Allen Sports

Allen Sports is the budget bike rack brand that introduced most Americans to the concept of carrying bikes on their car. Founded in 1967 in Wakefield, Massachusetts by Richard Allen, the company has been family-owned the whole time and still makes the majority of its racks in the U.S.

Allen's bread-and-butter products are the Deluxe Trunk Rack (under $70) and the Premier Hitch Rack. They're not fancy — the trunk racks use straps and hooks, the hitch racks are mostly steel — but they get the job done for occasional weekend rides.

The honest take: if you ride bikes once a month and need to get them to a trail, Allen is the best $80 you'll ever spend. If you ride every weekend with a full family, you'll probably outgrow it in a year.