Now that we are traveling more and taking both our bikes with us, we needed a heavy-duty rack to handle my eBike along with my husband’s “old-fashioned” one. My Lectric eBike spent the trip from Arizona to Minnesota folded up in the back of the car, but I wanted the seats back! I called Lectric eBikes to get a recommendation on a rack for their bikes. They suggested the RV Rider bike rack by Hollywood Racks.
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“Buy the best and only cry once”
There is an amazing array of bike racks out there. With the popularity of eBikes, there are even more than I would have expected. The RV Rider is pricey and I needed to do research and due diligence before buying it. Hollywood Racks was highly rated in all the bicycle articles, bike rack reviews and with owners, so we decided to give it a try. The RV Rider is designed for safety and strength. I had read so many reviews of lesser racks that bent the first time out. It is available from Amazon.
RV Rider is designed for RVs and electric bikes
I combed through Hollywood Racks’ lineup of bike racks and found that the RV Rider model was made specifically for eBikes and for use on motorhomes, fifth wheels, or a vehicle being flat towed. The RV Rider is hitch-mounted and designed to handle the extra weight of electric bikes. My husband has a standard lightweight bike, but my electric one weighs in at 61 pounds. The rack is not lightweight, either, and weighs in at 63.5 lbs.
The RV Rider requires a minimum Class III 2″ receiver hitch and can’t be used with a 1 1/4″ – 2″ hitch adapter or with a bumper mount hitch adapter. This particular model is not recommended for pull-behind travel trailers or pop-ups.
- Made from high grade steel, not aluminum or plastic
- Fits fat tires up to 5”.
- Frame grabbers fit a range of 1” – 2”.
- Double-walled receiver tube.
- Two bike capacity—max 80 lbs. each.
- Maximum wheelbase 60”.
- Minimum wheelbase 36”.
- Ratchet wheel holders.
- Keyed alike hitch pin, 8 ft. security cable.
- Can be used on front hitches.
- Not for gasoline bikes, trikes, mopeds, motorcycles, or scooters.
- Weight 63.5 lbs.
- Lifetime warranty.
Assembly
The box was heavy and was shipped via UPS. It is heavy duty to be able to carry two electric bikes up to 80 lbs each! The additional weight and strength helps overcome 5th wheel and flat towing sway.
It came with a lot of parts. I was glad my non-instruction-reading husband asked his buddy over for lunch and installation. His friend reads the instructions and checked each step and every part off the instruction page as they used them. The instructions are clear and easy to follow. Hollywood Racks also has a video to follow if instruction reading is just not happening.
Installation
It is heavy and unwieldy, but my husband and I together can easily lift the assembled rack and put it in the hitch receiver. I liked that there is a lock for the hitch pin so someone can’t just take the whole rack with bikes. Although I think loaded with the bikes they would need a forklift!
Note- hitch tighteners are essential at every hitch connection point. Hitch tighteners are not installed at all three hitch connections yet in the assembly photos. The photo below shows a hitch tightener at the first connection point of the dual hitch receiver to the motorhome.
Securing the bikes
Big tires and fat tires fit! They even have adapters for smaller tires. We used an adapter on the rear eBike to lift it off the chain. The ratchet straps secure the wheels and the frame clamps securely hold the bike. The frame clamps even lock!
Safety straps are included to secure bikes to the rack. There is also an additional set included to secure the rack to the RV’s frame.
Storing
The rack folds up when not in use, although folding it does mean unscrewing and replacing knobs, washers and bolts. Hollywood racks uses the bolts rather than release springs so that all moving parts are as tight as possible.
Modification is NOT recommended
Note: Modification is NOT recommended by Hollywood Racks. However, we have seen several motorhomes using this modification. Until we get a flat tow vehicle that has a hitch (our little KIA can’t even have a hitch installed) we are mounting the rack on the motorhome and then towing the car. If a Monoco can do it, why not us?
Dual hitch receiver
We had some trouble finding a dual hitch receiver long enough to not hit the fiberglass on the back of the motorhome that was rated high enough for the weight of the rack and towing capacity for the car. I ended up ordering one through our tow bar company, but it didn’t work. So I combed the internet and Amazon to find one secure enough.
Safety cables
Once we installed the tow bar to the dual hitch, we realized that the safety cables were too short. A quick search on Amazon proved we were not the first ones with this issue, and we were able to order safety cable extenders. We decided that paying double for the Demo brand of cables was worth it. We’re still working on the brake install, but that will be by a professional, not us.
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Now you just have to hope you don’t get a citation from police for blocking your license plate…. Yes, it is illegal in most States to obscure your license plate in any way.
