prime winner

What rack do you use for transporting? Hanging or wheel support style?

I'm looking for a hitch rack that carries 4 bikes and is nice, easy to use, and won't scratches bikes during transport. My budget is $300 to $400 and I want a good one.

pseudoware

One of each, hanging on our SUV (can fit three bikes), Yakima roof rack on a sedan (currently only a single mount).

GerryinHouston

I use a Thule Vertex 2, a hanging rack for 2 bikes. I have a sloping driveway and a low slung Mustang GT... A wheel support rack was out of the question. Even with this hitch mounted hanging rack, I have to exit the driveway at an angle so I don't scrape the stinger on the concrete.

rekmeyata

I don't know if the hitch rack I have is the best but it was the best I could find at the time and it is extremely well built, needless to say I like it a lot. What rack am I talking about you scream? It's a rack that sounds like it came out of a horror movie! It's called the BONELOCKER, which is now called SCS Magnum so as not to scare people...although Magnum is pretty scary.

Anyway, it will carry up to 4 bikes, it's virtually theft proof, very stout, won't bounce your bikes around like a juggler, and it's made in the USA. See this for more detail:www.scsrack.com

Gresp15C

We have a Thule Parkway 4, which is a hanging type. It is a very bare bones rack, inexpensive, and only fits in the larger size hitch receiver. We got it after trying and returning another brand, don't remember which. My observation is that it's a coin toss whether you can actually fit 4 bikes on a 4 bike rack, unless they are all traditional diamond-frame road bikes. The swoopy new tubing, compact frames, kids bikes, etc., can make it totally a puzzle. We can only transport 4 family bikes by removing the front wheels, and then loading them on in a precise sequence. They are all robust metallic frames. And they will scratch one another if I don't tie some rags around the parts that could bump.

We don't use the rack very often, typically load the bikes for some sort of vacation where we'll be staying in one place for several days. For our family recreational rides, we just take off from our house.

That's just a warning to find out if you can actually fit your bikes, before committing a lot of money.

Edit: That SCS rack looks pretty clever.

D1andonlyDman

Two issues: What fits your bikes, what fits your cars. I have a basic Hollywood rack, which attaches to the trunk of my cars, which can support two of my steel frame bikes, hanging by the top tube. It might support a third, buy I have no need for that capacity. It won't support my Y-Foil. If I need to transport that, it has to go in the back seat of my larger car (with the front wheel removed).

sdmc530

Thule products are great. Vertex 4 is a great rack. Works awesome no bike on bike fighting in the rack either.

Camilo

I use a Yakima 2 bike tray style when I use an exterior rack, It has adapters for both sizes of hitch receivers.

I really dislike hanging racks, but I've only owned a couple in my life. I've never used one that didn't scrape up frames or wheels eventually.

I take that back. Once we rented a couple of road bikes in St. Paul and they gave us a Saris two-three bike hanging rack to put on the trunk of our rental car. It actually worked great - can't remember details, but it held the bikes firmly and separately.

99% of the time I just lay my bike in the back of my Impreza or I can fit 3 - 4 bikes inside my Suburban upright with fork mounts.

I have a roof mount for overflow if I have a large group going somewhere.

GerryinHouston

Other than the dirt cheap crap, most hanging racks from well known companies have anti-sway fixtures which prevent the bikes from swinging into each other. I do restrain the wheels to the frame with velcro.

The worst drawback is the non-horizontal top tube many of the modern bikes have. I had to buy a 'faux' top tube to carry my wife's bike as if it had a horizontal top tube.

When I was investigating tray type racks, a common complain was that the hooks holding the bike frame upright mar the finish. You can't win them all I guess...

jefnvk

I've been rear ended enough to never want to keep my bikes hanging off the back of my car.

Fun fact: in Michigan, if someone rear ends you with a bike rack on the back of your vehicle, you (or your homeowner's insurance) are the one paying for replacement bikes :/

chandltp

I've been happy with this one for the last 4 years:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This one looks similar, but I can't speak to it:
https://www.amazon.com/CURT-18086-Hi...ack+tray+hitch

dedhed

I've got 2 hitch hanging racks. An ancient Graber (now Saris) 4 bike T rax that has served well for many years. I recently bought a Yakima ridge back 2 bike that is OK, but only once have I been able to fit 2 adult bikes on it. I've never had an issue with them hitting wheels on the ground , but that is mostly a function of bike size and style as well as the vehicle it's mounted on.

I'd suggest trying before buying as most hitch racks I've found to be a stretch as to how many you can actually fit on there.

Only platform I had was some no name that was mounted on top of our pop up camper.

Camilo

Yea, there's probably more options nowadays. My last experience owning a hanging rack was 10 or more years ago. It wasn't a cheap one though, it was a Yakima - but had nothing for anti sway except messing around with bungie cords etc.

As far as the tray type marring the finish: there are two types. One is secured by a vertical bar that clamps down on the top tube. That kind can definitely mar the finish if you're not careful. I have that type because the other type doesn't work well with plastic fenders and we have a couple of bikes with fenders. It's easy enough to prevent that though - you just put a piece of duct tape or frame saver at the contact point, or, even easier, just put a thickness of soft cloth between the holding bar and the frame.

The other type - which seems to be more common, and I wish I had one, if not for the fenders - holds the bike by the tire, so no frame contact.

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SouthFLpix

I currently have a hanging rack, which works fine, but in the future I would like to get a hitch attached to my car and buy a hitch rack like this one: TransIt Flatbed 4DLX 4-Bike Hitch Rack

I feel that this design is more stable, especially if you want to transport multiple bikes.

zeeway

I had a Thule hanging rack which bugged me because it allowed the bikes to bang into each other. Bought a Thule T2 rack last summer, which supports the wheels and keeps bikes apart, and like it a lot. It is built like a tank (heavy)... but does the job well.

Retro Grouch 

The more bikes you try to hang from their top tubes, the harder it gets. 2 fit pretty easily. It gets harder to figure out how to orient the frame geometry, handlebars and pedals of the third bike. 4 or more get harder still. Did I mention that practically no bikes have horizontal top tubes anymore? I much prefer the racks that support bikes on there own wheels but I'm thinking you are likely to have budget issues.

RidingMatthew 

i have a cheap pro line brand wheel support one. I don't like that I cant fit my kids bike on the rack as well. 16"wheels don't fit. I have used old socks ad that held his sisters when it fit her.

Nachoman

The anti-sway feature is key, in my view, if you're concerned about nicks and scratches.

rumrunn6

hanging, but would NOT recommend Swagman Titan, it's very heavy and kind of a pain in the butt. seems like the newer platform styles are very popular. just looked at video for the Hollywood hitch rack but wow it's complicated. what was great about it tho was the crank which when tightened eliminates wiggle/rattle at the hitch