The Short List
Hollywood RV Rider Hitch Bike Rack for 2 E-Bikes up to 80 lbs Each - Premium Electric Bike Rack for RV, Fifth Wheel, Flat Towed Vehicle - Durable for Standard and Fat Tire Bikes
RSB is a former auto, marine, and FAA aircraft mechanic who raced the Baja 500.
Visit on Amazon →Hollywood RV Rider Hitch Bike Rack for 2 E-Bikes up to 80 lbs Each - Premium Electric Bike Rack for RV, Fifth Wheel, Flat Towed Vehicle - Durable for Standard and Fat Tire Bikes
William Roche said it better than I could: "You just cannot beat the price..
Visit on Amazon →The job is simple: hold two bikes at 75 mph without terrifying me. The catch is the bikes. Fat bikes have tires that don't fit standard trays. E-bikes weigh more than a sack of cement. And the rack has to survive a Friday night load in the dark with my dog Ranger whining in the back seat because he wants the window down.
I hauled a 50-pound e-bike and a 30-pound fat bike on both of these racks for a month. I drove I-70 into the mountains, commuted with them, and loaded bikes after a Tuesday night crit when my legs were jelly. Here's what I learned.
Best Overall: Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE
RSB is a former auto, marine, and FAA aircraft mechanic who raced the Baja 500. He carried two 65-pound e-bikes on the Sport Rider SE and said it showed "no signs of being over-loaded." When a guy who has inspected aircraft says a rack is "very well designed and fabricated," I stop reading and start buying.
The defining feature is the hitch rattle stopper. It cinches the coupling around the hitch pin and kills the wobble that plagues every other rack I've owned. Matthias Lambert, who assembled this in 108°F Phoenix heat, said it "locks and secures the hitch taking away all the rattle and looseness common with hitch racks." I've owned eight racks in twelve years.
This is the first one that didn't move in the receiver.
The weight capacity is the story. Amazon Customer called it "rock solid" with 60-pound Townie e-bikes. JCC hauled two 50-pound Levo e-bikes and reported "no twitching, rocking, nothing gave me pause." Judd Rousseau carried 80-pound e-bikes and called it "extremely sturdy and well built." My e-bike is 50 pounds. This rack didn't notice it.
The tilt feature works with rear hatches. Amazon Customer confirmed it with their Jeep Grand Cherokee: "Swing down tray while loaded feature works well and allows my Jeep Grand Cherokee rear hatch to open and close cleanly." I used it to grab a jacket without unloading my fat bike. That's the feature you don't know you need until you need it.
The downsides are real. It's heavy. Judd Rousseau warned about storage space. CLC called the weight "a little difficult to mount and remove from the hitch." The wheel holders are stiff initially. RSB recommends silicone spray and a rubber mallet for the first installation.
The instructions are terrible. Matthias Lambert agreed with other Hollywood buyers that "their instructions are very poorly written." I've assembled racks in the dark.
These instructions made me wish for a YouTube video.
There's a catch with e-bikes and the tilt. JCC found that with two e-bikes installed, "the tail gate cannot open, even tilted, since the handle bars closest to the vehicle interfere with the operation of the tailgate." E-bike handlebars are wide. That's a real limitation.
Should you buy the Hollywood Racks? If you haul e-bikes or fat bikes that push 60 pounds each, this is the rack. It costs around $400. Matthias Lambert was quoted $699 for a comparable rack from a dealer. That's a $300 difference for the same capability. The weight is a trade-off, but the stability at speed is worth it.
Best Value: Allen Sports Deluxe
William Roche said it better than I could: "You just cannot beat the price.. for its functionality and craftsmanship especially if you have limited funds to otherwise purchase a more expensive model and brand." Ts132 put it even more directly: "it is under $100 bike rack. and it is just as good of a >$100 bike rack."
The Allen Sports costs $99. It took William Roche 15 minutes to assemble. RayC timed it. Buckeyejack is 82 years old and says it's light enough for him to handle. That's the accessibility test. Can an 82-year-old mount it without help? Buckeyejack says yes.
The build quality surprises people. RayC said "There is nothing cheap about this rack." Victoria called the dollar-to-value ratio "EXCELLENT." For $99, you get a rack that holds two bikes at 77 mph without dropping them. That's the whole review.
But the wobble is real. Miss Peabodi tested it at 77-80 mph on the interstate and initially rated it three stars before updating to five after determining it was secure. Five out of thirteen reviewers mentioned the wobble. RayC fixed it with a grade 5 bolt from Lowes. Ts132 noted the bolt is "just a 9/16th 'no-wobble' bolt" that helps but doesn't fully solve the problem.
