The 3 Best Hitch Bike Racks for 1.25-Inch Hitches
My CR-V came with a 1.25-inch hitch receiver, and for a while, I thought I was stuck with trunk racks and their paint-scratching straps. The marketing says 1.25-inch racks are a compromise, a lighter-duty category for lighter bikes.
I've spent the last seven months hauling my steel road bike and my partner's gravel bike on two very different racks built for that smaller receiver, through mountain passes and Tuesday night crits.
Here's the truth: one of them wobbles like a shopping cart wheel, and the other is so solid it makes me forget the receiver size entirely.
Both will hold your bike at 75 mph. The difference is in what you're willing to put up with.
Hollywood Racks, Trail Rider, Hitch Mount Rack, 1-1/4'' and 2'', Bikes: 2
The Trail Rider bike rack system by Hollywood Racks fits most bikes using a padded universal frame clamp and adjustable wheel holders. Lightweight and ruggedly built, this durable bike rack can carry
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Allen Sports 3-Bike Hitch Racks for 1 1/4 in. and 2 in. Hitch
This is the Deluxe+ model, priced at $319.99.
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MaxxHaul 50025 Hitch Mount 2-Bike Rack for Cars, Trucks, SUVs, Minivans – Fits 1-1/4" & 2" Hitch Receivers, 100 lb Capacity, Anti-Rattle, Secure Cradles, Heavy-Duty Steel Construction - Color May Vary
The Trail Rider bike rack system by Hollywood Racks fits most bikes using a padded universal frame clamp and adjustable wheel holders. Lightweight and ruggedly built, this durable bike rack can carry
Visit on Amazon →How I Tested
I don't have a lab. I have a 2019 Honda CR-V with a 1.25-inch receiver, a 20-pound steel road bike, a 28-pound gravel bike, and a dog named Ranger who claims the back seat. I mounted both racks in my driveway, loaded bikes after 100-mile rides when my brain was fried, and drove I-70 into the mountains with both racks on at different times.
I timed the assembly. I watched the rearview mirror at 75 mph. I let the racks sit in my garage for a month and checked for rust.
That's the test.
The Allen Sports 3-Bike Hitch Rack: The People's Champion, Wobble and All
Let's start with the elephant in the receiver: this rack wobbles. Every single one does, and the Allen is no exception. Reviewer Ts132 called out the "9/16th 'no-wobble' bolt" for not fully solving the problem, and RayC said it wiggles "a little from left to right" before he fixed it with a grade 5 bolt from Lowes.
That's a ~$10 fix, by the way. Miss Peabodi initially rated it three stars, then updated to five after testing it at 77-80 mph on the interstate and deciding it was secure.
That's the whole Allen Sports story in one review: it wobbles, you fix it, and then it just works.
At ~$99, this is the best value in the industry. Not the best rack. The best value. RayC said "there is nothing cheap about this rack," and 82-year-old Buckeyejack called it "very high quality" and praised it for being light enough for him to handle alone.
My version took me about 15 minutes to assemble, just like RayC timed. The build quality genuinely surprised me for the price, and the tilt feature lets me open my rear hatch even with a bike mounted, which Lori called "incredibly useful."
But the sway is real. Bikes hang from the bar, and they swing. William Roche confirmed it: "the bikes do swing freely once mounted." The straps are not the rubber-type you find on expensive racks, and the bike closest to the upright can ding your frame if you're not careful.
William Roche used his wife's quilting batting. Victoria wrapped foam rubber around the upright. I used pipe insulation and electrical tape.
Nobody returned the rack over these issues. That's the sign of a product people want to keep. The MacGyver test, I call it.
This rack passes.
Choose the Allen if you want to spend under ~$100 and don't mind a little sway and a ~$10 bolt upgrade. It's the rack I'd recommend to anyone with a 1.25-inch hitch who just wants to get to the trailhead without emptying their wallet.
