Enter Hollywood Bike Racks. Its new Destination Hitch 2 two-bike platform rack checks all of the boxes of a dependable bike rack — but comes in at $200. Can a rack that costs a fraction of comparable competitors’ products be trusted? We loaded one up to find out.
I tested this budget bicycle hitch rack on dirt and highway, loaded with one or two bikes. And I surprisingly ended up trusting the rack with some of my most expensive and prized outdoor possessions.
In short: The $200 Hollywood Destination Hitch 2 bike rack earned my respect and trust so much that I hauled $10,000 of bikes on it for hundreds of miles. It is missing one feature, though; it doesn’t pivot out of the way to clear hatches while bikes are loaded.
- Type: Hitch-mount, two-bike platform rack
- Weight: 20 lbs.
- Capacity: Two bikes (max 35 lbs. per bike)
- Hitch size: 1.25” and 2” (with adapter)
- Max wheelbase: 48"
- Max tire width: 3"
- Fits 20" bikes to 29ers/700c bikes:
- Maximum wheelbase: 48"
- Distance between bikes: 8"
- Shank rise: 9"
- Closest part of rack when folded down: 9¼"
- Closest part of rack when folded up: 10"
- Farthest part of rack when folded down: 27½"
- Farthest part of rack when folded up: 17½"
Pros
- Very inexpensive
- Looks good
- Very secure bike mounting method
Cons
- Doesn't pivot away from vehicle for hatch clearance with bikes loaded
- Bike securing method requires rack contact with frame
Destination Hitch 2: Initial Thoughts
Out of the box, the rack felt solid and, after a few minutes, was fully assembled using the supplied wrenches. It’s a good-looking rack that wouldn’t look out of place in a parking area full of Yakimas, Thules, and Küats, for what that matters.
It comes ready for 1.25-inch receivers, and the supplied adapter for 2-inch racks bolted on quickly and rendered confidence. The keyed lock on the hitch ensured the rack didn’t walk off while I was riding.
Hollywood Racks also tethers the hitch pin to the rack to prevent annoyingly dropping it during rack removal or installation. A small but appreciated touch for a klutz like me.
Hollywood Rack Destination 2 Hitch Rack in Use
The Hollywood Racks Destination Hitch 2 works like you’d expect a quality platform bike rack to work. The curved wheel trays makes loading bikes with up to 3-inch tires easy, and padded ratchet straps lock rims down securely.
The padded frame holders on the adjustable center mast rotate 360 degrees to dial in their position and secure the bike with ratchet straps. My bike felt firmly attached to the rack.
The rack folds up when unused, and my hatch clears it in this configuration. Driving out to my local trails, I didn’t feel any bounce or clattering, even on the rutted forest service road. The trip to the trailhead was perfectly uneventful, and the bike came off as quickly as it went on.
The following week, I placed both my mountain bike and road bike on the rack and drove the 200 miles to Durango, Colo., hitting every pothole along US 550. Again, the bikes stayed locked in place, and everything felt nicely balanced.
Aside from some trail dust and highway grit, the rack shows no signs of wear or weak points after about a thousand miles of travel. The heavy-duty plastic wheel trays and ratchet straps show no fatigue, and the rack’s powder-coated finish and hardware look as good as day one.
The Final Word on the $200 Bike Rack
The Hollywood Destination Hitch 2 is a well-built, well-designed bike rack for a fraction of the cost of most others in this league. It quickly earned my trust, and I didn’t worry about seeing my beloved bikes cartwheeling down the highway in my rearview mirror.
When not in use, it folds up out of the way and doesn’t interfere with opening my hatch. The Hollywood Destination Hitch 2 rack doesn’t have a way to tip away from the vehicle to open the hatch, so when loaded, you can’t access your back without offloading your bike(s). This is really my only critique of this rack, though at $200, it’s not a deal breaker for me.
If you have e-bikes in your arsenal, the Hollywood Destination Hitch 2’s limit of 35 pounds per bike may be an issue. Hollywood Racks offers the Destination E rack specifically for heavier e-bikes up to 70 pounds per bike, but at $700, other brands become more competitive.
This is a simple, stable rack that, at $200, is an incredible steal compared to many other quality two-bike platform racks. Hollywood Racks has been in business for 50 years, but the company wasn’t on my radar until recently. I expect to be seeing a lot more of these racks at the trailheads.
