Best 4-Bike Platform Rack for 2009 Honda Odyssey

Question:

Hi etrailer.com Ive been a customer of yours since 2013. Back then I bought a Hidden Hitch Trailer Hitch Receiver Class III 2inch to go on my 2009 Honda Odyssey. At the same time, I bought the Pro Series Eclipse 4 Bike Hitch Mounted Folding Rack w Frame Mount Cradles for 2inch Hitch with a Swagman Easy-Out Womens and Alternative Frame Bike Adapter. The Hidden Hitch Receiver has worked out fine. No complaints. I recently took a 700 mile trip with the Pro Series Eclipse 4 Bike rack with no problems but it took a lot of time to place a cruiser bike with rear bike bag, a womens city bike, a childs bike with rear bike bag, and a tag a long bike on the rack. Its like a big puzzle because the hangers on the rack are so close together and I cant alternate the handlebars because of the rear bike rack/bags. Additionally, the pedals and handle bars were hard to line up. See attached picture. I have more pics if you need them to understand my dilemma. Anyhow, Were taking a trip to Yosemite NP and Sequoia NP soon where I will probably be taking the bikes off and on a couple times a day. Do you recommend the Hollywood Rack HR1400, the Yakima HoldUp 4 Bike Rack, or some other product for easier and quick bike mounting? Please consider the low hitch receiver height of the minivan and the ability to open the rear door to access cargo. I need to purchase a new solution soon! Thanks in advance.

asked by: Garrett K

Expert Reply:

Thanks for your continued business with us; I would be more than happy to help you find a better 4-bike rack for your trip.

What we know about your 2 inch Hidden Hitch is that the clearance from the center of the pin hole to the edge of the bumper is 5-1/4 inches. This will come in handy when selecting the best rack for you.

The best platform bike rack for you with the proper bumper clearance is the Saris Freedom # SA4414B. If any of your bikes like the cruiser have wider tires than 3 inch, you'll want the fat bike version # SA4414B-FB. This bike rack will make loading your 4 bikes to the rack much simpler than your current hanging rack. It will also tilt away with the bikes loaded for access to the rear hatch. The wheel cradles can be adjusted for better clearance of the bike bags on your bikes. The Freedom also has a 2 inch shank rise to help with the low ground clearance of the Honda Odyssey. The neatest feature of this rack is that the cradles that hold onto the crosstube of the bike will rotate to accommodate the alternative bike frames so you won't have to use adapter bars.

To secure your bikes to the rack and the rack to the vehicle, I recommend the # SA3022 anti-rattle hitch lock and the # SA981 cable lock.

I have linked the above mentioned products as well as a video of the Saris Freedom to this page for you to check out.