Towbar bike racks
Two e-bikes are around fifty kilos before anything else goes on the rack. That is the whole question, and it is answered by two numbers: the payload the rack publishes, and the nose weight your towball is rated for. Racks that publish neither are ordered last here.
The published payload, the frame diameter range, and the tilt mechanism.
Payload because two e-bikes are heavy. Frame diameter because e-bike down tubes are fat — a battery lives inside them — and a rack arm rated to 6 cm (2.4 in) will not close around an 8 cm (3.1 in) tube. And the tilt mechanism because you will use it every time you want the boot open.
1. Fischer ProlineEvo 2. Sixty kilos of published payload, explicitly rated for e-bikes, lockable, and delivered 99% preassembled. It is first for one reason: it is the only rack in this hub that states the number the question turns on. Two e-bikes at 25 kg each fit inside 60 kg with room for a lock.
2. EUFAB PREMIUM 2. The best-selling towbar rack on this site, and the one with the best-thought-out details: a foot pedal that tilts the loaded rack away from the car — worth more than it sounds when both hands are holding a boot lid — and stated support for oversize and Y-shaped frames to 6 cm. It states e-bike suitability without publishing a payload, which is why it is second rather than first.
3. Atera Strada Sport 3. The most thoroughly documented product in this entire catalog: 66.9 kg total, 30 kg per bike for the first three, frames 2.5 to 8 cm, tires to 2.4 inches. On specification it is the best rack here by a distance. It is third only because it is a three-bike rack answering a two-bike question — heavier, more expensive, and more towball nose weight consumed before any bike goes on.
Do the arithmetic in this order: towball nose weight, minus the rack’s own weight, minus the bikes. Then measure your down tube where the arm will actually close, not at the head tube.
The core case, and the one where payload, nose weight and ramp access all matter at once.
Where boot access and easy loading decide whether the rack is pleasant or infuriating.
Where the ease of a towbar rack over roof or boot racks is felt every single trip.
Where security of the rack and the bikes on it becomes a real consideration at every stop.
| What you need | What to check | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Two e-bikes | Nose weight and payload | It is frequently the limit |
| Boot access | A tilting mechanism | A loaded rack blocks it |
| Loading alone | A ramp | E-bikes are heavy |
| Any trip | Lights and plate | Legally required |
Towbar racks live outside in salt and rain when fitted and in a garage when not. What fails is the tilting mechanism, the lighting connections and the clamps, and the electrical connector is the part that corrodes fastest.
Considerable weight cantilevered off the back of a moving car.
2 bikes or e-bikes · 60 kg (132.3 lb) payload · lockable · 99% preassembled
A towbar rack rated by its manufacturer at 60 kg (132.3 lb) for two bikes or e-bikes, arriving 99% preassembled with a lockable frame holder and a folding light unit.
Best for: Carrying two e-bikes, where the payload figure is the specification that actually decides.
≈ $645
2 bikes · e-bike suitable · foot-pedal tilt · oversize and Y frames
The best-selling towbar rack in this hub, fully preassembled, with a foot-pedal tilt mechanism and holders that take oversized and Y-shaped frames up to 6 cm (2.4 in).
Best for: The default two-bike towbar rack, for someone who wants the one that most people successfully use.
≈ $905
3 bikes · 66.9 kg (147.5 lb) total · 30 kg (66.1 lb) per bike · frames 2.5–8 cm (1 to 3.1 in)
A three-bike towbar rack with the most complete published figures here: 66.9 kg (147.5 lb) total load, 30 kg (66.1 lb) per bike, frame diameters 2.5 to 8 cm (1 to 3.1 in) and a maximum tire width of 2.4 inches.
Best for: Families carrying three bikes, where per-bike and total limits both need to be known rather than guessed.
≈ $790
It is stamped on the towbar plate and stated in the vehicle handbook, and it is usually between 50 and 100 kg (220.5 lb). The rack's own weight comes off that figure before the bikes go on: a 15 kg (33.1 lb) rack on a 75 kg (165.3 lb) towball leaves 60 kg (132.3 lb) for bikes.
A towbar rack carries a lighting board and takes its power from the vehicle socket. Number plate and lighting requirements are national and they change — read them for every country on your route rather than assuming the rules travel with you.
A rack arm clamps a top tube, and step-through, ladies' and many full-suspension frames have none. The EUFAB here explicitly supports Y-shaped and oversize frames to 6 cm (2.4 in); otherwise a frame adapter bar creates an artificial top tube for the arm to grip.
The maximum vertical load on the towball, which is a separate figure from towing capacity. A rack plus two e-bikes frequently approaches it.
No. Per-bike and total weight limits are often exceeded by e-bikes. The rack must be rated for the weight, not just the number of bikes.
Yes. It takes considerable weight off, is often what brings you under the limit, and protects an expensive component.
If you need boot access on a journey, close to essential. A loaded rack blocks the boot completely otherwise.
For e-bikes it turns a two-person lift into a one-person job. It is the accessory people wish they had bought first.
The rack must not obscure them, and most towbar racks have integrated lighting and a plate holder for exactly this reason.
For the rider who: Carrying two e-bikes, where the payload figure is the specification that actually decides.
Biggest plus: A published 60 kg (132.3 lb) payload — the figure most racks in this hub omit
Biggest minus: Frame holder limited to 6 cm (2.4 in) diameter, less than the Bullwing below it
For the rider who: The default two-bike towbar rack, for someone who wants the one that most people successfully use.
Biggest plus: Rank 257 on the German store — comfortably the best-selling rack in this hub
Biggest minus: No payload figure published
For the rider who: Families carrying three bikes, where per-bike and total limits both need to be known rather than guessed.
Biggest plus: By far the most complete published figures of any rack here — total, per bike, frame range and tire width
Biggest minus: A 66.9 kg (147.5 lb) total load needs a towball rated well above it once the rack itself is counted
Spares and fitting kit from the same aisle, at the price we read. Confirm they match the bike and the part you chose before ordering: it turns on the standard and the part number, which the listing gives.
Direct match-ups already published between two picks from this guide or this aisle.
Everything listed is drawn from the catalog of this site. Specifications are the published ones, from the maker and from Amazon; prices are what Keepa recorded on the date shown, and both move. The order rests on declared specifications, on stated strengths against stated limits, and on price. None of this kit has been ridden by us, and the page makes no such claim.
Last checked on
Prices quoted in these summaries are dated readings. The live price is shown next to each product.
Bike racks, trainers and computers swing by thirty dollars or more across the year, and the biggest "discounts" often land at prices the same model sold for six weeks earlier. UniverTrack tracks the real price history across retailers, spots fake reductions, and alerts you when it is genuinely the moment to buy.
