As a bike rider, you might have come across several needs and problems. That includes transporting the bike from one place to another or keeping all your bikes safe in the house or on the vehicle.

It is where the use of a bike rack comes in handy for you. So, to help a rider with all these issues, there are several types of bike racks to organize and transport bikes.

Besides, each of them has different models according to how they are used. So you can get a bike rack without spending much money if you are looking for an organizer for all your bikes.

However, at least a medium-level rack is recommended if you are looking for your rack’s safety and durability features. The list of bike racks includes Roof-mount racks, Hitch-mount racks, Spare-tire racks, Trunk-mount racks, and Truck bed racks.

Beyond all these racks, you can build your own bike rack with all the features you need. However, it is the DIY bike racks that are mostly made for household bike organizing and safekeeping.

Types of Bike Racks

Let us take a deep look into each of these bike racks for a little more understanding.

Roof-Mount Bike Racks

As the name says, this is a type of rack that can be attached to the roof of your car, SUV, or any kind of four-wheelers you prefer. These are mostly available with a configuration that will let you easily fix it by locking onto the crossbars.

Roof-mount racks are available in two different models because of how each of the models l0cks the bikes on it. One classification is the kind of racks that will be attached to the front fork of the bike.

To attach the lock to the fork, you need to remove the front wheel of your bike. Some of the bikes in the market come with easy removal levers for this kind of need. Another kind of roof-mount rack holds the bike into assigned slots for the wheels.

When the wheels are perfectly seated in the slots, locks on the rack can be locked over the wheels. This locking offers upper-body stability to the bike while moving against the wind on the road.

It will always be good to go for a roof rack with a car to reach its roof easily. Otherwise, the whole loading and unloading of the bikes will become a nightmare all the time.

After all, if you do not have a crossbar system on the top of your car or you don’t like crossbars. Then there are roof-mount racks available with suction cups on all stands of the rack.

All those suction cups can be attached to the roof straightly without any extra work. However, it is not recommended for offroad rides or a person who likes to drive your car a little fast.

Hitch-Mount Racks

Here is another bike rack that is most commonly used for carrying around the bikes by most people. The reason behind the most number of users for this rack is the hitch receiver that comes with many cars.

Besides, when the bikes are loaded on the vehicle, there is no need to worry about the body parts of the carrier vehicle. And there will be no parts of the rack standing out to the sides of the car.

A hitch rack is also available in two different models: a platform model and a hanging model rack. The hanging model rack will lock the bikes onto the one or two arms it has on top of the rack.

Instead, a platform model will grab the bike from the base, from the wheel of the bike. Moreover, it will also have a locking pole that will come above the wheel height. This will help to lock the bike and provides stability.

Selecting the hitch bike rack is mostly dependent upon the ground clearance that the car has. If it has enough clearance, then using a platform model is the best thing to do.

Or, if the car does not have enough clearance, using a platform model will sometimes become a nightmare in the rough circumstances of the road. Using a hitch bike rack will not interrupt any kind of normal functioning of the car.

Spare Tire Bike Racks

Spare tire racks come for your help if you are interested in a hanging bike rack and do not have a hitch receiver. Or just because you like a spare tire rack and its compact design and characteristics.

This is mostly used for SUVs with a spare tire on the back of the trunk area that creates obstacles between the vehicle and the rack. Using a spare tire rack in this case, you can overcome the problems that happened with the spare tire.

Besides, these racks have a more compact look than a hitch rack and a trunk-door rack discussed. Spare tire racks are only available in a hanging model that will hold the bikes on the arms.

Check out our recommendations for the best spare tire bike racks.

Trunk-mount Bike Racks

This is another kind of rack that is commonly used because of the easiness of usage. The rack will be fixed onto the trunk door of your car, and the extra straps and locks will provide more safety.

Besides, the rack will mostly have a dual-arm system that can hold up to four bikes at a time. Although, the downside of the trunk-mount bike rack is that the whole weight of the rack and the bikes will be loaded onto the trunk door.

So, the trunk must be strong enough to hold the weight of the whole system. Otherwise, it leads to the breaking of the back windshield of your car. There are simple and complicated designs available for trunk-mount bike racks.

The extra straps to all vehicle directions improve the rack’s stability while on the road or offroading. The benefit of this rack is that you may not have to worry about the extra space that any other racks needed. Moreover, it will offer you great ground clearance in any road circumstances.

Truck Bed Racks

Many people buy trucks for their daily uses just because of the massive look it offers from the vehicle’s front end. Alongside they can use the truck bed behind the vehicle to satisfy all their transit needs. Like that, you can also use the truck bed to keep your bikes safe while on the road.

Truck bed racks are used in the free space, and all the bikes will be in good condition and safer than any other kind of racks you use. It is because of the security it offers from all directions.

You can get permanent hooks to attach to the truck bed that can be used as a hook to attach the bike’s fork. Or it is possible to get an organizer rack for multiple bikes if you are a professional rider with many bikes to deal with.

Besides, these racks are available with extra straps and locks to offer the bike good stability alongside protection from theft.

Tailgate Pads

Here of bike rack that you can use on a truck bed. If your truck has a small truck bed that cannot fit a big bike on it, then using a tailgate pad will be enough. A tailgate pad can work as a secure cover for your truck’s tailgate that will protect it from scratches on the paint.

The reason that it can be used for small spaces because the bikes will be locked in a hanging position with these racks. Front wheels will be hanging outside to the rear end of the vehicle.

It is an effective way to get enough support and lock safety for the bikes on the truck. After all, these tailgate pads can be used on any sidewalls of the truck according to where you get more space.

If you’re in need of a tailgate pad, read this article to gain more insight.

DIY Bike racks and organizers

DIY bike racks are those that can be built yourself with the materials lying around the house. There will be some remaining pieces of materials after your house renovation out in the backyard. You can use them in many different ways to make an efficient bike rack.

However, these racks are more recommended for use inside the house or the garage. Styles and designs for a DIY rack include one from single metal hooks to big stack bike organizers.

By using a DIY rack to keep all your bikes together, you can keep everything tidy in a cost-effective way. After all, there is no need for a premium bike rack to be used inside the house.

Read More: How to Make a Bicycle Rack – A DIY Bike Rack

Conclusion

We went through all the different types of Bike Racks to Organize and Transport all your bikes. Using any one of them is according to your preferences and needs.

If you are a constant traveler, it is better to get the best product available with more safety features. There are chances for the bikes to get robbed on the road. SO, using the same bike rack that keeps the bikes in place can be the best protection against a thief.