Subie Outback XT w 4 bike hitch rack

So looking at options for a 4 bike carrier for a Subie Outback. 2 Ripley AFs and 2 kids bikes , so size subject to change, currently a 24 in hard tail and a 20 inch. It would be nice to have the option to do 3 or 4 adult MTBs for the occasional quick jaunt to the trails but this won't be a frequent thing.

Street park in the city although usually right in front of our house so ideally it would lock on decently and be fairly easy to take on and off.

My understanding from someone who knows jack shit about hitches is the concern with 4 bike racks in smaller crossovers / SUVs like this is that the leverage from the weight hanging far off the back can be an issue

The OB XT hitch is 2in and seems to be rated for 3500 lbs and 350lb tongue weight if that matters.

My wife shuttled us to Burro pass for TWE in VW Tiguan, 4 adult Enduro bikes on Saris MTR platform rack, 5 adults and 1 kid in the car. We had no issues at all.
The vertical rack will have smaller leverage than platforms but we used what I had. If you're not running dirt roads regularly fully loaded, it should work pretty well. Option 2 would be two adult bikes on the hitch and kids bikes on the roof.

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Want a setup where I can get my Thule box on top and bikes on the back, so rules out the 2 hitch 2 roof.

Which of the hitch racks are quickest and easiest to take on and off as where I park the added length of the rack always mounted would be an issue

I used to have a Forester XT which has a shorter wheelbase - 3 MTBs affected the highway handling characteristics by adding weight behind the rear axle, mostly some increased rear tire wear and the center of mass/rotation was different. An Outback can handle 4 bikes behind but I wouldn’t want to be pushing it on a rainy day. It’s probably eventually going to be enough weight once the kids bikes get bigger that you’d want to run the rear tires 4 psi above door sticker.

As far as the tongue weight, 80 lbs rack weight and 140 lbs for 4 adult bikes and you are well within spec, which is important on a unibody because the hitch receiver isn’t bolting into frame rails like on a truck, it’s bolting into sheet metal above your exhaust.

For 4 bikes I’d recommend upright over platform, as platform racks become a bear to handle above 3 bikes. The rack lowering process to get the tailgate open is a bitch with 3 bikes, I would not want to mess with 4 - it’s a 2 person job every time.

I am a fan of the Velocirax but it’s heavy AF compared to other upright racks. It’s totally fine if you never have to move the rack by yourself, which is doable but also a good way to injure yourself. So it’s a great rack if it can stay on the Outback for extended duration but not ideal for frequent on/off - sounds like this alone may disqualify it for your use if your wife isn’t willing to help every time. The best thjng about the Vrax is the hydraulic dampers for lowering are really really nice to use. I sold my Vrax 5 because it was impractical for my frequent hitch changes. Built in split shank means you don’t need a secondary anti rattle clamp, that thing locks down stable AF.

NSR is at least 15 lbs lighter but only works with suspension forks. I think most people use a secondary anti rattle clamp with these. Folding version makes it compact and easy for one person to mount and dismount the rack.

I’m looking at getting a Lolo 4 with foot pedal for lowering, but I don’t have first hand feedback on it yet. My friend has to anchor his with ratchet straps on the corners to get it locked down for rough roads, not a totally fair comparison though as he’s got his on a swing out extender. Main draw over the NSR for me is the foot pedal and that my kids bikes won’t have suspension forks for quite a while.

I use a 4x Recon rack on my outback limited, works fine. You can adjust the up/down height of the baskets so that in theory you will be able to swing it back on the massive pivot and access the hatchback while loaded, without the bottom wheels smacking the ground. Make sure you have an adult holding the rack as it is carefully lowered :) My only beef with the Recon baskets (at least the generation I have) is that lower profile gravel/road bike wheels/tires sit just deep enough where you need to look for areas where the spokes are hitting the basket and pad accordingly. This would be easily solved by cutting a pool noodle and sliding a portion over the tire as a boot, to mimic a higher volume tire and push the wheel away from the basket. But this has all been very manageable, and I've never seen a 4x rack loaded that didn't require a little padding here and there to keep things from rubbing.

