Recommended Bike Rack for Fat Tire Electric Bike

Question:

Hi, Im looking for a decent rack for a new fat tire electric bike that I just purchased. I believe the tires are 4.5 inches wide. I was looking at the yakima holdup 2 but it says it will only take up to 2.5 inch wide tires, but then in one of the pictures it shows a fat tire bike so I just wanted to confirm in that will work out for me. Also if you have any other recommendations that would be great too, thanks for your help.

asked by: Levi C

Expert Reply:

The Yakima HoldUp 2-Bike Rack for 2" Hitches # Y02443 will not work with fat tire bikes, but we do have a pair of options I recommend checking out instead.

The first is the Thule T2 Pro XTR Bike Platform Rack # TH83JV.

The T2 Pro XTR is similar to the HoldUp in that it is a wheel-mount rack with a 60 lb per-bike capacity, but will fit tires up to 5 inches wide. It has large wheel holders to make loading your bikes in the rack simple, and you can tilt or fold the rack with the use of a simple lever. It can be set up as a 2-bike rack or a 4-bike rack as needed. This is one of the most popular racks on the market due to its quality and would be a really good alternative to the HoldUp.

The other rack I recommend taking a look at is the Saris Freedom 2-Bike Platform Rack for Fat Bikes # SA4412B-FB. This is one of my favorite racks because at just 22-1/2 lbs it is extremely lightweight yet still has a 60 lb per-bike capacity, and will hold bikes with tires up to 5 inches. Like the T2 Pro XTR, the Freedom has a lever that you only need to push to fold the rack up or tilt it down, and even helps protect your investments in the rack and your bikes via an anti-rattle hitch lock which secures the rack to your hitch, and an integrated cable lock which secures your bikes to the rack. The T2 locks to your hitch and locks your bikes.

I have added link to video reviews for you to check out of both the Thule T2 Pro XTR 2-Bike Platform Rack # TH83JV and Saris Freedom 2-Bike Platform Rack for Fat Bikes # SA4412B-FB.