CrownEE

I'm looking for a 2 bike rack that fits into my 2" hitch. There are several to choose from, some good, some bad and some horrible. Help me pick a good one that won't break the bank.

Thanks

Retro Grouch 

"Best hitch rack for the money" is a value judgement that only you can make.

Personally I don't like the ones that hang the bike from the top tube. Unfortunately, the ones that hold the bike upright on it's own wheels cost more.

simonaway427

All depends on how you define "breaking the bank".

I personally have the Yakima Holdup 2" and I think its an awsome rack.

MAK

The Export from Performance works great for me and it's much less expensive than the "name" brands.

Dodgensince74

I just bought this one used thru Craigslist and really like it, it was used but looked like it was never used.

Torgrot

My two cents, I have a Kuat Sherpa, it is light weight and fits either a two or 1.5 inch receiver.

arej00dazed

check ebay. I picked up a new Allen swing away rack for $225 shipped. Its currently $280~ plus shipping on amazon.

thehick

Unless you're getting a trunk mount, they all cost a lot. I got this one:
https://www.swagmanbikeracks.com/shop...age=1&featured
and love it. The platform mount is so much easier to use than top-tube mounts. And with slanted top-tubes on some of my bikes, it plain old works better.

PaulRivers

I really like the looks of the midrange Saris TRax rack, though I haven't bought one yet.

1987cp

This price seems hard to beat: https://www.harborfreight.com/two-bik...ack-98019.html

CrownEE

1987cp,
Thanks, that is very cheap !!!
I'll head out to take a look at it.

Ernie

1987cp

Sure thing.

The specimen I bought is a little rough cosmetically, but seems adequate for my very-occasional needs (carrying a $200-$500 bike at 35mph for 2-5 miles), and with the 2" adapter removed it fits my 1.25" receiver as well.

colombo357

A high quality rack will last you well over a decade. I've got a Yakima Roc 'n Gate from 1999 that's still going strong, though I kind of want to sell it and get one that secures the wheels.

I'd go for the $399.99 Yakima Holdup.

CrownEE

At under $30 I just had to try the Harbour Freight bike rack. Overall the construction looks strong enough but there are a few things I have problems with ( you get what you pay for). 1. The upright bar was welded slightly off of vertical. 2. Even with the bolts tightened it seems a little sloppy, not unusable but seems it could be tighter. I think I can get this fixed with a couple of washers. 3. I noticed that the pictures on the box olny show one bike mounted on the 2 bike rack. I'm still trying to figure out how I can fit my wifes and my bikes both on at the same time. There just does not seem to be enough room.
I'll give it a test run this weekend but my first impresion is that it is good enough to hold my 33 year old road bike for short hauls and that is what I wanted it for.
I would really like a platform type and I will continue to watch ebay and craigslist for something better, but the cheapy will work for now.

PaulRivers

I always find these discussions amusing, as there's often 2 groups when it comes to racks -
1. "I want the cheapest possible, what could happen?" or "I'm just going a short distance, I'm sure it won't fall off for that"
2. "OMG, I'm going to be screaming down the highway with my bike just hanging off the back of my car, is any rack even going to keep my bike from falling off, run over, and splattered into million pieces and forcing me to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars replacing it??"

I'm more in the second group. I spend $130 on a Bones rack for my last car. One night I put my bike on the rack then somehow managed to take off without actually cinching any of the straps down. 20 minutes later I arrived home - to find that my bike was still just sitting there on the rack, hanging out like it wasn't a big deal. All the extra money I spent on the rack was *totally* worth it for that *one* time.

1987cp

What sort of bike retention system does that "bones" rack have? I'm sure the double-crossbar-with-scooped-pads arrangement on mine would keep a bike in place under some circumstances, but I've not personally inspected any other designs up close.

PaulRivers

CrownEE

Well the bike rack I bought from Harbour Freight is going back. It was welded crooked and seems much to flimsy.
I found a lightly used Thule bike rack for $30 at a yard sale that is much better constructed.

PaulRivers

Hey, thanks for the update!

tdc

I have the Harbor Freight rack. It works fine. A couple of well placed bungees and rags wrapped on contact points keeps everything nice. The sale price of $39.99 coupled with their ubiquitous 20% off coupon and a free LED flashlight got me out the door for just over thirty bucks. It even drops out of the way for access to the hatch on my Edge and leaves the roof rack free for my kayak.

iqbal624

I have a hitch mounted Yakima. the one that hangs from the top tube. i'm selling it to get a Kuat Sherpa..

HandsomeRyan

Saris Thelma 2 isn't cheap but it is quite good.

Looigi

I got one of these recently for new carbon road bikes since it only contacts the tires and wheels. At $300 it's less expensive than many other racks of this general type. It holds the bikes securely and so far, I'm quite satisfied with it.

I also have a strap-on trunk rack for sedans and older hitch rack, both hang bikes from their top tubes.

Torgrot

I love my Kuat Sherpa. Lightweight and easy to mount. Bikes secure for the long haul.

ctyler

For my money I'd buy a T-Rax Pro 2-Bike. Bought one last year and it's a great product.

https://www.saris.com/bike-racks/vehi...&category_id=8