How to Buy a Car Rack for Your Ebike



If you already ride an ebike, you probably have a love-hate relationship with locomotion. You know what I mean (even if you’re scratching your head right about now). You like the way your electrified steed moves when it’s aided by its own motor. But when it’s not? To get more news about ebike car rack, you can visit magicyclebike.com official website.

That includes trying to heft the inert, awkward horse onto a bike rack. And you can pretty much forget anyone save a powerlifter achieving that feat if we’re talking about using a roof rack.

Hitch receiver racks are the only option for transporting your ebike with your car. These plug into either extant trailer hitch receivers (if you own a pickup, it’s likely you already have one on your truck), or into aftermarket systems you can purchase.To get more news about e bike, you can visit magicyclebike.com official website.
I received four racks to test, and I went with a pretty broad variety on purpose to showcase different options depending on varying use cases and needs. Note that I ordered three compatible with 2-inch receivers, because their manufacturers said only they were stout enough to carry the weight of two 50-pound-plus ebikes, and one 1.25-inch rack from Yakima that the company said can still haul the heavier payload of an electric bicycle. Both the Yakima and one from Thule also came with ramps, which enable you to more gently roll the bike onto and off the rack, rather than deadlift it up and down. But even here there are important distinctions.
Have a read of the comparisons. Note that I tested these racks on the 1.25-inch receiver of my Volkswagen Sportwagen via an adapter (and later, switched the VW to a 2-inch receiver) and on the 2-inch receiver of my friend’s Ford F-150. Key here (and mentioned below) is that on the wagon the racks ride a lot lower, and that added weight out back can really be felt behind the wheel. The more that weight caused the load to bounce, the lighter the steering would get. On a heavier truck you can’t feel that effect.

Also, know that I tested these this way to experience the very different load heights and the impact on both being able to load the bikes at all, and the different ramp angle for the Thule and Yakima racks. You’ll see that evident in the photos here too.
The Thule EasyFold XT isn’t a conventional receiver rack. The unique design folds into a suitcase-sized box (31 x 12 x 26 inches) a bit larger than the dimensions of carry-on luggage. It can fit in the trunk of any car (or be stored easily in the corner of an apartment if you don’t have a garage) and arguably is the best option for anyone who wants to quickly and simply remove a car rack when it’s not in use. Heck, the thing even has its own tiny skate wheels, so you don’t have to muster its 45-pound weight as much. Just dolly it into your home. I also think it’s great that it comes assembled, and has a simple-to-use drop-down function to fold the whole rack away from your tailgate as needed to access the car’s trunk or hatch.

Attaching to the car: The rack locks to the receiver using a unique gas-cap-style knob. Turn the knob and an expander inside the receiver tightens the grip. Get to the ultimate torque and, like on a gas cap, the knob begins to click, so you can’t overtighten and break the gizmo inside the receiver. The mechanism also has a keyed lock.

Loading bikes: Short T-Rex dinosaur arms clamp to your bike frame, with the other end clamping to a U-shaped metal mount on the rack itself. The advantage: You can more readily clamp to the toptube or downtube of a bike frame than you’d be able to with a traditional rack. So if your bike is a step-through design or has funky tubes that just don’t easily seat on a rack (this is sometimes true of folding ebikes), the Thule could prove an advantage. However, sussing out exactly how to clamp both frames can be a chore. And even if you’re re-racking the same bikes, the pivot of both the clamp arm on the rack and the other clamp on the bike frame leads to a lot of jiggering.

Also, yes, the Thule comes with a little mini ramp that embeds within the rack floor, but…it’s wee. On a lower-riding car it’s almost adequate, but you’ll want to buy Thule’s longer, $99 ramp if you drive a truck or taller-riding SUV. Why? Well, just look at the photo below.

Challenges and props: Like with every rack here, you can tilt the Thule away from the hatch door or tailgate of your rig. On the Thule, a foot peg enables this action, and the mechanism works smoothly and provides enough clearance for a hatch, and for some truck tailgates.

There are some significant limitations to the Thule. First off, the maximum bike wheelbase is tight: 51 inches. I tested this rack using both the Specialized Turbo Tero, which mounted easily, and a Rad Power Bikes RadRover 6 Plus, which did not, even though its claimed wheelbase of 47.8 inches should make it viable. Thule sells longer straps to get around fat tires like those on the RadRover, but even so, these tires were nearly spilling off the end of the rack. Strapping them down is one thing, but having the bike safely attached would still make this a no-go, because the fatter tires make the actual versus claimed wheelbase considerably longer.