless you’re in a parking garage) and if you’ve got the height, are easy to load and unload bikes. Today’s roof racks feature the capacity to carry up to six bikes at a time and are composed of feet that attach to your vehicle’s roof and crossbars where the rack itself attaches.

Roof racks include models that require front-wheel removal and racks that lock onto both wheels: the latter is more expensive, taller and less stable but removes the hassle of removing the front wheel every time you want to throw your bike on the rack.

How to Choose the Right Bike Rack for You

If you’ve got a truck and want high weight capacity and don’t mind slightly impeded vision, a truck bed bike rack may be ideal for you. If you’ve got a smaller vehicle and want to transport as many bikes as possible, a hanging hitch rack may be your best bet. Because bike racks are an investment not only in and of themselves but also for your bike, it pays to be diligent as you research your purchase.

There are many options out there, and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. But relax. The bike racks that follow are the best available right now.

Courtesy Kuat

Best Overall Bike Rack: Kuat Sherpa 2.0 Bike Rack

• $629.00 at REI

• Mounting Method: Hitch
• Bike Capacity: 2
• Max Weight: 80 pounds

This handy rack from Kuat tops the list thanks to a potent combination of features. Made of aluminum, it weighs in at a relatively light 32 pounds, yet it can support two bikes up to 40 pounds each (with wheelbases as big as 47 inches and tires as wide as 3 inches), with a generous 14 inches of space between them. A convenient foot-actuated pivot lever lets you lower the rack to make loading up a snap, while no-tool assembly, a folding tire cradle and an adjustable ratchet arm add to the ease of use. Last but not least, an external cable with a semi-integrated lock provides peace of mind should you need to step away before or after hitting the roads and trails.

Courtesy Kuat

Best Bike Rack Upgrade: Kuat Piston Pro X Hitch Rack (2-Bike)

• $1,389.00 at REI

• Mounting Method: Hitch
• Bike capacity: 2
• Max Weight: 67 pounds (per tray )

Yes, this rack is quite pricey. But one of GP’s go-to bike writers, Berne Broudy, got hands-on with it recently and quickly became kind of obsessed: “The Piston Pro X takes everything that’s great about a hitch rack and makes it better. With solid construction and a bevy of smart features, the rack also addresses the category’s most annoying hangups, making it simple to use — and maybe even fun.” Highlights include one-hand loading via hydro-pneumatic OneTap levers, a non-directional tray, integrated LED taillights, a semi-integrated cable lock and a super stable rack-to-vehicle attachment system. Check out Berne’s rave review here.

Saris

Best Affordable Bike Rack: Saris Bones 2-Bike Rack

• $160.00 at Amazon

• Mounting Method: Trunk
• Bike Capacity: 2
• Max Weight: 70 pounds

With an innovative design and unique looks, this wallet-friendly Saris rack is ideal for transporting lighter-weight bikes. The arc style form factor fits most cars, including many with spoilers, fitting securely with spring buckle straps, hooks and ratcheting straps. Its rust-proof, 100 percent recycled plastic construction can accommodate two bikes up to 35 pounds each. That capacity is lower than the Kuat and Thule racks, but so is the weight of the unit, by a lot: it comes in at just 9 pounds.

1Up

Best Made-in-America Bike Rack: 1Up USA Equip-D Double

• $805.00 at 1up-usa.com

• Mounting Method: Hitch
• Bike capacity: 2 (4 with separately-sold Add Ons)
• Max Weight: Total carrying capacity of up to 135 lb (50 lb in bike spots 1 & 2 and 35 lb in bike spot 3)

One of the most popular bike racks on the market, 1Up has made a name for itself by crafting heavy-duty, no-nonsense bike transportation systems that highlight the best of American engineering. The Equip-D Double is the newest model from the brand, and is a fixed, two-bike system that can transform into a four-bike system additional Add-Ons (sold separately).

It can pair with either a 1.25” or 2” receiver, and fits wheels ranging from 16” — 29” and up to five inches wide, while accommodating up to a 56” wheelbase. Our favorite feature is the bike attachment design — you can secure your rides without attaching to the frame, with rack arms that close over the tires, instead.

REI

Best Roof Rack: Yakima HighRoad Bike Mount

• $269.00 at REI

• Mounting Method: Roof
• Bike Capacity: 1 (per unit)
• Max Weight: 45 pounds

This affordable rack packs many of the same features as some of the others in a roof rack form. You can install it without tool and secure your bike with integrated locks. The contact-free design goes easy on carbon frames, with the TorqueRight knob adjusting to fit different-sized bikes, with wheels up to 29 inches and tire widths up to 3.25 inches. Worth noting: You can only transport one bike per unit, and you do need an existing roof rack to attach it, but on the upside, you’ll always have access to your trunk.

REI

Best Rack for Big Bikes: Thule T2 Pro XTR 2-Bike Hitch Rack

• $750.00 at REI

• Mounting Method: Hitch
• Bike Capacity: 2
• Max Weight: 60 pounds (per bike)

Thule’s premium tray-style hitch-mount bike rack is pricey but offers best-in-class features in a user-friendly build. Front-wheel ratcheting arms and rear wheel straps secure bikes up to 60 pounds (with up to 29-inch wheels and 5-inch tires) without any frame contact. No tools are required to install and there’s an integrated cable lock. Even better, a double-jointed mechanism lets you tilt the load away from your car to access the trunk. The big difference between this rack and its predecessor is integrated wheels that make it easier to move the 52-pound unit around.

REI

Best Bike Rack for Trunk Access: RockyMounts BackStage Swing Away Platform Hitch Rack

• $770.00 at REI

• Mounting Method: Hitch
• Bike Capacity: 2
• Max Weight: 60 pounds (per bike)

Yes, the Backstage is pricey and, at 75 pounds, rather heavy. But it’s the first platform rack featuring an arm that swings completely away from your vehicle to allow total rear access — and it’s still the best. The rack can handle bikes up to 60 pounds each, with wheels up to 29 inches, holding them securely with reliable ratcheting arms. There are a couple of limitations, in that it’s currently only available for 2-inch hitches, and the included cable lock is not integrated into the rack. But if easily getting into the back of your rig is a priority, nothing beats the convenience here.

Amazon

Best Portable Bike Rack: Kupper Mounts Suction Cup Bike Rack System

• $200.00 at Amazon

• Mounting Method: Roof or trunk
• Bike Capacity: 1
• Max Weight: 45 pounds

Kupper’s approach has to be the only reliable bike rack you can throw in a carry-on bag. The clever suction cups attach to the roof or rear of your car, van or SUV in minutes, accommodating dropouts, thru-axle adapters, mountain and road bikes up to 45 pounds. While you can only haul one bike per 8.62-pound set, you can employ as many sets as you can find space for on your vehicle. To make traveling even easier, Kupper Mounts come complete with a convenient carrying case.

Amazon

Best Bike Rack for Pickup Trucks: Inno Velo Gripper Truck Bike Rack

• $120.00 at Amazon

• Mounting Method: Truck Bed
• Bike Capacity: 2
• Max Weight: 33 pounds

Inno’s system is super affordable, simple and user-friendly. The clamps secure your bike to the side of the truck bed, which not only leaves plenty of room to store other gear but also keeps the bike out of your line of sight. No tools are required to install, you don’t have to remove the front wheel, and the clamps are small enough to detach and stash when not in use. One thing you don’t get with this set-up is any kind of locking mechanism, though you can probably figure out a way to lock the bike directly to the truck.

Related Topics