Can You Fit A Mountain Bike In A Jeep Wrangler? | Ultimate Guide

Mountain biking has now become more popular than ever. With this growing trend, people have also shown keen interest in ways to get their bikes up to the hills and mountains on their cars and trucks.

Well, there are several ways to get it done and this blog will shed light on those methods extensively, mostly if you are a Jeep Wrangler user.

So the answer to the topic question – “Can you fit a mountain bike in a Jeep Wrangler” is “Yes, you can.” Through this guide you can find ways to do that.

I, myself, am a Jeep Wrangler owner and cycling or biking is one of my favorite hobbies. Over the past years, I have explored different ways to transport my mountain bikes in my Wrangler. These ways have their own upsides and downsides. And to tell you briefly now, I am currently using a spare tire bike rack.

However, you may also prefer other options. So, let’s explore.

Contents

How To Fit A Mountain Bike In A Jeep Wrangler?

You can fit your mountain bike inside a Jeep Wrangler and transport it to wherever you want. But it is not the easiest or most convenient option.

You will have to go through a tedious process if you would like to fit your bike inside the Wrangler. However, on the bright side, you will not have to spend a single penny as it requires only some basic skills and simple tools.

The process involves the removal of the back seat of the vehicle and the wheels of the mountain back also should be detached. As Jeep Wranglers come with a 2-door option and a 4-door option, the processes for both vary slightly.

A 4-door Jeep Wrangler is better compared to the 2-door model if you are intending to carry your mountain bike inside the vehicle. It is so because you don’t have to remove both wheels of the bike but remove only the front wheel. Besides it, a 4-door Wrangler is also a better option in terms of space availability in the back seat.

But if you are ok with spending some money and want to transport your mountain bike more comfortably, you can always choose to buy bike racks or even a tent trailer.

With bike racks on your Jeep or any car, you do not have to worry about the removal of seats or wheels of the bike. It is a very convenient option that also saves a significant amount of time.

There are different types of bike racks such as rooftop bike racks, hitch bike racks, and spare tire bike racks. They have their own pros and cons. After reading this whole guide, you can decide what option is most suitable for you.

How To Carry A Mountain Bike Without A Bike Rack In A Jeep Wrangler?

It is obvious that a fully assembled mountain bike cannot fit inside your Jeep. So, you need to do some disassembling. For this purpose, you will just need some simple tools such as a couple of adjustable wrenches and pliers.

Firstly, you can remove the back seat of your Jeep Wrangler and make space available for the bike to fit in. However, as I have already mentioned, you will also need to detach the wheel of the bike.

If your Wrangler is a 2-door model, you will have to remove both of the wheels. Only that way, it is possible to get your bike inside the vehicle.

But, if you have a 4-door Jeep Wrangler, you can just remove the front wheel and the bike will easily fit inside. You can fit two mountain bikes in a 4-door Jeep Wrangler.

The ride is not always going to be very smooth if you are driving your Jeep Wrangler to hills and mountains so you will need to think about securing your bike.

To prevent the bike from bouncing around and falling out you will need to strap it properly in place. You can use a bungee cord or a strap for it. Besides that, you can also manage some cushions to minimize the vibration.

These preventive measures are very important as they will secure your bike and car from possible damages.

Once you reach your biking destination, you can unload the bike carefully, re-adjust its wheels, and you are ready for biking unless you have forgotten the detached wheel back home. I am positive you will carry all the necessary gears with you in the Jeep.

Pros

It is the cheapest method to transport your bike in your car without using a bike rack.

In fact, this option does not cost you any money at all unless you are paying someone to remove your Jeep seats and bike’s wheels, or unless you are buying some special straps or cords and a few other tools.

Cons

It is a time-consuming process as it involves the removal of the car’s seats and the bike’s wheels before you load the bike into the car.

You will also need to re-attach the wheel of the bike before riding it. This, overall, can be a boring and tiresome process.

When you allocate the space for your bike inside your car, obviously you will run short of space to fit in more people or things. In addition to that, your car can get dirty fast as mountain bikes are not the cleanest bikes as their usage suggests.

And you have to be very careful while loading and unloading the bike. It can cause damage to the interior of the vehicle.

Using Bike Rack To Transport Mountain Bike On A Jeep Wrangler

This is the most convenient way to carry your mountain bike on a Jeep Wrangler without much hassle.

