Hitch-Mount Bike Rack Recommendation for 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe

Question:

I am interested in a bike rack for my Hundai Santa Fe. However, recently I was following another vehicle with a similar bike rack on the freeway. The bike was bouncing quite a bit. It appeared that the single post rack was too unstable for the single bike, and I would be carrying two bikes. Do you make a hitch with two posts holding the bike rack as opposed to one? Thanks for your consideration.

asked by: PAUL R

Helpful Expert Reply:

All hitch-mount bike racks, regardless of their capacity and design, will exhibit SOME degree of motion when travelling at highway speeds. There is no hitch rack that will remain absolutely motionless. If a rack were that rigid it would have more potential to suffer stress fractures or otherwise be damaged by the inevitable bumps on the road.

If your 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe has a 2-inch Class III hitch like the Curt # C13152 that you referenced you can use a sturdier Class III bike rack that will have a higher capacity and tend to have beefier construction. The linked page will show you all Class III racks and you can use the filters on the page to select your required bike capacity, preference for a platform or a hanging style carrier and for included features such as locks.

Depending on the nature of your bikes, for example if they have really wide handlebars, you may want to choose a carrier that has a higher bike capacity than you actually need. This gives you extra room on the rack to help keep your bikes from coming into contact with each other.

My favorite top-tier hanging style rack is the Yakima FullSwing, part # Y02465, which includes locks for both the carrier itself and for your loaded bikes, can swing out of the way even when loaded with bikes to give you full access to the rear of the vehicle, and which protected by a lifetime warranty. Please take a look at the linked video for more on this carrier. Another great Thule option is their 2-bike EasyFold # TH903202, which is a tilting carrier that also includes locks and that features lightweight aluminum construction.

You might have a look at the linked articles for more food-for-thought on what will be your best option to suit your bikes. Feel free to let me know about the type of bikes you have, and your preference for hanging versus platform carriers, and I will be glad to offer more recommendations.