5 Best Bike Racks for Subaru Forester, Outback & Crosstrek

If you’re looking for the best bike racks to complement your Subaru vehicle, the options are more varied and convenient than ever before.

Over the past 20 years, I’ve tested dozens of bike racks suitable for Forester, Outback, Crosstrek, and other models in Subaru’s versatile lineup. From budget-friendly options to premium racks priced over $500, including the seven premier racks I’ve singled out for our Best Subaru Bike Rack of 2023 awards.

The bike rack market is as intricate and multifaceted as ever, with mounting options, locking mechanisms, load capacity, and durability all presenting a broad array of choices. 

The best bike racks offer the flexibility of fitting various Subaru models, accommodating different types and sizes of bikes, and even providing the ability to carry other sporting equipment. This adds more versatility to your Subaru, allowing you to explore trails, roads, and everything in between.

Here are my selections of the best Subaru bike racks catering to various needs and price brackets (paid links).

Top 5 Subaru Bike Racks We’ve Tested At Folding Bike Guy

Searching for the best Subaru Forester bike rack, or for your Outback, or Crosstrek? Look no further; I have compiled a list of the top 5 bike racks tailored to meet your needs.

This expert evaluation considers factors such as ease of use, durability, and compatibility with your Subaru. Let’s dive into the list below and find the best bike rack for your next adventurous ride!

Best Bike Rack for Subaru Forester: Thule Hitch-Mounted

This genuine Subaru bike rack is perfect for Subaru Forester, Ascent, Crosstrek, and Outback owners seeking a lightweight, reliable solution for transporting their bikes.

The Subaru Bike Rack seamlessly fits into your outdoor lifestyle, making bike transportation a breeze.

As a genuine Subaru accessory manufactured by Thule, this bike rack is designed specifically for your vehicle, ensuring a secure and stable fit. The lightweight aluminum makes it easy to handle, install, and remove – a fantastic feature when you’re constantly on the go.

One aspect that I love about this bike rack is its anti-sway cages.

These prevent bike-to-bike and bike-to-vehicle contact and help absorb road shock to protect your bike’s frame. When not in use, the arms fold down neatly, and the rack can pivot backward for easy rear access to your vehicle.

However, there are a few considerations you should be aware of before purchasing this bike rack. A roof-mounted carrier for bikes with solid disc wheels is recommended to avoid obstructing the taillights.

Additionally, some Subaru models may require purchasing an additional adapter for compatibility. Lastly, be prepared to make adjustments if you plan to transport thicker-frame mountain bikes, as they may require further readjustment to fit securely.

Overall, the Subaru Bike Rack is a reliable, lightweight, and practical solution for Subaru Forester, Ascent, Crosstrek, and Outback owners looking to transport their bikes easily.

With its well-thought-out design and anti-sway cages, you can confidently hit the road, knowing your bikes are securely fastened and protected.

Best Bike Rack for Subaru Impreza Hatchback: OEM New Thule

A reliable rooftop bike rack for Subaru owners who value convenience and performance.

If you’re a Subaru Impreza owner, I recommend the genuine Subaru parts Thule roof-mounted bike carrier, which consistently receives excellent reviews from other Subaru Impreza owners.

I loved this rack’s self-adjusting jaws that connect to the downtube for precise and secure transportation. Once you have the jaws in place, you need to simply place and tighten the two adjustable ratchet straps around the front and back wheels.

This rack holds one bike; however, you could easily purchase two pieces if you wanted to carry two bikes.

Anymore though there won’t be sufficient roof space for all the bikes, in which case you may want to consider one of the trailer hitch racks reviewed above, which are also suitable for a Subaru Impreza.

Installation is a breeze, thanks to adjustable mounting clamps that make switching between multiple compatible vehicles easy.

The bike rack fits most bikes with 20″ to 29″ wheels and tires up to 2.6″ wide, accommodating various bike types.

A single lock is included to help secure your bike to the carrier, but you may want to invest in an additional lock for complete security.

Remember that this roof-mounted bike rack requires a crossbar set, which you’ll need to consult your vehicle owner’s manual for compatibility.

I experienced some difficulty with wide downtubes, so double-check your bike’s dimensions before purchasing.

Subaru Fork Mounted Roof Bike Carrier

The Subaru Fork Mounted Roof Bike Carrier is a dependable and high-quality option for transporting your bike with your Subaru.

The genuine Subaru Fork Mounted Roof Bike Carrier is perfect for anyone who owns one of the compatible Subaru models, which include the Ascent, Crosstrek, Forester, Impreza, Outback, WRX, and STI.

Designed and manufactured by Thule specifically for Subaru, this carrier ensures a seamless fit with your vehicle.

A vital feature of this bike carrier that stood out during testing is the sliding wheel tray.

It can be adjusted forward and backward to accommodate most bike sizes with tires up to 3″ wide. The low-profile and lightweight aluminum tray is corrosion-resistant, ensuring the carrier is built to withstand various weather conditions.

