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Trust These Expert-Recommended Bike Racks for Traveling with Your Bike


Just as with bicycles, the landscape for bike racks has changed considerably in recent years. There are now many choices available in roof-, trunk-, and hitch-mounted racks, with models spanning from low-priced to premium. And pickup truck owners have the option of utilizing what’s known as a tailgate pad. With so many options, it can be difficult to determine which is best for your bikes, vehicle, and budget. To get more news about ebike car rack, you can visit magicyclebike.com official website.

Because we have several cycling enthusiasts at the Consumer Reports Auto Test Center, we decided to take a deep dive into bike racks and carriers by purchasing several different models to evaluate. We researched the market, spoke to bike-store owners and riders, and gleaned information from major retailers and industry analysts.
We decided on a sampling of hitch-mounted platform racks, including a low-priced option; one designed with heavy electric bikes in mind; and another intended for serious cyclists who use their bike rack on a regular basis. We also evaluated low- and high-priced hitch-mounted hanging racks, and we tried two different-sized pickup truck tailgate pads to see what all the fuss is about with this rather ingenious setup just for trucks.
We ordered the racks and tailgate pads online, assembled them in the ATC main garage, and tried loading all manner of bicycles. A few colleagues and I hit the road to our favorite trails and riding locations to see which racks kept the bikes the most secure while traveling and were the easiest to live with on a daily basis. So yes, we did a whole bunch of bike riding in the name of “science.”

If you ride your bike even semi-regularly, at some point you’ll probably want to try pedaling beyond your local streets and trails. Although it’s hard to beat riding from your front door to the trailhead and back again, sometimes driving to a ride is the only feasible way to go—and that’s where a good bike rack comes in handy.

Types of Bike Racks
The first step when shopping for a bike rack is to determine what type will work best with your bike and your vehicle. There are five main types of modern bike racks. Knowing a little about each will help you choose the right one for you.

➥ Hitch Racks: These racks attach to a hitch receiver—the square socket mounted under the rear bumper of many vehicles (it’s where you can insert a hitch ball for towing). Not all vehicles have hitch receivers, but they can be installed on most cars, trucks, SUVs, and vans. There are two common hitch receiver sizes for passenger vehicles: 2 inches and 1.25 inches. Before shopping, check which size you have on your vehicle and ensure the rack you buy is compatible.

Hitch racks themselves can be either a tray style, where the bike tires rest on a metal tray and an adjustable arm(s) and straps secure them, or hanging style, where the bike hangs on arms that support its frame and straps hold the bike to the rack.

➥ Trunk Racks: Trunk racks attach to the trunk or rear hatch of a vehicle using an array of straps with hooks. The hooks grab the edges of the trunk or hatch, and you cinch down the straps to give the rack a secure hold on your vehicle. Compared to hitch racks, which attach to your vehicle at one just point, getting a secure fit with a trunk rack requires some extra attention: careful setup and finessing of all the hooks and straps. In addition, those straps can loosen over time, so it’s a good idea to check them during longer drives. That said, when installed correctly, they can be very secure.
Roof Racks: As the name implies, roof racks attach to crossbars on your vehicle’s roof rack system. That’s also the catch—if your car doesn’t have crossbars, you’ll need to buy and install those before using a roof rack. Some roof racks require you to remove your bike’s front wheel and attach it via the fork dropout; others utilize a “wheels on” style with straps and an adjustable arm to secure your bike.

➥ Tailgate Pads: These are a relatively simple bike-carrying solution for pickup trucks. A tailgate pad is essentially a heavy-duty padded cover that you place over your truck’s tailgate and secure with straps. Your bike rests on top of the tailgate with the fork and wheel hanging off the back of the truck, and you anchor it in place with straps. Most pads allow you to carry lots of bikes (five or more), but they only work with pickups.

➥ Suction Cup Racks: A relatively new type of rack, these attach to your vehicle’s roof or rear window using suction cups and provide a secure anchor point for hauling a bike. Aside from using suction cups to grab onto a vehicle, these mounts carry bikes in a variety of ways, including by the front fork, by gripping the wheels, or even by gripping the handlebars.