Mountain cycling is an excellent experience full of excitement and thrill. This type of outdoor sport requires true determinations and a long time pursuit. Usually, for mountain cycling, you have to go far into mountainous areas that are definitely not near your home. Therefore, your Bike will need a suitable means of transport. Again, a proper bike carrying medium also depends on the type of your vehicle and some specific purposes that you are looking forward to having in that medium. Because of so many bicycle carriers on the market for mountain bikes, you can naturally become distracted and you may end up buying a carrier that does not meet your needs. Such an obsession can silence your mountain cycling enthusiasm. So, we have presented you with a list of the best bike racks for mountain bikes in this article.
After extensive hours of research for several hours, we were able to produce this in-depth article which is full of comparative analysis. Our research indicates that the Küat Sherpa 2.0 is slightly better than other racks. So, we like to declare this our Overall Best Choice.
Overall Best Choice
The Küat Sherpa 2.0 is a super strong and agile platform or tray-style bike rack. It is a premium hitch bike rack that is just perfect for carrying mountain bikes and any other types of bikes as well. It offers some unique and wonderful features that you can’t find in any ordinary bike racks such as Foot-Assisted Pivot System, No-Wobble Ratcheting Arms, Hand-tight Hitch Cam and many other features. These features made this rack very exceptional and worthy of money. With an excellent build quality, this rack is made of Aluminum that also makes it very light. Maintains 14” of space for each of your bikes while they are being mounted. In short, if you need to transport a mountain; this is the bike rack that you need.
- Type: Hitch-Mount (Tray-Style)
- Adaptable Hitch Receiver: 1¼” / 2”
- Dimensions (inch): 45 x 15 x 12
- Number of Bikes: 2
- Max Load Per Bike: 40 lbs
- Maximum Weight Limit: 80 lbs
In the following table, we’ve listed the best bike racks that we have selected for carrying your mountain bikes:
| Bike Rack | Why we recommend this |
|---|---|
| SeaSucker Talon | Perfect Suction Cup Rack For MTBs |
| Thule T2 Pro XT | No frame contact. Perfect for Carbon frame, MTB, Downhill, Electric and Fat Tire Bikes |
| Küat Sherpa 2.0 | A Premium Choice. It's Lighter, User-friendly and Secure |
| Thule EasyFold XT 2 | A Rack with a Loading Ramp |
| Yakima Hangover | A Uniquely Designed Vertical Rack |
| Thule Gateway Pro 2 | A Proper Trunk Rack for Your MTB |
| Thule 963PRO Spare Me 2 | Spare-Tire Rack + Carbon Bike Compatible |
| Yakima RaptorAero | A Stylish Rooftop Rack for MTB |
| Thule Insta-Gator | Reliable Solution for Truck Beds |
| Demon Tailgate Pad | An Ultimate Tailgate Pad for MTB |
10 best bike racks you can buy today for carrying mountain bikes
Here is a comparison table of all the bike carriers on our list. This table will give a quick overview of all the racks. If you don’t have time to spare, then you can take a look at this table, But we strongly recommend you to read the entire article for in-depth detail about all the bike racks.
