Are you in search of the best bike rack Subaru Forester can carry? Selecting a rack from among the dense market and brands can be confusing. If you are struggling to make the right decision, this article would help you clear out what features you want in your bike rack. 

In this article, we have discussed the specs and features of the Subaru Forester that are important to consider while selecting a suitable bike rack. And accordingly, we have finalized the 5 best Subaru Forester bike racks. We have also compared these bike racks using our Rack Score rating system so you can easily pick the right one and get going. 

*Also available Best Subaru Crosstrek Bike Rack in 2022

Which bike racks would be compatible with Subaru Forester design?

Subaru Forester is a crossover SUV with different trims to meet your requirements. The most important features that we need to explore in Forester, to find a bike rack, are the presence of a hitch, roof rails and crossbars, and rear spare tire. Different bike racks have different mounting methods. More commonly there are trunk mount, roof mount, hitch mount, and spare tire mount racks. Subaru Forester does not have a rear spare tire so we can exclude the spare tire bike rack. In this section, we will see how the other types could lead us to the best bike rack for Subaru Forester.

Trunk mount bike rack

These racks are the most convenient for users and come at a reasonable price amongst car bike racks that don’t require hitch receivers. Most of the trunk mount racks have a strap-based installation system but you should know which ones work with roof spoilers.

Subaru Forester has 6 different trims and all of them except the basic trim have a rear spoiler. Almost all trunk mount racks would work with the basic trim but for the rest, you need to look for racks that can be installed even in the presence of a spoiler. 

Hitch mount bike rack

These racks are heavy-duty and are preferred for valuable bikes because they prevent frame contact. They are more expensive than trunk bike racks but are more secure for bikes. But for installation of these racks, hitch receivers must be present on the vehicle.

Subaru Forester does not have an integrated hitch thus you will have to buy one separately before getting a hitch mount rack. You may get a hitch with a 1.25- or 2-inch opening. The basic, premium, touring, limited and sport trims have a maximum towing capacity of 1,500 lbs while wilderness trim can tow a maximum of 3000 lbs.

Moreover, the hitch bike racks extend the length of vehicles so you should know that Forester is 182.7 inches in length already. While buying a hitch rack, make sure that it will not make driving difficult due to the extended length, especially while taking sharp turns. Consider this Buyers Guide for the Best Subaru forester trailer hitch

Roof mount bike rack

Roof bike racks require roof rails or crossbars for installation. Subaru Forester trims, except basic trim, have integrated roof rails. The roof rails on Premium, Sport, Limited, and Touring trims have a maximum capacity of 176 lbs which means that you can only carry a single bike or two lightweight bikes.

The Wilderness trim has anodized copper finish accents for roof rails, and it has a maximum capacity of 220 lbs. If you are buying the Basic trim, you can get the optional crossbars and look for racks that are installed on crossbars. 

Top Subaru Forester bike racks

Thule Apex XT: Best hitch bike rack for Subaru Forester

We recommend Thule Apex XT as a great hitch bike rack, Subaru Forester. It is a hanging-style rack and has a maximum capacity of 5 bikes. Other versions include 2 and 4 bikes and a swing-away bike rack for 4 bikes. This bike rack tops the rest based on its stability and even though it is a hanging-style rack, it does not let the bikes wobble thanks to its anti-sway cradles.

Thule Apex XT has a very easy bike-loading mechanism. It allows you to tilt down for trunk access and is foldable when not in use. When the bikes are not loaded you can fold down the two arms. Moreover, there is a decent distance between cradles which keeps the bikes apart.

Although you can carry multiple bikes on this rack, they should not weigh more than 37 lbs each. This means you will not be able to carry your heavy bikes on it. The Thule Apex fits both 1.25″ and 2″ hitch receivers.

It can work as the best bike rack for your Subaru Forester if you want to carry multiple bikes or if you want the swing-away feature. This feature will allow you to access the car trunk more easily. But make sure that you have a 2″ receiver for the swing-away rack. This high-selling Subaru Forester bike rack costs around $500.

Thule EasyFold XT: 2nd Best hitch bike rack for Subaru Forester 2

One of the best 1 1 4 hitch bike racks, Thule EasyFold is among our top-rated bike racks for SUVs. It beats most other hitch bike racks on quality, the safety of bikes, and aesthetics. This premium quality rack is the best bike rack for Subaru Forester if you own heavy bikes because it has the capacity for holding two bikes each with a maximum weight of 65 lbs.

With such a high load-carrying capacity you can use this Subaru Forester bike rack even for carrying heavy e-bikes and mountain bikes. EasyFold also has some remarkable features such as a bike loading ramp, a foot-operated tilting mechanism, and a foldable design. These are very useful features, especially for hitch bike racks.

Since EasyFold has a high load-carrying capacity, loading the heavier bikes can be tricky but Thule has you covered with the bike loading ramp. The tilting mechanism will allow you to access the trunk of your Forester which means you will not have to uninstall the bike rack each time you need to open the trunk.

