ALTA Racks – The Ultimate Vertical Hitch Mounted Bike Rack for Families and 20-inch Kid Bikes

Our story is similar to most cycling families. We wanted the ability to take our kids on the trail and bring our bikes along but just could not carry everything. Our 2005 Dodge Ram tailgate access was restricted with other bike racks, which limited our ability to let the dogs out or get to our stuff. We scraped the rack on all the dips and drops while off-roading or going through steep streets. Spacing between bikes was fixed on all the racks (still is) which caused interference resulting in major damage. The racks also put the bikes up too high, which made loading and unloading difficult. We designed this rack around our young family, built features and capabilities to accommodate our needs, and addressed all the concerns we had with those other racks. Turns out we were not the only ones that wanted these features, and here we are 10 years later.

Kids bikes were heavy and awkward back then and there were no racks available that carried them safely or without creating tons of interference with other bikes on the rack. The platform or horizontal racks also caused all sorts of issues with bike interference, sometimes the handlebars damaged the vehicle or, even worse, broke back windows. Anyone that has been riding a while can attest to the challenges of carrying various size bikes on bike racks. Nowadays, kids have so many options when it comes to bikes and that is facilitating the need to have more options for bike racks. Nothing makes them feel more important than seeing their small bike on the rack like their siblings and parents. This is how it starts, the passion, the dreaming about shredding the dirt. Build the passion early and often.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBlCF-_Ru0g

Once you have selected the bike for your kid, know that they are going to grow out of it super-fast, probably before the bike even looks used. This is why it’s good to buy used and resell at a fair price for the next family to enjoy or have bunch of kids and hand them down.

We do this with our racks and encourage our customers to sell parts that they are no longer using. We know you are going to be sizing up bikes quickly, so we build our racks with adjustable and removable baskets, this makes it super easy to swap them out and adjust other features on the rack. Our Facebook group “ALTA racks owners” is the perfect example of this effort, people buying and selling parts they no longer use or need.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/bd2j9Go9hlc

Versatility in The Rack Design Drives Variation Options

As we mentioned, our versatility in rack design creates the ability to carry many bike types: kid bikes, road bikes, gravel bikes, and downhill bikes. You should know that we got you covered. We also accommodate fat bikes and provide baskets that fit up to 5.8 inches wide. For kids bikes specifically our GROM basket is perfect, it is designed to fit a 20-inch rim bike nice and snug, it also accommodates an 18-inch rim without the need for additional parts for fitment.When it comes to 16-inch bikes,the ALTA wheel choke can reduce the size of the basket to better fit the small wheel. ALTA is the kid bike rack you have been looking for.

The Modularity with Adjustable Baskets

Our racks come with General baskets as the default; however, it is very easy to swap out any of the General baskets for a GROM at no extra cost. You can actually swap out as many General baskets as you need or want with any other type of baskets that we offer (Mid-Fat, Fat, Mid-GROM), some do require a fee for the swap.This is not the case with other rack companies that provide basket options.For example, say you want a 6 Pack rack, and you want to swap one basket for a kid basket. Up until a couple of years ago, there were no solutions for this because vertical racks didn’t have a kid size basket (if you have a Thule Revert then this is still not an option). With VelociRAX, you purchase the six pack and then, in addition to the six baskets you have already purchased, you need to also purchase the smaller basket.More simply, this means that there are no savings or swaps with these other vertical bike racks.You end up with a bike rack that does not meet your needs and then have to spend more money to make any appropriate adjustments. With ALTA Racks, you have the option to swap out the baskets for the ones you need, keeping you from ending up with extra parts and extra costs.We do this because we design and build with families in mind.

Next comes the real challenge with the little bikes, some of them will not reach the bottom bar to allow for securing the rear wheel to the rack. We have multiple solutions for that as well.

• If you have a superior rack position the bike so the rear wheel interfaces to one of the Gussets (the diagonal support bars).
• Use the ALTA table and secure the rear wheel to it. This is also the perfect diaper changing table by the way and the reason we built it in the first place.
• Run the bike close to the center vertical post (the main beam) and secure the rear wheel directly to it.

With our system nothing is overlooked, because we use every single product ourselves. I cannot stand mediocre products and one of the reasons for building our system was that exact reason. There is too much garbage out there and we choose not to participate in that arena. We build thoughtful products that do what they say they are going to do, last a lifetime, and that grow with your family.

Easy Garage Installation for Kids Bike Access with the Basket Case

Once you are done for the season, you can utilize our Basket Case Wall Mount and store the kid bikes on the wall at a height that is accessible by them.The advantage of the Basket Case is that it is designed to store backpacks and shoes so that some level organization can be taught to the little people in your life.We have so many products that are designed around families, and we hope you find them just as useful as we did. Remember, it’s not about the rack, the bikes, or the vehicle; it’s about things that enable you to create lasting memories and build positive habits with your family.

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