| Bike Rack | Preview | Type | Bike Capacity | Weight Limit (max.) | Dimensions (inch) | Rack Weight | Integrated Locking Option | Fold Ability | Hatch Access | Crossbar Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SeaSucker Talon | Fork-Mount (Vacuum) | 1 | 45 lbs | 15 x 13 | 6 lbs | No | No | Yes | N/A | |
| Thule T2 Pro XT | Hitch-Mount (Tray-Style) | 2 | 120 lbs | 54 x 15 x 43 | 52 lbs | Yes | Yes | Yes | N/A | |
| Küat Sherpa 2.0 | Hitch-Mount (Tray-Style) | 2 | 80 lbs | 45 x 15 x 12 | 32 lbs | Yes (Semi-Integrated) | Yes | Yes | N/A | |
| Thule EasyFold XT 2 | Hitch-Mount (Tray-Style) | 2 | 130 lbs | 48.4 x 25 x 26.7 | 44 lbs | Yes | Yes | Yes | N/A | |
| Yakima Hangover | Hitch-Mount (Vertical-Style) | 4 / 6 | 150 / 225 lbs | 22 x 46 x 60 (4-Bike) / 22 x 69.5 x 60 (6-Bike) | 65 / 73 lbs | Yes | No | Yes | N/A | |
| Thule Gateway Pro 2 | Trunk-Mount | 2 | 70 lbs | 23.5 x 18 x 33 | 13.7 lbs | Yes | Yes | No | N/A | |
| hule Spare Me 2 | Spare-Tire Mount | 2 | 75 lbs | 38.5 x 18.5 x 15.9 | 15.6 lbs | Yes | Yes | N/A | N/A | |
| Yakima RaptorAero | Roof-Mount | 1 | 30 lbs | 52 x 9 x 25 | 7.40 lbs | No (Additional Lock Available) | No | Yes | 16” - 38” | |
| Thule Insta-Gator | Truck Bed (Wheel-Mount) | 1 | 50 lbs | 40.6 x 18 x 6.7 | 11 lbs | No (Additional Lock Available) | N/A | Yes | N/A | |
| Demon Tailgate Pad | Tailgate Pad | Up to 5 | Standard Bike Weight | 54” (Small) / 52” (Large) | N/A | No | N/A | N/A | N/A |
A. Vacuum Rack
1) SeaSucker Talon: Perfect Suction Cup Rack For MTBs
- Type: Fork-Mount (Vacuum)
- Rack Weight (lbs): 6
- Dimensions (inch): 15 x 13
- Number of Bikes: 1
- Maximum Weight Limit: 45 lbs
- HUSKE Fork-Mount: This bike rack is universal for its HUSKE fork-mounts that can adjust almost any bike’s fork.
- No Frame Contact: Keeps your bike protected from any scratches on the frame as it will be mounted with its fork.
- Rear-Wheel Strap: Your bike will remain close-bodied with your vehicle by a 22” rear-wheel strap located on the rear-wheel cup.
- Build Quality: This rack was made of HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) material.
- Adjustability: Being a suction cup bike rack, it can accommodate any sedan, hatchback, SUV, minivan, coupé or even a sports car.
- Portable: A small and lightweight rack that makes it perfect to carry around anywhere.
- Effortless Installation: No tools or hardware is required to install this rack and can be mounted on any part of our vehicle.
- Fuel-Efficient: For being very light, this rack will somehow become fuel-efficient for your car.
- Package: When you purchase this rack, you will get a crack arm strap, spare vacuum pump and lube tube (5 mm) in the package.
- This rack is covered with a 2-year warranty from “SeaSucker”.
- This rack requires the removal of the front tire of your bike to mount it.
- As time will go by, suction cups will lose their pulling strengths with it and this will cause serious damage later.
- Need to manage additional space in order to store the removed front wheel inside your vehicle.
- The paint job on your vehicle’s surface can be seriously damaged by the suction cups.
The SeaSucker Talon has proved to be a versatile bike rack with a unique style of holding your bike. This rack has successfully passed some of the challenging and toughest physical tests. This bike rack was used to carry bicycles for various pro cycling teams around the world that cost more than $250,000. So this rack has a significant reputation and that is why the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) has officially licensed this rack. The installation is also very easy and this video will show how easy it really is –
This rack has been pursuing a rule and that is – any car, any place, any time. This proves that this rack can adapt any vehicle at any time and anywhere. The 2019 version of this rack comes with upgraded HUSKE fork-mounts with a 9 mm skewer that is suitable for any bike’s fork. This rack can handle only one bike that should weigh at most 45 lbs and offers no locking mechanism. If these issues are invulnerable to you, then this bike rack is just the thing you need.
SeaSucker Talon
B. Platform Style Hitch Rack
2) Thule T2 Pro XT: No frame contact. Perfect for Carbon frame, MTB, Downhill, Electric and Fat Tire Bikes
- Type: Hitch-Mount (Tray-Style)
- Adaptable Hitch Receiver: 1¼” / 2”
- Rack Weight (lbs): 52
- Dimensions (inch): 54 x 15 x 43 & 54.7 x 22.5 x 33.8 (When Folded)
- Number of Bikes: 2 (Can be increased to 4)
- Max Load Per Bike: 60 lbs
- Maximum Weight Limit: 120 lbs
- Carbon-Frame Compatible: If you are looking for a suitable bike rack for your precious carbon bike, then this rack can be a qualified bike rack.
