Best Bike Rack for 2017 Toyota Sienna for Transporting 1 or 2 Bikes

Question:

I need to purchase a new bike rack for a 2017 Sienna since it has the big spoiler, my current rack from my 06 Sienna wont work. I dont have a trailer hitch, so it appears that my options are the Hollywood Over the Top rack for 2 or 3 bikes, correct? Is the only difference between the 2-bike and 3-bike Over the Top racks the 3 of bikes you can carry? Typically I only carry 1 or 2 bikes. Your recommendation? Thank you.

asked by: Barbara B

Helpful Expert Reply:

The best way to transport bikes on any vehicle is almost always a hitch. This is so because hitch-mount bike racks use the car's frame - its single strongest part - to handle the weight load of the rack and bikes instead of the car's relatively thin sheet metal. Once you add into the equation sometimes-delicate cosmetic features like spoilers hitch racks make a lot of sense.

Still, if you're going to transport only 1 or 2 bikes of nominal weight then you can use a trunk-mount rack like the Hollywood Racks Over-the-Top 2 Bike Carrier # HRF2. This shares the same design as the 3-bike version # HRF2-3.

Another rack option for just one bike is not a trunk-mount type actually, but instead a window-mount! The SeaSucker Hornet Rear Window Bike Rack # 298-BH1302 attaches to your rear window using incredibly strong vacuum cups. The bike is suspended by its handlebars. You can refer to the linked videos to see this carrier in action.

If you do anticipate ever needing to carry more than one or two bikes I would strongly recommend installing a 2-inch hitch like # 75237 and using a 2-inch hitch-mount rack like the Yakima FullSwing # Y02465 which can swing away to the passenger side of the car, even when fully loaded with bikes, to give you full access to the rear of the vehicle.

expert reply by: Adam R