You do not have to bother detaching your car’s seats or removing and readjusting the wheels of your mountain bike. All you need to do is buy an appropriate bike rack that fits onto your Wrangler and adjust it onto the vehicle.

You can fit up to four mountain bikes comfortably, depending on the bike rack style, without having to compromise any space inside your jeep.

Moreover, you don’t have to worry about any damage to the car’s interior.

Your wrangler won’t be messy and dirty as the bikes are attached to the bike rack mounted outside of the car. Furthermore, it consumes only very little time to fit a bike on the rack.

Usually, three different styles of bike racks are available in the market for a Jeep Wrangler. They are:

Rooftop bike rack
Hitch bike rack
Spare tire bike rack

These all bike rack types have their own special features and usage. Also, they have some drawbacks.

Rooftop Bike Rack

Thule ProRide XT Roof Bike Rack

Check Price on Amazon

As its name suggests, the bike rack is mounted on the rooftop. You can fit up to four mountain bikes on a rooftop bike rack.

But for comfortable transportation, it is best if you don’t fit more than 2 or 3 bikes.

Pros

The bike adjustment is usually very stable.
Very little chance of damaging your Jeep’s paint.
Easy access to the trunk area of your car.
It does not block the rearview of the car.
It can be used to carry other things such as canoes, kayaks, snowboards, and luggages too.

Cons

The height of the Jeep makes it difficult to load and unload the bikes.
The bike on the roof adds height to the vehicle which makes traveling through a drive-through and other low overhead areas inconvenient.

Hitch Bike Rack

Allen Sports 4-Bike Hitch Racks

Check Price on Amazon

Hitch bike racks are installed to hitch in the back of a vehicle. They are quite a popular option for carrying bikes. You can easily fit up to four bikes on a hitch rack.

Pros

Very easy to install and can be used for many types of cars.
As they don’t add any height to the vehicle, you don’t have to worry while traveling through low overhead areas.
It can carry four bikes easily. It is the best rack option if you are looking to carry more bikes.
It is very easy to fit the bike to the rack and unload too.

Cons

It restricts the rearview of the car to some extent.
You will have to be extra careful while backing your car as the back sensor won’t be accurate due to the added length on the backside of the car.
Your access to the trunk will be affected. However, there are rack models that can tilt to allow you access to the trunk area.
This rack model is usually more expensive compared to other models.

Spare Tire Bike Rack

Allen Sports Deluxe 2-Bike Spare Tire Rack

Check Price on Amazon

It is a very convenient and popular option for Jeep cars and other SUVs. The bike rack is attached to the spare tire of the car. It is similar to a hitch rack but the major differences are that it is not attached to the hitch and cannot carry more than two bikes.

Pros

Easy installation process and the rack can be used on other SUVs too.
Reasonable price.
Easy to load and unload the bikes.
Easy access to the trunk as the rack is attached to the spare tire.
Does not add any extra height to the car.

Cons

Cannot carry more than two bikes.
The rear view of the car is slightly blocked.
In some Jeep Wrangler models, there is a rear camera fixed to the center of the spare tire area. Some spare tire racks can block it. However, there are also bike racks that do not cause any problem or you can also do some modification.

Carrying Your Bike On A Tent Trailer

A tent trailer can be attached to the hitch of your Jeep Wrangler. And you can easily use it for transporting your bikes.

You do not have to remove and reattach the wheels of your mountain bike if you are to use a tent trailer. However, when you are not mountain biking, you have to detach the tent trailer as carrying the tent trailer wherever you go is not quite comfortable.

This option is good only for those who are regularly going mountain biking.

Pros

Easy to fit bikes.
No need to bother removing and readjusting the bike tires.
Loading and unloading of bikes can be done comfortably.

Cons

Tent trailers are not convenient to use when you are not mountain biking.
Expensive option.
Extends your car’s overall length backward.

Which Is the Best Option To Transport Your Mountain Bike In A Jeep Wrangler?

I recommend a spare tire bike rack to carry your mountain bike. It is a very easy and convenient option. Plus, it saves time.

You can also go for a hitch bike rack if you intend to carry three or four bikes.

Both of these bike racks are easy to install in your vehicle and can also be removed very easily.

In case you are confused, you can check the features of the options again which I have discussed above, and then see what features attract you the most.