VelociRAX has made a name for itself with its high-quality and thoughtfully designed vertical hitch bike racks. Beyond being sturdy and capable of carrying numerous bikes at a time, the brand’s vertical racks stand out for their user-friendliness, particularly ease of loading and unloading. The designers at VelociRAX applied that same easy-loading formula to their first tray-style hitch rack, the RAXzilla, with tilting trays, an integrated loading ramp, and hydraulic clamp arms.
They also swung for the fences and made it one of the burliest racks on the market. The 2-bike RAXzilla can haul one bike up to 250 pounds, and another up to 130 pounds, meaning it can carry almost anything from your featherweight road bikes to gas-powered motos. So, is it a bike rack or a moto rack? Well, it’s either or both, depending on what you need to haul. It’s undoubtedly a unique entry into the hitch bike rack market.
I’ve been testing the RAXzilla for the past couple of months. I don’t ride or own any motocross bikes, so I’ve only used it to haul my muscle/analog and electric mountain bikes to and from nearby trailheads. It is hands-down the easiest loading rack I’ve ever used, and a great option for the right rider, but it won’t be for everyone.
- MSRP: $1,999 (1-bike: $1,199)
- Number of Bikes: 2
- Receiver Sizes: 2"
- Rack Weight: 126 lbs.
- Per Bike Weight Capacity: 1st tray – 250 lbs, 2nd tray – 130 lbs (380 lbs total)
- Max. Wheelbase: 60" tray length
- Max. Tire Width: 5"
- Wheel Size Compatibility: 24 to 29"
- Security: Locking hitch pin
Pros
- 250 lbs weight limit
- Versatile – can carry everything from road bikes to motos
- Very easy to load – integrated loading ramp and hydraulic arms
- Robust – sturdy build
- Stable and secure
Cons
- Very heavy
- Expensive
- Doesn't work with bikes with fenders
Back in March of this year, we reported on VelociRAX teasing the soon-to-be-released RAXzilla on its social media channels. It caught our attention both for its super-high weight limit and its seemingly very quick and user-friendly loading process. It certainly stood out from the crowd, and the teaser videos with people riding motos up onto the rack made it look as burly and easy to load as advertised.
VelociRAX RAXzilla Details
The RAXzilla is a tray-style hitch rack and comes in 1-bike and 2-bike versions. It is designed for roll-in and roll-out loading, with no lifting of bikes required. To that end, the trays are designed to tilt and have integrated, slide-out loading ramps to roll bikes up into position. The trays have large tilt-release handles and robust mechanisms locking them in place, and they can be adjusted laterally on the main support arm to avoid bike-on-bike interference.
Each tray has three clamp arms to secure bikes on the rack. The front wheel is captured by two arms: a three-position adjustable arm in the front and a lever-actuated hydraulic clamp arm sandwiching it from the rear. The rear wheel is secured with a single hydraulic clamp arm. This system is not only incredibly easy to use, but there is no frame or wheel contact; it only touches your bike’s tires.
The 1-bike version is rated to carry bikes up to 275 pounds. On the 2-bike version, the 1st tray can support up to 250 pounds, the second tray up to 130 pounds, with a total weight limit of a whopping 380 pounds. For bikes over 90 pounds, VelociRAX recommends using its tie-down straps and anchor kit ($26, sold separately) for extra security.
The trays are 60” long and can handle wheelbases up to that length. It’s designed to work with wheel sizes between 24” and 29” and tires up to 5” wide. It also comes with small tire adapters for 16” to 21” dirt bike wheels.
The RAXzilla has a large release handle to adjust the rack’s tilt between its three positions: up/stowed, flat for use, down for trunk/vehicle access. It comes with a locking hitch pin to secure it to your vehicle, and an anti-wobble cam mechanism that tightens inside the receiver to stabilize the rack.
The 2-bike RAXzilla weighs a claimed 126 pounds, and it is equipped with two small wheels to roll it across smooth surfaces. Given the rack’s weight and its high weight limit, it comes in a 2” receiver size only and requires a Class III hitch with a tongue capacity of 500 lbs. It’s arguably best suited for use on trucks or large SUVs.
