Best bike rack

[jj1470]

Had the Kuat NV on our Jeep for 3 MTB seasons. Several components rusted and the plastic parts showed a lot of wear. The front hook on the Kuat was also hard to keep completely free of my front fork crown and created some rubbing occasionally. Lateral adjustment is a pain too. We had a 4 bike rack, and were constantly rearranging bikes to get the bars and saddles to clear, even with dropper posts on all bikes.

Sold it and went with a 1UP HD this year. No regrets whatsoever. Easier for my wife to use compared to the finicky hooks on the Kuat and the construction is bullet proof. Also keeps the mounting points far away from the expensive components, only contacting the tires. Lateral adjustment is a breeze and all bikes clear each other no matter what order or arrangement. Just for fun I sat on my bike when it was mounted and the rack had zero flex. It's expensive, but I would 100% buy it all over again if something ever happened to it.

 

[Darthyota]

Silly question but have you looked at or thought about a tailgate pad?

 

[Vader]

Yakama 2 bike system - mounted in receiver. I can fold it down with bikes mounted to lower tailgate. +
Cant comment on best as it is the only one I have ever used.
I also only carry old style mountain bikes. No bikes.
But I have never lost one yet.

 

[scary gary]

1UP industries. Solid aluminum construction. No hardware touches the actual bike. I’ve had many hitch racks and most touch the frame or forks and create scratches.

 

[coachhomer]

I
Yakima crossbars. Yakima rack. I can get 5 bikes up there.

C


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ducc]

Silly question but have you looked at or thought about a tailgate pad?

Agreed.

I was hell-bent on getting a rack for the Raptor (was all concerned about scratching my tailgate) but the price-to-carrying-capacity of a rack is ridiculous. Went with the new Fox pad and would do it again in a second. Tailgate is just fine as are the fork stanchions.

 

[jimmyjamm]

There are basically 4 brands that make good hitch racks; Yakima, Thule, 1 up, and Kuat.
Yakima makes a few E bike specific racks, but all of them make good stuff.
https://yakima.com/collections/hitch-mounted-bike-racks
https://www.1up-usa.com/product-category/bike-racks/
https://www.thule.com/en-us/bike-rack/hitch-bike-racks
https://www.kuatracks.com/category/Bike/?filter=hitch

 

[MDJAK]

Agreed.

I was hell-bent on getting a rack for the Raptor (was all concerned about scratching my tailgate) but the price-to-carrying-capacity of a rack is ridiculous. Went with the new Fox pad and would do it again in a second. Tailgate is just fine as are the fork stanchions.

View attachment 154997

I’ve always been interested in the way you hang the bikes Over the tailgate like that.

two questions. Does it require that type of fork, kind of like a motorcycle fork I see?

what holds the rear wheel or rear of bike? Ty.

 

[Ducc]

I’ve always been interested in the way you hang the bikes Over the tailgate like that.

two questions. Does it require that type of fork, kind of like a motorcycle fork I see?

what holds the rear wheel or rear of bike? Ty.

Nope, no special fork requirement! The fork you see is just a double crown downhill bike, the rest are regular trail/enduro rigs. Nothing is holding the rear wheel in place. Many have straps for the down tube to keep movement minimal, but overall the cushioned material of the pad and the weight of the bike keeps everything surprisingly stable. I've used a pad for close to 10 years now with zero issues.

 

[84 Sheepdog]

I’ve always been interested in the way you hang the bikes Over the tailgate like that.

two questions. Does it require that type of fork, kind of like a motorcycle fork I see?

what holds the rear wheel or rear of bike? Ty.

That's how we haul our mountain bikes as well. I have the Raceface pad on our truck and it has velcro straps that secure the bikes by the downtube. The pad has several straps that completely go around the tailgate so it isn't going anywhere. I agree with others that this is the way to go. I've driven 1,000+ miles this way round trip to CO and Utah and the bikes don't move hardly at all.