Roof Bike Racks
Let customers speak for us
I took the CRAVOT CyberRack E2 Hitch Bike Rack out for the first good test, an 800-km (500-mile) trip into British Columbia to ride some of the B.C. trails.
The rack held up very well and I would recommend it.
My friend and I both have large fat-tire eBikes, including a four-inch, 64-pounder and a 4.8-inch, 77 pound bike — that’s without the batteries!
I owned the Thule T2 Pro XTR, which was a great bike rack, but I was pushing the weight limit with my 64-pound bike as that rack only has a 60-pound-per-bike maximum weight limit. Even though that rack is designed to hold two eBikes, in reality it can’t hold two heavier fat-tire ebikes, even though it can handle that tire size, it can’t handle the weight.
Going on a trip with two eBikes was not an option as it would have saw us putting 141 pounds on the Thule rack, which has a limit of 120 pounds.
So, I sold my Thule and began my search for a hitch rack cable of carrying two heavy eBikes and stumbled upon the CRAVOT rack. Seemed to have everything I want, so I had one shipped to Canada.
The rack assembled well, in about 30 minutes, with reasonably clear instructions and great fit on the parts and bolt alignment.
First thing I noticed was the parts were mostly heavy steel; I understood how this rack could handle 200 pounds! I installed the rack on my truck’s two-inch hitch receiver with the threaded pin and pin lock and with a bit of effort we rolled the two eBikes up the ramp and into the tire guides, tightened up the click straps and within about 15 minutes we were on our way.
First thing I noticed was the rack rode very smooth and sold on my truck hitch, with limited bounce and no sway. Great bonus!
The rack rode solid and tight throughout the trip with one minor issue.
So, here’s what I like about this rack and some areas where I think the rack can be improved.
What I like
• Customer Service was solid
• Solid build with good fit on the parts
• Rack folds up tight on the vehicle when not in use
• Minimal wobble on the rack once locked into hitch receiver with screw in, lockable hitch pin (anti-wobble is a must for any hitch bike rack)
• Three mounting points (front tire, rear tire and seat post) give bike a safer, tighter hold
• Screw in, threaded, locking hitch pin to keep things tight, eliminating wobble and inhibiting rack theft
• Deep tire pockets really hold the front tires in deep and solid, reducing movement of bike
• Ramp is great to help roll heavy bikes up to the wheel rails, especially on a truck that has a hitch receiver that fits high off the ground
• Ramp mounts on rack, which is a bonus as you do not have to store it in your vehicle
• Rear wheel chock helps to eliminate bike from rolling backwards
• Click straps make it quick and easy to lock the bike tires down to the wheel track
• Adjustable, up-down seat post mounting grip also has a swivel adjustment to create
Areas for improvement
• My biggest request for improvement is the need to add a tilt-down feature to the rack as my tailgate would not open all the way with the rack in its flat position, which was a bit of a pain point
• The rack is quite heavy at 75 pounds, so a tad challenging to fit in your hitch-receiver if you are doing this on your own, so it would be great if some parts, such as wheel rails, front wheel holders and seat fastener tubes could be made out of aluminum to cut down on weight
• Rear wheel chocks need to be improved as tightening the lockdown screw pin is difficult to turn and lock in tight due to the design, so rear wheel pressure could lead to the chock sliding back
• The two ramp pins that fasten the ramp to the tire rails should be longer the do not insert far enough into the bike rails, so if you are not careful the ramp could easily slip out of the ramp rail and possibly disconnect entirely while loading or unloading a bike
• Need lock washers on the screws that hold the wheel straps in place on the rails as road vibration and wiggle those screws loose.
• When folded in the upright position, there needs to be a way to lock down the square seat locking tubes as they will bang into the back of your hatch or tailgate when you are on a bumpy road. I used my own Velcro straps to hold them in place.
Overall, I would give this rack 4.5 stars out of five based on general design, build quality and a great price, which comes in at one-third to half the price on other hitch racks capable of carrying two heavy eBikes.
A few small improvements and this rack could be the best eBike rack on the market!
Easy to assemble, very sturdy and easy to lock in bikes for transport. I am 70 years old and no longer have to lift bikes onto the bed of my truck.
Arrived quickly. Assembled easily.
The rack has excellent design, welds, fit and finish. The rack is very stable with locking pin tightened. I appreciate the smart ramp design and storage. This is a premium rack at a great price.
This is well built, very solid - and quite heavy. My only negative is the pin through the hitch screws through the rack, with a lock at the other end - very secure but makes it a longer and dirtier job to attach or remove. Install quite straightforward though I had to get You Tube help for attaching the uprights - attach them in the "down" position which makes installing the semi-circular washers easier.
Ce support est très bien très solide mais la rampe arrière en mode transport est très lousse et fait du bruit donc je la met dans le coffre de mon véhicule. Il se lève mais se baisse pas pour ouvrir la porte arrière lorsqu’il a des vélos mais je l’aime bien et je le recommande.
It’s a really well made and strong bike rack that is a good price.
I am impressed with all aspects of the product and the delivery of it. The unit packaging was robust.. not just thrown together like some suppliers.
Assembly was straight forward. The product is well designed and loading our 70 lb bikes takes minimal effort. Very satisfied so far 👍
The CRAVOT CyberRack E1 Hitch Bike Rack with the loading ramp is very convenient and a great way to load my e-bike. The only thing I would have liked was that the bike rack has a folding feature like the E2 model.
Solid, well built rack for heavy e-bikes. Easy assembly. Weight capacity and ramp are perfect for us. The rack is heavy, but needed to hold excess weight of e-bikes. Well priced compared to other racks and delivery was on time. 5 stars.
It is very good quality bike carrier, before purchasing, I had a conversation with their support him, asking them for a recommendation. My emails were replied every time. transaction was a breeze and bike carrier was delivered within two weeks.
I shopped around for over a year to find the best bike carrier I could with a reasonable price. It was a lot harder than I expected to find good quality at a reasonable price. They seem to be either super cheap or outrageously expensive. Then by chance I found the Cavot bike carrier and it rang the bell. The quality is great, even better than I expected. Compared to the one I was thinking about settling for, the Cavot blew it out of the water. My friend who is extremely discerning about products was so impressed with my carrier that I feel like they were disappointed with the one they bought and wished they had bought mine.
I have 2 e-bikes and one is rather heavy so the ramp is helpful for loading and my bike is so stable and secure on the rack I have no concerns about it falling off or having any problems on rough roads.
I will be recommending Cavot bike carriers to anyone who is looking for good quality and affordable prices. No compromise whatsoever.
