Best Bike Rack for Jeep Wrangler - Things to Consider before buying one.
When you want to carry one or more bikes and the people to ride them all together on your car, there’s no substitute for a good bike rack. Particularly for an adventure vehicle like the Jeep Wrangler, having a bike carrier can make a huge difference in the places you can explore by bike.
Quick Answer : Best Bike Rack for Jeep
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Allen
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Surco
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Thule
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In this article, we’ll review five products that vie for the title of being the best bike rack for Jeep Wrangler.
Allen Sports Deluxe 2-Bike Spare Tire Mounted Rack
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The Allen Sports Deluxe 2 is one of the most inexpensive solutions you will find for carrying 2 bikes on your Jeep Wrangler, and it works extremely well whether you are carrying bikes around town or heading out on the highway at high speeds.
This spare tire bike rack is fast to install since it uses a patented design to attach to the inside top of the spare tire on the rear of the car. The only other attachment point that needs work is to run the nylon webbing from the bottom of the rack underneath the trunk – unfortunately, these straps mean that you won’t be able to access the back of your Jeep without removing them.
The wide arms on the rack work with any Jeep Wrangler spare tires and won’t scratch up your rim. The arms themselves are designed to hold two bikes in two individual mounting spots by cradling the top tube and securing it down with wide rubber straps.
Although the anti sway cradle is gentle on your top tube, it can pose a threat to carbon frames if you are riding on bumpy roads.
Unfortunately, there is no built-in security mechanism on the Allen Sports Deluxe for keeping your bikes safe from thieves, although it is possible to run a locking cable through your bike frame and the spare tire.
Yakima SpareRide Bike Carrier
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Yakima is a well-known name in a car carrying accessories, and their SpareRide bike rack for your Jeep doesn’t disappoint.
One of the best things about this bike rack is that it attaches directly to the spare tire and doesn’t touch the car itself, and as a result, it is easy to install it once and never take it off since it won’t get in your way.
Plus, you can fold the support arms down to reduce the overall length of your car when the spare tire rack isn’t in use.
The large knob on the Yakima SpareRide is easy to tighten from time to time to keep the rack secure, while the tread pads that face against the spare tire also help to reduce the amount of vibration that reaches your bikes when you are driving.
The anti sway cages are secure and make it easy to mount 1 or 2 bikes onto via the top tube, and the zipper-style security attachments can be quickly tightened or removed for easy on and off.
The main downside to this Jeep Wrangler bike rack is that it holds the bikes by the top tube so that it is not a great option for expensive carbon frames. Make sure that you pad your top tube if you're worried about your bike frame.
Also, the Yakima SpareRide rack does not have built-in security features to prevent theft, and you’ll need to run a cable and U-lock through your bike frames and the spare tire for security.
Hollywood Racks Bolt-on Spare Rack
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This mount from Hollywood Racks is less expensive than the similar rack from Yakima but offers much of the same functionality. That makes it perhaps the best spare tire rack for Jeep Wrangler owners on a budget.
This Hollywood Racks spare tire mounted bike rack attaches directly to the spare tire and does not come into contact with the trunk of your Jeep Wrangler, which means that you have the freedom to open and close the trunk without ever taking the bike rack or your bikes off of the car.
This also means that although you need some tools to get the Hollywood Racks spare tire bike rack on and off, in most cases, you’ll never need to take it off the car unless you need to access the spare tire.
The anti sway cages on the Hollywood Racks carrier can hold two bikes by supporting the top tubes and fold down when not in use to save space.
The cradle itself is very stable thanks to the wide rubber straps designed to go over the top tubes, although you may want an additional strap to keep the bike wheels from moving.
Like other best bike racks in this style, the Hollywood Racks model is less than ideal for fragile carbon frame bikes, especially since there is no mechanism for vibration dampening. The stay put cradles can scratch or even dent a carbon top tube.
Also, this bike rack comes with a lock to secure it to your Jeep Wrangler, which in turn means you can easily lock your bikes to the rack rather than to the spare wheel.
Thule Spare Me 963Pro Bike Carrier
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The Thule 963Pro Spare Me 2 spare wheel attachment bike carrier is expensive but goes a bit further in design than the Yakima SpareRide or Hollywood Racks spare tire rack models.
The biggest difference is that Thule designed their attachment to the spare wheel to be securable – it comes with a key so that no potential thieves can lift the rack and bikes off of the car, even with a set of wrenches.
This is a major security upgrade for your Jeep Wrangler bike rack since it means that you can lock your bikes directly to the rack with a strong cable lock and have peace of mind when you step away from the car and bikes.