With kids bikes, I'd probably rule out the North Shore Rack - - unless you can test fit the bikes on someone's NSR first. The rear wheel (tire) placement is important on those racks, and very small kids bikes won't fit well, if at all.

Also, the NSR doesn't fit great on lower vehicles. I gave up trying to use one on Mrs C's RAV4, because the rear tires are too close to the ground - - even a driveway entrance makes them drag.

A friend has a Tesla with a Recon rack, which seemed to sit higher off the ground. The Tesla sure isn't higher than the RAV4. So maybe those racks are an option for a lower vehicle like a Subaru.

It kind of an annoying use case here, because I need to be ablto take the rack on and off fairly easily , and more often than not will have 2 bikes on only, but will need to be able to do 4, or at least 3 for now w my daughters 20 inch in the back sometimes.

So while the vertical 4 definitely looks better than the horizontal trays, they seem big and heavy and tough to get on and off.

And it looks like the Velocirax has a 500 lb tongue weight minimum which is odd for only a 4 bike carrier

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Originally Posted by Duffman

It kind of an annoying use case here, because I need to be ablto take the rack on and off fairly easily , and more often than not will have 2 bikes on only, but will need to be able to do 4, or at least 3 for now w my daughters 20 inch in the back sometimes.

So while the vertical 4 definitely looks better than the horizontal trays, they seem big and heavy and tough to get on and off.

And it looks like the Velocirax has a 500 lb tongue weight minimum which is odd for only a 4 bike carrier

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Pretty much any 2 bike trays + 2 bike add on will work for you. 1up is an obvious choice since it's lightweight and easy enough to move around and add/remove trays

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Looking at the 1up now. Any one have any experience with the QuickRack (apparently newer design from the original 1up engineers). Also the newer fancier 1 up vs the older version ?

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Originally Posted by Duffman

Looking at the 1up now. Any one have any experience with the QuickRack (apparently newer design from the original 1up engineers). Also the newer fancier 1 up vs the older version ?

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Not sure about QuickRack, but you'll definitely need HD version of 1up in order to run it in 4 bike config.

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Alltrack owner here but we also have a 2006 Outback. I’m a big fan of a 2 bike tray rack (I prefer 1Up) on the hitch and fork mounts on the roof: https://rockymounts.com/products/droptop.html

The fork mounts are unobtrusive & live on the crossbars. The 2 tray is relatively easy to put on/off for when I need it.

I picked up a kuat piston with a +2 add-on for your use case, less the buzz cut and carpet munching. If you accept the weight penalty/leverage of the 4 bike tray it’s easy to handle and is a breeze to load and unload.

4 bikes on the rack makes planning ahead more motivating, but if you DO forget to put the cooler in the back before you load the bikes it’s a manageable one person job even if it isn’t a fun one. The attachment for the +2 add-on is three easy bolts and slides on and off. Get a bit for your driver and it’s less than 2 minutes on or off.

I prioritize easy go and am willing to pay for it to maximize the number of bike rides we take as a family. Now that my kids are late teens I couldn’t really put a price on even one or two bike rides over the years that I’d have missed because loading up was just too big a PITA.

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Originally Posted by Duffman

it looks like the Velocirax has a 500 lb tongue weight minimum which is odd for only a 4 bike carrier

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Oh yeah they are factoring leverage (I forgot about that in my previous comment) - a typical straight shank ball is about 6” behind the receiver, a WDH ball might be more like 10” and offset by the torque generated by the WDH springs, but the center of mass of a Velocirax with bikes is probably closer to 2 feet behind the receiver. So I can see how 300 lbs of bikes and rack translates to closer to 500 lbs of dynamic load at a typical hitch ball mount.

