You can easily get a ticket if your taillights are not clearly visible. That’s why it makes sense to buy a rack that does not do it. The good news is that there are plenty of them on the market so it won’t be a challenge.
Keep in mind buying a rack that does not cover taillights:
- There are two rack types that do not cover taillights: roof racks obviously do not do it and some hitch racks with additional taillights,
- You have to have a trailer hitch to install a hitch rack and crossbars if we are talking about roof racks,
- For really heavy bikes you will probably need a hitch racks, whereas for bikes up to 45 lb roof racks will get the job done as well,
- How many bikes do you need to carry? It is possible to accommodate up to 5 bikes on the roof, whereas most hitch racks have 4 bikes limit,
- Don’t buy a frame contact rack for expensive (especially carbon frame) bikes. Go for a rack that secures bikes either by the wheel(s) or by the fork to avoid scratches.
As an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases if you click on my links (I would really appreciate it). Anyway, all ratings are not paid directly or not and are based on my personal experience. I hope you will enjoy the products. Thank you!
Best roof racks that do not cover taillights
All roof racks do not cover taillights by their nature. However, they were not created equal so some models are much better than others. In the list below you can find only the best roof racks which make you happy.
Yakima HighRoad – Best roof rack overall (especially for fat-tire bikes)
- Type of mount: wheel
- Max bike weight: 45 lb (20.4 kg)
- Wheel size (diameter): 26” to 29” (66 to 74 cm)
- Max tire size (width): 4″
- Max wheelbase: 48″ (122 cm)
- Crossbar spread: between 18″ and 36″
- Empty rack weight: 18 lb (8.2 kg)
- Rack-to-vehicle lock: Yes (sold separately)
- Bike-to-rack lock: Yes
- No frame contact
The Yakima HighRoad is a heavy-duty bike rack that provides a safe, secure and convenient way to transport your bike on your vehicle. It also carries bikes with a weight capacity of up to 45 pounds. The HighRoad is available with or without crossbars, it requires no assembly and can be installed in under three minutes with no tools!
Key Takeaways
- Definitely worth the money because of premium quality and useful features,
- No wobbling at all as the whole construction is extremely sturdy,
- Lifting a bike up might be challenging or impossible for some people,
- This bike rack is highly recommended for expensive bikes because of no frame contact. As a result, your bikes won’t get scratches,
- The best choice for fat-tire bikes (in comparison with other roof racks).
PROS
- Premium quality overall
- Straightforward installation
- Both rack and bike are very robust
- Can carry quite heavy bikes
- Can carry most bikes (including fat-tire)
- Does not block trunk access
- Does not cover license frame and taillights
- Locks are included
- Won’t scratch your bikes (no frame mounting)
- Won’t damage your car
- Universal (compatible with most crossbars)
- You don’t have to remove the wheel
CONS
- The whole system is expensive (since it requires crossbars)
- Keep in mind that loading a bike requires some muscles
- 10-20% mileage reduction
Thule Upride – Premium roof rack for Thule crossbars
- Type of mount: wheel
- Max bike weight: 44 lb (20 kg)
- Wheel size (diameter): 20” to 29” (51 to 74 cm)
- Max tire size (width): 3″ (5″ with adapter)
- Max wheelbase: 51″ (130 cm)
- Empty rack weight: 17 lb (7.7 kg)
- Rack-to-vehicle lock: Yes (sold separately)
- Bike-to-rack lock: Yes
- No frame contact
The Thule Upride is a bike rack designed for heavy-duty crossbars that will keep your bike safe and secure. The Upride is made from aluminum and fits only Thule crossbar systems, making it the ideal choice for a bike rack on your SUV or crossover. The Upride also includes a rubberized coating which provides a sure grip with no frame contact mounting.
Key Takeaways
- Premium quality materials make this rack worth the money spent,
- No wobbling since a bike will be properly secured by the wheel,
- It does not block the trunk access obviously but lifting bikes up can be challenging for some people,
- A good rack for those who have no problems with lifting up 20-40 lb,
- An awesome rack for expensive bikes since it won’t damage your bikes due to zero frame contact.
