Bike Rack Options for a 2011 Honda CR-V With Factory Roof Rack and Factory Rear Spoiler

Expert Reply:

It looks like a trailer hitch and hitch mounted bike rack are going to be the best way for you to carry three bikes on your 2011 Honda CR-V.

I would not recommend using a trunk mounted bike rack because it could damage your spoiler. The top hooks of trunk mounted bike racks must secure to the top edge of the door which means they would have to go over your spoiler. Vehicle spoilers are not meant to handle a load of any kind and with the weight of the bike rack and bikes it could bend or break.

You could look into roof mounted bike racks, like the Thule Sidearm, # TH594XT, for your roof rack, but you will want to make sure that your roof can support the weight of your three bikes and it can be difficult to mount multiple bikes on the roof of a vehicle.

For your vehicle, I would recommend getting the Hidden Hitch Class III Trailer Hitch, # 87440, which is our most economical trailer hitch that will support the weight of 3 or more bikes. We have had a chance to install this hitch on a 2011 CR-V so I attached the installation video and installation instructions for you to check out.

We have a wide variety of bike racks that will work with this hitch as well. I have attached a link to all of the bike racks that we carry that will work with this hitch.

Two bike racks that I would recommend taking a look at are the Swagman Titan 3 Bike Rack, # S63405, or the SportRack Escape 3 Bike Rack, # A30403. Both of these bike racks have many useful features such as anti-sway cradles to reduce movement of bikes on the rack and a tilting design that will allow you to access the rear cargo area of your vehicle without having to remove the bike rack each time like a trunk mounted bike rack.

The Titan is one of our more popular 3 bike racks and includes a steel cable lock for peace of mind while you are away from your vehicle and the Escape is our more economical option that has a higher weight capacity in case you have larger or heavier bikes.

I have attached review videos of both bike racks for you to check out.

expert reply by: John H