The cradle attachments on the rack arms are also upgraded to prevent your bikes from swaying into each other or into the trunk of the car.
In addition to two wide rubber straps to secure the top tube, the Thule 963Pro spare tire bike rack includes a third rubber strap position per bike and plastic stabilizing guide intended to fit over the stem and front fork.
This not only helps to keep the bike from swinging but also goes a long way towards preventing the front wheel from turning while you drive.
Like the competitor racks, this rack has collapsible cradle arms and attaches only to the spare wheel, so it is easy to leave it on at all times and not have it get in the way of opening and closing the trunk.
Surco BT300 Spare Bike Rack
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If you need to carry three bikes, yet still want to stick to a spare tire mounted rack rather than move to a hitch mounted rack, this bike rack from Surco is an excellent choice.
The mount attaches directly to the spare wheel on a Jeep Wrangler to allow you to operate the trunk easily.
However, unlike other options, the cradle arm does not collapse when not in use – you’ll need to unscrew it to remove it, which takes a few minutes and a wrench. That makes this less flexible than other Jeep Wrangler rack options designed to bolt on spare tire.
The cradle arm itself does not use wide rubber straps like on other bike racks, but rather one padded metal channel into which you can slide up to three bikes.
The channel than clamps down using a knob that is easy to turn and tighten by hand.
However, note that while this Jeep Wrangler bike rack is rated for three bikes, it does not leave enough space for three mountain bikes – rather, there is enough space for three small road bikes or two larger bikes and a children’s bike.
The padded channel in which the bikes sit has a built-in lock for theft prevention, although Surco only provides one key – plan on having a spare copy made immediately on purchasing the rack, or else you may find yourself calling a locksmith later.
Despite this security, the spare tire rack itself does not lock to the car so a determined thief could easily steal the rack and whatever bikes it is holding.
Kuat Transfer 2 Bike Rack
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The Kuat Transfer 2 is one of the best Jeep Wrangler bike racks if your prize ease of use above all else. The two bike rack is easy to install and attaches to your vehicle easily by connecting to your hitch. It is compatible with both 1.25" and 2" receivers, which means it works with almost all modern Jeep Wranglers.
Another great thing about this hitch bike rack is that it can carry almost any bikes. The anti sway cradle is designed to hold wheels up ranging in diameter from 20" to 29", so it works equally well for small folding bikes and 29er mountain bikes. The 2 bike rack also folds up when not in use thanks to a simple locking mechanism, so it's not in the way when you aren't carrying bikes around.
The only thing that detracts from the Kuat Transfer 2 bike rack is that it doesn't have a locking knob or locking cable. So, it can be difficult to lock your bikes effectively. Otherwise, we think this is likely the best hitch rack on the market
There are a huge variety of best bike racks available on the market as you found in product reviews, including racks specific to the Jeep Wrangler. Here, we’ll break down some of the key features to look for and things to know when looking for the best bike rack for Jeep Wrangler.
Best Jeep Wrangler Bike Rack Types
There are three primary styles of bike racks:
Roof racks
A roof rack is designed to allow you to mount your bike on top of your Jeep Wrangler. While a roof rack can be ideal for sedans and other low-roof vehicles, they are often not the best options for a Wrangler simply because the car is so tall, to begin with – mounting your bike on the roof requires lifting it over your head to reach the rack.
While this is still doable for tall and strong people, it is certainly inconvenient, and you will likely only be able to mount 2 bikes since reaching the center of the bars for to place more roof rack mounts will be nearly impossible. Plus, with bikes on the roof, the car will be tall enough that even driving through low-clearance tunnels could become an issue. The primary advantage of a roof bike rack is that you’ll be able to access the trunk easily, without removing the bikes.
Read about front bike rack here
Hitch mount racks
A hitch mount rack for Jeep Wrangler is a much more suitable bike rack and is easy to attach to the Wrangler’s rear hitch, but they often block access to the trunk when the bikes are on the rack.
Tray-style hitch mounted racks like the Kuat Transfer 2 bike rack are often favored because of their simplicity to load – they simply offer a platform to place the wheels, a front bar to fix the bike onto the mount, and a rear wheel strap per bike to keep the bike from moving.
These mounts are also ideal for carbon bikes since they do not contact or place pressure on the bike frame. Arm support hitch mounts, on the other hand, attach directly to the bike frame by serving as an arm for the top tube to lay across. An advantage of arm support mounts is that some can be rotated so that they allow the trunk to open without removing the bikes.
