Hitch-Mounted Bike Rack?
05-22-19, 08:24 AM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Hitch-Mounted Bike Rack?
Hi all - I am looking for a hitch-mounted bike rack, 2-bike capacity to mount on my 2019 Forester. The bikes don't have a horizontal top tube (slanty), so I think I am best off with a tray style rack. One bike has a rear pannier type rack on it.
I was all set to take advantage of spring specials over at REI, they have a Rocky Mounts swing away style rack which has the extra perk of swinging out of the way, but when I called Rocky Mounts, a surly product rep told me I didn't want their racks. He said if I have a rack on one of the bikes, it will be too tight and bang on the other bike.
Now I am eyeing the Thule T2 Pro XTB 2 Bike Platform Rack. Reviews are all very positive. Can anyone tell me if this should provide enough clearance between bikes if one has a rear rack on one of the mounted bikes?
Any other favorite hitch racks I should be looking at? Thanks! - Yankee
I was all set to take advantage of spring specials over at REI, they have a Rocky Mounts swing away style rack which has the extra perk of swinging out of the way, but when I called Rocky Mounts, a surly product rep told me I didn't want their racks. He said if I have a rack on one of the bikes, it will be too tight and bang on the other bike.
Now I am eyeing the Thule T2 Pro XTB 2 Bike Platform Rack. Reviews are all very positive. Can anyone tell me if this should provide enough clearance between bikes if one has a rear rack on one of the mounted bikes?
Any other favorite hitch racks I should be looking at? Thanks! - Yankee
05-22-19, 08:48 AM
#2
don't try this at home.
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Do you have fenders? These tray racks with a front wheel arm don't work with a front fender.
My Kuat has 14 inch spacing between trays. Measure your rear rack from the center line of the tire. On the other bike, measure the front fork width from the center line of the front tire. There should be space between the bikes.
I really like my Kuat Sherpa 2.0
--only 32 pounds -- I only install it occasionally, it's hanging on two hooks on my garage wall otherwise. It's easy to carry over to the car.
--very fast to mount on the car. (I added a tab of white tape on the rack where it meets the car's hitch, so I can just slide it in to the correct depth.) I grab it off the garage wall, stand between the car and rack, slide it in, insert and lock the hitch pin, tighten the knob -- less than a minute.
--very fast to load bikes. hook the rear strap through the rear wheel, pull up the front arm, ratchet it down. Lock the rear strap. 30 seconds. Even faster to unload a bike.
-- The tilt lever is easy to use. The whole rack just seems well designed.
--no extensions for 4 bikes. But I'll never need more than 2. There's other Kuat models for 4 bikes.
The included cable isn't long enough to lock both wheels of two bikes. And it's a fairly thin cable. So it's good for short stops, with the cable through the 2 bike frames, just to keep someone from grabbing a bike. But it's very convenient, and uses the same key as the hitch pin lock. (I'm thinking of getting a very long chain for better security at longer stops.
Video:
My Kuat has 14 inch spacing between trays. Measure your rear rack from the center line of the tire. On the other bike, measure the front fork width from the center line of the front tire. There should be space between the bikes.
I really like my Kuat Sherpa 2.0
--only 32 pounds -- I only install it occasionally, it's hanging on two hooks on my garage wall otherwise. It's easy to carry over to the car.
--very fast to mount on the car. (I added a tab of white tape on the rack where it meets the car's hitch, so I can just slide it in to the correct depth.) I grab it off the garage wall, stand between the car and rack, slide it in, insert and lock the hitch pin, tighten the knob -- less than a minute.
--very fast to load bikes. hook the rear strap through the rear wheel, pull up the front arm, ratchet it down. Lock the rear strap. 30 seconds. Even faster to unload a bike.
-- The tilt lever is easy to use. The whole rack just seems well designed.
--no extensions for 4 bikes. But I'll never need more than 2. There's other Kuat models for 4 bikes.
The included cable isn't long enough to lock both wheels of two bikes. And it's a fairly thin cable. So it's good for short stops, with the cable through the 2 bike frames, just to keep someone from grabbing a bike. But it's very convenient, and uses the same key as the hitch pin lock. (I'm thinking of getting a very long chain for better security at longer stops.