PROS
- Premium quality materials
- You don’t have to remove the front wheel
- Easy to assemble and install
- The rack itself and a bike will be very sturdy
- Can carry most bike types
- Does not block your trunk access
- Locks included (not that reliable)
- Does not cover license plate and taillights
- Won’t damage your bike (zero frame mounting)
- Low risk of damaging your car
- Looks modern
CONS
- Quite expensive given that it requires crossbars and can carry only 1 bike
- It might not be that easy to load bikes
- For fat-tire bike you need to buy an adapter
- Not universal (fits Thule crossbars only)
- 10-20% mileage reduction
Yakima ForkLift – Premium roof rack for not heavy bikes
- Type of mount: fork
- Max bike weight: 35 lb (15.9 kg)
- Wheel size (diameter): 20” to 29” (51 to 74 cm)
- Max tire size (width): 3″
- Max wheelbase: 48″ (122 cm)
- Crossbar spread: between 16″ and 42″
- Empty rack weight: 7 lb (3.2 kg)
- Rack-to-vehicle lock: Yes
- Bike-to-rack lock: Yes (sold separately)
- No frame contact
Yakima ForkLift is a bike rack that mounts your bike on top of your vehicle. It’s made from alloy steel, and requires crossbars to install this rack. All bikes that are under 35 lbs will fit on ForkLift, and the fork of the bike will be raised up to allow easy access for loading and unloading, or for securing with a bungee cord.
Key Takeaways
- This is a really light and well made fork-mounted rack,
- The whole construction is super sturdy (zero wobbling),
- You have to be ready to remove the front wheel each time you would like to transport a bike,
- This bike rack is designed to carry rather lightweight bikes (up to 35 lb). Except for this limitation, it can fit basically all bikes,
- The rack is amazing for carrying expensive or carbon frame bikes since no frame contact ensures no scratches.
PROS
- Premium quality overall
- Easy to assemble and install
- Your bike will be super sturdy
- Most bikes will fit
- Easy trunk access
- Won’t obscure license plate and taillights
- No frame contact mounting ensures no scratches
- Negligible risk of damaging your car
- Universal since it fits most crossbars
CONS
- The whole system is expensive (requires crossbars)
- Can’t carry heavy bikes
- The front wheel must be removed each road trip
- Expect 10-20% mileage reduction
Thule TopRide – Premium roof rack, super sturdy
- Type of mount: fork
- Max bike weight: 40 lb (18.1 kg)
- Wheel size (diameter): 29” (74 cm)
- Max tire size (width): 3″
- Max wheelbase: 49.2″ (125 cm)
- Empty rack weight: 7.7 lb (3.5 kg)
- Rack-to-vehicle lock: Yes (sold separately)
- Bike-to-rack lock: Yes
- No frame contact
Thule TopRide bike rack fits almost all bikes up to 40 lb, with a fork mounted by the crossbars. The bike is attached by the fork, which allows you to easily remove it without leaving any marks on your bike. It’s not meant for carrying more than one bike, but no matter how many you carry, the rack is strong enough to handle the load.
Key Takeaways
- Premium fork-mounted rack with nice design,
- A bike will super sturdy on the rack since it will me secured by the fork,
- Quite easy to load a bike on. The only thing you will ave to do is to remove the front wheel,
- This rack is perfect for basically all bikes (fat-tire, women’s, kid’s, etc.). Expensive or carbon frame bikes won’t get scratched.
PROS
- Very well made
- Easy to assemble and install
- A bike will be super sturdy on the rack
- Universal (fits most bikes)
- Does not block trunk access
- Does not obscure license plate and taillights
- Locks included
- Won’t damage your car
- Looks good
- Won’t scratch your bikes (no frame mounting)
CONS
- Quite pricey as it requires crossbars to be installed
- You have to remove the front wheel each time
- Can’t carry really heavy bikes
- 10-20% mileage reduction
Swagman Standard – Budget roof rack for carrying not heavy bikes
- Type of mount: fork
- Max bike weight: 35 lb (15.9 kg)
- Wheel size (diameter): 29” (74 cm)
- Max tire size (width): 3″
- Max wheelbase: 48″ (122 cm)
- Empty rack weight: 6.6 lb (3 kg)
- Rack-to-vehicle lock: No
- Bike-to-rack lock: No
- No frame contact
The Swagman Standard is a quick and easy way to bring your bike along when you’re on the go. It’s strong, lightweight aluminum construction ensures that your bike is securely held in place – no frame contact means no scratching or damage to your bike. The Standard secures by the fork and has a strap to keep it securely in place.
