Vertical Bike Rack Mega Test! By AMB - Shingleback, Velocirax, Singletrail, Rola and more
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ค. 2024
- Vertical bike racks have grown in popularity thanks to how easily they can carry lots of bikes. The need to easily transport more bikes has never been greater, as more people are getting bikes to get out and hit the trails. With vertical bike racks that can carry up to 7 bikes available, a vertical bike rack is one of the most efficient ways to get a bunch of bikes to the trail head, it riding there isn't feasible.
Read the updated feature: www.ambmag.com.au/video/teste...
Vertical bike racks aren't cheap, and we wouldn't want them to be given they need to carry bikes on them on shuttle roads, or on busy high-speed roads. So we reached out to eight different vertical bike rack manufacturers so we could test their racks back to back, to see what the ins and outs of each rack is, to help you find the one that suits you.
You can click through to each review below, plus there's a few considerations before your jump in and order one. Down lower, we have the key details for the 8 racks we tested. Drop us a comment if you have any questions!
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0:00 - Introduction
0:55 - All about the overhang limit, and what it means for you
1:27 - Understanding download limits
2:00 - 5 important considerations before buying a vertical bike rack
3:11 - Shingleback Off Road Sport 5 bike rack review
10:01 - Single Trail Racks 5UP rack review
12:50 - Rola VBR5 rack review
16:03 - Velocirax 412 rack review
20:54 - Spot X Racks TA-X5 rack review
26:11 - Dirty Possum 4 bike rack review
31:22 - Death Rack custom 4 bike rack review
37:27 - RackPRO 5 bike rack review
40:21 - Wrapped up!
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Shingleback Off Road Sport 5 Bike
Weight: 34.9kg | $2100 | Warranty: 10 years
Single Trail 5UP
Weight: 39.6kg | $1949 | Warranty: 5 years
Rola VBR5
Weight: 38kg | $1250 | Warranty: 5 years
Velocirax 412
Weight: 37.2kg | $1210 | Warranty: 2 years
Spot X Racks TA-X5
Weight: 39.6kg | $1499 | Warranty: 7 years
Dirty Possum 5 bike rack
Weight: 36.3kg | $1300 | Warranty: 10 years
DeathRack by DeathRig 4 bike
Weight: 46.2kg | $2000 | Warranty: 5 years on parts, 3 years on the in-house build
RackPRO 5
Weight: 35kg | $1500.00 | Warranty: 2 years
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I've fabbed up my own rack so not in anyway affiliated with any of these racks as they are just plain out of my budget for a secondary rack i only use for shuttle days. As a competent fabricator it cost me less than $200 in material and a days work but have learnt alot from it.
Top racks in my mind are
Single trails :Best pivot design, Electro plating ,really solid build integrated anti rattle
Rack Pro : No BS solid design and cheaper price with included lights.
Velocirax: integrated anti rattle, good pivot function, doesn't look as sturdy as others and poor tie down system and chinese made.
Most of the difference between all these racks is much of a muchness and functionality can easily be replicate (height adjustment, wheel tray spacing and angle, tie down system and basic anti rattle hitch and tail lights.) but what sets the single trails rack apart is a properly engineered pivot system
Any rack that pivots around a bolt with no bearings and requires you to undo some bolts or pull out a pin will be a pain to use as it will constantly bind. When it gets worn in a little there will be slop in the pin joint and will rattle forward and backward. Electroplating is also really nice as painted racks can easily chip and rust as the years go by. If i needed pivot i would get the singletrails.
Alot of these racks are far heavier than they have to be because of all the extra bracing and material thickness to account for the bolt together design (most likely for shipping) where alot of weight could be saved if it was just welded. I'm not a fan of the deathrig rack personally, but am a massive fan of the customisability. as the saying goes anyone can build a bridge that stands but it takes an engineer to build a bridge that barely stands. They have gone for expensive /exotic material. The intricate shapes on 10mm plate steel = high wastage and expensive raw materials Bloody heavy too. 3mm wall on hitch section and can easily get away with 2-2.5mm wall thickness for top and bottom support tubes.
Good insights! We've heard from a number of people who have made their own racks.
Hi there, fabulous video so cheers it was so helpful and straight to the point.
Im sure you mentioned shingleback had load assist and can accommodate trikes? Love a review or and more info for recumbent trikes , they’re starting to finally ne noticed more
most brands have options for lifting and carrying trikes - often full custom. GripSport certainly offer this in their new range, Shingleback can no doubt fab up whatever suits, as can Dirty Possum - and potentially more. Tha majority of the racks are made here in Australia and most brands will be open to modification to suit your needs. Our tip? Find the manufacturer closest to where you are based - and get in touch.
Hey Guys, the Alpine Adventure Rack blows them all out of the water for bang for buck. Better priced than the lot of them with all the tilitng and mulit configuration features and with a built in hitch lock. Not the crappy added anti-rattle supplied clamp. 🤘
Never seen it! Drop us a link
Great video review of the available options.
Would have really liked you to provide a summary of which one to buy and why and what the shortfalls of each are.
