doss

Hi all,
We are a family of 3. We want a bike rack to add to our (we have a trailer hitch) 2020 Honda Odyssey. Are there any good wallet friendly racks for us for driving around town that are able to hold the following bike sizes?

1 kid bike (12" in wheel, not sure about weight, but much less than the below bikes)
1 adult bike (I think 26" wheel, about 35lb)
1 adult bike (old style Schwinn 26" wheel, 45lb )

Thanks for any leads on good hitch racks that would easily transport the above 3 bikes! Thanks.

BobsPoprad

Certainly don't have any "leads," but I do have a 4 bike Yakima hitch rack that seems to accommodate a variety of bikes. I use the old saying "where there is a will, there's a way." Some bike frames are harder than others to get on the rack.
Goof luck.

themp

These racks are reasonably priced:

https://allen.bike/collections/hitch-racks

xancel

How do you like the 4 bike Yakima?

Gresp15C

My family has a Thule Parkway 4-bike rack. I don't know if the make exactly the same model today, but it occurs to me that a 4-bike rack would make it a lot easier to accommodate modern bikes that are not all identical skinny road bikes. It was like Tetris to get 4 family bikes onto the rack. In some cases we had to detach one or more wheels and throw them in the car, to carry the bikes. Now of course we're semi empty nesters, but the rack still serves us well.

Typical caveats apply. I would not use any rack for lightweight or crabon frames. Our new car, a Subaru, complains when the rack is installed because it interferes with one of the cameras.

BobsPoprad

Fancy cameras aside (haven't tried it on our Subaru), I like it. I believe they also make a model that swings out, helpful if you need to get in the vehicle without taking bikes off. I think having the space for 4 bikes allows one to accommodate a few different sizes of bikes. I am sure there are some non Yakima ones out there for less$$$.

dedhed

Craigslist/FB marketplace are full of them

kahn

I had not used the Kuat on the one year old Crosstrek until two weeks ago. Of course, the hitch rack made using the backup camera hard - trying to see through the rack (folded up) and through the rack and bike when in use. But the backup "alarm" - something or someone is crossing behind your car was a constant irritant in Reverse. We did get kind of use to it but I was looking if there were a way to disable it for the trip.

At the same time, I would not go back to a roof rack. The previous Outback was just too tall to get bikes up there.

Mista Sparkle

I've got the allen 4-bike on my CRV. I have made several hundred+ mile trips with it and 2 - 3 adult bikes plus a kids bike. I'm quite happy with it for the price.

I usually throw a chunk of pipe insulation/pool noodle on the crank closest to the post to keep it from getting scratched up and then bungee everything snugly together.

doss

For those suggesting the Allen brand....I wrote to the company and they said that they dont' have any racks that will work for my bikes: They won't hold a bike heavier than 45lb (old Schwinn is 45lb).

MAK

I have a 2021 Crosstrek with a Kuat Sherpa 2.0 attached. You can get used to the Kuat dominating the screen when backing up. The guidance lines still appear and you just have to realize that the rack is not as wide as it appears on the screen.

To shut off the alarm, once in reverse, there is a button in the lower right corner of the screen. I don't remember what it says; something like RA). Press and hold until the backup alarm goes off. It resets every time you start the car so you'll need to shut it off every time you start the car. When I have bikes mounted, my automatic brake engages. This can be shut off using the button in the lower left of the touch screen. I believe that it's labeled RAB.

Good luck.

MAK

You may want to look at the Saris racks. Some of them will carry a 45 lb. bike. They aren't exactly price friendly but are a bit more reasonable than many of the top brands. Also search for racks that are designed for ebikes as they will have aa higher weight limit. Since you're carrying a kids bike, you could consider putting the kids bike in the back of the Odyssey and getting a two bike rack to save money.

Pop N Wood

I've been using one of their 3 bike racks for several years now. For $250 I got the rack and a receiver hitch for my Mazda 3, excellent value.

I used the same rack on a Toyota minivan. Drove cross country and back with one bike and a duffle bag full of junk on top of the rack. Carrying the duffel on the rack rather than the roof cut down on wind noise and allowed the bag to stay dry when driving through a heavy storm. I've even used the rack to haul thing like ladders and what not. Super handy.

Last trip the rack carried a 60# ebike and SWB recumbent. Drove 3000 miles on that one.

Two day shipping on Amazon.

Pop N Wood

Weird. I've had 3 touring bikes on mine at one time and like I said routinely carry a 60# ebike. The suckers are solidly built. Mine is the smaller 1 1/4 hitch as well.

Gresp15C

It might be worth researching the total cost difference between heavy bikes plus a heavy duty rack, versus a light duty rack and getting a newer, lighter bike. Plus, an excuse for getting a new bike.