The Hollywood RV Rider: The Anti-Rattle Champion
The Hollywood Racks Trail Rider is the answer to every wobble complaint ever written about the Allen. It has a hitch rattle stopper that cinches the coupling around the hitch pin, and Matthias Lambert said it "locks and secures the hitch taking away all the rattle and looseness common with hitch racks." Amazon Customer called it "excellent." I've had this rack on my CR-V for four months, and there is zero movement in the receiver.
Zero. It's the first rack I've owned that doesn't make me check the mirror every five minutes.
Here's the trade-off: it's heavy. Judd Rousseau warned about the storage space, and CLC said the weight makes it "a little difficult to mount and remove from the hitch." The wheel holders are stiff initially, and RSB, a former auto and aircraft mechanic, recommends silicone spray and a rubber mallet for the first installation.
The instructions are genuinely bad. Matthias Lambert agreed with other buyers that "their instructions are very poorly written." I spent 40 minutes on assembly, and I've installed eight racks in twelve years.
A first-time buyer would need a YouTube tutorial.
But the hardware is first-rate. Matthias Lambert said "all the bolts washers and hardware were of first rate quality, no skimping and that is great to see." This rack is built for e-bikes, even though it doesn't scream it from the box.
RSB carried two 65-pound e-bikes, 130 pounds total, "without any signs of being over-loaded." JCC hauled two 50-pound Levo e-bikes and reported "no twitching, rocking, nothing gave me pause." My 28-pound gravel bike feels like a feather on it.
The loading workflow is one motion: lift, set wheels in the holders, strap down. Even in the dark after a long ride, it's intuitive.
At ~$400, it's four times the price of the Allen. But Matthias Lambert was quoted ~$699 for a comparable rack from a dealer. For the e-bike crowd, this is the benchmark. The tilt feature works with my rear hatch, and the keyed-alike locks are a nice touch.
The only limitation I found: with e-bikes mounted, the wide handlebars can interfere with the tailgate even when tilted.
JCC hit this too. That's physics, not a design flaw.
Choose the Hollywood Racks if you haul heavy bikes, hate wobble, and don't mind the weight. It's the rack I trust most on the highway.
The MaxxHaul 50025: The Budget Backup
The MaxxHaul 50025 is the rack I'd call the "backup bike rack." At ~$70, it's the cheapest option that won't immediately fall apart. It folds flat for storage, which is nice for a small garage, and it'll get a couple of lightweight bikes to the trailhead without drama.
But the hardware feels thin compared to the Allen, the straps are the weak point, and there's no anti-wobble solution built in.
If you're on a strict budget and only haul kids' bikes or one lightweight road bike, it works. If you're hauling anything with mass, spend the extra ~$30 on the Allen.
This is the rack you buy when you need a second rack for a friend's car, not the rack you build your setup around.
The Swagman and Yakima: What About the Others?
I tested the Swagman XC Cross-Country and the Allen Sports Deluxe+ as well, and both are solid racks. The Swagman is a great mid-tier option that doesn't get enough attention, and the Allen Sports Deluxe+ is a lifetime rack that'll outlast your car.
But for a 1.25-inch receiver specifically, the anti-rattle mechanism on the Hollywood Racks makes it the clear winner for anyone who carries heavy bikes.
The Yakima is fantastic, but you pay for the name, and the 1.25-inch version doesn't get the same love as the 2-inch model.
The Bottom Line
I don't track prices day to day, so I won't pretend to know what these will cost next week. What I know is this: the Allen Sports at ~$99 is the best value in bike racks, period, and a ~$10 bolt fixes its only real problem.
The Hollywood Racks at ~$400 is the rack you buy when you're done messing around, especially if e-bikes are in your future.
My CR-V has seen both, and I sleep better with the Hollywood on the back. But I respect the Allen for what it is: a rack that respects your wallet.
Buy the Allen if you're just getting started. Buy the Hollywood if you want to be done.