Key Takeaways
- This rack gets the job done and does not cost all money in the world,
- Even it is rather cheap, it quite reliable and properly secures a bike,
- The installation is not that straightforward due to unclear instructions,
- This rack can carry most bikes under 35 lb. The width of the tire must not exceed 3″,
- Won’t scratch your bikes thanks to zero frame mounting.
PROS
- Very affordable
- Decent quality overall
- Quite sturdy
- Can carry most bikes
- Does not cover license plate and taillights
- Zero frame contact
- Low risk of damaging your car
- Fits most crossbars
CONS
- Not that easy to assemble
- Can’t carry heavy bikes
- No locks
- Be ready for 10-20% mileage reduction
- You have to remove the front wheel to load a bike
- A bit noisy
Swagman Upright – Affordable roof rack for not expensive bikes
- Type of mount: frame
- Max bike weight: 35 lb (15.9 kg)
- Wheel size (diameter): 29” (74 cm)
- Max tire size (width): 3″
- Max wheelbase: 54″ (137 cm)
- Empty rack weight: 5 lb (2.3 kg)
- Rack-to-vehicle lock: No
- Bike-to-rack lock: No
Swagman’s Upright Bike Rack is an easy-to-install, versatile and secure bike rack that will carry up to 35 lbs in weight and fits most crossbars. Featuring aluminum construction, this bike rack can be installed on most crossbars in minutes without the need for any tools.
Key Takeaways
- This is not the best rack on the planet but it is very cheap in comparison,
- To properly secure your bike you will probably need to use extra straps,
- It is fairly easy to load bikes on given that a bike can be heavier than 35 lb,
- This rack is quite universal as most bikes will fit,
- I would not recommend this rack for carrying expensive bikes (especially carbon frame) since it will scratch your bikes because of frame mounting.
PROS
- Very affordable
- Reasonable quality for a cheap rack
- Easy to install
- Can carry most bikes (including fat-tire)
- Does not obscure license frame and taillights
- Won’t damage your car (opposite to cheap trunk racks)
- Fits most crossbars
CONS
- A bike won’t be secure out of the box (you have to strap it)
- Can’t carry heavy bikes
- No locks
- Frame contact mounting (expect scratches)
- 10-20% mileage reduction
- A bit noisy
Best hitch rack with additional taillights
Thule EasyFold XT (2)- Premium hitch rack
- Max number of bikes: 2
- Max bike weight: 65 lb (29.5 kg)
- Total load capacity: 130 lb (59 kg)
- Wheel size (diameter): 29″ (74 cm)
- Max tire size (width): 3″ (4.7″ with an adapter)
- Max wheelbase: 51″ (130 cm)
- Empty rack weight: 45 lb (20.4 kg)
- Rack-to-vehicle lock: Yes
- Bike-to-rack lock: Yes
- Hitch receiver size: 1.25″ and 2″ both compatible (class 2-4)
- Tilt function (easy trunk access): Yes
Thule EasyFold XT is the ultimate bike carrier for carrying two bikes with a hitch receiver of size 1.25″ or 2″. The bike frame is locked in place by the frame to prevent accidental leaning, and the folded rail provides extra security. The tough, high-quality aluminum construction lets you easily carry heavy bikes (up to 65 lbs each).
Key Takeaways
- Great choice if you are not on a budget (very high quality overall and many useful features so it is worth the money),
- No hitch or bikes wobbling,
- This rack is very easy to use (both bikes mounting and access of the trunk) so it is perfect for outdoor enthusiasts who will use it often,
- Perfect choice for not fat-tire heavy bikes,
- I would not recommend it for fat-tire bikes since it won’t be much space between bikes,
- I would not recommend it for carbon frame and other expensive bikes as it might leave scratches.
PROS
- Premium quality materials (rust-resistant)
- Super easy to install (no assembly required)
- Bikes and rack itself are very sturdy
- Has additional taillights and license plate frame
- No risk of damaging your car
- Won’t reduce your mileage much
- Bike rack to the receiver lock included
- Can carry really heavy bikes
- Bike loading ramp (no heavy lifting required)
- Foot pedal tilt (trunk access with bikes mounted)
- Fits both 1.25″ and 2″ receivers
- Compact since it is fully foldable
CONS
- Quite expensive
- Bikes to the rack locks are not reliable
- Clearance between fat-tire bikes could be better
- Frame contact (not recommended for expensive bikes)