3 Bike Rack for Carrying Mountain Bike, 20 inch Bike, and Step Through Bike with Fenders

Question:

Hi, I am looking for a bike rack for a 2 inch hitch which works for all our family bikes: MTB + 20 inch kids bike + Step-through bike with fenders. My favorite option so far was the Thule T2 Pro XTR either alone and put the kids bike in the trunk or with extension, but this doesnt work with fenders. I recently asked a question here and you recommended the Thule Helium Pro 3. This looks good, but I was wondering if there is also is a more stable platform option and I found this one here: Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE Bike Rack for 4. Thus, 2 questions: 1. does this rack hold all the bike options I need it for MTB/Kids/Step-Through/Fenders. 2. Is this more secure/stable than the Thule hanging option or is the Thule hanging one still better as Thule is a good bike rack brand and I dont know Hollywood Racks at all... Thanks a lot for your advise.

asked by: Kai

Expert Reply:

The easiest bike rack solution to carry all three of the bikes you mentioned would be with a hanging bike rack like the Thule Helium Pro 3 part # TH9043PRO. This will easily carry the mountain bike, since the distance between the cradle arms is 13 inches would easily carry the 20 inch bike, and with a bike frame adapter bar like part # UB01 would easily carry the step through bike with fender.

expert reply by: Jameson C

Kai

1/27/2022

Jameson C.

1/27/2022

The Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE part # HR1400Z would work well for you as it can carry all bike styles you need to transport. Platform racks in general do hold the bikes in a more secure way that basically minimizes all movement. Thule is widely considered a premium brand name that's pretty recognizable. Hollywood Racks isn't known as well but we can tell you that they are incredibly solid bike racks. They may not be as flashy or extra-feature loaded but they are built incredibly well and by far are the best value. Typically when you hear "value" you think maybe cheap but in this case we mean it as being you get exactly what you are paying for and are not paying for a brand name. When we test our bike racks in hitches to see how solid they are on the road these are among the most stable compared to other racks every time.