Which bike carrier to choose in 2025? Beware of the vertical load!

The choice of a bike carrier to transport your bike has become a particularly complex affair, especially since brands are now competing in solutions for fixing and manipulation or storage of the bike carrier. Price, attachment on trailer or tailgate, bicycle reception capacity, folding for storage, disengagement to open the trunk without undoing the bike carrier, the settings to be taken into account are numerous. To those there is the weight of bikes. With the VAE avalanche (electric bikes) on the market, it becomes crucial to know in advance how many bikes and above all what total weight you will load on your bike carrier. In addition to taking into account the largest bicycle tire width that you will install, because the rails do not necessarily have the capacity to accommodate all types of bikes. The biggest mountain biking like fatbikes, for example, will not go on any bike carrier.

Are bicycle holders sure?

The Touring Club Switzerland (TCS) carried out a full-scale test of about fifteen bike carriers available on the market in 2025. The club, which has its own test circuit, notably made avoidance maneuvers at 90 km/h to check the stability of the bike carrier and if the bikes held in place in the event of important side forces. First teaching: all of the products from major brands have resisted the avoidance tests. No worries, therefore, in terms of security even if you have to make sure you have tight or fixed the bike carrier on the team. Some models require more strength than others, even if the “Fix4bike” system remains which allows you to fix your bike carrier effortlessly and without the risk of having mistaken. But not all bike holders are endowed.

What purchasing criteria for a bike carrier?

The other purchase criteria are variable: the number of rails, the width of the rails (for tires, as explained above), but also the bicycle attach system: strap, or clamp. Be careful to check that all your bikes can be mounted because some have wide section ward frames which will not necessarily be compatible with the pliers, for example. What is more, be very careful with carbon frames which should not be too tight (composite like carbon does not like direct compression or tightening constraints) too high). In this sense, the strap seems to be a better system. Also pay attention to the shape of your frame: mountain bikes or very open “swan neck” bikes with a higher tube called “sloping” are not suitable for all bike holders. Be careful when choosing it.

Finally, bicycle holders can present interesting options such as the presence of an anti-theft system (for bikes, as for the bike carrier), or the very practical ability to fall back to open your trunk without having to undo everything.

Which bike carrier to choose?

If you were to give you only one advice, it would be to test the bike carrier in a real situation before the purchase. Of course, in the event of an internet order, it is not possible but if you have a distributor or a specialized store near you, take tests. It will be a good way to avoid buying a bike carrier that would not have all the characteristics adapted to your use and your bikes.

Know that all the bike holders mentioned here are well noted on the security level. The difference on the final note is made on the quality of the product (materials, tolerances …) and on the ease of use, in particular on ergonomics and weight. The security aspect having been weighted on 20 % of the final note. On the price side, the amounts range from 359 to more than 830 Swiss francs, or nearly € 900. Overall, the Premier Prix models are the least rated for questions of product quality.

Beware of vertical load

A team being especially designed to draw more than to lift, it naturally has greater resistance to traction than to the support force. It is a very important parameter to take into account before the purchase of a bike carrier. All the bars sold in the trade have a payload, indicated on the technical sheet. For most models tested by the TCS, it is about 60 kg. To this must be added the weight of the bishop holder, and you will get the maximum weight of the system supported by the team. For example, a bike carrier which has a payload of 60 kg and which weighs 15 kg will give you a total of 75 kg. Then check what the maximum vertical load of your team is. “Generally located between 50 and 80 kilos, the load is indicated directly on the identification plate of the team under the letter S,” recalls in particular Renault. If your 75 kg are less than the vertical load admitted, you are within the standards of approval.