Assembly
The RAXzilla showed up at my house in three large boxes. One contained the hitch assembly and main support arm, and the other two had the preassembled trays. Of course, it also came with all of the necessary hardware, a couple of allen keys, and the small wheel adapters. My test rack arrived with the pivoting tray brackets already installed on the main support arm, but I still need to install the tilt-release handles and attach the trays themselves.
Beyond the individual components being somewhat heavy, completing the assembly was pretty straightforward. I scanned the QR code and just followed the PDF instructions — there’s an assembly video if you prefer — and I was done in right around 1 hour. During the assembly, I chose to offset the horizontal positions of the trays to reduce the chances of handlebar conflict with the mountain bikes I would be carrying. That’s something you can do during assembly, or easily adjust later if needed.
Installation
Installing and removing the RAXzilla from your vehicle is just like most other hitch bike racks on the market, with the caveat that it’s really freaking heavy. Off the vehicle, it’s easy enough to move around thanks to its transport wheels, which roll easily across garage floors or smooth driveways. At 126 pounds, picking it up is another story, and while it might be manageable for some people on their own, I’d suggest getting another person to help you lift it up to or down from the receiver on your vehicle.
Once in the receiver, line up the hitch pin holes and secure it with the included locking hitch pin. A 17mm bolt at the end of the receiver arm tightens the anti-wobble cam inside the receiver. Like most other hitch racks, I found it helpful to wiggle the rack a bit while tightening it to take out any play and make it as stable as possible.
Using the RAXzilla
Like any bike rack, there’s an order of operations to loading bikes on the RAXzilla, but the learning curve is very steep. Of course, you need to fold the rack into its flat position for carrying bikes, which is super easy using the large tilt-release lever and handle. It’s heavier than most racks, so the first few tilts take a little getting used to, but I found it to be easy to adjust.
First, fold the forward front wheel clamp open — it has three positions for varying wheelbase lengths or lateral position adjustments. Next, slide the loading ramp out from the end of the tray and fully open the rear wheel clamp arm. Then pull the release lever and tilt the rear of the tray down so the loading ramp is touching the ground.
In its ready-to-load position, all you have to do is roll your bike up the ramp and onto the tray. When your front wheel hits the trigger on the tray, it actuates the hydraulic clamp arm, which automatically grabs the wheel from behind and squeezes it against the opposing/forward clamp arm. At the same time, the weight of the bike causes the tray to tilt back to its flat position, and the spring-loaded mechanism locks it in place.
You then manually actuate the rear clamp arm, which captures the rear wheel with its hydraulic pistons. Then you slide the integrated loading ramp back into the tray, and you’re ready to roll. The process is the same for the outer tray. In the ready-to-load position, it really only takes about 10 seconds to load a bike. From start to finish, including opening the clamp arms, sliding out the loading ramp, and tilting the tray, it’s about 30 seconds.
To remove the bike, you repeat this process in reverse. Slide out the ramp, tilt the rack, and pull the rear wheel clamp down. Then, grab the bike by the handlebars and pull it backward (with some force) and roll it down off the rack. This was by far the easiest loading and unloading process I’ve experienced for heavy eMTBs.
While the roll-in, roll-out design makes it very easy to load heavier bikes, you can also use the RAXzilla like a regular hitch rack with lighter bikes. I used it with analog trail bikes and gravel bikes, and it’s easy enough to just lift them into position on the trays — the front and rear wheel clamp arms hold and secure them in the same way, just without the roll-in loading process.
I haven’t loaded any motos or bikes weighing more than 60 pounds on the RAXzilla, so I can’t speak to how it handles that. But it’s clear from the brand’s videos and photos that it’s capable of carrying much more weight than I’ve put on it. A lot more…
On the Road
The RAXzilla is easily the sturdiest and most stable bike rack that I’ve ever driven around with. With the anti-wobble cam super-tight in the receiver, the rack hasn’t budged or wiggled around at all while driving. It is absolutely rock solid on the road.
Likewise, the bikes are really locked down and don’t wiggle, wobble, or shake in any direction. It’s obviously way overbuilt for the eMTBs and analog bikes that I’ve been carrying, so I’m nowhere close to maxing out its weight capacity. The hydraulic clamp arms are also designed to secure much heavier bikes and have no shortage of clamping force to keep the bikes steady and secure on the road. In fact, VelociRAX says you can remove one of the hydraulic pistons to reduce the clamping force on lighter bikes if you like.
