Recommended Bike Rack Options for Transporting 4 Bikes on 2015 Honda CR-V

Question:

Hi, Weve been looking at bike racks on your website and would like your advice on the best rack for our situation. Here are the specifics: Need to transport 4 bikes - including 1 kids bike and 1 womens bike Our hitch receiver is factory installed, towing capacity 1500 lbs, maximum tongue 150 lbs. 1 1/4 inch Class 1 Our car is a 2015 Honda CRV We only need to transport our bikes 10 miles or so per trip and at speeds lower than 50 mph We were interested in the Swagman XTC 4, but that wont work with our hitch. We also looked at a few of the Thule hanging racks, but they indicate with a class 1 hitch, capacity s to 2 bikes. Can you please recommend a rack that will meet our needs? Thanks.

asked by: Lisa P

Expert Reply:

A Class I hitch can handle the load of only two bikes, regardless of their size and weight or the actual capacity of the bike rack. This is explained in detail in the linked article. In the case of your 2015 Honda CR-V and its 1-1/4-inch Class I hitch there is no single bike rack solution that will allow you to transport 4 bikes on that hitch, nor on a trunk-mount rack.

Trunk-mount type racks, such as the Thule Passage 3 # TH911XT, are likewise limited to 3-bike maximum capacity. You will need to split the bikes between either a hitch-mount or trunk-mount rack and a roof-rack-mount bike carrier or two, UNLESS you remove the factory Class I hitch and install an aftermarket 2-inch Class III hitch like the Draw-Tite # 75742.

This Class III hitch, with its 525-lbs tongue weight rating, can handle a 2-inch rack with a 4-bike capacity, such as the Swagman XTC4 4-Bike Platform Rack # S64665.

If you choose to keep your Class I hitch you can use a 2-bike Class I carrier like the Swagman Trailhead # S63360 and then install a roof rack and use roof-rack-mount carriers for the other two (lightest) bikes. The linked page will show you our main page for roof racks for your CR-V; just click on the type of roof you have to see suitable roof rack systems.

Once you have chosen a roof rack like the Thule Evo square bar system for bare roofs (consisting of parts # TH712100, # TH710501 and # TH145108) you can then select a roof bike carrier compatible with those square bars, such as the Swagman Upright # S64720. The linked articles may help you choose your preferred route.