When you teach mountain biking clinics all across the Western United States, the best rear bike rack isn’t just a nice to have but a necessity. We’ve heard from a few of our students “What’s the best bike racks on the market?” Like all great questions, the answer is – it depends.
What To Look For In A Bike Rack
For starters, no matter which bike rack you choose, you want to avoid one that allow wheels to continue to spin. This causes unnecessary wear and tear on the bike. From there, it comes down to the type of vehicle you own and how often you’ll be using it. The three basic types of bike racks include hitch carrier, roof mounts, and trunk mounts.
Five bikes and counting…
Types of Bike Racks
Each have their pros and cons. Trunk-mounted racks are normally the most affordable. They are light, highly portable, and easy to store when not in use. Hitch mounts either come in a hanging cradle or platform style. While the hanging cradle typically provides more clearance, there’s a higher likelihood of damage with rubbing against other bikes and swaying. Platforms provide the easiest and most secure way to load your bikes and keep them in place. Finally, the roof mount racks. Due to them being on the roof, you have access to all doors and the trunk. The big con is that you’ll have to lift to secure bikes, and when you have a heavy steed such as an E-Bike that weighs over 40 lb., this isn’t a great option.
Bike racks aren’t only for summer
Some Of Our Favorites
Over the years we’ve had quite a few different models. Here’s some of the most noteworthy ones that we’d put on the best rear bike rack list.
1Up USA
This is what we use and our personal favorite. Their design is simple, durable, and gets the job done. From the Quick Rack Single to the Super Duty Double, you can’t go wrong.
Kuat Sherpa 2.0
Yet another minimalist design that’s focused on making sure your bike stays put without issues. And when you aren’t using it, the rack folds up to get out of the way. A nice feature is that it includes a foot-assisted pivot system when your hands are full. Gently tap it, and the rack lowers slowly down.
Quikr Stuff – Mach2
As with most outdoor sports like mountain biking, many of the passionate pedal pushers are engineers as well. Quikr Stuff is that company. Their latest model, the Mach2 has every feature you could imagine and then some. From easy-access triggers to a one-key anti-theft system that’s part of the bike rack, they’ve thought of everything.
VelociRAX
Sometimes you just have a big family or do shuttles with friends, so a platform mount is not in the cards. If that’s the case, the VelociRAX hanging rack is the perfect solution. They’re available in a wide variety of models from three all the way up to SEVEN bikes. A lot of times, this style can be a pain to load/unload. Not so with VelociRAX. Their integrated hydraulic damper system lowers the entire loaded (or unloaded) rack slowly to the ground to roll-in or out the bikes.
Want other tips about mountain biking? If you’re curious about other parts of your bike, like your suspension or seat dropper, you’ll find these topics and more on our blog.
