Affordable Ebike hitch rack?

Hi Bill- I was looking more into this rack. I have found some users were complaining about the height off the ground when mounted. Users were having to lift their 60lb fat bikes higher than they thought to get their bikes seated. In addition, one claimed they had difficulty with placing the front wheel into the tire harness. Have you had any issues like this? I was also curious how high is the rack off the ground when it is mounted into the receiver. Thanks for posting!
Bob, I also have the Rola and it is a bit high - mine is mounted on an SUV - but it is nice to have the comfort of knowing it is high off the ground as you go off driveway ramps and such while on the road. I found that it is much easier to put the bike on the rack by holding the rear break while rolling the bike up on the rear tire and rotating the front wheel on to the the rack. Then all you have to do is lift the rear of the bike up and the bike weighs about half the weight and is easily manageable. The rack is very solid, has a bolt that allows you to tighten it to the receiver so that it does not rock back and forth and the bike rides very is secure. I added an extra strap that attaches to the car to reduce any additional wobble. And of course the rack can expand to accommodate additional bikes. My only complaint would be - and this would be the case with any rack I guess - that I have to store it someplace when not in use and it is pretty substantial.
 
I like that one. $217 at Amazon. My one problem? is that the inside measure of the upright would need to be around 8-9" to fit over the front fork of my Rad Rover ST. Is it?
Not really sure what you mean by inside measure of upright, but the foam covered arm measures 3.5"+/- on short length and 5"+/- on long leg. I looked up your bike and the stand over height is 20.25" (the distance from ground to that bar between the down tube and seat tube on your bike). The Rola will accommodate that with clamp bar set up in middle position.
 
Not really sure what you mean by inside measure of upright, but the foam covered arm measures 3.5"+/- on short length and 5"+/- on long leg. I looked up your bike and the stand over height is 20.25" (the distance from ground to that bar between the down tube and seat tube on your bike). The Rola will accommodate that with clamp bar set up in middle position.
What I meant was the front fork is about 8" wide so the arm wouldn't span that. I suppose if you can put the rear wheel in the cradle rather than the front then the bar would span the frame right behind the seat post. Overall though I think I would go with the small motorcycle rack I linked to earlier in this thread and then just use ratchet tie downs to secure the bike. Seems like it would work really well,has a ramp to roll the bike up onto the rack and costs only a $103.
 
What I meant was the front fork is about 8" wide so the arm wouldn't span that. I suppose if you can put the rear wheel in the cradle rather than the front then the bar would span the frame right behind the seat post. Overall though I think I would go with the small motorcycle rack I linked to earlier in this thread and then just use ratchet tie downs to secure the bike. Seems like it would work really well,has a ramp to roll the bike up onto the rack and costs only a $103.
I went and measured the span of the clamp. It's 8" from the main bar.
 
Bob, I also have the Rola and it is a bit high - mine is mounted on an SUV - but it is nice to have the comfort of knowing it is high off the ground as you go off driveway ramps and such while on the road. I found that it is much easier to put the bike on the rack by holding the rear break while rolling the bike up on the rear tire and rotating the front wheel on to the the rack. Then all you have to do is lift the rear of the bike up and the bike weighs about half the weight and is easily manageable. The rack is very solid, has a bolt that allows you to tighten it to the receiver so that it does not rock back and forth and the bike rides very is secure. I added an extra strap that attaches to the car to reduce any additional wobble. And of course the rack can expand to accommodate additional bikes. My only complaint would be - and this would be the case with any rack I guess - that I have to store it someplace when not in use and it is pretty substantial.
Yeah, I'm going to have to try that technique using the rear brake to lift. I have the same problem with storage, however, pick a tight corner in the garage and secure in place with bungies to avoid possible tip over. I thought it was a great rack as soon as it was posted here for the $$. Looks solid.
 
Buzzrack Approach is back in stock at Amazon for $330. I paid $275 from Amazon last August. Construction is sturdy and the rack works well with step-through bikes. It is heavy but light enough that I can fit by myself and it folds down for tailgate access. Clamps will attach to seat-tube or seat-post. I wanted to avoid purchasing a crossbar attachment which would add undesirable weight and complexity. The Buzzrack is rated at 110 lbs capacity which is at the limit for my 2 Drops sans batteries. The other option would have been a wheel clamp rack but I have read that they can be problematic with fenders. The Thule Easyrack has a similar clamping system but is more expensive and was not available when I bought my rack.
I just got the same rack for my Juiced CCX and my wife's Aventon Level. The fact that it sticks out a fair bit from the rear of the vehicle was a plus for me because it fits in front of the spare tire on my Wrangler. Loaded it up as a test but I haven't gone anywhere with the bikes in tow yet.

Bike Rack _Front.jpg
Bike Rack _Side.jpg
 
Yeah, I'm going to have to try that technique using the rear brake to lift. I have the same problem with storage, however, pick a tight corner in the garage and secure in place with bungies to avoid possible tip over. I thought it was a great rack as soon as it was posted here for the $$. Looks solid.
The rear brake lift works very well. Once on the rack a bit more tweaking was involved to get the tires seated nicely into the cradles. The hook arm was able to fit under my front plastic fender flap to ensure the hook is placed closest to the steerer tube as possible. All in all, very satisfied with the Kuat V2!
 
Motorcycle rack. $150. 400 lb capacity. Not as convenient as a bike rack because you have to spend 5 minutes with come-alongs to strap the bike in. On the other hand a ramp lets you roll the bike up and onto it. the bike wasn't electric when I took this pic but it is now. This is the one I have. Price is $175 today and has the required hitch tightener included. Have seen them unbranded for $125. There is a steel one linked below that for $119


IMG_20200624_171557.jpg
 
I just purchased this one from Vibrelli on Amazon. It's $399 but holds 130 lbs. is folding, tilting, locking and uses frame holders which works good for bikes with fenders. It even accommodates Fat Tire bikes.

It is for a 2" hitch though - to use with a smaller size receiver you'd have to use an adapter.


 
A month later, my $140 Allen 4-bike hanging rack has been performing well.

Being lightweight and small has been enormously helpful in taking it on and off my vehicle so I don't need to keep the rack on my car all the time and it stores easily in a small space in my garage.

But my ebike is only about 45lbs without the battery so not sure how it will do with much heavier ebikes (the rack is rated for 140lbs total).
 
I finally settled on this rig. It is about the perfect length for my Rover and can be used to transport other things as well. The bike adapter that can be purchased separately wouldn't work with my fat tires but my solution will be to cut a piece of plywood to fit just inside it and then attach two 2X4s on edge about 4" apart. Then make a ramp from a piece of 1X6. Set the plywood inside the unit,roll the bike up the ramp between the 2X4s and secure it with ratchet tie downs.
 
I've researched for quite a while as well and all the traditional bicycle racks are quite expensive or do not support e-bikes which weight over 70lbs so the best solution I've found was the motocycle/motocross style platform racks which costs $200 new. Then add 2 ratchet straps is all you need. The only thing is the wheel area needs to be reduced as someone mentioned by adding a piece of wood to narrow it to your wheel width so it doesn't move around during travel. I bought a used one then customized it to reduce the length and weight, the only downside is its only for 1 ebike.



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