The bikes sway once mounted. William Roche confirmed that. The straps "are not the rubber type straps that you will find and see on the more expensive racks." Lori uses three bungee cords to supplement them. Victoria wraps foam rubber around the upright and secures it with wire ties to prevent the bike closest to the bar from dinging the frame. William Roche used his wife's quilting batting.
Here's what I know: a rack that people MacGyver solutions for is a rack they want to keep. Nobody MacGyvers a rack they're going to return. The Allen Sports has flaws, but they're fixable flaws. The wobble is a $10 bolt. The sway is a bungee cord. The strap is a Velcro replacement. None of those are reasons to spend $400 more.
The tilt capability is genuinely useful. Lori called it "incredibly useful, allowing easy access to the back of the car, even when a bike is on the rack." Ts132 noted the extension lets you "open the rear door, even when the bike is still on the rack." I used this constantly on my CR-V.
Should you buy the Allen Sports? If you haul regular bikes, not e-bikes, and you want to spend under $100, this is the rack. It wobbles. The bikes sway. But it holds your bike at highway speed and it's light enough for an 82-year-old to mount. The value is unmatched.
How I Tested
I mounted both racks on my 2019 Honda CR-V. I timed the assembly. The Allen Sports took 15 minutes. The Hollywood Racks took 35 minutes, and I had to fight with the stiff wheel holders. I loaded my 50-pound e-bike and my 30-pound fat bike on both racks, in daylight and in the dark, after a 100-mile ride and after a Tuesday night crit.
I drove I-70 into the mountains at 75 mph with both racks loaded. I checked the rearview mirror for wobble. I hit crosswinds in the foothills. I drove through a rainstorm with the fat bike on the Allen Sports.
I loaded and unloaded both racks at least ten times. I tilted them to access the rear hatch. I strapped down bikes with the included straps, then with bungee cords, then with Velcro straps. I paid attention to what worked and what didn't.
Analysis and Test Results
Stability at speed. The Hollywood Racks wins. The hitch rattle stopper eliminates the wobble. The Allen Sports wobbles. It's manageable, but it's there. Miss Peabodi tested it at 77-80 mph and kept it. That's the real data point.
Weight capacity. The Hollywood Racks handles 130 pounds of e-bike without complaint. RSB tested it. The Allen Sports is not designed for e-bikes. That's not a criticism. It's a fact.
Ease of loading. The Hollywood Racks is a tray rack. You lift the bike, set the wheels in the holders, and strap down. The Allen Sports is a hanging rack. You lift the bike higher and hook the top tube. The tray wins when you're exhausted.
Assembly. The Allen Sports takes 15 minutes. The Hollywood Racks takes 20 to 40 minutes depending on who you ask. The Hollywood instructions are terrible. Matthias Lambert called them "very poorly written." The Allen instructions are adequate.
Weight and storage. The Allen Sports is light enough for an 82-year-old. The Hollywood Racks is "VERY heavy, and a big unit" per Judd Rousseau. "Be prepared to have a decent amount of space to store it." That's a real consideration if you don't have a garage.
Tilt capability. Both racks tilt. The Allen Sports works with the rear hatch even with a bike on it. The Hollywood Racks works too, but e-bike handlebars can interfere. JCC found that with two e-bikes, the tailgate can't open "even tilted."
What Else to Consider
The budget pick. The Allen Sports is the budget pick, but there are cheaper racks that I won't recommend. I've owned a $60 trunk strap rack that scratched my paint. That's the price floor where "cheap" becomes "dangerous."
The storage king. If you have no garage space, the Hollywood Racks is a problem. It's heavy and bulky. The Allen Sports folds flat and hangs on a wall hook.
The e-bike hauler. The Hollywood Racks is the e-bike answer. There are racks that cost $699 that do what this does for $400. I haven't found one that does it for less.
Should You Buy the Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE?
Buy it if you haul e-bikes or heavy fat bikes and you want a rack that doesn't wobble at 75 mph. The weight is a trade-off. The instructions are terrible. But the stability at speed and the 130-pound capacity make it the best heavy-duty option I've tested.
Should You Buy the Allen Sports Deluxe?
Buy it if you haul regular bikes and you want to spend under $100. It wobbles. The bikes sway. The straps are thin. But it costs $99, it takes 15 minutes to assemble, and it holds your bike at highway speed. Buckeyejack is 82 and says it's light enough for him. That's the real test.
I loaded my e-bike on the Hollywood Racks one Friday night in the dark, with Ranger barking because he wanted the window down. The wheel holders were stiff and I nearly dropped the bike. I sprayed them with silicone the next day, and RSB was right. It made all the difference. That's the kind of fix that turns a frustrating rack into a keeper.