In a two-year stretch, our Sherpa 2.0 had a series of issues: the tire ratcheting system failed, the sliding arm mechanism started to stick until it eventually slid out of the lower piece, and the spring in the pivot started to stick as well. We independently buy, test, and rate all the products we review. The T2 Pros user-friendly tilt feature is best-in-class, providing quick and easy access to the rear of the vehicle, and its versatile carrying system accommodates everything from fat bikes to 20-inch kids models (no adapters needed). The single-bike version uses the exact same burly folding chassis as this two-bike version and goes for $280. The well-designed wheel trays have a narrow groove in the middle to hold skinny tires securely and can easily fit fat bike tires. ROCKY MOUNTS Fork Mount Tray Bike Rack w/ Lock & Hdw - Fit Yakima & Thule Bars. Our biggest gripe is that no locks are included with the rackat minimum, wed want a hitch lock to secure the WestSlope to our vehicles receiver (the Lock Kit costs an extra $35). Both the T2 and NV 2.0 are very user-friendly and have long-lasting builds, although we have found the Thule is a little more versatile. MonoRail Platform Hitch Rack. Material on GearLab is copyrighted. And compared with traditional hanging models, you dont have to worry about issues with a bikes top tube. Mountain bikes have come a long way in recent years, with trends like 29-inch wheelsand more recently, 27.5-inch wheelsblazing the trail for bikes that are better and more Sweden-based Thule is one of the worlds leading manufacturers of car racks and bike accessories, and the T2 Pro XTR is their core hitch-mounted offering. That said, just because a rack is made up of a lot of plastic doesnt necessarily mean that its not durable. Their ability to safely carry up to six mountain bikes, while still offering enough ground clearance for waterbars, made them an instant favorite among downhill-oriented riders. Anyone looking to truly secure their bikes to this rack would be wise to look into a more robust aftermarket lock. In testing, weve found that weight-saving models like the Yakima Dr.Tray and Kuat Sherpa 2.0 have their fair share of compromises in carrying ability and longevity. Had the Transfer and now the Monorail, out of the 2 imho I think the RM is a lot better rack. Finally, weight is an issue, and youll typically want two people for set up or removal. For hauling a lot of bikes with relative ease, the HangTight is a great option. Starting with bike locks, these flexible cables allow you to secure the bikes frame or wheel to the rack. The cable is approximately 6.5 feet long and has a cable loop on one end and a metal fitting on the other. Racks that include a separate cable lock that you need to store in your vehicle are less appealing, and in those cases, we prefer to purchase our own metal U-lock. And finally, weve seen some major issues with rust appearing in as little as one year of use. To help with bike-to-bike interference, RockyMounts utilized a tiered design, which means each bike sits at a different height (the one closest to the vehicle is lowest and they step up higher as they move away). Best Hitch Rack for Rear Cargo Access: RockyMounts BackStage Best Hitch Rack for E-Bikes: Thule EasyFold XT 2 Best Vertical Hanging Rack: 1UP Recon Rack 6 Best Overall Hitch Bike Rack 1. If you want to transport your bikes efficiently and securely on a hitch mount platform rack, then we suggest checking out the Monorail. One of these hitch pin locks is for the hitch pin itself, the other is for the cable lock system (more on that below). The design is fairly simple: clamps on either end attach to your seat post and bike stem, and the rounded piece in the middle lays on top of the racks cradles. Once you have this number you can compare it against the max wheelbase spec for the rack you're interested in purchasing. All standard wheel sizes are no problem. Further, you get included bike locks, a receiver lock, and its secure strap system is one of the best in the business. Mountain bikes have been trending towards longer designs, which has impacted the length of their wheelbases. The process is relatively straightforward and easy, and it took us around 15-20 minutes to complete. The tilt release handle is simple and well designed, adding to the user-friendliness of the Monorail. There are two main receiver hitch sizes1.25-inch and 2-inchand it goes without saying that you should verify which one you have on your vehicle prior to purchasing a rack. For a bargain-basement $145 (on Amazon at the time of publishing), the Swagman XC2 features a highly adjustable tray system, sturdy and secure ratcheting arms, and a threaded hitch pin that keeps rack movement to a minimum. One of our favorite things about the MonoRail is the tilt release handle. In addition, there are no add-ons available, so two bikes are the max you can carry (a Helium Platform 1-Bike is also offered for $500). Most notably is price: At $650, the NSR above is one of the cheapest options out there (Recon Racks premium designs start at $1,200, while the Yakima HangTight 4 is $899). Theres no getting around the fact that quality platform-style racks are expensive, but those looking to save should check out Kuats Transfer v2. If neither of those options work, youll need to do some digging. From road bikes to fat tire bikes (up to 4.8 tires) to mountain bikes, the HoldUp EVO was designed to carry a wide range of bike styles - without the need for any adapters. No cherry-picked units sent by manufacturers. The RockyMounts MonoRail 1.25 Inch Bike Rack is one of the few racks which provides full vehicle rear-access with all your bikes locked and loaded! I have and love the Thule T2 Pro XT. The tubing and trays have a durable metal construction, though there is a fair amount of plastic on this rack. And with the exception of some truly cheap options, nearly all hitch-mounted bike racks have this functionality. Thules latest addition to their platform hitch collection is the high-end Helium. Along with sturdy materials