Just because you are going on a vacation doesn’t necessarily mean you should go on a health sabbatical – we all do, right? The bottom line is your essential training tools should ride along too and this includes your bike. If you are like most, the bike is rarely factored in among the training gears to carry on any given trip or expedition. While this can be partly attributed to its bulky size, it’s worth noting that there are various ways of transporting bikes; with the most effective being the use of a hitch rack. Hitch racks are designed to hold numerous bikes at once, without compromising the safety of your car or bike. If you are interested in investing in one, here is a list of the top ten hitch racks this year.
1. The Swagman XC Cross-Country 2-Bike Hitch Mount Rack
The Swagman is pretty “swaggy” as its name implies and as you can tell already, the best hitch mount rack this year. For starters, it is perfectly designed with adjustable cushioned hooks just in case you want to transport different sized bikes and ratchet arms for snugly fit. The XC Cross-Country 2 easily carries two bikes, which are secured both at the frame and wheels – from 20” to 29” – intended at enhancing stability throughout the ride regardless of how bumpy it may be. You also get a built-in anti wobble hitch device and locking hitch pin for safe measure. Overall, the XC Cross-Country is one of the coolest looking hitch mount racks on the market and it’s not that hard to see why it’s the best this year.
2. Allen Sports Deluxe 4-Bike Hitch Mount Rack with 2-Inch Receiver
If you are looking for a large rack that can carry up to four bikes at a go, the Sports Deluxe by Allen is certainly your safest bet. It packs a long arm that provides 22-inches for bike attachment and when not in use, you can easily fold it for storage. The tie-down system used in this hitch rack is really effective, meaning you can almost always be guaranteed of a safe ride with it at the back – provided your vehicle has 2-inches hitch. Set-up only requires a few minutes – less than five in most cases.
3. Allen Sports 3-Bike Hitch Mount Rack with 1.25/2-Inch Receiver
Once again, Allen proves why it is the best brand in the niche. This hitch mount rack is designed to hold three bikes with ease and can be attached to trailers’ slots with 1.25 or 2-inches. Its design facilitates sufficient room whereby each bike gets a 16-inch gap from the next. Like its counterpart above, it adopts the Allen tie-down mechanism, known to be pretty effective and easy to assemble from scratch. When not in use, you can easily fold the arms and leave it at the back of your car until when you’ll need it again. Durability shouldn’t be a problem being that it is crafted from high tensile steel with black powder finish.
4. Swagman XTC Cross-Country 2-Bie Hitch Mount Rack
The XTC by Swagman is one of the best hitch racks on the market partly thanks to the brand’s effective system, designed to perfectly fit your bikes and hence avoiding unnecessary movements regardless of terrain. Its frame is pretty sturdy and can support up to 70lbs comfortably as long as your bike has a wheel diameter of 20” to 29”. It doesn’t matter whether your car has the spare tire at the back or not; mounting it is fast and easy. Adjustment is equally a walk in the park with a rack push button and wheel trays for both tires.
5. Yakima Products RidgeBack Hitch Bike Rack
The main reason why the RidgeBack by Yakima ranks high on our review is simply because it requires absolutely no tools to assemble or hitch. It is basically a self-mounting hitch ideal for cars with 1.25” to 2” receivers. The system is one of the most effective in the niche, consisting of an anti-sway cradle complete with zipstrips to avoid damage of the car or bike. For faster attachment to your vehicle, simply use the speedknob entailed in the design.
6. CURT 18084 Hitch-Mounted Tray-Style Bike Rack
While CURT isn’t one of the more popular brands in the niche, the 18084 is a pretty solid product by all means. It easily holds two bikes weighing up to 90lbs – pretty impressive considering most are in the range of 70 – with padded arms that easily adjust to hold bikes of different sizes. The CURT product adopts a threaded shank system to avoid wobbling and when not in use, simply fold the sides and leave it at the back of your car.
7. Allen Sports Deluxe 5-Bike Hitch Mount Rack with 2-Inch Receiver
As you may have gathered already, Allen is one of the more popular brands in the market thanks to products such as the Sports Deluxe 5-Bike Hitch Rack. For a product holding that much, it is pretty easy to set up and install – less than five minutes overall. As you would expect, it adopts the Allen’s patented tied-down system – ranked among the most effective at keeping damage at bay. It sports sufficient 28-inch long carry arms that easily fold when not in use and for durability, the brand went with a steel frame with black powder finish coating.
8. Thule Vertex XT Hitch Mountain Bike Carrier
By just looking at it, you can tell that the Vertex is special. It comes in a unique arc design that not only looks good, but facilitates easier bike loading and carrying. For enhanced security, you get hold fast cradle cushion system, with Hitch Switch folding arms that can be easily tucked away when not in use. To lock the bikes on the rack, simply use the military-grade integrated cable lock to hold in place your two bikes.
9. Thule 990XT Doubletrack Platform Bike Hitch Rack
Thule is known for manufacturing some of the best products in the niche and the 990XT Doubletrack Platform just goes to prove this. It is designed to comfortably transport 2 bikes on vehicles with 1.25 or 2-inch hitch receivers. Set-up is pretty easy with the 990XT as the wheel trays slide in simplistic fashion along the platforms to eliminate bike-to-bike contact. When not in use, the rack sports a user-friendly hitch switch lever that folds and stores the comprehensive rack and wheel platform when not in use.
10. Yakima DoubleDown 4-Bike Hitch Mount Rack
The Yakima DoubleDown 4-Bike Hitch Mount Rack is an inexpensive product boasting a number of premium features such as the effective SwitchBlade anti-sway cradle to eliminate scratches through contact, simplistic TriggerFingers system that easily folds when not in use and an integrated bottle opener just in case you need to juice up. It is crafted using durable products meaning you don’t have to worry about its durability.
Finding the perfect hitch rack is as easy as checking out the reviewed products above. As you may have gathered, you can never go wrong with popular brands such as Allen and Yakima. In a nutshell, the above products are the best in the niche this year. If you are looking for an effective and durable hitch rack, it would therefore be in your best interest to invest in one of the ten listed above.