GripSport GS4+ bike rack is built for tough tracks

GripSport manufactures several heavy-duty bike rack designs right here in Australia … and I don’t use the word ‘heavy-duty’ as a blasé way to describe these racks.

No siree; these racks are rated to carry bikes on and off the road, regardless of terrain. Some bike-rack manufacturers make claims regarding the weight of the bikes they can carry, but decrease said weight when driving off-road, or even state ‘not for off-road use’. Not GripSport; this company’s racks have been designed to carry bikes in all terrain types.

I’ve been using the GS4+ rack for the past couple of years on a number of 4x4s; it is essentially GripSport’s top-of-the-range vehicle-mounted rack that also incorporates tail lights (brake and turn indicators) and a number plate. Initially, I needed a robust off-road compatible rack for up to four bikes to fit on my Troopy, which had a rear-mounted swing-out spare wheel and dual jerry can holder.

To make my wish-list harder, I wanted a rack that could transform from a four-bike to a two-bike carrier with my 4×4 converted Hiace. Plus, asking the ridiculous, I wanted the bike carrier to drop or pivot down to aid access to the rear of the Troopy and the Hiace.

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While converting from four to two carriers takes 15 to 20 minutes, it’s relatively straightforward and saves purchasing two separate carriers. The tilting system remains in both configurations, the light and number-plate holder are retained, and the simple hoop wheel mounts are all adjustable to suit whatever wheelbase bikes are carried.

Given the GripSport rack’s upswept angle, my 4×4’s departure angle isn’t impeded so there is little chance of scraping bikes or the rack on the ground. This rack can handle up to four bikes at 30kg each. Whether you’re pedalling heavy electric mountain bikes, fat-wheeled off-road bikes, or any other weighty set of wheels, the dynamic load rating makes it possible to transport them.

I opted for the standard hoop set to hold the bike wheels over the Taco kit, which does indeed look like a taco shell. While the Taco version caters to varied frame length bikes to be fitted without adjustments, making putting different bikes on the same holder easier, the hoop design was my preferred option because once adjusted to each bike’s dimensions, the hoop does a better job of holding the bike in place, which is more suited to off-road conditions.

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Downsides? Yes, there are a couple. Smaller kids will need help lifting and reaching the bikes due to the high-mounting positions. Being manufactured from steel rather than alloy, the rack is heavy compared to lesser units. I can remove and install the rack by myself, but having two people makes the job much easier given the rack’s overall weight. While alloy offers weight benefits, the galvanised steel setup of the GripSport rack is stronger.

I have used the GripSport rack with two bikes over a 10,000km trip through the Flinders Ranges and Central Australia on my 4×4 Hiace, on my Troopy with four bikes on countless weekend escapes, plus on my HiLux about a dozen times. Throughout, it has performed faultlessly and has always maintained its ease of use. Dare I mention this on a 4×4 website, but I also fitted the rack to a Commodore wagon a couple of times, proving how versatile the system is. 

The GS4+ rack is a horizontal-style system that carries the bikes upright, but there is also a series of vertical bike racks if that is your preferred method. Overall, the GripSport bike carrier system has exceeded my expectations and it has endured some seriously corrugated and rough country.

RRP: $1590 (includes light assembly)