Hollywood Racks CrossTrack Review | GearJunkie Tested

Hollywood Racks might not be the first brand that comes to mind when considering a new hitch bike rack. Its latest model, the CrossTrack, aims to change that. While the brand is relatively popular among RVers and e-bike riders, most people with high-end bikes have shied away because they all make contact with the bike frame. 

The CrossTrack marks a significant departure from that design for Hollywood Racks. It is the brand’s first frameless contact model. With dual wheel arms, this rack only makes contact with the bike’s tires. It won’t ruin your bike’s paint job or even scuff up your fancy rims. This design makes it far more likely to appeal to riders with more expensive bikes, including me.

I’ve been testing the two-bike version of the CrossTrack for the past 2 months. I’ve been impressed by its ease of use, stability, secure bike hold, and streamlined appearance. It comes in one-bike ($400) and two-bike ($750) versions. It can transport just about any bike without fenders up to 66 pounds.

In short: The CrossTrack is a big step up in performance for Hollywood Racks. It’s simple to use, carries a wide range of bikes, has a fairly high weight limit, and is stable and secure. It has a few minor quirks but no fatal flaws. The price is competitive compared to similar racks on the market. 

Looking for a new bike rack? See how the CrossTrack compares in our guide to the Best Hitch Bike Racks.

Hollywood Racks CrossTrack Details

Hollywood Racks sells the CrossTrack in one-bike and two-bike versions in 1.25” and 2” receiver sizes. The 2” receiver version has a no-wobble hitch system, while the 1.25” version does not. Each tray of the CrossTrack has a bike weight limit of 66 pounds.

They can fit bikes with up to a 52-inch (1,320 mm) wheelbase, wheel sizes between 20 and 29 inches, and tires up to 4 inches wide. That covers the vast majority of bikes. Given its dual-wheel arm design, however, it is not intended for use with bikes with fenders.

The CrossTrack is approved for use on Class B RVs. Hollywood Racks says it should not be used with Class A and Class C RVs, travel trailers, or fifth wheels, and it is not intended for off-road use. It can be combined with a hitch extender up to 8” in length as long as it has a tightening mechanism.

Locking Hitch Pin, Cable Lock

The CrossTrack comes with a locking hitch pin and an 8-foot cable lock, which are keyed alike. Hollywood Racks also sells wheel locks ($40 per set of two). These were included with my test rack, and they came keyed the same as the other locks, which I greatly appreciated. I assume that Hollywood Racks would key all of the locks the same when they are purchased together.

The CrossTrack doesn’t come with a loading ramp, but Hollywood Racks sells the CrossTrack Ramp ($100) as an accessory. The ramp is designed to attach to the end of the bike trays so you can roll heavier bikes up into position instead of lifting them.

Other accessories include a light bar that attaches to the rack and functions as brake lights, turn signals, and emergency flashers. Quick-change tire spindles ($15 per set of two) for tool-free wheel size adjustments are also available.

Hollywood Racks CrossTrack Design

The CrossTrack shares a similar design to several other racks on the market. Popularized by 1Up-USA and its durable aluminum racks, the opposing dual-wheel arm design has since been adopted by other brands. Similar models include the Küat Piston Pro X, Saris MHS, Inno Tire Hold, RockyMounts GuideRail, QuikrStuff Mach 2, and Thule Helium Platform XT. 

The CrossTrack works similarly to those other models by sandwiching the bike between the opposing wheel arms. In doing so, it only makes contact with the tires, so it does not touch your frame, fork, or even your rims. This is great for those with fancy carbon bikes or carbon wheels or anyone who takes pride in the appearance of their bike. It essentially eliminates the chance of the rack causing any damage.

The wheel arms fold down flat on the trays for a low-profile appearance when not in use. Opening them is a two-handed operation, as you have to hold the red button down with one hand while lifting the wheel arm with the other. The wheel arms open as far as you want or need, including well below the level of the tray.

This is useful to get them out of the way if you’re using the loading ramp. Closing the wheel arms is easy. Simply push them tight against the front and rear tires as they ratchet into place.

The wheel arms have a horizontal spindle that contacts the bike tires. Adjust the spindle to five different positions corresponding to different wheel sizes. This adjustment requires the use of a 5mm Allen key and a 13mm socket and takes a couple of minutes. If you switch between bikes with different wheel sizes regularly, the tool-free Quick Change Tire Spindles ($15) will help.

