So you’re in the market for a bike rack and don’t know which one to choose. We’ve compiled a choice of great bike racks that will best fit the needs of every type of customer. If you’re wondering what type of rack you should choose and how to install it. We have a guide to help you get started learning about them here. Bike racks are more affordable than the average person would assume. The prices can go up when you pay for more of the premiums. Deciding which price point you’re comfortable with and what features you need will help you decide the perfect bike rack.
Best Overall: KAC Overdrive Sports K4 2” Hitch Mounted Rack 4-Bike Platform Style Carrier
You could transport your bike without a bike rack if your SUV or truck is big enough, but for the rest of us we have a lot of options. If you want the best product and not have to overthink it, you can’t go wrong with the KAC Overdrive Sports K4. It has many features but it’s the best simply because you can use any type of bike on it.
The rack can hold up to 4 bikes with each bike holding up to 60 pounds. So 240 pounds of bike can be securely traveled with. The rack advertises it is great for electric bikes which are generally the heaviest bikes due to their battery weights. The bike trays can be configured to fit your skinny road bike tires or widened to fit your fat tire bikes. This versatility does not stop there. The bike can be configured to only being two bikes if that’s all your holding.
This rack is a hitch type bike rack so if your vehicle can hold it then this is the bike rack to get. The drawbacks are that it is a hitch type rack so if your car doesn’t have a hitch type that fits you can’t use this. The other thing to think about is the price tag. This is a premium product that comes at a premium price. What you’ll get is steel tubing, quick release tilting (to access your trunk easily without detaching rack), and KAC’s anti-wobble system. Check out this rack below if you want the best. If you want a more budget option look below.
Best Budget: Allen Sports Deluxe 2-Bike Trunk Mount Rack, Model 102DN-R
This bike rack is at a much more economical price point. It’s a bike rack that will hold two bikes while fitting to almost any car, hatchback, crossover, or SUV. This is the one I recommend for most people as it’s also the one I use. This is a very portable bike rack that can be very useful.
I have felt the bike rack is secure and leave mine on most of the week even if I’m not going biking that day. If I need to take it off it’s very easy. After the first time fitting to your vehicle might take a while but afterwards you can loosen straps and take off this rack very easily. The bike rack mounts against your trunk and uses straps to stay on. Two up top, one on each side and one to the bottom of your vehicle keeps this very safe.
Allen sports makes lots of bike racks and have made a lot of great products that sell and people like. This bike rack is great for two bikes but even if you have one you can put your one bike on the second position further away from your vehicle and make sure your bike doesn’t have any point of friction with your car. It’s at a great price point as well if this is your first bike rack.
Best Runner Up: Swagman UPRIGHT Roof Mount Bike Rack
What this bike has going for it is how secure it is. This is a great bike rack that doesn’t cost a fortune and will keep your mind at ease when traveling with bikes. It only isn’t my first recommendation because not all vehicles are easy to set up a roof mount and just as importantly most people don’t want a sports rack on the roof of their car all the time.
Since this will require rails and conversion bars already set up on your car the cost of this track could be more. For your specific vehicle you can find cross bars like this one for example.
This bike rack itself is great though if you have the right set up. It can load up to 35 pound bike and fit most bikes as long as both your front and back wheel can fit onto the rack (54 ins). The whole bike can fit and there is no need to remove the front wheel. With straps for both tires and an upright arm that holds the down tube the bike is secure. There’s many people have taken these on long trips with positive results.
Best Under $100: Allen Sports Ultra Compact Trunk Mounted Bike Rack
Keeping with Allen sports, this is a rack that you may find at the same price as our best budget pick depending on sales that may be going on during when you’re reading this. This can also be configured as two bike racks which again I would recommend even if you only have one bike you’re going to be traveling with most of the time. That will keep the bike further away from the trunk and the price is not that different from the one rack configuration.
The main benefit of this rack is that it is very compact and you can take off store away very easily. You can even fold it down and wear it as a backpack as it comes with a carry bag. I don’t know why you would need to do that, but it does speak to how light and compact this rack really is.
Alternative Hitch Type: Allen Sports 4-Bike Hitch Racks
An alternative bike rack is this hitch type rack that will give you an option to get four bikes to where you’re going safely without costing as much as the KAC Overdrives Sports K4. The model can come with or without certain features like; Quick install locking hitch insert, Fold carry arms, Secure straps and dual compound cradles, and a Tilt away mast.
Whether you go for the base deluxe edition or the premier locking, the hitch type rack is a great option if you have a 2 inch hitch of Class III or IV available on your vehicle. Make sure to buy from Allen Sports so your warranty is included with purchase. You can buy this bike rack and more from their Amazon shop page.
Alternative Spare Tire Rack: Allen Sports Deluxe 2-Bike Spare Tire Rack
If you have a jeep or a vehicle with a spare tire rack, you don’t always have to remove the spare tire. There are alternatives from manufacturers of hitch type racks that extend beyond the tire or using a roof rack and avoiding the spare tire completely. This bike rack attaches onto the spare tire.
Allen Sports usual great quality is to be expected and this rack will make you feel secure to hold 2 bikes up to 70 pounds on long trips. This bike rack is popular among Jeep wranglers and comes with the Jeep Wrangler JL model fit.
Some Tips To Keep In Mind
For each bike rack make sure you use fit guides to match the rack to your vehicle. These will usually be on the manufacturer’s website. For example allen sports has a web tool where you can just put in your vehicle and they’ll find what racks you can use (https://allen.bike/pages/rack-finder). Next fitting reminder is to measure your bike if it will fit onto your roof rack or to weigh the bike and make sure it doesn’t exceed the weight the bike rack allows.
Another thing to make sure is if you are using a hanging mechanism (like what’s found on trunk and hitch type bike racks) that your bike has a horizontal bar that makes it easy to attach your bike onto the racks. If you don’t have a straight horizontal bar you’ll need to get an adaptor cross bar. This would be needed for beach cruisers for example. This is a great example if you need one.
And if you need to learn more about bike racks, what types there are, and how to install them, check out our article where we get into detail about all that here. Remember whatever bike rack you choose when you get to your destination that’s when the journey really begins. Happy cycling!