Video:
Last edited by rm -rf; 05-22-19 at 08:52 AM.
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05-22-19, 10:44 AM
#3
Banned
Once you have the receiver on the car a small cargo trailer can put your bikes inside behind a locked door..
... and the trailer locked securely to your car ..
....
... and the trailer locked securely to your car ..
....
05-22-19, 10:59 AM
#4
Senior Member
I've been using the Saris Freedom 2-bike tray style rack for a few years now. I also have fat bikes with 5" tires and can swap the trays out when we are taking them to the trails. So it is very easy to use and set up. Your pannier rack would not be an issue.
https://www.saris.com/product/freedom-2
https://www.saris.com/product/freedom-2
05-22-19, 11:43 AM
#5
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I have a Thule tray type hitch rack, and use it with two bikes, both with fenders. Originally with my Long Haul Trucker, I could slip the arm between the fender and tire, now that I have bigger tires, I cannot, so I put a piece of wood between the tire and fender, and put the arm on top of the fender. I have done this for years with my wife's Cannondale Quick 3, and have had no issues, including many 800+ mile, each way, trips.
05-22-19, 07:00 PM
#7
Junior Member
Thread Starter
Do you have fenders? These tray racks with a front wheel arm don't work with a front fender.
My Kuat has 14 inch spacing between trays. Measure your rear rack from the center line of the tire. On the other bike, measure the front fork width from the center line of the front tire. There should be space between the bikes.
I really like my Kuat Sherpa 2.0
--only 32 pounds -- I only install it occasionally, it's hanging on two hooks on my garage wall otherwise. It's easy to carry over to the car.
--very fast to mount on the car. (I added a tab of white tape on the rack where it meets the car's hitch, so I can just slide it in to the correct depth.) I grab it off the garage wall, stand between the car and rack, slide it in, insert and lock the hitch pin, tighten the knob -- less than a minute.
--very fast to load bikes. hook the rear strap through the rear wheel, pull up the front arm, ratchet it down. Lock the rear strap. 30 seconds. Even faster to unload a bike.
-- The tilt lever is easy to use. The whole rack just seems well designed.
--no extensions for 4 bikes. But I'll never need more than 2. There's other Kuat models for 4 bikes.
The included cable isn't long enough to lock both wheels of two bikes. And it's a fairly thin cable. So it's good for short stops, with the cable through the 2 bike frames, just to keep someone from grabbing a bike. But it's very convenient, and uses the same key as the hitch pin lock. (I'm thinking of getting a very long chain for better security at longer stops.
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W05C2lAeZI
My Kuat has 14 inch spacing between trays. Measure your rear rack from the center line of the tire. On the other bike, measure the front fork width from the center line of the front tire. There should be space between the bikes.
I really like my Kuat Sherpa 2.0
--only 32 pounds -- I only install it occasionally, it's hanging on two hooks on my garage wall otherwise. It's easy to carry over to the car.
--very fast to mount on the car. (I added a tab of white tape on the rack where it meets the car's hitch, so I can just slide it in to the correct depth.) I grab it off the garage wall, stand between the car and rack, slide it in, insert and lock the hitch pin, tighten the knob -- less than a minute.
--very fast to load bikes. hook the rear strap through the rear wheel, pull up the front arm, ratchet it down. Lock the rear strap. 30 seconds. Even faster to unload a bike.
-- The tilt lever is easy to use. The whole rack just seems well designed.
--no extensions for 4 bikes. But I'll never need more than 2. There's other Kuat models for 4 bikes.
The included cable isn't long enough to lock both wheels of two bikes. And it's a fairly thin cable. So it's good for short stops, with the cable through the 2 bike frames, just to keep someone from grabbing a bike. But it's very convenient, and uses the same key as the hitch pin lock. (I'm thinking of getting a very long chain for better security at longer stops.
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W05C2lAeZI
I wound up going with the Kuat Sherpa 2.0 at REI. The weight sold me, as that Thule is 52lb and I've had major shoulder surgery, 32lb is enough. Hope to assemble and try it this weekend. Thanks
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05-22-19, 07:38 PM
#8
Senior Member
05-23-19, 09:06 AM
#10
Senior Member
Rocky Mounts customer service certainly isn't doing their brand much good.