and a very intuitive instruction manual (a rarity on the market), theres a lot to like with the mid-range WestSlope. Yakima. Vertical Hanging Racks Other racks share this attachment style and it isn't especially challenging to use, though the tool-free knob designs on the Thule T2 Pro and the Yakima Dr. Tray are much quicker and more user-friendly. Another method is to contact the manufacturer directly, and weve had good luck in getting reliable recommendations as to whether or not the rack were looking at will fit our vehicle. The MonoRail is a quality platform hitch rack from RockyMounts. One of the more technical considerations of the hitch rack puzzle is the clearance between the rack, your bikes, and the vehicle. The MonoRail doesn't weigh nearly as much as those competitors but it's far from the lightest platform rack in the test. And were happy to see that the Beta hasnt skimped on too many features: the rack tilts for rear vehicle access, its arms fold down when not in use, and it has same wobble-free hitch attachment mechanism thats found on Kuats premium offerings. I paid $225 for my 2 bike monorail from BC but I don't think that deal will happen again. item 2 8002446 Yakima HoldUp Plus 2 Bike add-on for 2" Receiver Hitch 8002446 Yakima HoldUp Plus 2 Bike add-on for 2" Receiver Hitch . A versatile hitch-mount rack that provides a high price to performance ratio, Sits slightly closer to vehicle than some. At 32 pounds, its a whopping 20 pounds less than the Kuat NV 2.0 above, which makes it a whole lot easier to install and remove from your vehicle. As the name indicates, tilting racks can be leaned over by pulling a lever that moves the rack far enough down to allow you to open the rear hatch or tailgate of your vehicle. Well start with the positives: the NSR 4 is a proven product that securely holds bikes in place, the highly adjustable design ensures the rack will work with a wide variety of vehicle types, and its one of the few models out there that minimally affects ground clearance by keeping the bikes close to the back of your car. The clamp itself is easy to tighten down onto your wheel and just as easy to release with the large blue lever on the handle. RockyMounts LoBall Track Bike Locking Truck Pick up Quick Release. With a premium build and price tag to match, this rack is feature-rich, designed to work with a wide variety of bike styles and sizes, and has proven to be durable and reliable even Weve been a fan of Thule bike racks for yearstheir T2 Pro XTR is currently our top-rated modelso we were pretty excited by the release of the premium Helium Platform. Simply put, this rack does it all. At $550 and $598 respectively, theyre clearly a big investment, costing nearly as much as the main racks themselves. In cutting weight, however, you lose out on the long-term durability found on other racks. Rockymounts Monorail Solo can be adjusted to fit various bike sizes. In addition, the tilt feature is all but unreachable with loaded bikesthe lever is hidden away under the rack. This cable isn't permanently attached to the rack in any way so it's quite easy to loop it through your bike frames. And as with the RidgeBack above, a top tube adapter is necessary if youll be hauling bikes with irregularly shaped top tubes (which unfortunately is most full-suspension bikes nowadays). We experienced zero issues, however, with any of this rack's moving parts despite a fair amount of wet spring drives and leaving it on the back of one tester's truck for several weeks on end. 0 bids. As expected, 2-inch receivers can handle more weight, which is a consideration if youre planning on hauling a heavy platform rack with some 50+ pound e-bikes aboard. Youll mostly find swing-away racks in the hanging category, including Yakimas FullSwing 4 above, but the aforementioned RockyMounts BackStage platform rack is one notable exception. This premium design checks all the right boxes: its materials have a high-quality feel, the rack stays solidly in place even on bumpy forest service roads, and the adjustable wheel cradles make it easy to avoid bike-to-bike contact. The Kuat Sherpa and the Yakima Dr. Tray are both lighter and easier to carry to and from the garage. Our third category is one thats only recently gained serious popularity. Below we break down our top picks for 2023, from high-end, exquisitely manufactured designs like 1Ups Heavy Duty Double to Kuats budget-oriented and weight-conscious Beta. Finally, everything about the Thule has a high-end look and feel to it, from the easy-to-use tilt lever to the metal trays and built-in cable locks. They typically double the racks carrying capacityfrom two to four bikesand are available for many popular designs (including Thules T2 Pro XT Add-On and Kuats NV 2.0 Add-On). But for e-bike owners who want an integrated and deployable rampand others who dont want to lift heavy bikes on and off their rackthe Thule EasyFold XT 2 is the best option available. Not surprisingly, the Thule comes with a steep $800 price tag. The T2 Pro XT takes up a lot of space when stored, and moving it around on a regular basis is not all that enjoyable since it weighs 51 lbs. All trademarks property of their respective owners Attractively priced at $449 and weighing a reasonable 37 pounds, theres a whole lot to like about the Transfer v2. The plastic parts used on the Monorail do appear to be highly durable, though plastic tends to break down over time. That said, the Transfer packs in a surprising number of features for the price, including a solid weight capacity (60 lbs. Due to the fact that the wheel cradles on the rack are fixed in place, however, we did notice that there is a limited wheelbase range. The MonoRail is very well suited for everyday use. The included locks are certainly a good theft deterrent, but not much more than that. The tire cradles themselves are well designed with a curved shape and a narrow groove down the center that holds skinny road bike tires all the way up to 5" wide fat bike treads. 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