Are you looking for a 4 bike rack? Visualize yourself cruising down the highway, on the way to a family holiday down the coast.
This holiday is the first where you managed to fit you, your family and the bikes in.
Why? Because you have a fancy 4 bike carrier with your whole families bikes, mounted proudly on the back end of your SUV.
Now can you see yourself stopping for a gas refill and quickly wanting to get a change of clothes out the back because one of your kids just got sick and needs to get cleaned up? Wait, you can't get in...
your bikes are in the way so now you left with a very unhappy and somewhat foul smelling kid and the only way into the back of the car, is to take all 4 bikes off, get what you want, reload them and hit the road.
A bit too time consuming don't you think? Problem number 1 and how to avoid it.
What type of trunk does your vehicle have? If it's a hatch back, and you are going to need access to the back, forget the trunk mount option and get a hitch receiver fitted and then go for the hitch bike racks.
They are a lot sturdier.
If you have a swing away side door, then there are also models in this range that you can swing away letting you get in and out of the back.
There is one other model that claims that you can lower the bike rack to perform the same action.
But, the one thing (in the fine print) is that you cannot lower it when the bikes are loaded! For me, I would usually need access when I am on my way somewhere, with my bikes and am packing into the trunk.
What about you? Of course the truck bed bike rack would eliminate all these problems, but then you can't really fit you and the kiddies in too! Is the 4 bike rack carrier suited to all types and makes of cars? Yes and no! It depends on what maker you buy.
The commonly known brands which carry 4 bikes include Allen, Yakima, Hollywood.
These brands produce both hitch mount and trunk mount bike racks.