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Originally Posted by Duffman

Looking at the 1up now. Any one have any experience with the QuickRack (apparently newer design from the original 1up engineers). Also the newer fancier 1 up vs the older version ?

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The engineer-founder of 1Up had a bad falling out with the company about 10 years ago, to the point where he put up a competing website called 1Up-USA.com (the original has no hyphen) and was selling the same products but saying he was the real deal. They settled and the new QuikrStuff supposedly represents all of his improvements to the original design. My original 1Up is holding together so well that I have never really closely compared the Quickr to 1Up. I would say, look to see if they have as many spare parts for sale and positive reviews as 1Up, and see if the price deltas are worth it to you.

I have a 1Up and with 3 or 4 trays the EZ pull handle is mandatory. The problem is, it’s a different handle kit if you use 3 or 4 trays. And you have to sort of assemble the handle onto the rack after you bolt on the additional trays. Supposedly the Quickr has an improved design on this but again I haven’t really studied it. I’ve never used the 1Up with 4 trays, just 3.
Another thing, with 3 full sized bikes on my Subaru I found it mandatory to add additional turn signal lights to the outermost tray because the tires obscured the signal lights. YMMV. I used CURT adhesive signal lights that went onto the bottom of my outermost tray.
The 1up with 4 trays is about 100 lbs. With 4 adult bikes I can see how you would exceed the tongue weight if factoring in leverage and center of mass.
It’s a bombproof rack though. I got rear ended with my rack folded up and it completely destroyed the bumper of the offending vehicle and didn’t show any damage at all.

Thanks for the insight here. Are any of the 2 spot hitch racks that take add ons to 4 like the 1up ,Kuat, or rocky mounts and easier to quickly convert than the others? Same question as far as easy on off .

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Originally Posted by frorider

Alltrack owner here but we also have a 2006 Outback. I’m a big fan of a 2 bike tray rack (I prefer 1Up) on the hitch and fork mounts on the roof: https://rockymounts.com/products/droptop.html

The fork mounts are unobtrusive & live on the crossbars. The 2 tray is relatively easy to put on/off for when I need it.

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Which fork mounts are you using? The rockymounts trays?

I’ve never used a Kuat, Rocky, Hollywood etc.
The 1Up adds trays really fast. When I lived in an urban environment and parked on the street I kept a 1Up Superduty single on the receiver folded up at all times (it can be locked with a 3/16” diameter shank lock such as a typical 3” hitch coupler lock, unfortunately it’s not the same diameter lock as other racks as the tensioning rod that cams the 1Up shank into the receiver takes some room in the shank and doesn’t allow for a standard 5/8” hitch pin lock). People who are in crime ridden areas or paranoid can add a U lock between the main frame of the 1Up and the safety chain loops of the receiver. I went with the single over the double because 90% of my biking was solo, and the double needed to be lowered 45 degrees before I could pop the tailgate open. I would then add 1-2 trays as needed by my use case.

Now I live outside the city center, and the 1Up lives on my Nissan LEAF but it takes less than a minute to move to our Prius or my truck as needed, and less than another minute to add a tray. Very easy. The EZ pull handle takes a few minutes to add though.

If I were in your case I would get whatever 2+2 rack has the easiest lowering mechanism with 4 trays, and then see if you can live with the 2 trays folded up full time (and secured as appropriate).

1Up would seem to be exactly what you're looking for. Tray design is perfect for adjusting to different size bikes and is, I believe, the cheapest 4 bike/tray style available.
Also, the 1Ups have been around the longest (due to their patent on the design) so there might be some used ones out there.
I really like my new Rockymounts Guiderail but it only goes to 3.

Biggest plus to the 1up (but not the Equip-D model) is that it folds very compact for storage...which is probably important if you are street parking in a city. The way the trays step up in height mean you won't run into clearance issues either.

1up heavy duty/super duty could store under a bed. You'd have to remove the addon trays, but you'd probably be doing that anyways to haul it around.

