The Best RV Bike Rack
We’ve learned a lot about traveling with bikes over the past several years. In this post, we’ll share the best bike rack we’ve found—and it’s now RV-approved!
First, a disclaimer: some bike racks that claim to be “RV-approved” simply mean that they carry insurance in case of failure. You’ll go through a long warranty process to get the rack replaced. For us, that’s not good enough!
We’re more interested in an RV bike rack designed to handle the rigorous bouncing that the tail end of a towable RV will provide. We’re also not interested in bike racks that secure the bike with rubber straps such that we need to remove other bikes to get to the one we want. With many years and thousands of miles of travel under our belts, we’ve learned that if it’s not simple, we won’t use it.
We started with a Kuat Sherpa 2.0. It’s not RV-approved, but it is very well built and we had no issues traveling across the country and back several times. Then Kuat officially came out with the Transfer 2.0, which is RV-approved.
*Only the two-bike model is RV-approved, not the three- or four-bike options. We recently installed the three-bike model and will be keeping a close eye out and checking it carefully.
I like the fact that these racks come with simple and stout parts. The critical components that will take the most abuse from RV travel are large and can handle the job. The rack also tilts so you can access the back of your RV and folds up 90 degrees when you’re not carrying your bike. These racks also have a piece that expands inside your hitch receiver to prevent swaying or jiggling.
The only downside to the Transfer 2.0 model is that the mechanism to tighten it is a Torx key (similar to an Allen wrench). It’s not as easy to use as the Sherpa model, which includes a knob you can turn by hand.
We think eTrailer is the best place to get Kuat bike racks or hitches. Follow the link below to see the two-bike version of the Transfer 2.0:
Kuat Transfer 2.0 two-bike RV certified bike rack
Advice on your towable RV hitch receiver
Do not trust your RV factory hitch receiver. The chances are high that you have a bolt-on hitch or that the welding points are insufficient. In many cases, bike rack failures have more to do with the hitch receiver than the rack. It’s a good idea to take your RV to a trailer shop and have your hitch receiver reinforced before adding your bike rack.
In case other Airstream owners are wondering, we had our hitch installed between the rear steel plates below our bumper. Cliff’s Welding (out of Mesa, AZ) completed the work. Some Airstream owners might say the additional weight in the back can create sway or change the weight and balance. We haven’t experienced this and have had no issues. After all, full propane tanks are nearly the same weight as the additional hitch, rack, and bikes.
The Kuat Pivot
This Kuat Pivot hitch accessory works great! It was sturdy enough for our 3-bike Kuat rack (not shown in the picture below) and was low enough to allow the rear doors of the van to open over it. Even with the bikes on the rack, it swung far enough way to stay clear of the doors. Here is the link for the Kuat Pivot 2 Swing Away Hitch on eTrailer.
Bike Covers
We haven’t had great luck with bike covers and I was skeptical that Bill’s bike cover would work, but it did! And in the case the Grech Strada Class B, the taillights were still visible from behind.
I’m not sure if the taillights of the Airstream will be visible or not, but I’ll be using this cover soon and will update the blog. Here is the link to the Comnova Bike Cover on Amazon.
Dear Mark & Miss Trish,
As always, thank you for all you do – for the RV community, and as good examples of parents – it is greatly appreciated.
In regard to a bike rack for a towable RV, you might look into the ARVIKA bike rack. It mounts on the FRONT of the RV, and can accommodate up to 3 or 4 bikes. Sturdily made, assembly is easy – but – instructions for same were not so great.
Anyway, just what we have found that works for us,
Thanks Again,
fm
E bikes are quite heavy. Ours weigh about 60 pounds each. Discovered the Swagman bike rack rated for RV’s and rated for heavy eBikes. The factory hitch on my Grand Design TT is rated for 300 pounds. But. Have to agree that even with that rating, a pair of eBikes and a 50 pound rack bouncing on the end of a 37 foot trailer may warrant a bit of beefing up of the receiver hitch. I’m thinking I’ll put the bikes inside the trailer. A hassle but maybe a better solution. I can haul the bike rack on the back of the trailer and use it with my truck when at camp.
Plus all that fancy super expensive eBike machinery on the back of the trailer getting bombarded with dirt and water. Hmm.
we also have a swagman rack. Highly recommend especially for e-bikes and is RV rated.
Our fifth wheel had a terrible design in the back and our bike rack was terrible for full suspension mountain bikes with long handle bars. To remedy the problem I cut off rear bumper assembly at the I beams and started over. The rear of the camper now sports a fully welded, directly to the I beams, Curt 13704 hitch. That allied us to get a Velocirax 6 bike rack. Now it doesn’t matter what we put on the rack, it fits and fits well, and it’s rock solid. The only con I can mention is the weight, the strength comes at a cost.
Any suggestions for a 5th wheel toy hauler bike rack? There is no rear bumper as the ramp springs are the lowest point.
Thanks
Hey M & T,
We love your weekly shows and learn a tremendous amount regarding tips and places to go!
We love our Forest River Cherokee Limited 264DBH. It has a rack on the back with a spare tire attached. We took the spare off and let the rack down. We put a Champion 4500 dual fuel inverter generator and our Coleman portable grill (love both a lot). We purchased e-bikes and are thinking of getting hitch receiver for a bike rack and attach it to the bottom of the rack so we can also store our bikes back there.
We’re looking for your opinion or the opinions of your KYD family before we weld the receiver on the bottom of the rack.
Keep going on the adventure of life!
Most respectfully,
Dan & Toni Strausbaugh
I was pleased with the Thule platform rack for two ebikes, but it was a little heavy, hard to store, and a bit fiddly when mounting the bikes. I finally got removable pedals that snapped in on arrival at our destination. The rack is well-built and locks onto your receiver and the bike frames lock to the rack.
I replaced the Thule with a One-Up rack and it’s a lot easier to use and store and it’s another quality product.
Both racks are expensive.
How did the transfer work caring three bikes behind the airstream? We have four kids and want to bring their bikes on our 30ft AS.