- Adaptable Wheels: Bike-wheels from 20” to 29” and tire widths up to 5” can be adjusted on this rack.
- Frame-Free Ratcheting Arms: These arms will secure the bikes in place without making any contact with their frames.
- AutoAttach System: This feature allows the rack to fit easily to your vehicle and makes it very easy to remove it from your vehicle.
- Locking Feature: Offers full security where you lock the bikes to the rack with integrated locking cables and lock the rack to the vehicle with a locking hitch-knob.
- HitchSwitch Lever: An accessible HitchSwitch lever makes it very flexible to fold down the rack which makes the rear hatch access a breeze.
- Sufficient Space: Keeps the rack free from any interference as this rack leaves enough space between two bike-mounts.
- Colors: You can either buy this rack in Silver or Black colour.
- Thule will offer a limited lifetime warranty for buying this rack.
- This rack cannot be adjusted on any trailer, RV, motorhome, or any towed vehicle.
- This rack will not work with vehicles that have front fenders.
- The integrated lock is not very usable and you may need to buy additional locks.
- It comes at a very high price that makes it very hard to afford.
- Poor quality straps that might get ripped off after using for a few months.
If you are looking for a versatile premium quality bike rack with fantastic features and you have decided to purchase the Thule T2 Pro XT, then you have definitely made the right decision. This rack is amazing in every aspect such as durability, build quality, bike bearing capability, and adequate security. A product of fine material and workmanship that can safely transport a carbon-frame bike, custom-paint bike, eBike, downhill, fat-tire bike, and any mountain bike.
With an excellent weight load capacity of 120 lbs, this rack can hold 2 bikes where each bike weighs 60 lbs. So, you don’t have to worry about transporting any heavyweight bike. But, if you like to haul around with a bigger group and you want to increase the capacity so that you can load another 2 bikes, then you can purchase the Thule T2 Pro XT Add-on. Therefore, you can load a total of 4 bikes at the same time.
Thule T2 Pro XT
3) Küat Sherpa 2.0: A Premium Choice. It’s Lighter, User-friendly and Secure
- Type: Hitch-Mount (Tray-Style)
- Adaptable Hitch Receiver: 1¼” / 2”
- Rack Weight (lbs): 32
- Dimensions (inch): 45 x 15 x 12
- Number of Bikes: 2
- Max Load Per Bike: 40 lbs
- Maximum Weight Limit: 80 lbs
- No-Wobble Ratcheting Arms: Adjust these ratcheting arms over the front tires of your bikes with a single hand to secure them tightly.
- Foot-Assisted Pivot System: Get an easy rear gate or hatch access when this rack drops down by tapping your foot on a foot-assisted pivot system.
- Foldable Cradles: The cradles can be folded up and down to make enough ground clearance.
- Semi-Integrated Lock: An external cable can be found that consists of a semi-integrated locking feature to keep your bikes secure.
- Co-molded Straps: Your bikes will remain stable in the corresponding positions when their rear wheels will be fastened with these straps.
- Hand-tight Hitch Cam: Make sure the rack is closely fitted with your vehicle tightening a hitch cam with your hand.
- Adaptable Wheel-Size: Wheels that have tires up to 3” wide and wheelbase up to 47” can be adjusted on this rack.
- Build Material: Made of high-quality Aluminum material and a powder coating finish makes it premium and glossy.
- Easy Installation: Smooth installation process that doesn’t require any usage of tools.
- Colours: Provides an option to select from three distinct colours – Gray/Orange anodize, Black Metallic/Gray anodize, and Pearl Metallic/Silver anodize.
- No Worries Warranty: If you register this product on Küat’s official website, you will get a limited lifetime warranty.
