One caveat with the Velo Gripr: Many pickup trucks today have relatively short, 5-foot or 51/2-foot beds that may not have enough space to carry an adult bike with both wheels — at least not without lowering the tailgate. Be sure to measure your bed and bike before you buy. For these short pickup beds, check out our competition section which lists some tailgate pads. At 63 pounds, the SuperClamp is one of the lightest four-bike tray carriers on the market, making it easy to get in and out of the vehicle compared to its competitors. With a simple pull handle at the rear, you can easily fold the rack when it`s empty or tilt it down to access a vehicle`s cargo space. The SuperClamp has built-in cables to lock bikes on the rack and comes with a clutch lock to attach the rack to the vehicle. Thanks to the innovative design of the Bones rack, it is easy to adjust the legs for each vehicle. The legs are attached to the central tube with toothed rings. A plastic button on each leg allows you to loosen the handle on the toothed part of the tube and slide it into a smooth section where you can freely turn the leg in the perfect position. Then slide the leg over the tooth section and tighten the button. In our tests, it took 4 and a half minutes to install the rack and put it on the car, less than half the time it took with other trunk racks. If you want to transport your bike to the roof of your vehicle, you won`t find an easier way than with the Yakima HighRoad.
We found it the easiest to use of all the racks we tested, both when installing the rack on the vehicle and when loading a bike. It attaches the bike to the front wheel and avoids contact with the frame. And in our tests, it maintained a variety of solid bikes – even more than some forked roof racks (which bike enthusiasts often consider the safest type). The Yakima Dr.Tray with two bikes is quite light (41 pounds). It was easy to mount it on the car and load the bikes, it kept them safe and it was able to accommodate a variety of bikes. The 2-inch hitch version also accepts an additional extension for carrying a third bike. But it is more expensive than the Sherpa 2.0. And when two different people knocked it over separately with loaded bikes, the clearance handle got so close to the ground that it almost landed on their hands. Ouch! The Yakima GateKeeper Tailgate Pad is essentially a nylon-covered cushion that wraps around a truck`s tailgate, and you can carry up to five bikes by extending the front wheels over the tailgate and attaching the bikes` down tubes with Velcro straps.
All bikes must nestle against each other, with the front wheels turned in the same direction. But we realized that the Velcro straps weren`t long enough to hold our bikes safely, and on a winding road, they came off. Some users of attachment templates have been ticketed. For safety reasons, the HighRoad has lockable covers that prevent these tabs from being lifted, preventing thieves from removing the bike rack from the vehicle itself. Some other models that use a similar locking system are not lockable. Dave von Berthoud writes: “What drives you crazy? I have a picture on my phone of a bike rack on a car that covers the rear license plate – without bikes. To understand the pros and cons of different types of carriers, we spoke with experts at a number of major bike and bike rack stores across the country, including Rack Attack stores in Boston, Minneapolis, and Portland, Oregon; East Burke Sports in East Burke, Vermont; Chile Pepper Bike Shop in Moab, Utah; Backcountry Bike & Ski in Palmer, Alaska; Roscoe Village Bikes in Chicago; and Ridgefield Bicycle Company in Fairfield County, Connecticut. We also spoke with experts at REI`s headquarters and interviewed more than 20 cycling clubs across the country.
We asked which types of racks are best for different types of people, which are easiest to assemble and use, and much more. Here`s a brief overview of the conditions under which the plates should be visible at all times to show where you may encounter a problem with the rear racks: The Yakima HoldUp EVO is a cheaper two-bike cousin of the Dr.Tray. It uses Yakima`s super simple editing system, but is heavier than Dr.Tray and Küat Sherpa 2.0 and looks less mature overall. The bikes wobbled more, and it was difficult to reach the lever to tilt it down. An advantage is that it can carry up to four bikes with an additional extension. If you have budget constraints or storage space is limited, the Küat Beta with two suspended bikes is a good, more cost-effective alternative to the Küat Sherpa 2.0. As it is a suspended rack, it is not so easy to load and you will have to unload your bikes to tilt the rack down for vehicle access. But the Beta is solidly built and keeps the bikes safe. At just 18 pounds, it`s also one of the lightest hitches we`ve tested, making it easy to put on or take off a vehicle.
And unlike most draw racks, the Beta folds completely flat when not on the car, making it easy to store anywhere — you can hang it on a garage wall hook or store it in the back of an apartment closet. This rack is available for 11/4″ and 2″ clutch receivers. Utah passed a law that leads to a completely opposite result. Utah law expressly permits bike racks, wheelchair carriers, ski racks, and luggage racks. Equally important, the law also states that you are not breaking the law if the charge itself covers the plate. Utah law states: The SeaSucker Talon is a unique fork carrier that attaches directly to the roof of most vehicles with large suction cups. (The company calls them “high-performance vacuum bearings.”) While this is the most expensive roof rack we`ve tested, it doesn`t require you to have a basic crossbar system, so it could be cheaper overall. The heel is easy to attach and take off, and it was very stable and secure while we were driving.
However, in our tests, we found that the suction cups did not fit well with some vehicles, especially if they had raised ribs on the roof. Plus, the suction cups held so tightly that when the bike swayed from side to side, the roof of the car would bend underneath (this is a concern we saw in an Amazon review). We also didn`t find a way to tie the whole setup to the car. There are many types of bike racks, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Whether you find one that`s right for you depends on your vehicle, bike, budget, riding style, and personal priorities. Here are the types we tested: Although the Yakima HighSpeed is a beautiful fork-mount rack, it is not convincing for the price. Switching from one bike to another with a fork pin or through tube is pretty easy. But while the front clamp that holds a bike can easily be tightened with a button, it`s tedious to have to assemble it every time you get on and off a bike.