As with most brands, the trays slide side to side on the rack, so though you can't adjust the spacing between the bikes, you can stagger them differently.
Italso depends on your handlebar and rear rack heights. Just looking at my own bikes, the racks are lower than the bottoms of the bars, so I don't see how they'd interfere.
Finally, just eyeballing it, the bike separation doesn't look much different from others on the market, so if it were a problem, it might not be unique to them.
I see that Rocky Mounts has a 20% off sale this month which makes for a pretty compelling price if you can look past your one poor customer service experience. Certainly much cheaper than most of the other makes.
I wasn't paying attention, were the other rack recommendations also swing away?
As with most brands, the trays slide side to side on the rack, so though you can't adjust the spacing between the bikes, you can stagger them differently.
Italso depends on your handlebar and rear rack heights. Just looking at my own bikes, the racks are lower than the bottoms of the bars, so I don't see how they'd interfere.
Finally, just eyeballing it, the bike separation doesn't look much different from others on the market, so if it were a problem, it might not be unique to them.
I see that Rocky Mounts has a 20% off sale this month which makes for a pretty compelling price if you can look past your one poor customer service experience. Certainly much cheaper than most of the other makes.
I wasn't paying attention, were the other rack recommendations also swing away?
05-23-19, 10:54 AM
#11
Senior Member
I'm now on Team Kuat, the NV 2.0. The wheel arms can deal with plastic fenders no problem, Kuat advises padding for others. Worked fine when I had to pick up two folks on ebikes that had front racks and plastic fenders. Not cheap or light but pretty much perfect.
I did a short review here.
I did a short review here.
05-23-19, 12:45 PM
#12
Junior Member
Just an FYI on the Thule T2. I have the T2 Classic. It is Heavy but I rarely remove it from the vehicle since I ride multiple times a week.
It is very flexible on spacing. The Bar that the bike attaches too, can be shifted forward or back & side to side. (it clamps by bolts) So you can adjust it to fit your bikes.
Now it is an Old design and doesn't look sleek. I really like the Sherpa 2.0
It is very flexible on spacing. The Bar that the bike attaches too, can be shifted forward or back & side to side. (it clamps by bolts) So you can adjust it to fit your bikes.
Now it is an Old design and doesn't look sleek. I really like the Sherpa 2.0
05-26-19, 07:12 AM
#13
Junior Member
Thread Starter
I assembled the Kuat Sherpa 2.0 rack and took it for a test drive yesterday. Overall impressions are very positive. I did get hung up in assembly in getting the two long threaded rods to grab the block on the far tray for some reason, but I eventually prevailed, and the rest of the assembly process was smooth. There are some online videos to assist in getting oriented with the assembly, which was helpful.
It seems *plenty* sturdy for normal bikes, which is all that I foresee using it for, so the 20lb weight reduction over the Thule rack is a win for me. Mounting/dismounting the hitch and loading/unloading bikes is pretty efficient, intuitive and convenient, so no complaints at all there. I got an aftermarket hitch for the Forester with a 2-inch receiver as recommended by someone who said it would help with providing a more solid, immobile joint with the bike rack than the factory 1.25in receiver hitch. Just drove it to a local park with my own bike yesterday, but that was an unremarkable, no-drama experience as one would hope for.
I am still new to it, but all in all, it seems like a well thought-out and well-built system.
It seems *plenty* sturdy for normal bikes, which is all that I foresee using it for, so the 20lb weight reduction over the Thule rack is a win for me. Mounting/dismounting the hitch and loading/unloading bikes is pretty efficient, intuitive and convenient, so no complaints at all there. I got an aftermarket hitch for the Forester with a 2-inch receiver as recommended by someone who said it would help with providing a more solid, immobile joint with the bike rack than the factory 1.25in receiver hitch. Just drove it to a local park with my own bike yesterday, but that was an unremarkable, no-drama experience as one would hope for.
I am still new to it, but all in all, it seems like a well thought-out and well-built system.
Last edited by YankeeRider; 05-26-19 at 07:21 AM.