Trunk mounts
The final type of bike racks for Jeep Wrangler is the trunk mount or spare tire mount rack, which affixes directly to the trunk rather than to the rear hitch. The Hollywood Racks bolt-on spare tire rack, the Allen Sports Deluxe two bike rack, and the Thule 963Pro Spare Me 2 bike rack are all examples of this type of rack.
Trunk mounts can be useful for freeing up the rear hitch for towing, and on the Jeep Wrangler can be a great choice for allowing access to the trunk. Many of the best trunk bike rack options for Jeep Wrangler specifically attach to the spare wheel rather than to the trunk itself, which means that the bikes will swing out when the trunk is opened.
The downside to mounts that bolt on spare tire is that they are limited by the support arms in the amount of weight they can carry and that the support arms attach directly to the bike’s frame similarly to arm support hitch mounts, which can be damaging to expensive carbon bike frames.
Security
Another important consideration when choosing the best bike rack for Jeep Wrangler is whether or not the rack offers security for your bike against theft.
If you plan to always be with your car whenever a bike is attached, this may seem unnecessary, but it only takes a quick food break with an unsecured bike to come back to find that your bike has been stolen off of your car.
Ideally, the bike rack itself can be locked to the car and the bike to the rack for the fullest security.
Hitch mounts can often be locked to the rear hitch, and many models offer locking front arms, lock-in axles for the front fork, or attachment points for a cable and U-lock.
Many roof racks use a lock-in axle for the front fork, and it is also possible to attach the rack and bike to the car via a cable pulled around the crossbars on the roof.
Trunk mounts, specifically those for the Jeep Wrangler, may have locking knobs at the point where they attach to the spare tire and some include cables to U-lock the bike frame to the rack or spare tire.
Frame compatibility
Even when narrowing down the best bike racks for Jeep Wranglers, it is extremely important to check that the racks you are deciding between will fit your specific Wrangler model.
Roof crossbar designs change from year to year and between different versions of the Jeep Wrangler, as does the design of the trunk.
Although hitch mounts are fairly consistent, they also come in several sizes, so it is important to ensure that the bike rack you choose will be compatible with your car. The best bike racks for Jeep typically fit either 1.25" or 2" hitch receivers.
Number of bikes
Considering the maximum number of bikes that you plan to carry on your Wrangler can also play an important role in your decision.
Roof racks are often adaptable so that you can add more mount points as long as you have space remaining on your crossbars, so this system is adaptable over time if you add additional bikes. In theory, you can have up to 4 bike rack mounts on the roof, although you'll have a hard time attaching more than 2 bikes since it's hard to reach the middle of the roof.
Hitch and trunk carriers, on the other hand, are fixed in the number of bikes they can carry.
2 bike and 3 bike are more common, but your can also find 4 bike rack options for Jeep Wranglers.
Having a bike rack that is too large can be more expensive initially for features you do not need and are more cumbersome to work with, but at the same time, it is better to err on the side of an extra bike space since you cannot expand the rack later without buying an entirely new bike rack for your Jeep.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What style of bike rack should I get?
For Jeep Wranglers, the best style of rack is a trunk mount that attaches directly to the spare tire. This allows access to the trunk and doesn’t require lifting your bikes onto the roof.
Do I need security features to protect my bike?
In all likelihood, yes. Even stopping for food at a rest stop leaves enough time for thieves to steal your bikes off of your rack. If you get a bike rack without security features built in, invest in a good cable lock that can attach to your spare tire.
How many bike carrying spots do I need?
It is typically impossible with trunk mounted carriers to add extra bike carry spots later without buying an entirely new rack.
Therefore, consider the how many bikes you are likely to want to carry and opt for a rack that can hold that number of bikes or even an extra bike.
While any of the bike racks in this review would make an excellent choice, the overall best bike rack for Jeep Wranglers is the Thule 963Pro Spare Me 2 bike rack .
Although this bike rack for Jeep Wranglers is expensive up front, it will save you money on additional locks and cables – and replacing a stolen bike – down the line thanks to the integrated lock at the point where the rack attaches to the spare wheel.
Also, your bikes will ride more securely, and you won’t have to worry about them swinging into each other thanks to the third rubber strap point, and plastic guide included for each bike mount on the cradle arms.
This bike rack for Jeep Wranglers is easy to use when you need it, and the arms fold down and out of the way when you don’t so that in all likelihood you never need to uninstall it from the car when not in use.
These features provide the best ease of use and security for carrying up to two bikes on your Jeep Wrangler.
If the Thule bike rack is too expensive for your budget, we also liked the Allen Sports Deluxe and the Hollywood Racks bolt-on bike spare tire mounted racks. These bike racks for Jeep Wrangler were affordable and had many of the same ease of use features as the Thule rack.