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I'm looking at hitch mounted platform bike racks for my car and they vary greatly in price, from $70 to over $1,300!

(by platform I mean the racks that support the bikes' tires rather than hanging them by their frames)

I read they can sway and bounce on the road but that it doesn't matter because even the cheapest ones are stable enough. Plus, I'm only carrying one 28 pound bike.

If the rack bolts together then locking bikes to it isn't an option, but I assume I could solve that by locking them to the safety chain loops on the hitch receiver (which is also bolted on but harder to remove).

Being more hassle to take on/off or to fold away/down to open the hatchback is the biggest disadvantage I can think of.

I expect the cheap racks to be harder to use but that difference doesn't seem to be worth $1,200 to me. Am I missing something or should I just give the cheap rack a try?

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  • Consider a hitch-mounted towball then one of those Y-shaped stands where the bike hangs from a couple hooks by the top-tube, rather than a platform. Is there a reason you want a platform style ?
    – Criggie ♦
    Commented Jul 6 at 21:26
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    do you mean something like this: walmart.com/ip/Quipall-2BR-9022-2-Bike-Hitch-Mount-Racks/… The platform racks look easier to load and more secure. Top tube angle doesn't matter and the bikes won't swing. Seems like much less opportunity to damage the bike.
    – user66598
    Commented Jul 6 at 22:15

4 Answers 4

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If you measure success as getting from point A to point B without the bike landing on the highway then a less expensive carrier is probably fine.

Generally more expensive hitch mount platform bike carriers are:

  • Made of heavier material which sometimes results in better durability and less flex
  • Better designed / thought-out
  • Ease of loading
  • Ease of installation / removal
  • Availability of spare parts
  • Better finish/paint
  • Sturdy construction
  • Extra features - locking the bike to the carrier etc.

Example 1 - a $90 hitch mount platform bike carrier
Cheap platform bike carrier
Vevor advertises this carrier as able to hold 80 pounds. The carrier itself weighs 26 pounds.
As flimsy as this looks people successfully use this carrier.

Example 2 - The Hollywood Racks Destination Bike Rack - HLY94FR - at around $200.
Inexpensive platform rack

The unit weighs 20 pounds and will carry a maximum of 70 pounds, 35 pounds per bike. Hollywood Racks does carry some spare parts on their website. Based on the reviews I've read the rack will not come apart on you. Some reviews complain about the ratchet straps and the lack of flexibility in attaching the bike to the rack.

Example 3 - a Thule DoubleTrack Pro XT Hitch Rack running around $500.

More expensive platform rack

The unit weighs 37 pounds and is rated at a maximum of 37.5 pounds per bike. Though it does not carry much more weight there is an extra 17 pounds of material in the rack. Both the Hollywood and the Thule have the ability to lock the bike carrier to the car. The Thule also has the ability to lock the bikes to the bike carrier. The Thule can tilt away from the car with bikes onboard so that you can get inside the back of the car.

Tilting platform rack

Any of these bike carriers will carry bicycles from point A to B as long as they are used according to specifications.
Value is subjective and often difficult to assess if all you have is pictures to go by. Seeing the items side by side so you can evaluate the item being evaluated for your use case generates better decisions.

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  • Good answer. All I would add is that there are a handful of racks between examples 1 and 2 that are worth looking at (Swagman alone has a few models). I got a Saris All-Star ($150 with coupon) because I will occasionally need to load a bike that weighs about 45 lbs and I don't trust the ratings on brands like Vevor or Hypertough. If you catch the Vevor on sale it's only $70 tho, probably a good value if you have light bikes and can tolerate a finicky rack.
    – user66598
    Commented Jul 26 at 19:32
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David's answer is great, but I want to add one other consideration he did not include: All the photos of examples from David's post have a center pillar that holds the bike down against the platform.

Some of the more expensive models do not have any contact points with the frame at all. The expectation is that your frame is going to outlast your tires, so touching the tires is better for your bicycle in the long term.

1-Up USA Quik Rack

I'm not going to tell you that this is worthwhile in your situation, but it's another factor in the trade-off analysis. You can always try to protect the frame at the place where the rack touches it, instead.

Side note: I want to endorse your desire to get a platform rack. I was on the highway driving 65-70 mph (>100 kph) when a bicycle fell off the frame rack of the RV (caravan) in front of me. I really thought I was going to die that day.

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    Great point. As the price goes over $500 the center post disappears. This is one aspect of the "better design" mentioned in my answer.
    – David D
    Commented Jul 26 at 18:09
  • What is a frame rack?
    – Vladimir F Героям слава
    Commented Jul 26 at 18:43
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    @Vladimir The ones that grab only the top tube. If there's a better word for it, feel free to edit.
    – Michael come lately
    Commented Jul 26 at 18:45
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I read they can sway and bounce on the road but that it doesn't matter because even the cheapest ones are stable enough.

Oh no.

Here in Finland, a local car magazine tested numerous cheap hitch mounted bike racks. All of them were according to them, extremely dangerous, unsafe to use in traffic. Many of those tested cheap hitch mounted bike racks were taken off the market, as a result, because the sellers can no longer sell them in good faith and explain that they are safe.

Hitch mounted bike rack is not the place to save money. If you encounter a tricky situation in traffic, the last thing you want is that your bike rack fails. It can be very dangerous.

I expect the cheap racks to be harder to use but that difference doesn't seem to be worth $1,200 to me. Am I missing something or should I just give the cheap rack a try?

The difference is in safety. The cheap ones aren't safe to use in traffic. Apparently there's no certification required for hitch mounted bike racks, no mandatory tests. So the cheap ones are extremely unsafe.

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Regardless of the hitch you decide on. If your rack does not include a locking anti rattle hitch pin, get one. Will make any rack much more secure by taking the up/down and side to side play out of it. Something like this: https://a.co/d/aM9cMBB

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    A similar item that would top the rattling would be a U-shaped anti-movement/rattle adapter that clamps both the hitch (rack) and the receiver. I use one for towing and it eliminates completely one of the movement points for towing or a rack. Because it is bolted on (using double nuts) it is not theft-proof. However, a thief would have to have the needed wrenches on hand to remove it before the hitch pin could be removed.
    – Ted Hohl
    Commented Jul 28 at 20:03
  • Welcome to the site - that is an excellent point.
    – Criggie ♦
    Commented Jul 28 at 23:20
  • The Saris All-Star came with a threaded hitch pin. I guess I'm happy to have it but I had to buy a wrench to keep in my glove box at all times just to be sure I always have one when I want to take the rack on/off. No one sells individual wrenches at a fair price, just sets, so I bought an 8" adjustable wrench.
    – user66598
    Commented Jul 29 at 19:42

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