We started out like many families – with a standard hitch bike carrier that could be used on almost any vehicle with a hitch receiver. We had a Yakima 4-Bike carrier like this one: http://amzn.to/2dvOkDa I don’t remember what we paid, but this one is around $200 and that sounds about right.
It served its purpose and we definitely felt that it was sturdy enough. It had enough features (tilted out of the way when necessary, etc. – see pics), but there were a few annoying things about it. First, it was almost impossible to get all four bikes on there all at once. It was definitely a puzzle that required patience and strategy. Bikes had to be placed onto the rack in a certain order, rotated in alternate directions, and the pedals had to be rotated and positioned in just such a way that they did not get caught in the adjacent bike’s chains, spokes, and so on. Let me tell you, it sounds MUCH easier than it actually was. Loading the bikes was actually a 30+ minute process. When we’d arrive at a campground where we were just staying the night and the kids would ask us if they could ride their bikes, we were constantly finding ourselves saying no, because unloading and re-loading the bike rack was such a pain! Secondly, it was definitely impossible to load all 4 bikes onto the rack and travel any significant distance without the bikes rubbing against each other and damaging / scratching each other. We don’t have really expensive bikes, but they were all new and we hated to see them damaged just from transporting them. We were sometimes concerned with the strength of the rubber strap-type securing mechanisms – worried that they would wear out or become weakened with continued UV exposure (to be fair, that never happened, but we did upgrade the rack after just two years or so). Here are some pictures of that rack, which we still have and use occasionally when we transport our bikes locally with our SUV. One of the big downsides of the Yakima rack is that it suspends the bikes from the frame, so a girls, women’s, or even a small boy’s bike needs an extra bar installed to hold the bike (see photos). Those bars are around $30 each, so it adds up (we had to buy 3 of them!)
Yakima bike rack tilted down away from back of vehicle (allows you to open hatch or trunk)
Yakima bar for women's, girls, and small boy's bikes
Then, on a camping trip, we noticed the heavy-duty rack that a friend had. Not only was this rack SUPER heavy duty, but it was so stinking easy to load and unload the bikes! You don’t have to load the bikes in any particular direction or use any puzzle-solving, pedal-rotating schemes at all. You just set each bike in its area, secure the tires, and boom – DONE. It’s similar to the type of racks that some municipal buses have on them. This rack also folds up and tilts down – the same as the Yakima.
This rack has become one of our all-time favorite purchases and honestly, people approach us in nearly every campground where we stay to inquire about it. If people aren’t stopping us to talk about our unique bike rack, they're stopping us to talk about our motorhome itself. It really adds time to our campsite set up / tear down routine, but we’re happy to answer questions and show off our gear. This rack is by 1Up USA. Here is a link to the 2-bike version of our rack (you just add on pieces to expand it to a 4-bike rack). https://www.1upusa.com/product-quikracksilverdouble.html
It’s expensive, but we are soooooo happy with it. It’s a tank, made in the USA and so easy to use. It’s perfect for our family – we can all take bikes on and off so easily, and it folds up or tilts down out of the way to allow our RV’s rear slide to go out without even having to take the bikes off! I think we paid around $1000 for this one with the add-on extensions. Both of these racks have locking mechanisms so someone can’t come along and steal your bikes, so that’s a plus as well. Here are two great video reviews of the rack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWfbmJk4T0k and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHV7LffwMZU
And of course here’s our photos showing the 4-bike version and various positions too!
