The 10 Best Hitch Bike Racks That Make Traveling with Your Ride Easier

You’re officially free to forget every complaint you’ve ever had about hitch racks. The Küat Sherpa 2.0 is sturdy and stylish as well as convenient and intuitive. Available for both 1.25- and 2-inch hitch sizes and in three colors, it pivots up and down with ease via a large lever. And it fits two bikes (max: 40 pounds each, 47-inch wheelbase, 3-inch tires) on its lightweight aluminum platform (it also tilts down to get out of the way of your car’s hatch).

Assembly is fairly simple (make sure you follow the directions when removing parts, as the packaging acts as an assembly fixture), and a hitch cam lets you hand-tighten the rack to the receiver for a secure connection. Loading bikes on the trays is a breeze: A ratcheting strap secures the rear wheel in its cradle, while an adjustable, hooked arm battens down the front.

The entire system locks to your hitch, and a semi-integrated cable lets you lock your bikes to the rack. Tip: When unloading your bike, release the rear wheel before the front so you don’t inadvertently let your bike tip over and smash into your rear window. (This may or may not have happened to one of our testers.)

The Trail Rider is a great, lower-cost alternative to the premium racks on this list. It holds two bikes in fixed wheel mounts, secured with a single ratcheting arm that clamps down over the frame. The upright beam that holds the frame clamps folds back and out of the way for trunk access, which also came in handy for loading up two bikes. We could fold it down and set a bike on the rack closest to the car without having to lift it up and over the arm, then lift the arm back up into place and position the second bike.

When not in use, the rack can fold up flush with the back of the car. It’s super sturdy—our tester drove from Philadelphia to Phoenix with a bike on the rack, and the lock on the securing arm let her comfortably leave bikes on the car in hotel parking lots along the way.

The trade-off for a rack at this lower price has nothing to do with stability or strength, but adjustability: The bikes sit in a fixed location with minimal ability to adjust them away from each other if two don’t fit well together. That said, you can stagger the wheel cradles so the bars and saddles don’t interfere. But it accommodates wheelbase lengths up to 60 inches and tires up to 3 inches wide and is appropriate for bikes that weigh up to 45 pounds.

When the T2 debuted over a decade ago, it raised the bar for what riders expect from a hitch-mounted bike rack. Over the years, Thule updated the T2 to accommodate wider tires and different wheel sizes. Plus, it made the rack better looking and easier to operate. Topping the list of recent upgrades is a handle with a wide trigger that allows you, with a single hand, to raise and lower the rack (and dip it out of the way for access to rear hatches).

Integrated cable locks keep your bikes from growing legs, and the rack’s arms have wide, comfortable grips and slide easily to secure the front wheel, with tires up to 5 inches wide. Instead of using a bolt, the T2 secures to your hitch receiver with an expansion wedge that tightens with a locking knob. The system makes installing and removing the T2 easier (though it weighs 52 pounds, so you might still need an assist), but it’s not foolproof.

The T2 is heavier and costs more than most racks, and the convenient features mean it requires a little more care. But the same was said when we moved from hardtails to full-suspension bikes, and few have looked back.

This Yakima two-bike rack goes head-to-head with premium offerings from Küat and Thule. In about 2,500 miles of on-car testing, the StageTwo impressed us with its ease of use and flex-free performance. Compared to competitors, this rack weighs a little bit more (at 66 pounds) but is rated at up to 70 per bike when used on the road—an important consideration when transporting e-bikes.

Yakima also has an optional ramp accessory that makes loading e-bikes a bit easier. Another helpful feature is the StageTwo’s offset trays, which means less chance of contact when carrying two similarly sized bikes (it does make the bikes sit more widely apart, so watch those tight parking spaces). The rack has two SKS locking cables (they don’t auto-retract, so make sure you tuck them back in when not in use) and an integrated lock loop for extra security when parked or locking up your rack off of the vehicle.

The StageTwo is offered in 1.25- and 2-inch sizes. The 2-inch variant can accommodate four bikes with an additional kit. A final note: Make sure to check Yakima’s fit guide carefully before purchase, as you could wind up with fitment hardware that doesn’t match your car, like one of our testers did.

1UP USA built a cult-like following with its industrial-looking racks that take a simplistic approach to securing your bike. This one has two ratcheting arms that clamp down on your wheels; there are no hooks, straps, or adjustments for different sizes or bases necessary. It also features wider and taller arms to better accommodate 29-inch wheels and fat tires.

The Equip-D’s pivot mechanism felt smooth, and a T-handle release positioned at the end of the hitch bar doesn’t require reaching through the rack to fold it up. Tiered trays allow bikes to sit closer together, and the rack rides high enough to be out of the way of most exhaust pipes.