4 bikes on a tray rack is never ideal, but it is probably the easiest solution here unless you can somehow store a big Velocirax or similar.

You could also look at the Yakima HangTight 4 bike vertical rack. It is more versatile in what kind/size bike it can hold and collapses slightly for storage, but it is still bigger and heavier than the NSR 4 bike.

Never seen one in person, but this Chuck rack might be good here. Collapses more than any vertical rack I've seen which could be ideal for city life:
https://youtu.be/sT-WqOEYsKE?t=131

https://chuckrack.com/products/chuck-rack-4-bike-rack

Total weight looks low and storage looks good. They also sell a ski carrier you can attach to the same base.

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Originally Posted by El Chupacabra

With kids bikes, I'd probably rule out the North Shore Rack - - unless you can test fit the bikes on someone's NSR first. The rear wheel (tire) placement is important on those racks, and very small kids bikes won't fit well, if at all.

Also, the NSR doesn't fit great on lower vehicles. I gave up trying to use one on Mrs C's RAV4, because the rear tires are too close to the ground - - even a driveway entrance makes them drag.

A friend has a Tesla with a Recon rack, which seemed to sit higher off the ground. The Tesla sure isn't higher than the RAV4. So maybe those racks are an option for a lower vehicle like a Subaru.

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Just wanted to chime in that with a voile strap or similar, kids bikes of all sizes work great on the NSR racks. Striders, 12"-16" wheels all need the strap but work well. Once you get to 20" wheels you can generally use the supplied ropes if you put a stopper knot near the tail end. Little kid bikes without suspension has worked fine- the bikes don't go on quite as smoothly as with a suspension fork but they will go on and are secure.

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Originally Posted by SchralphMacchio

I’m looking at getting a Lolo 4 with foot pedal for lowering, but I don’t have first hand feedback on it yet. My friend has to anchor his with ratchet straps on the corners to get it locked down for rough roads, not a totally fair comparison though as he’s got his on a swing out extender. Main draw over the NSR for me is the foot pedal and that my kids bikes won’t have suspension forks for quite a while.

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We have two Lolo 6's at work. At 71 pounds it's semi-manageable solo and easy with two people. Lolo4 with the Foot says 73 lbs which would be sweet too. They've been great so far and are used for 24-29" bikes of all sorts. I'll be borrowing one in a few weeks for a White Rim trip and will test it out with our kids new 20" bikes.

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Originally Posted by Duffman

Are any of the 2 spot hitch racks that take add ons to 4 like the 1up ,Kuat, or rocky mounts and easier to quickly convert than the others? Same question as far as easy on off .

Which fork mounts are you using? The rockymounts trays?

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We have had a Rocky Split Rail two-bike for ~8 years now that's held up well; it can expand to 4 bikes. We bought it because it was the among lightest two-bike hitch rack (at the time) for my wife to move on/off the car (47 lbs). It looks like Rocky just discontinued it, but you can still buy the add-ons. 80lbs total weight for four bikes, which is in-line with OneUp. We're now at a point that we'll need a four bike setup. I'm wallet wants me to run two fork racks on the roof and keep it cheap, my brain wants me to find two Split rail add-ons on the cheap, but my ego wants to just go alli-in on a nice four bike 1Up and be done with it.

All that to say: Duffman, if you want some roof top fork racks on the cheap, hit me up. I've got some options I'll send you.

I just saw a Kuat Piston Pro X for the first time yesterday. That thing is pretty impressive. 2 bike with 2 bike add on.


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I have some friends who had a vertical rack on the back of their Mitsubishi Outlander, and they got rid of it because of the following:
-need for support to the top of the vehicle/rails due to wind interference because it stuck out higher over the top of the vehicle
-weight, she couldn't take it on and off solo
-storage size
-how far it stuck out to the rear of the vehicle. They would remove the rack constantly unless they were going on rides, and as a couple who rides 3-4x a week, it got annoying.

