Bike Rack Options??

[Chocolate Thunder]

I don’t have expensive or fancy bikes. I’m not carrying them far and not very often.

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[panda234]

The easiest and cheapest option is one of the racks that clamps on to the spare tire. There have been a number mentioned throughout the thread. I don't have any recent experience with one, so I wouldn't know which one to recommend.

 

[Jeremynolan94]

I've been very happy with my 1Up Super Duty single rack with one optional add on rack for those times I need to carry two bikes. I recently added a Kuat Pivot swing away arm that provides full access to the rear. It's a pricey setup, sure, but absolutely worth the money.

 

[OminousSkitter]

You have a 4-door, right? The easiest and cheapest option is to remove the front tire, fold down the rear seats, and put them in the back. It’s a bit harder to do that in a 2-door; I can fit one with the passenger seat forward.

Else, I think REI has a sale on bike racks (among other things) this weekend. You might be able to see if one clears at the store. You don’t need a $1200+ rack to protect an $800 bike, but if you want access to the back while the rack is on the hitch, hitch mounted ones that swing start to get expensive.

I’m trying a Hollywood one that straps to the spare. Not sure if it’ll fit 37s, and I haven’t used it enough to recommend. But, it’s only $200.

 

[Evil_E]

Thanks to so many recommendations here, I just called 1UP USA and they told me they have "moved away from" the reversed sideplate design and that the regular one will work with the drop hitch extension they sell = 6". I ordered a 2" drop from Amazon per another recommendation on here, but that might not be enough?. Just trying to clear a 33" tire.

 

[KCRazorback]

Thanks to so many recommendations here, I just called 1UP USA and they told me they have "moved away from" the reversed sideplate design and that the regular one will work with the drop hitch extension they sell = 6". I ordered a 2" drop from Amazon per another recommendation on here, but that might not be enough?. Just trying to clear a 33" tire.

I have a stock Rubicon with a single 1UP 2" Super Duty Single with the 1UP hitch extender. Fits perfect. You can even open the rear gate with the rack dropped all the way down. Great bike rack.

 

[greenvillebigwheels]

Thanks to so many recommendations here, I just called 1UP USA and they told me they have "moved away from" the reversed sideplate design and that the regular one will work with the drop hitch extension they sell = 6". I ordered a 2" drop from Amazon per another recommendation on here, but that might not be enough?. Just trying to clear a 33" tire.

Well that is a bummer. The reverse plate option works so great with the JL. They must not have been a big seller. I definitely wouldnt have bought the 1up rack without them. The drop hitch options just seem like a clunky work around.

 

[this guy -->]

After a ton of research, I finally figured out what pieces I wanted/would work best for me. I ended up pairing a Kuat Pivot with a Rockymounts Monorail. Rockymounts has a rack with the built in pivot joint, but you cannot expand it beyond 2 bikes, and you need a hitch extension for it to fold up.

Here's how it all looks on my Jeep. I plan of keeping the Pivot on during the warmer months and removing the monorail as necessary. The only complaint I have is that with the rack in the folded position, the spare tire still hits the rack when opened (see pic). The tailgate just barely can't make it to the detent. It's still 95% of the way open though and the glass opens without issue. I could solve this by moving the Monorail out to the next hole, but I would rather it be closer to the Jeep.

Thank you for sharing this bike rack solution; I think this is the way I'm going to go also, not for the extra bike capacity, so much as not needing an extension the way I would for the Rocky Mounts Backstage option. A couple of notes on your issue with not being able to fully open the rear door: 1) you can always use the lowered tilt position which I think should allow the door to completely open (which you probably know already, & 2) the Kuat Pivot v2 actually swings to 120 degrees (so 30 more degrees past the point you have this Pivot swung out in your pics) which definitely will allow the rear door to fully open.

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