That was all in our print feature - those reviews will be online soon. But we can't tell you which to buy, you need to pick the one whos features suit you the best.
Great video but just trying to work out the 60% overhang issue. You had a Isuzu MUX which has a wheel base of 2845 and a rear overhang of 1075. 60% of 2845 is 1707 so that only leaves 632mm from the rear bumper to the furthest extent of the loaded bike rack? I really can't see how any of these racks comply unless I have misunderstood somehow. If the measurement was kust to the bike rack then i could see that they should all comply but I thought it has to include the loaded bike as well??
Great reviews but can you do a follow up review to look at:
1. Ease of attaching/ detaching from the hitch.
2. Security. What locking options are available (for bikes and hitch
3. For shorter persons, which is more user friendly
4. Storage options when not in use
5. Plate and light options. You’ve mentioned some but many look crap and not very secure
6. Can you provide the review as a spreadsheet summary?
Many Thanks
We won't be doing another video sorry, it's just too expensive to execute.
1. The Singletrail and Velocirac are easiest to attach/detach, as covered in their reviews.
2. None have truly secure enough locking option for bikes to rack - invest in a good lock.
3. Anything that raises/lowers with assistance will be better if shorter, but it depends on the vehicle just as much. Singletrail, Velocirax and Shingleback stand out here.
4. Most offer mounts or trolleys, Velocirax include a wall mount. They all take up serious real estate.
5. RackPro have build in lights. All else attach and how secure they are is down to the user. This won't change due to this type of rack and where bikes sit.
6. The review online has summary elements.
Thanks!
What brand of light/ number plate board would be good for the velocirax?
They all attach in the same sort of fashion. Dirty Possum's are very well priced.
Be nice if you did an additional piece on the garage storage options. Also how the hell to people handle these things?? I just got a swing arm version and it’s so heavy. Feel like it needs a purpose built trolley to get these racks on and off the car.
Seems like they are great once on your car but getting them on and off from garage is much more difficult than first anticipated
@@gregbaud158 you do need to have some room to store them, that's for sure. Quite a few of the brands make storage trolleys, and the Velocirax comes with a wall mount included so you can use the rack for storage - if you have the wall space. This was a very time intensive test so we kept the wall mounts out of it but did mention the fact they're big and heavy in the intro.
Never mind the bubble wrap marks on the death rack, is that rust I see on the upper upper bar where it joins the hoop brackets ?
That will be the death of it !
Where's the Yakima hangover? I saw it at the start and watched to the end but no Yakima. Is it any good?
WE had a couple of mistakes in filming with that one so opted not to include it. Like all Yakima products it's well made - but the mounting style requires higher lifting, and we find their secondary mounting position in the laid back angle to create clearance for many vehicles won't be legally functional for almost any driver - but it depends on your choice of adhering to road rules. For lighter bikes (sub 16kf), and use with a ute or sedan - it's a very, very good value rack.
Do Shingleback advise that a bike rack should not exceed 60% of the total tow bar down load capacity?
Shingleback have a huge range of advice and use cases on their website.
Is that 8 or 9 racks reviewed?
Too soon! We had a snafu with some filming - so 8 here (9 in our print issue)
That’s helpful
Reading up on the 60% overhang rule and taking some measurements; it seems pretty unworkable. No car, ute or 4wd that i have measured can take a vertical rack and comply.
It comes down to the vehicle, rack and bikes. A few of the brands come with different mounting options or custom options as noted. That'll make the difference for many vehicles.
Every rack is illegal. Even with out the bikes the rack overhangs more than the 60%
Notice no measurements were shown in the videos.
@@peterose9672 this is actually purely incorrect. No rack we tested exceeded the overhang limit without the bikes. You really should be wary of spreading misinformation. Anyone concerned should watch our explanation of how to determine the overhang limit for your vehicle - and contact the manufacturer of the rack which seems like a good fit for you. Most will be able to give you an approximate idea of best fit - but you also need to know the size of your bike, in terms of height.
@@Australianmountainbike I'm trying to wrap my head around this. Does this reg mean that 2-, 3-, or 4-bike platform style racks are illegal in Australia?
@@ryansteadley9727 no rack is illegal in its own right. It depends on the vehicle it is fitted on and the wheelbase it has. If you plug your vehicle model into google to search the wheel base, you'll get a number. Then multiply that by 0.6. Measure that out from the centre of your rear wheel, and that's the distance you can legally have extending from your car. Be it a ladder or kayak on the roof, or bikes and a bike rack on the back. 2 bike platforms are usually ok, some VBR if they can lean in a little and depending where the hitch is. But it is wholly reliant on the vehicle and how it fits with the rack, not the rack in and of itself.
So get your measurement, check the dimensions of said rack, and then the dimensions of your bikes. Either for height (VBR) or bar width (tray style)
Why do bike people continue to wear their helmets, glasses, gloves etc even when not riding ? Separation anxiety ? 😂
We were on and off bikes all day from 7-4pm - paid to not lose them, and be a little more time efficient.