And those with fat bikes will need to look elsewhere, as the Helium cant accommodate anything wider than a 3-inch tire. There are notable outliers, however, including the innovative 1UP Recon Rack 6, which can accommodate six bikes in a vertical hanging position. Type: PlatformWeight: 52 lbs.Number of bikes: 2 (4 with add-on)Weight capacity per bike: 60 lbs.What we like: Loaded with features, well-built, and easy to use.What we dont: Expensive and a bit heavy. The Monorail is well suited for transporting bikes of course. The reason is simple: theyre unable to accommodate irregularly-shaped bike framesincluding many full-suspension mountain bikes, kids bikes, and step-through bikeswithout purchasing a top tube adapter. 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. Placing the main body of the rack into the receiver on your vehicle is a good way to approach attaching the wheel trays, it's like having an extra set of hands to hold it steady for you. As proof, our original T2 Pro XT is still in fantastic shape after four years of extensive use. For riders who want a premium design and typically carry traditional road and mountain bikes, 1Up's Heavy Duty Double is a great choice. 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. If you want a do-everything rack, we recommend the brands T2 Pro XTR above. Its expanding wedge attachment system makes for a wobble-free connection, the 60-pound weight capacity means you can haul nearly all bike styles (including many electric models), and you get ample clearance from your vehicle and between bikes. 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. Only problem with the 2-timer is that it holds via the frame instead of wheels. The rear wheel cradle is attached on a hinge so it does have some adjustment, the RockyMounts website claims it can fit wheelbases from 34" to 49". It's the 2.0. Taking the place of the top-selling XT, the XTR adds a set of wheels at the base for easier shuttling to and from a garage, but the rest of the design remains exactly the same (which is a good thing). Let us know! Free shipping for many products! RockyMounts 1.25" MonoRail Bike Rack, new, unopened, returned. Dont expect the same easy loading or wobble-free experience as a platform-style rack, but the FullSwing 4 is a well-built design that should keep most people happy. $380.00. When the RockyMounts BackStage was released, the rack created quite a stir in the industry. The main advantage to the Recons design is that you can carry up to six bikes at once, and the vertical hanging position keeps them relatively stable and close to the back of the vehicle. 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. At $49 and $50 for the Yakima and Thule adapters, these are not cheap accessories and should be taken into account as youre choosing a rack style. Wisconsin-based 1Up may not be a household name like Thule or Yakima, but the company has a dedicated following among hardcore cyclists. . All trademarks property of their respective owners At $800, the T2 Pro certainly isnt cheap, nor is it particularly light at over 50 pounds, but its sturdy, long-lasting design is ideal for committed riders. Among platform-style racks, its best to choose one of two basic designs: a ratcheting arm that locks in over the front wheel and a strap through the rear wheel (featured on the Thule T2 Pro XTR, Kuat Transfer v2, Kuat NV 2.0, and others) or a dual-arm design like 1Ups Heavy Duty that tightens over the front and rear tires. For more information, see our hitch rack comparison table and buying advice below the picks. Rooftop racks have a lower maximum capacity (usually two bikes), are more of a pain to load and unload, and can impact gas mileage or create a whistling sound on the highway. Platform Racks Kuat Transfer Universal 2 Bike Hitch Mount, CURT Manufacturing 13316 Class 3 Trailer Hitch. And while hanging racks often resemble one another in how they workunload the bikes, fold the arms down, and then pull a lever to lower the rackplatform models can vary widely. The two-bike SplitRail base weighs in at 45 lb. It's long enough to feed it through 2 frames and two wheels, though you can't feed through all 4 wheels if you have 2 bikes on the rack. And we found the design to be well made overall with sturdy components, user friendly with a functional foot-operated tilt lever, and secure with its reliable cradles and ratcheting system. Our favorite lever style on a platform rack is found on Thules T2 Pro XTR, which has a large handle conveniently located at the end of the rack. The locks are a joke but I haven't seen any that were much better. And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. Thules latest addition to their platform hitch collection is the high-end Helium. 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. It takes a few minutes but it certainly isn't difficult to put together. The tilting feature is available on both hanging and platform-style racks, although one key point of differentiation is that many platform models can tilt with the bikes loaded, while hanging racks require you to unload your bikes first. Type: HangingWeight: 56 lbs.Number of bikes: 4Weight capacity per bike: 40 lbs.What we like: The convenience of a swing-away design.What we dont: Heavy and pricey for a hanging rack. It has a bike weight limit of 60 lbs per bike, so it can handle any bike you've got, even heavyweight e-bikes. I just made a deal on a slightly used, but fairly new Sherpa! Considering even a budget-friendly design is often $200 or more, this is a sensible addition. Type: PlatformWeight: 34 lbs.Number of bikes: 2 (3 with EZ+1 add-on)Weight capacity per bike: 40 lbs.What we like: Pretty light and the ability to carry three bikes with the add-on.What we dont: Doesnt feel as durable or stout as other racks. That may work for city, hybrid and road bikes but for lots of newer mtbs that have curved top tubes it will not hold well, this is why you see most dedicated mtb holders clamp at the wheel! Lightweight and looks good. The MonoRail also comes with two small hitch pin locks, keyed the same, that attach to the end of the hitch pin to prevent anyone from simply unscrewing it and making away with your entire bike rack. The included locks are certainly a good theft deterrent, but not much more than that. (inner); 35 lbs. 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. In particular, the thin arms that secure the front wheels feel flimsy and cheap and dont lock the bikes as solidly into place as others. Quick View. This is an excellent reasonably priced option. As long as youre hauling regular road or mountain bikes (the rack maxes out at 40 pounds per bike and 3-inch-wide tires), the Sherpa 2.0 has a lot going for it. This straightforward and effective system makes it easy to rapidly load and unload your bike, and it minimizes any wobble or side-to-side movement while driving. Further, the Recons burly build is extremely heavy (the two boxes that ship to you exceed 100 pounds total), which makes it difficult to set up and remove. The Yakima HoldUp EVO is exceptionally easy to load and will hold just about any 24+ bike you have in your arsenal. The ladder straps that secure the rear wheels are also easy to use by simply pulling tension on them, they don't have a ratcheting feature like some racks. Our favorite platform-style models are in the 45 to 52-pound range, which can make installing and removing them a challenge. The MonoRail is a quality platform hitch rack from RockyMounts. The MonoRail is very well suited for everyday use. 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. Plus, the optional 2-Bike Add-On (for another $550) doubles its capacity. In addition to the 2 bike version of the Monorail we tested, they also make a one bike version called the MonoRail Solo which retails for $280. Out of the box the MonoRail family has the widest carrying capacity of our line up, due to their ability to fit up to a 5" fat bike tire. The Superclamp 2 is very easy to use. At $550 and $598 respectively, theyre clearly a big investment, costing nearly as much as the main racks themselves. Compare RockyMounts BackStage vs Yakima FullSwing | etrailer.com Select Year Select Make RockyMounts BackStage Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Wheel Mount Mouseover to zoom. 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. Similar to the Kuat Transfer above, the rack is reasonably light, loads quickly and easily with ratcheting arms that secure over the front tire, and includes a tilt function to allow access your vehicles rear hatch. Without a doubt, their Heavy Duty Double's sleek aluminum build and attention to detail are a cut above the rest. Kuat requires you to pick up adapters to haul fat bikes and 20- to 24-inch wheels (something the Thule can do out of the box), and the tilt mechanism on the T2 Pro is a bit easier to access. There are obvious downsides to the vertical hanging style, however. What the Helium is lacking, however, is versatility. Even with the few issues that popped up, at the end of the day the $439 HoldUp 2 is still a great rack. 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