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How Much Weight Can a Bike Rack Hold? (Complete Guide)

Bike racks attached to the vehicle are convenient and portable for typically holding bikes or bicycles numbering from one to four.

However, your first concern might be the weight of those items. The capacity of the bike rack changes as the types of bikes (mountain bikes, racing bikes, downhill bikes, cruisers) change.

If you are more curious about the weight your bike rack can hold, stick to it till the end.

How much weight can a bike rack hold?

A bike rack can hold the average weight between 17 and 85 kilograms (37 lbs and 188 lbs.) In other words, the total maximum and minimum weight of bikes must be less than 85 kg and greater than 17 kg, respectively. Yet, the amount of weight differs depending on the model and type of the bike.

Additionally, an average bike rack can hold one to four bikes at a time and a maximum bike weight ranging from 17 kilograms to 60 kilograms. Your bike rack’s holding capacity can rely on whether it is attached to the boot, hitch or roof.

You should be careful about the weight limit mentioned above because an overweight bike rack can cause fatal accidents.

There are various types of bike racks. Their sizes also differ hugely from each other. Therefore, you may follow the bike rack’s holding capacity according to their kinds and not try to outstrip those limits.

However, for maintaining the capacity, you must know the weight of each type below.

Hitch mounted bike racks or hitch less trunk

Usually strapped at the back of your car, this rack can hold 1, 2, 3, up to four bikes (up to 65 kilograms). It is even applicable for vehicles with a trunk or a hatchback.

Platform or tray racks 

This rack is convenient for loading or unloading bikes quickly. Its efficient design lets it contain 2 to 4 bikes (up to 65 kilograms) without hassles. The main attraction of this structure is you can access the trunk of the car without removing this rack. 

Hanging racks

Less extended than platform bike racks, these racks can carry 2 to 4 bikes the same as the others. However, its capacity can vary substantially depending on the model.

Vertical bike racks

These racks can hold up to six bikes, which is the largest capacity. Vertical racks are perfect if you have mountain bikes.

Roof racks

Roof racks have the lowest capacity of a maximum of two bikes. You can avoid this option since it may look a little bit awkward.

How much weight can a Yakima bike rack hold?

A Yakima bike rack holds up to 160 lbs. Each bike weighs 40 lbs, and this rack can hold four bikes. Moreover, the minimum weight the rack can bear is 120 lbs. And the rack’s weight is 32 pounds.

How much weight can a Thule bike rack hold?

A Thule bike rack can carry a maximum of two bikes, making its maximum capacity 120 lbs. And the minimum capacity is 80 lbs.

In addition, the bike rack solely weighs 50 lbs. Amazingly, some Thule Bike racks can carry up to 5 bikes. So, their maximum capacity will be 180 lbs.

How much weight can a Kuat bike rack hold?

A Kuat bike rack can hold up to 80 lbs, which is the lowest holding capacity considering other bike racks. Its minimum weight limit is 40 lbs. This bike rack barely carries two bikes, and it has a weight of 32 lbs.

How much weight can a Fiamma bike rack hold?

A Fiamma bike rack, suitable for containing two bicycles, can hold a maximum and minimum of 75 lbs and 50 lbs, respectively. Moreover, like the Kuat bike rack, the Fiamma bike rack is also lightweight.

How much weight can a Saris bike rack hold?

A Saris bike rack can hold a weight of 35 lbs highest. However, another type of Saris bike rack can hold up to 60 lbs. And the minimum weight limit of a Saris bike is 30 lbs. 

How much weight can a 3 bike rack hold?

A 3 bike rack can hold 120 lbs maximum and 100 lbs minimum. Therefore, you can fit three bicycles in a 3 bike rack. However, if the weight of each cycle is higher than usual, you can only set 2 bikes in the bike rack.

How much weight can a 4 bike rack hold?

A 4 bike rack, the most common one, can hold a maximum and minimum of 160 lbs and 120 lbs, respectively. 4 bike racks can hold four bikes at a time, where each bike weighs nearly 40 lbs.

How much weight can a 5 bike rack hold?

A 5 bike rack can hold up to 180 lbs. Its minimum weight capacity is 150 lbs. You will get most of the five bike hitch racks with more than 150 lbs capacity. In addition, these bike racks can hold up to 5 bikes.

How much weight can a 6 bike rack hold?

A 6 bike rack can hold a maximum weight of 220 lbs and a minimum weight of 180 lbs. Moreover, six bike racks can carry six bikes. Monkey Bars 2.0 is a 6 bike rack.

How much do bike racks weigh?

So far, you have known the holding capacity of each bike rack. However, the weight of bike racks itself also matters. Therefore, before choosing or buying a bike rack, you must consider its weight.

The bike rack’s weight depends on its various parts. One part can be heavier than the other. The typical weight of bike racks is around 45 lbs. Stay assured that none of the parts will be higher than 18 lbs.

Depending on the capacity of each bike rack, its weight also changes. The bike racks having more capacity will require heavyweight. Otherwise, it can’t tolerate the weight of the bikes. For example, the weight of a three-bike rack will be less than that of a six bike rack.

Bike racks’ weight also differs from model to model. Hitch mounted bike racks can hold up to 60 lbs per electric bike. Platform racks capacity is 100 lbs in total.

Roof bike racks usually weigh from 40 to 50 lbs. The weight of the hanging and vertical bike rack is between 35 to 40 lbs.

Bike racks’ weight itself is essential because of the ease of assembling the racks.

How much does a 1UP bike rack weigh?

A 1UP bike rack weighs 48 lbs. Though its weight is not the lightest, it is easy to remove and put in storage. That’s because you can fold the tray towards the center of the rack. Such folding can affect the weight of the overall rack also.

What is the lightest hitch mount bike rack?

The lightest hitch mount bike racks, the Thule Helium Pro 2, is the best. It has a weight of only 19 lbs. You will find its construction of aluminium which is one of the reasons behind its lightweight.

Though hitch mount bike racks will serve you with generous space and capacity, the weight of these bike racks is light.

While hitch mount bike racks can carry 1 to 5 vehicles, it will depend on each type. As mentioned before, the weight of the bike racks increases as their capacity increases. This line is accurate for hitch mount bike racks too.

Additionally, there are other lightweight hitch mount bike racks. For example, Thule Helium Pro 3 weighs 20 lbs. Despite being heavier than Pro 2, it is still light. Because its weight is high—its load capacity—112.5 lbs, is higher than Thule Helium Pro 2.

Among other types, Kuat Sherpa 2.0 Black and Kuat Sherpa 2.0 Grey are the two lightest hitch mount bike racks. These bike racks weigh the same (32 lbs) because their materials and parts are almost similar. In addition, they can hold up to two bikes.

The bike rack’s weight limit is a crucial factor while travelling. Follow this limit of 37 to 188 lbs while loading your bike rack. However, if you are someone going to buy a bike rack, don’t forget to consider the holding capacity along with the other facts mentioned earlier.

By maintaining the weight threshold, load as many bikes as you need and make your journey wonderful and safe.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How Many Bikes Can a Bike Rack Hold?

Why Are Bike Racks So Expensive?

Why Does My Bike Rack Wobble?

Is it Bad to Hang a Bike By its Wheels?

Are Bike Racks Easy to Steal?