Wheel Chocks, Tilt Handle

Each bike tray also has a wheel chock to add a little extra support behind the front wheel. This adds a little stability, as the front wheel can be prone to wobbling slightly without it. The wheel chock is adjustable into two positions to optimize it for larger or smaller wheels, although this requires the use of tools.

The tilt-release handle is located at the end of the main support arm. This position makes it easy to reach and squeeze when adjusting the rack between its four tilt positions. It folds flat to carry bikes.

Tilt it down with or without bikes loaded for easier access to the back of your vehicle. When not in use, tilt up at an angle to open trunks, or position vertically into its lowest profile position closest to the vehicle.

Assembly

Hollywood Racks sent me the two-bike version of the CrossTrack. It arrived at my house in a large but manageable box. Since Hollywood Racks sells direct to the consumer and through a few online retailers, this is how most people purchasing one will receive it, too. 

Opening the box revealed the rack in several pieces, requiring a small amount of assembly to prepare it for use. The printed assembly instructions were very detailed and incredibly easy to follow. A scannable QR code brought me to an equally informative assembly video. 

The remaining assembly was straightforward. Hollywood Racks provided the tools needed to complete all of the steps in the process. Each bike tray came in two pieces, which were easy to attach to the main frame of the rack using the sturdy brackets and hardware. It took me just under 30 minutes to unbox and assemble the rack, and I was ready to roll.

Using the Hollywood Racks CrossTrack

In the past few years, I’ve tested or used just about every quality hitch bike rack on the market. The CrossTrack was as easy to live with as most of them. Once I got my system down, loading and unloading bikes was a breeze.

Installing and removing the rack was equally annoyance-free. That’s not to say it was perfect. But my complaints were minor, and some are shared by similar racks on the market.

Installation and Removal

With a tool-free system, installing and removing the CrossTrack was quick and easy. Like most hitch racks, the hardest part was lifting and carrying it — it weighs 60 pounds and is quite large. Beyond that, all that was involved was sliding the receiver arm into the receiver, inserting the hitch pin, attaching the hitch pin lock, and tightening the no-wobble system. 

Unlike many anti-wobble systems that use a ball to cam against the inside of the receiver, the CrossTrack pulls tension on the hitch pin. It’s quite simple. I found it effective in reducing any play in the system and keeping the whole rack stable on the road.

It is worth mentioning again that the 1.25” receiver size does not feature the no-wobble system. You might need to add an aftermarket anti-wobble cam to add some stability if you get that size.

Tilt Adjustment

With the tilt-release handle located at the end of the main support arm, adjusting the tilt of the CrossTrack was super easy. I could easily fold the rack up or down with one hand.

The same can’t be said of some other racks with tilt-adjust levers or pins that are often harder to reach. Even when loaded with bikes, I could tilt the rack down for access to my truck’s tailgate and back up to flat for travel with relative ease.

Bike Attachment

I was initially slightly annoyed by the need to use two hands to open the wheel clamps. However, I quickly adapted my loading technique to make it easier on myself. Since it required both hands, I wasn’t able to balance my bike with one and open the clamp arms with the other. Sure, I could awkwardly lean the bike against myself and hope it didn’t fall over — which I tried a few times with varying levels of success — or I could just be smarter about it. 

Instead of fumbling around, I simply opened the wheel arms before even rolling my bikes out of the garage. When finishing a ride, I would just lean my bike on my truck for a few seconds while I opened the arms. Problem solved.

All of the bikes I ride typically have 29-inch mountain or 700c gravel bike wheels and tires. So, I never needed to adjust the wheel size spindles to fit the bikes I carried. With my regular rotation of non-electric mountain and gravel bikes, lifting them into place on the trays and securing them with the wheel arms was very easy.

In Transit

On the road, both the rack itself and the bikes were very stable. In stop-and-go traffic, at highway speeds, through potholes, and over rough pavement, the bikes stayed put. The CrossTrack didn’t wobble at all.

I also transported a 50+ pound electric mountain bike to and from the trailhead a few times. It handled that just as well as my lighter non-electric bikes. The wheel chocks kept the front wheels super stable, and I felt confident in the rack’s ability to safely transport my bikes from point A to point B.

