How to Transport 5 Bikes on 2008 VW Passat Wagon with Class I Trailer Hitch

Updated 04/26/2017 | Published 04/25/2017

Products Featured in This Question

Inno Fork Lock III Roof Bike Rack - Fork Mount - Clamp On - Aluminum

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Inno Square Crossbars - Steel - Black - 46" Long - Qty 2

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Inno Feet for Square Crossbars - Raised Side Rails - Black - Qty 4

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Thule Passage 3 Bike Carrier - Trunk Mount

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Question:

HI, Im looking for a bike rack to mount on a class I hitch on a 2008 VW Passat Wagon. We are a family of 5, so the more bikes the better. I understand the limit is 200 lbs. Are there any 5 bike racks that would fit a class I 1.25inch receiver? What would you recommend to make loading easiest. Cost is not so much of an issue. Thanks.

asked by: Daniel

Expert Reply:

You are correct that a light-duty 1-1/4-inch Class I hitch like # C11096 has a 200-lb tongue weight (TW) capacity. However, when it comes to bike racks there is another factor that comes into play, leverage on the hitch tube. The more bikes the rack holds the longer it tends to be, naturally. This increased distance from the hitch to the outermost bike translates into extreme leverage forces on the hitch tube, forces that would damage a light-duty Class I hitch. For this reason all Class I hitches are limited to carrying 2 bikes, no matter what the bike rack's actual capacity may be.

Also, the highest-capacity hatch-mount racks are 3-bike carriers. All 3-bike racks that will fit on your 2008 VW Passat wagon are shown on the linked page. A nice cost-effective option is Thule's Passage 3, part # TH911XT.

You can transport the other two bikes on the roof of the car by installing a roof rack and two rack-mount roof bike carriers. I wish there was a single 5-bike solution for you but your vehicle does not allow it. You will have to split the bikes up between the hatch-mount and roof-mount carriers.

If your Passat wagon has a roof with front-to-back rails the least-costly roof rack that can handle 2 bikes is the Inno rack made of parts # INB117 and # INFR. On this rack you could use roof-rack-mount bike carriers such as # INA391 from Inno. This and other roof bike racks are shown on the link provided.