- You can be unlucky to find the main threaded rod of this rack curved imperfectly that will make it difficult to insert into the hitch receiver.
- There are complaints that the locking mechanism is unable to function properly.
- Some reported this rack won’t work on a Hyundai Santa Fe and Santa Fe Sport.
- This rack is less durable than its older version which is the Sherpa 1.0.
‘Sherpa’ – the word came from Nepal which means something that is strong and agile enough to carry anything. So if you are looking for such a type of rack, then the Küat Sherpa 2.0 will be an ideal product for you. You won’t be able to compare this rack with any ordinary bike rack as this rack was built exceptionally and it is perfect in its own way. Your vehicle will look aesthetic when you install this rack. With a maximum weight load capacity of 80 lbs, you can load 2 bikes each considering 40 lbs of weight.
The Future Forest Initiative program was initiated by Küat cooperating with the National Forest Foundation. The purpose of this program is to plant trees as much as there can be, especially in the national forests inside the US region that are damaged by fire. With the effort of this program, more than 352,875 trees were being planted. Therefore, you may find a sticker of the Future Forest Initiative on every Küat product. This sticker is a symbol that defines the hard work that every Küat member has been doing until now.
Küat Sherpa 2.0
C. For Electric Mountain Bikes
4) Thule EasyFold XT 2: A Rack with a Loading Ramp
- Type: Hitch-Mount (Tray-Style)
- Adaptable Hitch Receiver: 1¼” / 2”
- Rack Weight (lbs): 44
- Dimensions (inch): 48.4 x 25 x 26.7 & 31 x 12 x 26 (When Folded)
- Number of Bikes: 2
- Max Load Per Bike: 65 lbs
- Maximum Weight Limit: 130 lbs
- Bike Compatibility: This rack has an incredible load capacity that enables this rack to transport an eBike, downhill and other heavy mountain bikes.
- Fully Foldable: You can fully fold this rack that will make mounting and storing your bikes much easier.
- Holders with Large Distance: These wheel-holders will keep the bikes separate from each other and prevent any contact between two bikes that have large wheel-bases.
- Padded Clamps: The clamps are covered with Road Dampening Technology (RDT) pads to protect your bike’s frame from shocks and vibrations.
- Thule AcuTight Knobs: When optimal torque is reached, these knobs will click audibly to inform you that they are tight enough.
- Straps With Buckles: The straps come with pump buckles to fasten the wheels of your bikes tightly.
- Locking Option: Secure the bikes with locking clamps and secure the rack to your vehicle with a hand knob.
- One Key System: With a single key you can access each lock and this feature deters thieves for stealing your bikes and the rack.
- Anti-Rattle Hitch-Pin: This integrated hitch-pin will prevent the receiver from excessive movements and rattling.
- Tool-Free Installation: The anti-rattle hitch-pin also allows quick installation where you don’t need any tools.
- Smart Foot Pedal: Tilt the rack just by pressing this pedal and get easy rear hatch access even when the bikes are loaded.
- Portability: The integrated transport wheels and carrying handle makes it portable enough for ergonomic transport.
- Bike Loading Ramp: Includes an Aluminum-made loading ramp that makes loading heavy bikes easier and it is also foldable.
- Oversized Reflectors: This rack enhances the nighttime visibility for your car with two oversized red reflectors.
- Quality Construction: This rack is rust-resistant and durable for the Aluminum and ABS plastic construction.
- This rack is backed up with a limited lifetime warranty by Thule.
- It cannot be used with a 5th wheel camper, motor-home or any other flat-towed vehicles.
- Plastic material in a rack of such advanced quality is not reasonable to many users.
- The loading ramp may break when you load a heavy fat-tire bike and it is pretty hard to use.
- Sadly, there is no locking option or button to unfold the platform; you just need to push the two parts of the platform to fold it and they just stick together with weak frictional force.
- The vertical U bar might be too short to reach the top tubes of some full-size bikes such as Electra Townie Go! eBikes.