Bike Compatibility
A max capacity of up to 250 pounds on the inner tray means the RAXzilla is one of the most versatile hitch bike racks from a weight perspective. It can handle most gas-powered adult motocross bikes, which tend to top out around 250 pounds depending on the model and motor size. Of course, that also means it can carry just about any bike that weighs less than that, too, assuming they have 24” to 29” wheels and tires 5” wide or less.
Given the way the RAXzilla holds bikes with its clamp arms, however, it is not compatible with bikes with large fenders. This includes a lot of the electric commuter, cargo, and fat tire bikes out there, which also happen to be some of the heaviest and hardest to load on most bike racks. That’s why racks like the Thule Vero exist: to accommodate bikes with fenders, odd wheel sizes, funky frame shapes, or all of the above.
Security
There isn’t much to discuss in terms of security features on the RAXzilla. It comes with a locking hitch pin, which is appreciated and will certainly help keep would-be thieves from making off with your expensive rack. Beyond that, it’s up to you to secure your bikes to the rack however you choose. Realistically, most included/integrated locking systems are little more than opportunistic theft deterrents, and you typically need to add an aftermarket lock for real bike security anyway.
Who’s It For?
The RAXzilla occupies its own niche in the hitch rack market, and there’s definitely an ideal consumer for it. Obviously, anyone with bikes can use it, but realistically, this rack is perfect for the cyclist who also rides moto, or conversely, the moto-rider who also rides bikes. Instead of needing/having separate racks for your moto and bikes, it’s a one-rack quiver that can handle both.
At the same time, it’s also thoughtfully designed to make it one of the most convenient and user-friendly racks on the market, especially in terms of loading and unloading. The tilting trays, integrated loading ramp, and hydraulic clamp arms make quick work of loading heavy bikes, and it’s a solid option for anyone whose bikes are challenging to load for transport — assuming they don’t have fenders.
What’s the Rub?
The RAXzilla is without a doubt the easiest loading tray rack that I’ve ever used. It’s incredibly versatile, user-friendly, sturdy, and frankly, way overbuilt for most cyclists. If you don’t ride a gas-powered moto, e-moto, or Surron, it’s arguably way more rack than most people need. Don’t get me wrong, the convenience factor is very high, but so is its weight. This thing is REALLY HEAVY. It weighs roughly twice as much as a Thule Verse or Kuat Piston Pro.
Still, I think the design is excellent. Everything from the hydraulic wheel clamps, tilting trays, and integrated loading ramp puts it head and shoulders above other racks I’ve used for ease of loading. I think VelociRAX would be wise to incorporate the same design and features into a lighter rack with a lower weight limit, say around 100 pounds, that would still easily cover the needs of cyclists and e-bikers. They could call it the RAXzilla Lite…
At $1,999, it’s also pretty darn spendy for a 2-bike rack. That said, if you’re using it for motos and regular bikes, then it’s essentially two racks in one, and could potentially save you money compared to buying both. Likewise, the ease of loading heavy bikes could help prevent injuries and/or open up the possibility of riding more, and that could certainly justify the expense for some. It’s also super rugged, and I expect that translates to a very long lifespan.
My Takeaway
The VelociRAX RAXzilla is a beast of a rack that lives up to its name. It’s super solid with a very high weight limit, secure hydraulic clamp arms, and a robust build that seems like it will outlast any vehicle you mount it on. At the same time, it’s soft around the edges, with a design and features that make it one of the most convenient and user-friendly hitch bike racks on the market. Not only is it very easy to load, but it’s one of the most versatile racks you can buy — assuming you ever need to haul bikes over 100 pounds. It’s ideal for the cyclist who also rides motos and is a solid option for people who want an easy loading rack for their e-bikes, too.
It’s heavy, it’s expensive, and it’s probably more rack than most people need. Still, it’s one of the best tray hitch racks that I’ve used, with an excellent design and bombproof construction. The RAXzilla tops the charts for its stability, sturdiness, and ease of loading, and while it might not be for everyone, it’s definitely the perfect rack for the right rider.
