[Alisa Bondurant]

I want to add a rear mountain bike rack that allows me to open back doors without removing the bikes. If you have a bike rack like this and would recommend, let me know.

 

[KNDLKSTMS]

Not quite the answer you're looking for but . . . get a VanCompass front hitch and whatever hitch rack you like . Guaranteed no interference with the rear doors .

 

[Jlo11111]

I want to add a rear mountain bike rack that allows me to open back doors without removing the bikes. If you have a bike rack like this and would recommend, let me know.

Rockymounts backstage

 

[vlouish]

We have this rack by Heininger:

Heininger Sportsrack Glideaway 2.
We got it on Amazon for about $170 but it doesn't seem to be there anymore; however, I found it on some other sites. We've only used it on one trip but it worked well. It was a bit tricky to assemble but it's very flexible, moving straight out or to left or right, allowing you to open doors either way. It is for a 1 1/4 inch hitch, which is too bad; it did not fit as snugly as I wished into our 2" hitch with the provided shim. For the price, it is great. Someone else on this forum also uses one. I can recommend it.

Bikes get pretty messed up on the back of the van, so you might want to find some way to cover them. I'm working on that this year.

 

[Alisa Bondurant]

Thanks. I appreciate your response.

 

[SteveSS]

There are lots of swing-away racks on the market now. We recently bought the original: Rockymounts' Backstage for our two heavy ebikes (60lbs each). It was the cheapest and appeared to be the most rigid. Before you buy, make sure you check the rack's weight limit against the bike(s) you plan on carrying.

Also, our ebikes have wide handbars that hit the back doors. We have to loosen and rotate the handlebars on the inside bike. Here are a couple slick solutions for that:
For old-style threaded headsets
For newer threadless headsets like ours

 

[Alisa Bondurant]

Awesome. This is super helpful.

 

[Juve]

I have a combination of the Kuat Pivot and Kuat Sherpa 2.0. There are other brands that are similar, but thats what I have used without issue for over 1.5 years with 2 bikes on it all the time.

 

[Alisa Bondurant]

Thanks for the picture. It helps. This looks like exactly what I need. Question: without the Kuat Pivot, what would be the challenge? Also, do the trays take fat tires?

 

[Juve]

The Pivot is needed to have access to the rear doors easily by swinging everything out of the way.
You can tilt the rack down, but you can't open the doors, that feature is mainly for SUVs to get into the hatch area.
For the Sherpa 2.0 it says max tire width is 3". The NV 2.0 says max tire is 5", but you have to buy an additional kit (of course).
When I was buying my setup I believe Yakima and Thule both had options to swing away for rear door access.

 

[Jlo11111]

The kuat pivot and Sherpa are great, but after you buy both parts you're out over $800. Look at the rockymounts backstage. It's a single piece, heavy duty rack that swings completely wide of the van with the bikes on it allowing you to open both doors at least 90 degrees, holds tires up to 5" wide and comes in at $650.