See What Fits Your Vehicle
customer service | view cart  View Cart

How to Choose a Bike Rack for a Motor Home or RV

To choose a trunk-mounted bike rack that is compatible with your vehicle and bikes, it is important to consider four simple points

  • Vehicle Compatibility
  • Bike Compatibility
  • Vehicle Accessibility
  • User Compatibility




Bike Rack on a Motorhome (Ladder Rack)

Vehicle Compatibility

Do you have a motor home/RV?

  • Bike racks for motor homes and RVs mount to the vehicle in several ways

What kind of bumper does your motor home/RV have?

  • In order to accommodate a bumper-mount bike rack the bumper must
    • Be a square, 4" to 4-1/4" bumper
    • Be continuously welded to the frame
    • Not be crafted of aluminum

Do you have a ladder on your motor home/RV?

  • Ladder-bike racks are designed to fit either flat/elliptical steps OR square/round steps
  • Ensure that the ladder-bike rack you choose is compatible with your ladder's steps

Does your motor home/RV have a hitch?

  • Because motor homes/RVs are not trailers, their smoother rides are compatible with hitch-mounted bike racks
  • Hitch-mounted racks provide the most options with the most convenience




Wheel-Mount Bumper Bike Rack

Bike Compatibility

Bike racks come in a variety of styles. Consider what style of bike rack would be most compatible with your bike frames and transportation requirements.


Wheel Mount

  • Style available as a bumper rack or hitch rack
    • Capacity: 4 bikes
    • Easy bike loading

Bolt-On Bumper Rack

Wheel-Mount Hitch Bike Rack
  • Bike wheels placed in tire rails
  • Bikes held in place with tie-downs (supplied separately)
  • Adjustable racks can accommodate any size bike, as long as all bikes being transported are similar size

Hitch Rack

  • Bike wheels placed in wheel mounts
  • Bike held in place using a wheel clamp or frame clamp
  • Accommodates widest range of bikes
  • For more details see Wheel-Mount-Hitch Bike Racks

Frame-Mount Motorhome/RV Ladder Bike Rack

Frame Mount

  • Style available as bumper mount, ladder mount and hitch mount

Ladder Mounts

  • Bike supported by 2 arms
  • Bike frame secured in cradles using straps
  • Arms carry bikes vertically
  • Accommodates most styles of bikes
  • Capacity: 2 bikes


Frame-Mount Bumper Bike Rack

Bumper Mounts

  • Bike rack mounts to bumper
  • 2 Arms support bike frame
  • Crossbar of bike held in place with J-bolt
    • J-bolts can be difficult to use
    • J-bolts accommodate bikes with frames up to 1-1/2" in diameter
  • Narrow arm span accommodates most bike sizes
  • An adapter bar may be necessary


Frame-Mount Hitch Bike Rack

Hitch Mounts





Vehicle Accessibility

Motor home and RV bike racks do not limit accessibility to your vehicle.





Motorhome/RV Ladder Bike Rack

User Compatibility

Choose a rack with features that make it convenient and easy for you to handle.


Installation

Ladder Racks

  • Easy to install
  • Hooks onto steps of ladder
  • Can have a high loading height
  • Does not require tools

Motorhome/RV Bumper Bike Rack

Bumper Racks

  • Easy to install
  • U-bolts secure rack to bumper
  • Not easy to securely fasten bikes to rack

Hitch Racks

  • Slide into hitch receiver
  • Easy to install
  • Consider using an anti-rattle hitch bolt to reduce jostling of bikes and rack during transport
  • Can be used while pulling a car when using a hitch adapter
  • Have the widest range of features
    • Beneficial for bikes
  • Can be transferred from RVs to other vehicles with a hitch










Subscribe to email newsletter

Email  

privacy - we don't send unsolicited email




etrailer.com reviews etrailer.com reviews

All images, layout and content copyright etrailer.com