The Thule EasyFold XT 2 is a flagship model of the company and it is filled with a lot of advanced features. This rack remains versatile while transporting any electric-bike, fat-tire bike or other heavy mountain bikes. And for loading your heavy bikes, you don’t have to use a lot of strengths to lift them up. This advanced bike rack allows a loading ramp (36”) so that you can rollover your heavy bikes on it. This rack is incredible for handling a total of 130 lbs of weight where you can load a heavy bike that can weigh up to 65 lbs.
You don’t have to buy additional locks and don’t have to worry about the security of your bikes. Because this rack offers the ultimate protection and security not just only for your bikes but also for itself. The clamps contain locks individually to secure your bikes and the rack itself gets secured to the vehicle with a locking hand knob. Also, this rack promotes a smart tilting feature that lets you access the rear hatch even when the bikes are loaded. You just need to press a pedal and the rest will do by itself. Hence you can load a bike that has most regular size wheelbases and tires, but there is an optional XXL wheel-strap available to load a bike with longer wheelbases and wider tires up to 4.7”.
Thule EasyFold XT 2
D. Vertical Style Hitch Rack
5) Yakima Hangover: A Uniquely Designed Vertical Rack
- Type: Hitch-Mount (Vertical-Style)
- Adaptable Hitch Receiver: 2”
- Rack Weight (lbs): 65 / 73
- Dimensions (inch): 22 x 46 x 60 (4-Bike Variant) / 22 x 69.5 x 60 (6-Bike Variant)
- Number of Bikes: 4/6
- Max Load Per Bike: 37.5 lbs
- Maximum Weight Limit: 150 / 225 lbs
- Vertical Orientation: Provides greater balance at the back of your car as this rack keeps your bikes vertically oriented and keeps them adjusted.
- Foot-Operated Tilt Mechanism: This rack smoothly tilts down when you press a foot pedal with your foot and makes the rear access easier than ever.
- Rotating Wheel-Cups: Bikes of various wheelbases can be adjusted for these rotating wheel-cups.
- Fork-Crowns: There are fork crowns on the upper mast of this rack to stabilize your bikes.
- Ground Clearance: You will get an enhanced ground clearance as two horizontal masts will keep your bikes at a higher position.
- Soft Padding: There is soft padding on the upper mast of this rack that will keep the bike’s forks protected.
- Adjustable Horizontal Masts: You can adjust the angles of the horizontal masts to make sure there is no contact between your car and your bikes.
- Locking Option: The integrated will hitch lock will secure the rack to the vehicle.
- Lock-Loops: There are lock loops on this rack that allow you to add extra locks if you wish to upgrade the overall security.
- Build Material: Constructed with heavy-duty Steel.
- Yakima’s Bottle-Cap Opener: This signature bottle-cap opener will help to open a bottle cap anytime you want and lets you enjoy a post-ride refreshment.
- Yakima will offer a limited warranty for a lifetime.
- This rack can only carry some mountain bikes or similar bikes that contain suspension-forks.
- As for carrying a fat-tire bike, this rack requires having a suspension-fork.
- The beginning of the installation process of this rack can be tricky and difficult.
- This rack is quite heavy compared to other hitch-mount bike racks.
- Some people consider this rack a bit expensive.
The Yakima Hangover is a great rack that can hold a significantly increasing number of bikes and organizes them vertically in a vertical posture. This rack can be very useful for family usage or if you are a person who likes to go out with a group of people. From the expert’s point of view, this vertical-style hitch rack is the most versatile rack you can find in the market and it is Yakima’s first produced bike rack that can carry bikes vertically.
This rack can tilt down and lets you access the rear hatch, but it is not very supportive when the bikes are loaded on this rack. If you really wish to gain rear access, then you need to take out the bikes from this rack first. Now if you think that is really bothersome and exhausting, then you can purchase BackSwing that will enable rear hatch access even when the bikes are loaded. But it is for the 4-bike variant only, the 6-bike variant doesn’t require this. Furthermore, this rack only supports those vehicles that have 2” x 2” hitch receivers and the hitch is recommended to have a tongue rating of 113 kg or more.
