Best bike racks for cars: Transport your bike by car safely and securely

Best bike racks for cars: Transport your bike by car safely and securely


The best bike racks for cars mean that you've got the flexibility to take your bike with you to ride further afield, be that for events and races, for a vacation, a trip to the trailhead or bike park, or simply because you want to ride somewhere different.To get more news about ebike car rack, you can visit magicyclebike.com official website.

Whichever you choose, you'll need to be able to attach your bike easily enough that you're not spending ages mounting and dismounting it, but securely enough that it won't work loose on rough roads. You also need to ensure it's not easy for a thief to remove if you stop for a break.
It's worth thinking about how much lifting you need to do too. If you've got a lightweight bike, lifting it onto the roof of a car might not be too much effort, so one of the best roof bike racks might be a good option, but if you're riding an electric bike and driving an SUV, roof mounting could be back-breaking work. In this case, a hitch-mounted rack might be a better option. Of course, those whose cars don't have a tow hitch will be best served by the best trunk bike racks.

Whichever you choose, there are a lot of things that separate the best bike racks from the rest, so making a decision might at first feel overwhelming. Luckily for you, we've done a lot of the hard work for you. We've spent years testing all bike racks to find which offer the best build quality, security, ease of use and more, and we've rounded up what we think are the best bike racks available for each different type of mount.
Tow ball, or tow hitch, based racks are not the cheapest option but they are often the most convenient and accessible to most people. Trucks and larger vehicles will come with a 2in receiver tube. However, even if your vehicle doesn't have anything from the factory, there's almost always a retrofit kit available. You'll want to look for a quality system that mounts to the frame rails and not the bumper and what's available will depend on the tow ratings for the vehicle in question.

Keep in mind that in the US, a 1 1/4 receiver tube can be one of two different types of receivers. Both class 1 and class 2 hitches use the same size but they are different. You'll want to search carefully to see what the rack manufacturers rate their racks for. A class 1 hitch limits the insertion depth and, in some cases, even if a rack is the right size, it won't mount.

Once you've figured out what will work for your car and sorted the vehicle side, there are some distinct advantages. Choosing a hitch option from our list of one of the best bike racks for cars will often mean a tray-style rack with no possibility of bike, or vehicle, damage. If your vehicle is tall, you don't have to lift a bike over your head and if you leave it on, many will tilt out of the way for access. When you'd rather remove the rack, it's usually easy.

Another consideration for this style of rack is local laws and regulations. In Australia for example, if the rack obscures your licence plate, you’ll need an official accessory plate from the RTA; similar rules apply in Europe. The rack will also need to illuminate the plate to ensure visibility from at least 20m away in poor light conditions. In the eyes of the law, the classic photocopy or piece of cardboard with your plate number scribbled in sharpie will earn you a hefty fine. That’s not all; you may also cop a fine for driving around with an empty hitch rack on the back of your car. The moral of the story is to do your due diligence about what's required in your country before making a purchase.
Not everyone needs to carry a bunch of heavy bikes. Also, not everyone wants to leave their rack attached to the car when not in use. If you only occasionally use a bike rack and you tend to ride alone, or at least drive to the ride alone, then the Rockymounts MonoRail Solo is a perfect choice. The price is lower than other options and it's exceptionally light at only 25lbs. Taking it off the car and storing it is an easy one-handed affair. It also doesn't lock you into your current situation. If you decide you need to start carrying a second bike the MonoRail add-on allows adding capability. A few screws and a five-minute transformation will have you ready to double your load capability. For the times when you aren't using the MonoRail add-on, it's just as light and easy to handle as the base unit.