Installation is straightforward with the integrated mounting clamps, allowing you to easily switch between multiple vehicles if needed. The carrier also includes a lock that keeps your bike locked to the carrier and car.

However, this carrier is designed to hold only one bike, so you must purchase additional carriers if you need to transport multiple bikes. Additionally, it’s important to note that this bike carrier requires a roof rack on your vehicle for proper installation.

I found that the rack made a whistling sound while driving although it wasn’t particularly loud so didn’t bother me.

Best Bike Rack for Subaru Outback: Thule Apex XT

Another outstanding design from Thule, the Apex XT rack, is ideal for the whole family thanks to its four-bike capacity.

The Thule Apex XT is a cradle-style hitch mount rack with an anti-sway cage design to ensure that all four bikes are held securely without banging into each other.

Another neat feature that I liked is the integrated cable which securely locks all bikes to the rack.

If you plan to use your bike rack frequently for family trips and adventures, I recommend upgrading to the swinging rack design because it allows you to rotate the stand and access whatever you have stored in the trunk.

Subaru XV – Allen Sports

Some of the other bike racks mentioned in this review are also suitable for the Subaru XV. However, my recommendation for the best bike rack for Subaru XV is the Allen Sports 4-bike hitch rack.

This Allen Sports rack is designed with a quick install and can easily be put on and taken off your Subaru XV in minutes.

I noticed that because it lacks the anti-sway cages of the Thule racks, the bikes sway and can knock into one another or even the trunk of your car.

You can quickly resolve the swaying issue by purchasing a few bungee cords, securing all the bikes, and using a little padding for any potential contact spots where the frames could get damaged or marked.

If you prefer a roof-mounted bike rack option, it’s worth considering the Thule Pro Ride XT, which is compatible with all Thule roof bars and most Subaru OEM roof bars. The only downside with choosing this option is that you could only carry one or two bikes on the roof.

How To Choose The Right Bike Rack For Your Subaru

Because Subarus and folding bikes are expensive, you need to understand what to look for when choosing a Subaru bike rack or risk making the wrong choice and potentially damaging your car and bike.

So how do you select the best Subaru rack for you?

Here are five key things that you should look for and think about when choosing between Subaru bike racks.

Mount method

There are three popular ways to carry bikes with your Subaru – roof mount, hitch mounted, or fork mounted. Each has its unique advantages and disadvantages, which I have summarised below:

• Roof-mounted bike carrier – an excellent choice for dedicated cyclists, this is a moderately expensive option to carry bikes securely. The main cons are windage and wind noise while driving, difficulty lifting the bikes onto the roof, and it can become quite costly if you also need to purchase Subaru roof bars.
• Trunk racks – are ideal for recreational cyclists who occasionally need to transport bikes with their Subaru. Trunk racks are lightweight, highly portable, and generally the cheapest option. They need to be more secure, which can result in the bikes swaying and limited load capacity, usually restricted to two or three cycles.
• Hitch-mount bike racks are more expensive than trunk racks. Hitch racks are ideal for securely carrying three or more bikes with minimal windage issues. You can choose between a platform style or hanging cradle style hitch rack. The main disadvantage of hitch-mounted racks is that they can impede your rearview vision while driving, and it can be challenging to open the trunk (although generally, more expensive hitch racks allow you to tilt them to open the trunk).
• Fork-mounted bike carrier – a classic roof bike rack that connects to the bike’s fork for secure transport and minimal frame contact.

Carrying Capacity

You will need to be clear about how many bikes you need to carry at any given time, and how frequently you intend to take the bikes is also worth considering:

1. If you have one or two bicycles, consider a trunk-mounted rack (for occasional use) or any other option for more frequent use.
2.  I recommend the hitch-mount bike rack for three bikes or more. If you intend to use the rack often, it’s worth paying extra to get one with a tilt option so you can open the trunk even with bikes mounted on the back of your Subaru.

Weight

Arguably the weight of the rack is not a significant consideration; nevertheless, it’s worth at least considering when comparing bike racks. I often choose an aluminum bike rack for its lightweight construction and rust-resistant properties.

Cost

Naturally, the best Subaru bike racks cost more, so it’s worth considering how often you will use them and how expensive and fragile your bikes are before deciding your budget.

A critical consideration for the budget is if you prefer genuine Subaru parts because companies or car dealers offering genuine Subaru parts will charge a premium!

Ease of use

I’m not too fond of roof-mounted bike racks because I prefer to avoid lifting my bike up and down from the roof whenever I want to travel somewhere. Depending on personal preference, you decide which rack style works best for your needs.

Expert Review Process – Why You Should Trust Us

We are a community of passionate folding bikers who test, research, and educate on issues and products relevant to the folding bike market.

We strive to use our expert research and knowledge to help you make better-informed decisions about buying folding bikes and accessories.

Regarding Subaru bike racks, we have a wealth of practical experience using and testing them.

Over the past few months, we sourced, tested, and, most importantly, used 50+ of the best bike racks on the market.

Our recommendations are based on more than 100 hours of combined testing by our dedicated team of folding bike experts.

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