Bike Security

Given that all of the locks came keyed alike, securing the bikes was hassle-free. The 8-foot cable lock was long enough to loop through both wheels and the frame on a single bike or through both frames and one wheel each on two bikes. The sturdy lock loop welded between the bike trays made it easy to lock the bikes to the rack with the included cable lock or the aftermarket bike lock of your choosing. 

The wheel locks added another layer of security. These are similar to the wheel locks used on other racks of the same style. Short metal rods pass through the clamp arms inside the wheels. Once in place, the wheels can’t be removed from the clamp arms. These were easy enough to install and remove, creating three locked points per bike.

While I know a determined bike thief with power tools could probably make quick work of these locks, I felt confident that they would deter most opportunistic, grab-and-go theft. I would not, however, leave my bikes on this — or any — rack overnight. Having your bikes stolen sucks. Leaving them unattended, especially in urban areas, is just asking for trouble, no matter how many locks you have on them.

Room for Improvement

While I generally found the CrossTrack to be very easy to use, I had some minor critiques. The first and perhaps most obvious is that it isn’t compatible with bikes with fenders. The way the wheel arms hold the bikes by the tires means that fenders, especially on the rear wheel, would be in the way.

While some other racks of this style have adapters for bikes with fenders, Hollywood Racks currently doesn’t. It’s not a big deal for most road, gravel, and mountain bikers. But it’s potentially a deal-breaker if you’ve got full coverage fenders on your bikes.

I honestly didn’t have a tough time with the two-handed opening of the wheel arms. Still, it would’ve been nice if I could have done it with one hand. 1up-USA’s latest models and the RockyMounts GuideRail, for example, have systems that allow one-handed operation. It’s hardly fair to compare the CrossTrack to the Küat Piston Pro X, which costs almost double. But that rack’s one-touch piston-actuated arms make it the easiest to load bikes.

I appreciated the wheel chocks for the added front wheel stability they provided on the road. However, they did limit my ability to adjust the bikes side-to-side to avoid bike-on-bike interference. This wasn’t an issue when transporting two mountain bikes with dropper posts, as there was plenty of clearance.

Transporting my mountain bike and gravel bike, however, required me to lower the saddle on the gravel bike to keep my MTB handlebar from touching it. Depending on the types and sizes of the bikes you transport, this may be a nonissue. For me, being able to adjust the wheel chocks quickly — perhaps tool-free — would have helped on a few occasions. 

An issue that was not unique to the CrossTrack was its size, particularly when it was off my vehicle. Like other hitch racks, it took up quite a bit of space in my already overcrowded garage. Additionally, the four wheel locks and cable lock are great for security and peace of mind, but they were a lot to keep track of.

At least they all used the same key. At present, there are no add-ons to expand the capacity of the CrossTrack racks. You’ll be limited to hauling 1 or 2 bikes at a time, depending on the model you choose.

Lastly, while the CrossTrack was plenty stable and sturdy in testing, the overall build doesn’t seem quite as robust as 1Up’s overbuilt all-metal constructions. There are a few plastic parts, and the main pivot isn’t quite as stout or burly-looking.

Assuming you stay under the per-bike weight limit and keep to paved surfaces or smooth gravel roads, it seems perfectly capable of providing many years of faithful service. Off-road use is not recommended anyway.

Hollywood Racks CrossTrack: Final Thoughts

Despite my list of minor complaints, I actually really liked using the Hollywood Racks CrossTrack. For my daily bike transportation needs, it did everything I needed. It was easy to use, stable, and pretty nice to look at, too. I felt confident getting my bikes to and from the trailhead and appreciated the dual wheel arm design to keep my personal and test bikes from getting any scuffs or scratches in transit.

Sure, there’s some room for improvement. But nothing that will keep me from using this rack on a daily basis for the foreseeable future. You might want to avoid the CrossTrack if you have bikes with fenders, switch between bikes with large changes in wheel size often, or plan to drive any super-rough dirt roads. But for the vast majority of riders who transport the same bikes regularly, it’s another solid option. 

At $400 for the one-bike version and $750 for the two-bike version, the Hollywood Racks CrossTrack isn’t exactly cheap. However, it is more affordable than many racks that look and function similarly. In my opinion, it’s a big step up in performance and style from a brand that previously never appealed to me. It’s a worthy contender when searching for your next hitch bike rack.