Moreover, EasyFold fits both 1.25″ and 2″ receivers and is very easy to install. Unlike Thule Apex, it only carries two bikes and has a high per-bike cost but you can use it as the best bike rack, Subaru Forester if you own a pair of expensive bikes. Like most Thule racks, EasyFold too has reliable locks for the rack and bikes. 

Complete comparison: Sherpa 2.0 vs EasyFold XT

If you are looking for a Subaru Forester bike rack to carry 4 bikes securely, you can go for the Destination hitch rack from Hollywood Racks. As compared to other hitch bike racks, it is lightweight at 42 lbs. It has movable wheel trays which accommodate the bikes with a tire width of 3 inches at maximum and a maximum wheelbase of 48″.

Once you place the wheels on the trays, you can secure them with the ratcheting straps. It has a center post that can be adjusted and contains a sliding cradle for securing the bike frames. Like EasyFold, this rack also contains the locks for hitch and for securing the bikes.

But it can only carry bikes that weigh 35lbs or less which means that you can carry most road and mountain bikes, women’s and kid’s bikes, etc. You should also know that it only fits 2″ hitch receivers.

When not loaded with bikes, you can fold them up vertically. This will allow you to park your car more easily. You can get it as the best bike rack, Subaru Forester, at around $400 which makes it much cheaper compared to EasyFold only carries two bikes.

Complete comparison: Best hitch bike rack for 4 bikes

Allen Sports Deluxe Trunk Mount Bike Rack

Allen Sports Deluxe trunk mount rack is the most economical choice for multi-bike racks if you are looking for the best bike rack Subaru Forester. But that does not make you compromise on the safety of bike frames.

This rack costs only around $60 but has high customer satisfaction. The rack holds a maximum of 4 bikes which means you will only be paying $15 per bike. It is also the most user-friendly bike rack because it only has a single configuration and thus, you will not have to go through complicated manuals for its installation and setup.

Allen Sports also has a tie-down system that will hold your bikes separately at a good distance. Now although they are fixed, they rotate which means that you can mount bikes of different geometries.

Unlike most trunk bike racks, it has a wide foot and lateral straps. This increases the stability of the bike rack and the more stable it is, there will be lesser the wobbling of the bikes. Deluxe is built with rubber tubing on the foot so that it does not harm the vehicle or ruin the paint.

The downside to using this bike rack is that unlike hitch bike racks mentioned above, it does not have a locking mechanism for the bikes or the rack itself. Moreover, it will only be suitable for lighter bikes since the maximum load-carrying capacity is 140 lbs for the 4-bike version.

But overall, it’s a great choice as a Subaru Forester bike rack as long as you use your locking cable for securing the bikes and if you are looking for a low-priced rack.

Complete comparison: Best trunk bike racks Read rack review: Allen 104 Deluxe

Saris Bones EX: Bike rack Subaru forester

Saris Bones EX is a popular trunk bike rack, and we believe its popularity is obvious because it offers some high-end features. It has two versions for the two and three-bike capacity, and both are compatible with Subaru Forester.

This rack is very light in weight and the 3-bike version only weighs around 11 lbs so you can effortlessly install it on the car but in no way does it affect the strength of the rack. The arc-shaped structure provides great strength and durability to the rack and prevents the bikes from coming in contact, a reason you should purchase it as the best bike rack, Subaru Forester.

This is a go-to trunk bike rack if you have rear spoilers installed on your Subaru Forester. The unique leg design contributes greatly to the compatibility with vehicles. But unlike hitch bike racks mentioned above, it will only let you carry bikes with a maximum weight of 35 lbs. This means that you will not be able to carry heavier bikes such as some mountain and e-bikes.

It also has a reasonable price as compared to hitch mount racks. It costs around $220 which brings the per-bike cost to nearly $70.

Read review: Saris Bones

Comparison Article: SUV bike rack no hitch

Thule TopRide: Best roof bike rack for Subaru Forester

Fork mount roof racks are a safe way to carry valuable bikes on Subaru Forester. You can carry both thru-axle and quick-release bikes. This rack would work even for your carbon frames and disc brake bikes. A good thing about this rack as compared to other roof bike racks is the light indicator that ensures safe mounting of the bike. Unmounting the bike is also easy, enabled by the release lever. 

Complete comparison: Best Roof Bike Rack

Conclusion 

The selection of the best bike rack Subaru Forester can carry depends greatly on your biking requirements. The aforementioned bike racks are among the top rated but that does not mean that all of them would suit you. If the tilting feature is not enough for your use and you want to carry multiple bikes, you can go for the Thule Apex XT swing bike rack. But it would not allow you to carry e-bikes so you can go for EasyFold and carry two bikes. If you find them expensive, you should look for Subaru Forester bike racks that are trunk-mount such as Saris Bones EX or Deluxe from Allen Sports.