Yakima Hangover
E. Trunk/Hatch Mount Rack
6) Thule Gateway Pro 2: A Proper Trunk Rack for Your MTB
- Type: Trunk-Mount
- Rack Weight (lbs): 13.7
- Dimensions (inch): 23.5 x 18 x 33 & 23.5 x 18 x 21 (When Folded)
- Number of Bikes: 2 (3-Bike Version Available)
- Max Load Per Bike: 35 lbs
- Maximum Weight Limit: 70 lbs
- Patented FitDial: FitDial that includes a Quick-Fit lever will provide your bikes a “Perfect Fit” to your vehicle.
- Anti-Sway Cradles: Keep your bikes secure from bike-to-bike contact with its integrated anti-sway Stay-Put cradles.
- Ratcheting Straps: These Nylon straps lets you quickly attach your bikes and keep them stable in places.
- Sufficient Spacing: This rack ensures there is no collision between two bikes during transportation as it stores the bikes 7” far from each other.
- Bike Compatibility: The cradles were designed in such a compact way that they can accommodate a variety of bikes with different frame styles and sizes.
- Foldable Bike Arms: This rack has arms that can be adjusted independently with a cinch lever and they fold down when they are not in use.
- Convenient Storage: Grants you with convenient storage by folding up flat against the vehicle.
- Cable Lock: Integrated cable locks are included to lock your bikes to the rack and keep them safe from theft.
- Padded Bars: The bars that attach to the vehicle’s body are padded with soft foam to ensure no scratch or damage.
- Carbon-Frame Compatible: You can place a carbon bike and carry it on this rack.
- Optional Lock Strap: You can buy the additional Thule Lock Strap that lets you lock the rack to the car in order to update the overall security.
- Excess straps can be tucked away to provide better clearance for your vehicle’s surface.
- This rack is warranted for a limited lifetime.
- Horrible instructions to install this rack.
- The Stay-Put cradles do not stay in places instead, they slide to the end of the rack.
- Very difficult to adjust two bikes and you may need to remove parts in order to place them comfortably.
- For some vehicles, the brackets that connect to the top of the hatch are a bit small. As an instance, this rack is not a proper fit for a Volvo XC60.
In order to load a mountain bike and transport it, you may look for a hatch-mount or trunk-mount bike rack and the Thule Gateway Pro 2 will be one of the most suitable solutions. This is a robust bike rack that guarantees no damages or scratches to your bikes and to your vehicle. It places the bikes leaving an ample space of 7” and its nylon adjustable straps keep it secure to the car. This rack also offers adequate locking features and folds completely flat for convenient storage. You can add additional security specifically for the rack if you purchase the Thule Passive Lock Strap that will lock the rack to your vehicle.
This rack is fairly easy to use and loading and unloading of your bikes will become quick and smooth. If you want to carry 3 bikes and want exactly like this type of bike rack, then why don’t you buy the Thule Gateway Pro 3 which is the 3-bike variant of this rack. While the 2-bike version has a weight load capacity of 70 lbs where each bike should weigh 35 lbs, the 3-bike variant offers a superior capacity of 105 lbs where the weight for each bike remains the same. Other features are almost the same. However, both of these bike racks won’t work properly if you drive an SUV.
Thule Gateway Pro 2
F. Spare-Tire Rack
7) Thule 963PRO Spare Me 2: Spare-Tire Rack + Carbon Bike Compatible
- Type: Spare-Tire Mount
- Rack Weight (lbs): 15.6
- Dimensions (inch): 38.5 x 18.5 x 15.9 and 38.5 x 18.5 x 4 (Folded)
- Number of Bikes: 2
- Max Load Per Bike: 37.5 lbs
- Maximum Weight Limit: 75 lbs
- One Key System: You can lock the rack to the spare-tire with just a single key.
- Adaptable Spare-Tire: This rack can adapt both regular and oversized spare tires.
- Carbon Bike Compatible: This is a recommended rack to transport carbon-frame bikes when your vehicle contains a spare-tire at the back.
- Stay-put Cradles: These cradles make sure the bikes stay in their places when the vehicle has to deal with excessive bumps.
- Anti-Sway Cages: The cradles contain anti-sway cages that keep the bikes relatively far from each other and prevent them from swaying.
