Arge

Looking for opinions… I want a 5-6 bike hitch rack for family MTB’ing. Narrowed it down to vertical racks, but I'm looking for guidance on how/where they will hang from....

1) Fork/Crown Mount (e.g.Yakima hangover, NorthShore Racks, etc )
2) Handlebar mount - (e.g. Woof Rax, Lolo racks, etc)
3) Wheel basket - (e.g. Alta Racks, Shingleback, etc)

I know there are multiple options for each type (and I hope I'm not breaking some rule about posting name/product above but I don't know how else to illustrate the differences). So what I'd like to hear, is it better to hang from fork/crown, handle bars, or wheel?

For instance, there was a video I saw on youtube where the guy claimed that having wheels (i.e. hang from handlebars) put the weight / center of gravity closer to the car/hitch and therefore was better/safer.

Also I'd love to hear from anyone that has one of those or similar rack.

Viich

Can't help much - I looked at the NorthShore Racks and I think I'd love one, but my family does BMX and road cycling, and they say that road bikes won't work on them (but never say why). I ended up going with a 4 bike platform. I like the idea of the wheel basket racks the best - I'd rather have tire-rack contact as the primary......

Milton Keynes

5 or 6 bikes on one rack? Seems like a lot of bikes to hang on the back of one vehicle, and I don't know that I'd trust a hitch rack.

Arge

Roof of my F150 with topper is too tall without A frame ladder, and with 3 kids and a wife, 5 bikes is my magic number. There seem to be plenty of options and none would exceed the tongue weight for my truck's hitch. The real question is the point by which I hang... Fork, handlebars or wheel.

Arge

Right now the entire family is into MTN bikes so any of these work. However, only wheel/basket or handlebar racks work for BMX or road bikes. Considering my kids are young that may be a consideration for going with those options (they could change their minds).

BTW... The reason the North Shore (fork rack) wouldn't work is because of how they hold bikes by the crown... Street and BMX prob won't fit.

Viich

I think they work fine for race BMX bikes - I see several North Shore racks in the parking lot of the track, anyhow. The 4 bike platform is good for now - my wife won't race, so it's just my bike and one each for my two boys. If we all started running cruisers as well we'd have a problem.

And definitely no issue with 5 or 6 bikes from a class III or IV hitch.