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5 Best RV Bike Rack Options: Ladder, Bumper or Hitch

| Updated Dec 6, 2023

When looking for the best RV bike rack, you'll first need to decide if you want ladder, bumper, or hitch mount. Then you can consider these 5 options…

Many RV owners love to take their recreational vehicle off the beaten path, to places they can truly enjoy the great outdoors. These same owners also want to take along their mountain bikes or beach bikes to enjoy the gorgeous views. Not to mention cover more outdoor ground than they otherwise would be able to.

Best RV Bike Rack (5 Options)

It's time to find yourself the perfect bike rack! The following are some great suggestions for different types of bike racks.

(By the way, Jennifer and I are fans of ebikes. If you are too, check out the 5 Outstanding Hitch Racks for eBikes We've included our favorite ebike rack below, too.)

If you buy something through our links, we may get a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps keep our lights on so we can continue to provide helpful resources for RVers. Read our full affiliate disclosure here.

1. RV Rider E-Bike Rack

Hollywood Rack with a Lectric ebike.
Hollywood Rack with a Lectric ebike.

Our TOP CHOICE is the RV Rider E-bike rack. The RV Rider bike rack for the back of RV's, motorhomes, and fifth wheels* carries 2 E-Bikes (up to 80 lbs. each). Special features include universal heavy-duty wheel holders for heavy load carrying capacity.

These wheel holders can fit any tire up to 5″ wide and include a ratchet wheel strap. Locking frame grabbers secure the bikes in place. The frame grabbers can attach to a bike's frame or seat tube with a diameter range of 1″- 2″; therefore, Bike Adapters are not needed.

We like it so much that we reached out to RV Rider to see if they would offer a discount to our RV Lifestyle community.

They agreed and are giving our readers 20% off the RV Rider E-bike Rack. All you have to do is click the link above and enter the promo code RVLIFE to save 20%! They also offer free shipping in the U.S. (except Hawaii and Alaska).

Please note that this discount is only for the RV Rider Rack. You'll need a 2″ hitch and it *cannot be used on a travel trailer.

2. Fiamma Bike Rack

This unique bike rack is a top choice for various reasons. Its unique design allows it to be easily mounted to the rear of your RV, but still allows you to access your rig without having to remove it.

This brand has several different options depending on your rig and how high you want or need to mount your bikes. This rack can even be specially made for your rig.

The only downside is the steep price but it can be worth it if you need customizability. Is this the best RV bike rack?

3. Allen Sports 4-bike Hitch Rack

The Allen Sports hitch rack is a popular choice for families or groups of travelers. The reason it is such a common choice is because of its load capacity. Many excellent racks can only haul two bikes, while the Allen can carry four!

This makes road trips with the family a little easier!

This stable rack is constructed from high-quality materials, making it very durable for your haul. It also comes with tie-downs to be able to carry any bike.

Finally, this rack is easily maneuvered once it is installed. That means that you can load your bikes easily and get on the road faster.

4. Swagman Traveler XC2

Some consider the Swagman bike rack your best choice overall when it comes to bike racks. This particular model is an adaptable hitch rack and can work easily with a number of different sized trailers or campers.

It fits into a 2″ hitch receiver and can hold up to 35-pound bicycles (70-pound maximum load).

Even though this is a hitch-mount rack, it can be used with a steel-welded RV bumper adapter as well.

Swagman products are known for their well-crafted, high durability, and ease of use.

5. Surco 501BR Ladder Mounted Bike Rack

The Surco 501 BR is the perfect choice for those looking for a ladder mount. It features pivoting arms so that you can easily access your RV ladder without having to remove the rack.

You can also still gain access to your hitch or bumper as well, making it easy to fulfill your hauling needs.

It is also versatile and can fit any ladder on an RV or van. The good news is that you do not need any additional tie-downs, straps, or hardware to use this model.

3 Main Types of Bike Racks

Best RV Bike Rack Options Ladder Bumper or Hitch
Which type do you need?

There are several different types of RV bike racks that you can choose from. Not all types will fit your specific needs, so it is important to know the differences. There are three main types of bike carriers that you can find: RV ladder bike racks, bumper mount racks, and hitch mounts.

Ladder Mounts

Ladder mounted bike racks, sometimes referred to as a ladder rack, hook onto the ladder rungs of your RV. It can also work with most ladders that are present on the back of a tow trailer.

The ladder mount rack is set up to mount your bikes vertically on the back of your RV, with the front tire pointed down closest to the ground.

This type of rack is a popular option because it allows you to still hitch your tow vehicle or trailer.

They are also more cost-effective than other types of racks. And provide a great option for those that do not have a bumper or hitch to install different types of bike racks.

One downside with these racks is that they usually have a lower weight capacity, and usually only come as a 2-bike rack. The limited bike capacity may not be a great choice for your family.

You will also need to take down the rack when you use your ladder. Keep that in mind when looking for a rack that is a good fit for your needs.

Bumper Mounts

These racks are sometimes called a bumper rack. And that is for good reason. They get mounted to your, you guessed it…RV bumper.

This type of mount can be one of your best options because your bikes can sit lower to the ground. That helps eliminate visibility issues when looking out your rear window or using a backup camera.

