Tray-style hitch racks (for two to four bikes)The two-bike Küat Piston ION supports one 100-pound bike per tray, but unloading such a heavy bike from this rack is awkward. A one-handed tire-clamp release mechanism that doesn’t require pushing the bike would be an improvement.Loading, unloading, and tilting the Hollywood Racks Destination E-Bike Rack is tedious, involving many steps. It also requires more assembly than the Thule Epos.A larger sibling of the Sherpa 2.0, the Küat NV 2.0 can carry four bikes with an add-on accessory (and has a nifty integrated workstand), but it’s 20 pounds heavier and more expensive.The Küat NV Base 2.0 is essentially the same as the NV 2.0 but without the work stand. This makes it a little lighter and less expensive, but we still think the Sherpa 2.0 is a better buy.The Thule T2 Pro XT was one of the heaviest non-motorized tray-style models we tested — and one of the most expensive. (It’s been replaced by the T2 Pro XTR, which has wheels to make moving the rack easier. It’s still heavy and pricey, however.)In our bike-club survey, the 1UP USA 2″ Heavy Duty Double was one of the highest-rated racks. But this rack wasn’t as easy to use as our picks: Releasing the clamping arm took two hands, and the release handle for tilting the rack is less accessible, too.Mounting the RockyMounts SplitRail LS to a car is not as easy, requiring a wrench to cinch down a bolt. The rack is also unusually wide, which can make it unwieldy. The locks are also short and could barely reach the rear frame triangle of our bikes.The Küat Transfer v2 2-Bike is a less expensive cousin of the Sherpa 2.0. The Transfer was heavier, wasn’t as easy to install on the vehicle, required more assembly, and didn’t come with locks. (In June 2024, Küat recalled several batches of the Transfer v2, citing a problem with the rack’s pivot cam that could result in bikes falling off the rack.)While the four-bike SuperClamp EX was the best of the four-bike hitch-mount trays we tested, the thin mounting bar on its two-bike sibling allowed the rack to sway more than competitors.At 68 pounds, the RockyMounts BackStage was heavier than our pick.Tray-style hitch racks (for single bikes)We used to suggest the Küat Transfer v2 1-Bike tray rack in our Other bike racks section for solo riders or for people who needed a tray rack rated for an RV or trailer. However, in June 2024, Küat recalled most versions of the Transfer v2, including the single-bike version.The wheel hoops of the 1UP USA Quik Rack Single take two hands to operate, which makes it difficult to hold the bike while loading or unloading. Since our testing, 1UP USA has released a one-handed version, which we’ll be testing this year.The release handle for tilting the RockyMounts MonoRail Solo presented a dealbreaker. At least three of our testers separately had the handle snap back and pinch their fingers against the rack’s frame as they used it — ouch!Hanging-style hitch racksRepositioning the arms of the Saris Bones Hitch 2-Bike was more cumbersome than with other hanging-hitch racks we tested, and while we were driving, our bikes wobbled more.We had trouble getting four bikes onto the Yakima RidgeBack because of how close together they had to sit. The RidgeBack also lacks a built-in lock, which is something we expect to find in this price range.The four-bike Thule Apex XT 4 doesn’t fold flat for storage.The Yakima HangTight is a vertical-hanging hitch rack that comes in four- and six-bike versions. Instead of hanging the bikes by their front wheels, the HangTight holds them vertically by their handlebars. We found several problems with this approach: First, to lift the bike into the rack, you have to grab the bike by its underside, near the chain and front chainring(s). Worse, of the four bikes we used for testing, the HangTight couldn’t hold two of them at all — one bike due to its simple handlebar reflector and the other because the brake and shifter cables interfered with the straps needed to secure the bikes. To secure the rack in the hitch, you have to crawl underneath with tools to (endlessly) tighten the hitch bolt. And shortening the height of the vertical post (and raising it again to mount bikes) is a two-wrench process.Of the swing-away hanging-style hitch racks we tested, the Thule Apex Swing 4 was the lightest (45 pounds), but tray-style hitch racks are still simpler and more stable.The Yakima FullSwing is another swing-away design, but its usefulness is hampered by its weight (it’s 17 pounds heavier than the Thule). We had difficulty lining it up into the hitch receiver while supporting its weight.Trunk racksAdjusting the Thule Passage 2 requires fiddling with spring-loaded snap buttons, which are unpleasant to use and offer limited flexibility.The Yakima HangOut was more difficult to install and to adjust than most of its competitors.The Allen Sports Deluxe 2-Bike rack is a pain to install, and you can’t adjust the arms.The Ultra Compact 2-Bike, also from Allen Sports, seems cheap and not durable, and while we were driving, the rack shook from side to side quite a bit.The Saris Solo is a single-bike trunk rack that’s made of cheap plastic and isn’t adjustable. The rack’s set angle allowed the bike to contact our VW Jetta’s rear.Roof racksThe Küat Trio is not as easy to mount as the RockyMounts SwitchHitter. It seems like it’s designed mainly for thru-axle bikes — we found switching to a fork skewer to be tricky.Even though the clamp assembly of the fork-mount Yakima HighSpeed is easy to tighten with a knob, it’s cumbersome to have to put it together every time you mount and dismount a bike. Also, the HighSpeed didn’t hold our bikes as solidly as some other racks did.The SeaSucker Talon is a fork-mount rack that attaches directly to a vehicle’s roof with large suction cups. We found that the suction cups didn’t fit well on some vehicles, especially if they had raised ribs on the roof. When they did fit, they held so tightly that if the bike swayed from side to side, the car’s roof flexed underneath.Although you can lock bikes to the Swagman Race Ready, there’s no way to lock the rack to the vehicle. The Race Ready also didn’t hold the bikes as securely as our pick did.Pickup-truck carriersWhen we were driving on a twisty, bumpy road on a rainy day, the clamp of the Thule Insta-Gater Pro gradually slid down the tire of one bike, and the bike fell over.We found that the Velcro straps on the Yakima GateKeeper Tailgate Pad weren’t long enough to hold our bikes securely, and on a twisty road they came loose.Unlike the Yakima’s, the straps on the Thule GateMate Pro tailgate pad were too long; these wouldn’t even strap around any of our modest bike-frame tubes snugly and allow the two ends of the Velcro straps to stick together. A Thule representative said the straps are designed for the beefier frame dimensions of modern mountain bikes. So if you’re running a mountain-bike shuttle outfit, this pad may be for you, but it’s not for most people.We’ve also tested and dismissed racks from Thule, Velocirax, and Yakima that have since been discontinued.
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