|
 Types of Bike Racks
Hitch Mount Bike Racks
|
 |
Hitch mount bike racks attach directly to your receiver hitch. The shank of the bike rack slides into the receiver, and is held in place by a standard or locking hitch pin. When choosing a hitch-mounted rack, make sure to select the correct size shank to fit your receiver hitch - 1 ¼” or 2”.
The number of bikes that you can carry on a receiver-mounted hitch depends both on the rack and on the weight limit of your hitch. Check your owner’s manual to find out how much your hitch can carry. The weight you are looking for is called “Tongue Weight” or “TW”. 1 ¼” racks typically carry one or two bikes, while 2” racks can carry up to five. |
Pros: Receiver mount racks can carry up to five bikes, and are very easy to use. Receiver mount bike racks are by far the most popular hitch bike racks, and have the most models to choose from.
Cons: A receiver mount rack uses the hitch, which means you can’t carry your bikes and tow a trailer at the same time. (If you need to carry bikes and tow at the same time, try one of our towing hitch mount bike racks shown below.)
Buy this rack if: You have a receiver hitch mounted on your vehicle, and you don’t need to tow a trailer while carrying your bikes.
|
Browse our Hitch Mount Bike Racks
|
Towing Hitch Mount Bike Racks
|
 |
Towing hitch mount bike racks have all of the features of a standard hitch bike rack, but also have a drawbar that allows you to tow a small trailer.
Tow bar/drawbar mounted racks slide over your drawbar, letting you carry bikes with your existing drawbar. This allows for towing heavier trailers, although the weight of the bike rack and bikes must be taken into account to make sure you are under the tongue weight capacity of your hitch.
|
Pros: You can carry your bikes and tow a trailer at the same time.
Cons: The towing capacity of towing racks only allows you to tow a small trailer, and all of our towing racks only fit 2” receiver hitches.
Buy this rack if: You need to tow a trailer while carrying your bikes.
|
Browse our Towing Hitch Mount Bike Racks
|
Ball Mount Hitch Bike Racks
|
 |
Ball mount hitch bike racks attach to the hitch ball mounted on your bumper or drawbar of your receiver hitch. Ball mount racks will attach to most hitch balls, whether it is on your bumper or a 1 ¼” or 2” receiver.
Expert Tech Tip: Bumpers usually have lower weight limits than receiver hitches, so make sure to check your owner’s manual to make sure it can take the load of the rack. If you will need to carry a lot of bikes, you may need to purchase and install a receiver hitch and a hitch mount hitch bike rack.
|
Pros: You don’t need to have a receiver hitch to use these racks.
Cons: You won’t be able to carry as many bikes, and there is a smaller selection of racks to choose from.
Buy this rack if: You have a bumper-mounted or non-removable hitch ball, but no receiver hitch and you don’t need to carry more than three bikes.
|
Browse our Ball Mount Hitch Bike Racks
|
Spare Tire Mount Bike Racks
|
 |
Spare tire mount bike racks attach to your rear-mounted spare tire assembly and typically carry two bikes.
|
Pros: You don’t need a hitch on your vehicle to use these racks.
Cons: You can only carry two bikes.
Buy this rack if: You have a rear-mounted spare tire, but don’t have a receiver hitch, and only need to carry one or two bikes.
|
Browse our Spare Tire Mount Bike Racks
|
Specialty and RV Bike Racks
|
 |
There are various models of racks that allow you to carry bikes on your RV, camper, or trailer. They attach to the bumper, top, or ladder of your vehicle.
|
Pros: You can securely carry bikes on the back of your trailer or RV; no need to strap your bikes to the top or back of your trailer with ropes and bungee cords.
Cons: Installation of these hitches is a little harder than with other models.
Buy this rack if: You want to take your bikes with you on camping or cross-country trips in your RV or camper.
|
Browse our Specialty and RV Mount Bike Racks
|
|