I have a Motow rack which is the best rack made. It runs circles around this rack.
Great review!
Nice info on Hollywood bike rack. I installed one 3 years ago to carry my Fat tire Bagi Bike e-bike and my wife’s E-tricycle on my Airstream Interstate 19. The 2” hitch tongue weight is rated for 500 lbs.
More than enough to handle the weight of the rack and bikes.
Easy installation, bike mounting and folding when not in use. Great quality!
Tiffin Phaeton
$1000 Lectric eBikes
$600 bike rack.
Must be nice to be rich, Nanci! 😉
Maybe they’re not rich, Joe. Maybe they’re just enjoying the fruits of their labor after working their adult lives, spending and saving wisely, and are now retired (from their previous jobs). Plus, they’re still working so that they can enjoy their so-called retirement. Also, and I shouldn’t assume, I’m betting they sold their fully-paid-for home and invested in a motorhome so they could be full-time RVers. (Please correct me if I’m wrong on any of this, Nanci.) Maybe you were just being facetious, Joe, but with some of your previous comments it was hard to tell. My response to your comment about “Must be nice to be rich, Nanci!” could be, “I’m sorry you’re poor, Joe.” (I’m being facetious.) Have a good night. 🙂 Diane
Hi Joe,
Boy- wish I was rich! As Diane noted below we sold our house and bought a motorhome. (Not a good investment strategy but a good live your best life strategy!) Being full-time RVers and camp hosts with site paid allows us some of the luxuries now that we could have never afforded with mortgage and kids. It is our best life!
We have a saying DONT JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER. we get that same thing. Because we own outright a lance2 slide camper. And put it on our 2002ford f350 truck that we made into a dually. I applaud you for you living your dream
I have this rack. It’s a Hollywood Rack HR1700 that I ordered in late 2020 and it took 6-months to get as they were backordered. This rack, according to the manufacturer, will carry two 80 lb fat tire ebikes. I ordered from etrailer.com.
I absolutely love this rack as they have thought out all the details. I carry a “Juiced” “RipCurrent S” ebike that weighs around 75 pounds but load and carry it with the battery (+/- 12 lbs) and seat removed. This setup is VERY secure/stable when going down the road as I watch it when driving the Jeep for bounce or sway. I drive a Class A diesel pusher flat towing a Jeep Wrangler with the rack on the back of the Jeep. Along with a slightly elongated hitch receiver on the Jeep, this rack affords plenty of clearance with the spare tire but prevents me from getting into the back of the Jeep. That’s one negative I have, and the other is that the rack is heavy when placing it into the receiver. Otherwise, it’s a GREAT ebike rack.
Typical of most bike racks that they make you obscure your license plate. A good excuse to pull you over and so you can donate to the local economy.
Just be aware that a bike rack attached to a hitch receiver on a TRAVEL TRAILER is not recommended. The subtle sway of the camper puts a stress on the joints of the rack possibly leading to catastrophic failure of the rack. I’ve read many social media posts of this happening. Have followed campers with wildly swaying bikes and got around them as I didn’t want to avoid a possibly catastrophic accident.
I would suggest you get a really good waterproof cover for the bikes. Hopefully one that closes at the bottom as well.
I worry about water infiltration on my $2k of bikes. Lectric warns about excess water damage. They are only rated for light splashing during rides (puddles and light rain). The amount of water during a torrential downpour or even a long period of wet roads at 60mph is going to soak anything on the back of the RV to it’s core!
The cover will also hide what you have and may prevent theft as well.
Because of the cost of the racks, the water issue and security we are using HD wheeled totes in the back of our minivan.
The 75qt wheeled HD tote (red & black) were $50 each. The only heavy lifting is putting the folded bike in the tote. It wheels around very easy and one person can load simply by lifting one end on the back of the minivan then lifting the other end and rolling it in.
Thanks- we bought a Team Obsidian bike cover and so far so good. We have had some heavy rains in Minnesota and the bikes are staying dry.
Having had my two bikes fall off and bend my cheap rack causing $500 dollars damage to the one bike after falling off not once but twice can you say nightmare ? bought a $350 dollar rack and now I add extra straps, made a trip from Ohio to Virgina without incident, lesson learned, so advice to a novice spend the big bucks and get a great bike rack it will pay off in the long run. When I went to the bike shop and explained what happened they said oh hauling bikes behind a travel trailer is the worst thing you can do, they bounce around to much and will work straps loose.
To each his own. Having had that style, if you plan to keep your bikes long term, all of the pieces that are attached using those plastic twist nobs that do not require readjustment once set, need to be replaced with bolts, flat washers and lock nuts. Those twist nobs will eventually jiggle loose.