Also, check out our colleague Brad Ford’s review of 1Up’s Heavy Duty Double on Popular Mechanics.

The last thing you want to see in your rearview mirror as you hurtle down the road is thousands of dollars worth of bikes rattling behind your bumper. But thanks to an expanding-wedge design that secures the rack in your vehicle’s receiver hitch and locks in place with a theft-preventing thru-bolt, the NV 2.0 stayed wobble-free throughout our testing.

This rack especially is ahead of the pack thanks to its built-in repair stand, which extends from the top of the rack when it’s folded up to hang any bike by the seatpost with considerable ground clearance.

A stout pivot lets you flip the rack up when you’re not hauling bikes, deploy it flat for when you are, or drop it to a 45-degree angle for easy access to trunks and pickup beds. Other nice features include integrated cable locks and adjustable cradles offering better clearance for stacked bikes when loaded.

The only hiccup we noticed is that the ratcheting system can get gunked up, making it hard to remove bikes. We also found that, as long as we paid attention to cleaning dirt and grime off the ratcheting system after driving on dirty or dusty roads, the problem disappeared.

The NV 2.0 is available for 1.25- and 2-inch receivers. Extras include a 20- and 24-inch wheel adaptor for $15, the $98 bike ramp, the $359 one-bike, or $598 two-bike add-ons (compatible with the 2-inch version only).

The Camber 2 is a two-bike hanging rack that’s a great lower-cost alternative to pricer tray racks. Bikes hang on two horizontal arms that cradle the top tubes. Rubber brackets with straps keep the bikes from sliding back and forth, but they don’t hold them as securely as tray racks do. That’s inescapable with this style of rack.

You can rotate the Camber back to allow for easy trunk access, and the arms easily fold down when not in use. Unlike tray racks, which tend to be very heavy, the 28-pound Camber 2 is light and easy to install quickly, making it a great option as both a permanent fixture on your vehicle and as a rack that you put on only when you need it.

Thule recommends a maximum weight of 37.5 pounds for each bike, which makes it a poor choice for transporting electric bikes. It’s also not ideal for bikes with non-traditional diamond-shaped frames, like some full-suspension mountain bikes or bikes with step-through frames. That said, if you have some road bikes or light mountain bikes that need hauling, this is an ideal setup.

Saris’s latest offering is one of the most configurable hitch-mount systems. Since this rack is sold as a Base with add-on bicycle or cargo basket attachments, you can build this rack to meet your carrying needs or budget.

For 2-inch receivers, Saris offers the Base in two sizes: 2+1 (up to three bikes or one bike and a cargo basket) or 3+1 (up to four bikes or two bikes and a basket). For 1.25-inch receivers, the 1+1 Base fits up to two bikes (but not a basket).

The bike holder options are 1Up-style dual-wheel arms (MHS Duo) or a slightly less-expense single-arm holder (MHS Uno). Both options held bikes securely in our drive-testing, though the MHS Duo feels more robust (the bikes did not sway as much).

The rack holds bikes up to 80 pounds in the inboard position(s) but only to 35 pounds in the outer add-on (+1) spot. This may limit your choices if you’re carrying multiple e-bikes or downhill/enduro rigs.

North Shore Rack pioneered and popularized vertical-style racks, now commonly spotted in parking lots of mountain bike parks and trailheads at popular riding destinations. The brand, based in North Vancouver, British Columbia (hence the name), produces two-, four-, and six-bike capacity racks in folding and standard versions.

Rated to hold up to 60 pounds per bike (300 total), the NSR-6 securely carries downhill bikes and electric mountain bikes. Note that, since the NSR holds the bike by the fork crown, it’s not compatible with road bikes. The NSR adjusts to fit a range of vehicles and folds down when not loaded. If you carry lots of bikes for large-group mountain bike trips or a NICA team, this rack is an excellent option.

For true off-road and overlanding, you need a rack durable enough to handle anything thrown at it. Rig’d Supply’s RambleRack is purpose-built for off-road use. Fully customizable for your vehicle fitment or gear-carrying needs, the RambleRack hauls bikes up to 150 pounds (on-road use), tires up to 5 inches wide, and wheel sizes from 22 to 29 inches.

We tested the RambleRack paired with the UltraSwing, an adaptor that allows you to hinge the rack away from the hatch (and hold a spare tire!). We carried everything from lightweight road race bikes to heavyweight eMTBs without any flex or sway, which is pretty confidence-inspiring considering that extra pivot.

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