I would probably avoid a vertical rack on a shorter height vehicle.
they went with a piston pro 4 bike from Kuat. I'd be looking at that or a Thule Helium.
they can remove it (2 parts) solo, can leave 2x on for general around the town use
low profile
light weight
easily adjustable.

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Originally Posted by Duffman

Thanks for the insight here. Are any of the 2 spot hitch racks that take add ons to 4 like the 1up ,Kuat, or rocky mounts and easier to quickly convert than the others? Same question as far as easy on off .



Which fork mounts are you using? The rockymounts trays?

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I provided a link to the fork mount. It’s insanely easy to use, secure, and locks the bike to the car. The rear tire rests on the rear crossbar & is held via a voile strap.

It’s a running joke with my friends. There’s no tray on my roof, just these low profile fork mounts. Yet my roof solution at 80 mph is more secure than any of theirs.

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Originally Posted by frorider

I provided a link to the fork mount. It’s insanely easy to use, secure, and locks the bike to the car. The rear tire rests on the rear crossbar & is held via a voile strap.

It’s a running joke with my friends. There’s no tray on my roof, just these low profile fork mounts. Yet my roof solution at 80 mph is more secure than any of theirs.

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Interesting. I thought you sent the wrong link. So you just have those drilled through and bolted onto your crossbar?

Hey Duffman,
Awesome that you're gearing up to take the family riding -> brings back a lot of great memories with my girls (including the memory of being able to keep up with them on bikes!).

Good advice in this thread so far. If you're up for some more:
1. 1up are by far the easiest to install/scale/store due to the weight/size of their modules and simple design, IME. For a street-parked car in the city, they are perfect. Less than 2 mins to have a single tray rack off the back and stowed in the hatch. Add on trays are slightly slower to put on, but lighter/smaller to store. If they still support the config, I'd go with a single tray rack at the car + 1 add-on per family member. This is because:

2. 1up are not great at ease of supporting multiple wheel sizes from a single tray. A significant change in wheel size requires getting a wrench, keeping track of spacers, etc., while most other racks either have sliding bits* to accommodate, or can be managed w/straps. Having single/dedicated 1up trays for each family member would allow you to choose, e.g., just the one set up for the 24" wheels if you are only riding with the one child that day (assuming the base rack has the tray for your 29er). Add on trays can be attached in any order, and changing the wheel size of trays as your kids grow and get new bikes is no big deal. A single config can support 27.5, 29, 700c, so grown-up trays are more flexible.

Not sure if this link works, but I found a picture of a 1up with a similar use case to yours that shows how the arms are set up to grab different tire sizes, but also shows how massive these things get (any 4 bike tray rack) for your parking consideration. Also, that RAV4 is gonna steer pretty differently all loaded up!

https://images.app.goo.gl/u5TCh2aSKCTyin9EA

(It comes from this article I haven't read: https://kidsridebikes.com/1up-usa-he...e-rack-review/)

3. I know you don't want 2 in back + 2 up top, but for usability, with multiple kids bikes used daily (school pickups), I found it best to have racks up top that could slide to support different wheel sizes, fenders/racks, etc. even though a 1up single tray lived on the car. Maybe you can slide the roof box over & do 3 + 1? I did this on a 2004 Outback. If willing to consider a rack up top, we found tons of flexibility with RockyMounts Brass Knuckles (similar mech to SplitRail tray rack mentioned earlier). Those fork mounts Frorider linked look really cool, but few kids bikes have Thru or QR axles, so that means your Ibises would go up top, leaving the 1up wheel size conundrum for the rear tray rack.

Hopefully something useful in there, else sorry for so many words.
Good luck with getting to the right solution!


* 1up did introduce a sliding mechanism to adjust for wheel size as an add on a few years back, but I no longer see it on their site, and it doesn't look like any of the racks come with it.