A bumper bike rack gets attached to your rear bumper. that means you need a very solid, steel-welded bumper on the rear of your rig to use it.

However, since this mount type requires the bumper will be carrying a lot of weight, these racks usually only hold two bikes.

With certain models, you may also be able to attach the rack, and still access your hitch. It depends on the design of your RV.

Hitch Mounts

A third option is a hitch mount bike rack. This type of bike rack mounts directly to your trailer hitch. However, they are only a viable option if you do not plan to use your hitch to tow a vehicle or trailer.

You will also want to ensure that your hitch has a hitch receiver or you will not be able to easily use this rack.

Most hitch receivers come in a 2′ standard size. But there are other sizes out there should you need them.

One benefit of this type of rack is that you can usually carry a greater number of bikes than ladder or bumper racks. Some can even carry up to five bikes, depending on the weight capacity of the rack.

Do You Have the Best RV Bike Rack?

Please share your recommendations (or non-recommendations) for any RV bike rack you have tried. Let us know your thoughts so we can expand and improve our list. Thank you!

New Foldable Ebikes that Fit in Your RV Garage!

Like what you see in these videos? We'd appreciate it if you would Subscribe to our YouTube Channel (easy to do right here) and consider “ringing the bell icon” to be notified of any new video from us. 🙂 Thanks!

We tested out the new XP 2.0 Lectric ebikes, riding along the Mississippi! These are electric, foldable bikes, offering a smooth ride at a reasonable price. We had a lot of fun riding around at our recent RV gathering!

Related Articles

Mike and Jennifer's Favorite Places in Florida – all 3 ebooks!

5 Best RV Bike Rack Options: Ladder, Bumper or Hitch 1

We RVers may wander far and wide but it’s true for most of us that we end up with some favorite “Go-To” places – places that draw us back again and again.

Florida is one of those places for us. And we know it is for many RVers looking to get away and explore during the winter. 

That's why we've created three guides, covering Florida's Atlantic Coast, the Gulf Coast, and the Keys. 

Each of these guides is a seven-day guided exploration of one of the coasts. And each stop is a curated view of the best things that we’ve enjoyed on this trip and want you to experience.

Altogether these guides are over 300 pages of content! 


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5 Best RV Bike Rack Options: Ladder, Bumper or Hitch 2

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Mike Wendland

Published on 2022-01-21

Mike Wendland is a multiple Emmy-award-winning Journalist, Podcaster, YouTuber, and Blogger, who has traveled with his wife, Jennifer, all over North America in an RV, sharing adventures and reviewing RV, Camping, Outdoor, Travel and Tech Gear for the past 12 years. They are leading industry experts in RV living and have written 18 travel books.

8 Responses to “5 Best RV Bike Rack Options: Ladder, Bumper or Hitch”

March 15, 2024at3:10 am, Neet and Angel said:

I’ve been looking for a bike rack that will work well with my RV and this post has been incredibly helpful! I like the option of the hitch-mounted bike rack as it looks like it would be easy to install and take up less space than a bumper rack. Will definitely be considering one of these options for our next camping trip!

Reply

March 16, 2024at8:59 am, Team RV Lifestyle said:

We are so glad to hear this! Thank you for the feedback! Team RV Lifestyle

Reply

December 07, 2022at4:42 pm, Vincent Benoit said:

Have you considered the “Arvika” bike rack? They offer a product that can fit 4 bikes… The rack can fit on a A-Frame, but also on a car and RV. They have this hitch adapter that can be fit on any hitch. I also saw people mounting eBike on it! For now, I have it on my travel trailer and considering to buy the hitch adapter to travel with my car, prefer this than buying another bike rack!
[Link deleted]

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December 07, 2022at7:34 pm, Team RV Lifestyle said:

Thanks for sharing this option, Vincent – Team RV Lifestyle

Reply

January 21, 2022at10:17 am, Randall Dunn said:

Check out 1UP hitch mounted racks. 1UP is based in Wisconsin. They use high quality materials and there craftsmanship is very good. Most of their product line is made in the USA and I had no “supply chain issues” when I ordered a hitch rack in November 2020.

Reply

January 21, 2022at9:10 am, Gregory Kent said:

You need to consider an even better bike rack “Kuat”. It is extremely strong and rated for E-bikes. It tilts down and has a ramp you can attach to it to help loading and unloading. This is a big plus for those of us that do not want to end up with back problems.

Reply

January 21, 2022at9:05 am, Kenneth Laursen said:

Most hitch mount 2 ebike racks are NOT designed for travel trailers even though they state for RV. Trailers have a different side to side motion than a motor home. It could leave your multiple thousand dollars investment dragging in street. I have HOLLYWOOD 2 rack system that I can load and unload by myself in 20 minutes. I am 79. It was around $500, I have traveled so far nearly 10K miles with zero problems. Very easy to work with factory direct order. If you have trailer or fifth wheel be specific when you order. We have 2 RAD bikes that are wonderful.

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January 21, 2022at8:22 am, Rick Edgar said:

You need to look at the Kuat. Thule also a quality rack.

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