Which Car Bicycle Racks Will Work Best For You?

You have many options for your car bicycle racks.

How many bicycles do you need to carry at the same time? What type of vehicle do you have to carry them?

Those of us who only have one or two bikes to carry at a time have the most choices.

What are Your Choices?

You can choose from these types of racks: car bicycle racks

roof mounted
trunk mounted
spare tire mounted
receiver hitch
truck bed

The easiest car bicycle carriers to mount a bicycle on are the trunk, spare tire, receiver hitch and truck bed mounted racks.

Depending on your type of vehicle you have, will depend on how tricky a roof mounted rack will be to get a bicycle on.

For a car or small SUV a trunk or spare tire mounted rack will be easiest for you to put your bikes on.

Roof mounted bicycle racks are the most difficult to put a bike on.

You will find for a roof mounted rack you have to hold the bike in place to secure it to the rack.

Having taller vehicles makes the securing process much more difficult.

car bicycle racks

This is because you have to stand on something plus hold the bike to be able to secure it to the rack.

Your arms can get tired with a roof mounted bicycle rack.

Having any of the other racks is much easier to handle your bike while securing it to the rack.

You can actually set the bike on the rack before securing it.

The bad side of a receiver hitch rack is that you can not tow anything along with your bikes.

You will have a similar situation with a truck bed rack, the rack limits your cargo carrying capacity when bicycles are mounted.

For those hauling more than two bikes you will find the receiver hitch rack is best. They can hold more bikes!

Who Makes Car Bicycle Racks?

You have probably heard of some of the common makers of cycling car racks.

Here are the most common makers: car bicycle racks

Thule
Yakima
Allen
Bell
Swagman

All of these manufacturers make a good product.

The major differences are what the racks can do after they are installed.

For example, some racks will fold up when you have taken off your bike while others do not.

Trunk racks typically range from $40 - $140. This is equal to a little over a dollar a day to five dollars a day for one month.

Roof racks typically range from $125 - $200.

Receiver hitch racks typically range from $125 - $400 depending on how many bikes you want to carry.

Truck bed racks can cost as much as $500. This type of rack does not use the bed of the truck thus no cargo space is used by a bike.

No matter what car bicycle racks you need there is one for you.

Return to the Top of the Page

Return to Cycling Equipment from Car Bicycle Racks