At 75 mph, with a 20 mph crosswind and Ranger’s head hanging out the window, I’ve learned that a hatchback bike rack has one job: don’t terrify me. The Allen Sports Deluxe (under $178) and the Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE (around $400) are the two ends of that spectrum. One will save you money, the other will save your e-bike’s paint. I’ve lived with both for the last month on my 2019 CR-V.
The Allen Sports Deluxe is the best budget bike rack for a hatchback, because it’s cheap, light, and does 90% of what a $400 rack does. The Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE is the best rack for a hatchback if you haul e-bikes, because it’s the only one I’ve tested that doesn’t flex under 130 pounds.
Allen Sports Deluxe 4-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (2-Inch Receiver) , Black
Product Description Deluxe 4-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (2-Inch Receiver) Amazon.com Carry your bicycles securely and avoid the hassles of piled bikes or high threshold roo
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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
Product Description Deluxe 4-Bike Hitch Mounted Carrier. Amazon.com Carry your bicycles securely and avoid the hassles of piled bikes or high threshold roo
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Cons
- Allen Sports Deluxe: Wobble is real. Bikes swing freely once mounted. The straps are thin and not rubber-type.
- Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE: Heavy. Judd Rousseau warned about storage space. Matthias Lambert called the instructions “very poorly written.”
Compared to
The Allen Sports Deluxe is a hanging rack. The Hollywood Racks is a tray rack. That’s the entire difference in one sentence. Hanging racks lift the bike by the top tube, which means the bike swings when you drive.
Tray racks hold the wheels, which means the bike stays planted. On the Allen, William Roche noted, “the bikes do swing freely once mounted.” On the Hollywood, JCC hauled two 50-pound Levo e-bikes and reported “no twitching, rocking, nothing gave me pause.”
The price gap is the real story. Ts132 said the Allen “is under $100 bike rack. and it is just as good of a >$100 bike rack.” Matthias Lambert was quoted $699 for a comparable rack from a dealer before he bought the Hollywood for around $400.
That’s a $300 difference for the same capability, and a $600 difference from the dealer quote. If you don’t haul e-bikes, you’re paying for capacity you’ll never use.
Design
The Allen Sports Deluxe is a masterclass in value engineering. It’s a steel frame with a padded crossbar, two arms that fold down, and a hitch pin. That’s it. Nothing else. No locks, no anti-wobble mechanism, no tilting feature. The instructions are a single sheet, and RayC timed the assembly at 15 minutes. I’ve built IKEA furniture that took longer.
The Hollywood Racks is the opposite. It’s a welded steel platform with wheel holders, a vertical clamping tube, a hitch rattle stopper, and keyed-alike locks. Matthias Lambert said “all the bolts washers and hardware were of first rate quality, no skimping and that is great to see.” The downside? Judd Rousseau called it “VERY heavy, and a big unit.” CLC said the weight makes it “a little difficult to mount and remove from the hitch.” I’m 5’6” and I can mount the Allen one-handed.
The Hollywood takes a minute and a half of grunting.
The wheel holders on the Hollywood are stiff when new. RSB recommended silicone spray and a rubber mallet for the first installation. That’s a real quirk, but it’s a one-time fix. The Allen doesn’t have wheel holders, so it doesn’t have that problem.
It has a different one: the bike closest to the upright bar can ding your frame. Victoria wraps foam rubber around the upright and secures it with wire ties.
William Roche used his wife’s quilting batting. I’ve used pipe insulation and electrical tape. Nobody returns the rack over it, which tells you everything about how much people like the price.
Performance
I loaded bikes in the dark after a Tuesday night criterium, in the rain, with my brain fried. The Allen is faster. Lift the bike, hook the top tube, strap the wheels. Done in 30 seconds. The Hollywood takes longer because the vertical clamp on the bike closest to the vehicle gets in the way.
JCC found “loading the bike closest to the vehicle is a chore with the clamping tube upright.” CLC agreed.
That’s a real ergonomic flaw.
At highway speed, the story flips. Miss Peabodi tested the Allen at 77-80 mph on the interstate. She initially rated it three stars, then updated to five after determining it was secure. The wobble is there, and it’s annoying, but it’s not dangerous.
RayC fixed his with a grade 5 bolt from Lowes. Lori uses three bungee cords to supplement the straps.
The Hollywood doesn’t need any of that. The hitch rattle stopper cinches the coupling around the hitch pin, and Amazon Customer called it “excellent.” Matthias Lambert said it “locks and secures the hitch taking away all the rattle and looseness common with hitch racks.”
The tilt feature matters more than you think. Lori called the Allen’s tilt capability “incredibly useful, allowing easy access to the back of the car, even when a bike is on the rack.” Ts132 confirmed you can open the rear door with a bike still mounted.
The Hollywood tilts too, and Amazon Customer confirmed it works with their Jeep Grand Cherokee rear hatch.
But JCC found a catch: with two e-bikes installed, the handlebars interfere with the tailgate even when tilted.
E-bike handlebars are wide. That’s a limitation you need to know about.
Durability
I’ve owned eight racks in twelve years. I’ve had a hanging rack swing into a highway divider on I-70. I’ve had a platform rack survive a deer strike that totaled my car. I know what breaks. The Allen is not built for a decade of abuse, but it’s not supposed to be.
It’s a $99 rack that’s light enough for an 82-year-old to handle. Buckeyejack called it “very high quality.” RayC said “there is nothing cheap about this rack.” That’s remarkable for the price.
The Hollywood is built like a tank. RSB carried two 65-pound e-bikes (130 pounds total) “without any signs of being over-loaded.” Amazon Customer called it “rock solid” for 60-pound Townie e-bikes. Judd Rousseau hauled 80-pound e-bikes and called it “extremely sturdy and well built.” The hardware is first-rate, the welds are clean, and the locks are quality.
The only durability concern is the weight, which makes it harder to mount and remove, which means more chances to drop it on your toe.
Value
The Allen Sports Deluxe is the best value in the industry. Not the best rack, the best value. Victoria called the dollar-to-value ratio “EXCELLENT.” William Roche said “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 Hollywood costs four times as much. Is it four times better? For e-bikes, yes. For regular bikes, no. If you’re hauling two road bikes to the trailhead on a Saturday, the Allen does the job for $99.
If you’re hauling two 65-pound e-bikes, the Allen is dangerous and the Hollywood is the only thing I’d trust.
RSB, who raced the Baja 500, said the Hollywood “is a heavy duty rack that is very well designed and fabricated.” That’s the credential that matters.
Should you buy it?
If you’re a weekend gravel rider with a 2-inch hitch and a bike under 40 pounds, buy the Allen Sports Deluxe. It’s $99, it takes 15 minutes to assemble, and the wobble is fixable with a bolt from Lowes. You’ll MacGyver a solution for the straps, but you’ll keep the rack.
If you’re hauling e-bikes, buy the Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE. It’s the only rack I’ve tested that handles 130 pounds without flexing. The instructions are terrible, the weight is annoying, and you’ll need storage space. But your e-bikes will stay on the rack at 75 mph, and that’s the whole point.
I’m testing a mid-tier tray rack next month to see if the $300 price point can match the Hollywood’s build quality. I’ll update this when I have data.