Car Rack For Step Over

Chopper

Member
Region
Australia
City
Sydney
Hi guys,

I have an older style car rack that supports/suspends the bike via the top tube only. Would you recommend this type of rack for transporting my commuter no more approximately 10kms (sealed roads) ? My bike weighs approx. 22kgs without the battery. Do you think it will damage the frame? My bike is a Merida espresso 300
 
Is the hanging bike rack attached to the hatch/trunk area or the type that comes out of a 1.25" or 2" hitch?

I like platform rack from a hitch over hanging bike racks. It can be easier and faster to mount/dismount an (e)bike with a platform rack with minimal bike prep (no extra straps to secure, don't need to remove battery, bike is more steady at speed and over rough terrain, less risk of damage to hatch/trunk area, easier access to trunk/hatch with hitch bike rack, etc...).

I started out with a Softride Dura4 hanging rack for my pedal bikes. I just didn't like:
- had to prep bikes and use Velcro straps to steady the front wheel/handlebars (tires would spin or handlebars would turn)
- adjusting the pedal to limit impact with rear bumper
- more nylon straps to limit swinging and bumping against the rear of vehicle
- bike tires can touch the ground starting up steep inclines or over large bumps
- having to add a top tube adaptor for the wife's pedal bike because of the step thru design

Started out with Saris SuperClamp4 platform rack for 2" hitch for years and recently upgraded to QuikrStuff Mach2 bike rack last summer. The QuikrStuff and 1UP racks look and operate very similar with mount bike, clamp wheels, and drive ease of use capabilities.
 
Is the hanging bike rack attached to the hatch/trunk area or the type that comes out of a 1.25" or 2" hitch?
2" hitch that fits into the tow bar slot. I'm more concerned about the bike rather than the rack. The rack is heavy duty capable of holding 4 bikes, so weight of my 1 bike isnt the issue. My concern is for the top tube of the bike and any potential issues it may cause the frame.

I cant attach pics for some reason - I get an error message saying; The upload failed because the file could not be written to the server. The site administrator will need to resolve this before any files can be uploaded.
 
Last edited:
See if there is something similar to this with a higher capacity ( only 45#). I have 2 that are no longer used; work great.

Can't load picture: Yakima Tubetop
 
Is the hanging bike rack attached to the hatch/trunk area or the type that comes out of a 1.25" or 2" hitch?

I like platform rack from a hitch over hanging bike racks. It can be easier and faster to mount/dismount an (e)bike with a platform rack with minimal bike prep (no extra straps to secure, don't need to remove battery, bike is more steady at speed and over rough terrain, less risk of damage to hatch/trunk area, easier access to trunk/hatch with hitch bike rack, etc...).

I started out with a Softride Dura4 hanging rack for my pedal bikes. I just didn't like:
- had to prep bikes and use Velcro straps to steady the front wheel/handlebars (tires would spin or handlebars would turn)
- adjusting the pedal to limit impact with rear bumper
- more nylon straps to limit swinging and bumping against the rear of vehicle
- bike tires can touch the ground starting up steep inclines or over large bumps
- having to add a top tube adaptor for the wife's pedal bike because of the step thru design

Started out with Saris SuperClamp4 platform rack for 2 car history report" hitch for years and recently upgraded to QuikrStuff Mach2 bike rack last summer. The QuikrStuff and 1UP racks look and operate very similar with mount bike, clamp wheels, and drive ease of use capabilities.
I’ve got a RadRover step-thru and I would like to be able to put it on a bike rack on my car. Can any one suggest a rack that will work? I’ve seen that Amazon sells ‘’temporary” cross-bars for step-thru bikes. Has anyone tried this and then just used a regular bike rack? Edit: I do not have a hitch.
 
I’ve got a RadRover step-thru and I would like to be able to put it on a bike rack on my car. Can any one suggest a rack that will work? I’ve seen that Amazon sells ‘’temporary” cross-bars for step-thru bikes. Has anyone tried this and then just used a regular bike rack? Edit: I do not have a hitch.
Carrying a heavy e-bike on a trunk or hatch mounted rack can be risky. It might be best to invest in a hitch, which will work with a great many racks on the market. Make sure the one you choose is rated to carry the weight of your bike.

I have used temporary crossbars to carry my e-bikes on several different racks and they work well. Get one that is well made and be sure the connection points (stem and seat tube) are secure. Wrapping these points with an ace bandage first will help prevent scratches to chrome or paint.

Welcome to the forum and don't hesitate to ask more questions!
 
I have a mix of 2016 Radrover (75lbs), Himiway Cobra Pro (95lbs), and Radcity Step-thru (70lbs). My old Saris SuperClamp 4 didn't have a long enough tray length and couldn't handle the weight of my Cobra Pro alone. Narrowed my choices down to 1UP and QuikrStuff Mach2 platform racks. Ended up going with QuikrStuff Mach2:

Advantages
- 120lbs max weight
- made for ebikes with extra long wheelbases
- drops down for hatch access
- no tools needed to install/adjust/remove (only need a key lock to add/remove)
- has built in anti rattle hitch design
- folds for easy storage in garage/hatch/trunk
- installs and uninstalls in 1-2 minutes
- 1st rack 31lbs, additional racks 22lbs, loading ramp 10lbs (my 4'11" spouse can install the rack, lock it down, and use the ramp to load her +70lbs Radcity alone)

Disadvantages:
- expensive
- 2 month delivery time from order date (charges credit card at time of order
- no lights (I have a hitch harness and added Curt 53201 Aux light with Velcro to move around as needed)
- did I mention it was expensive


Whichever rack you decide on, check out reviews. There are a lot of YouTube reviews I checked out on 1UP and QuikrStuff Mach2 and extra features pushed me over to QuikrStuff.

QuikrStuff rack with 2nd rack with loading ramp:
Rack with bike ramp.jpg


QuikrStuff with Radrover+Radcity and double QuikrStuff rack with ramp attachment:
Rack with both bikes driver side.jpg
 
I’ve seen that Amazon sells ‘’temporary” cross-bars for step-thru bikes. Has anyone tried this and then just used a regular bike rack?
I've got (2) Yakima bars that we used B4 ebike, worked great. They fit on the ebike, but I would not hang something that heavy off the bouncing back end of car. I found a weight limit somewhere but don't recall what it was.

Edit: see post 6 capacity 45 pounds.
 
Carrying a heavy e-bike on a trunk or hatch mounted rack can be risky. It might be best to invest in a hitch, which will work with a great many racks on the market. Make sure the one you choose is rated to carry the weight of your bike.

I have used temporary crossbars to carry my e-bikes on several different racks and they work well. Get one that is well made and be sure the connection points (stem and seat tube) are secure. Wrapping these points to click with an ace bandage first will help prevent scratches to chrome or paint.

Welcome to the forum and don't hesitate to ask more questions!
thank you so much for your suggestion
 
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