Best Heavy Electric Bike Rack for Limited Spare Tire Clearance  

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You're looking for a bike rack with heavy e-bike capacity and sits out far enough for your door.

First, fo your 2000 Honda Accord, the available hitch is a Curt Class I # C11290 with only 200 lb tongue weight capacity. This being a Class 1 hitch with an 1-1/4" hitch receiver greatly limits your options for heavy bike racks. I do have the Thule EasyFold XT Bike Rack for 2 Electric Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
Item # TH903202. The weight limit on bikes is 65 pounds which would work if you could remove a seat from your bike to get within the weight limit. This carrier weighs 45 pounds. If you add the 2 bikes 65 pounds or lower, then you would be at a safe 175 pounds. This setup would work for you as long as you get your bikes to 65 pounds or lower. You would also need the Curt Stabilizer Strap # 18050. This strap is and extra security measure required by the Curt hitch.

My recommendation for a good hitch for your Toyota Rav4 is the Curt Class III Hitch # C13524. This hitch has the most tongue weight capacity at 400 lbs. There's also 10" from the hitch pin hole to the outside of the spare tire on a 2001 Toyota Rav4 so that's the minimum clearance you need in a bike rack which is a lot.

I have some recommendations for electric bike racks, but none of them have a 10" clearance when folded up and most of them don't even have that clearance when folded down with bikes loaded. You could use a hitch extender like the Curt 8" Hitch Extender # C45791 which would reduce your capacity from 400 pounds to only 200 pounds but you should still be in a good range.

If you use the Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE # HLY74FR. Most of the other electric bike racks have a 60 lb weight capacity while this one has 80 lbs! With the extra 8" extension, you can fold up your rack at 12" away from your car, giving clearance for your spare tire. Since both bikes together are 132 lbs and the rack itself is 54 lbs, you'll still be within capacity of the hitch with the extender. This would be 176 pounds which is well under the capacity required. I am much more comfortable with this kind of weight on the class III hitch over the class I hitch on your Honda. Also, you will not need to reduce the weight of your electric bikes since this rack has a weight limit of 80 pounds.

expert reply by: Evangeline M

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