Swing Out with the RockyMount Backstage

Cut to the Chase

The Backstage from RockyMounts is one hell of a rack! With its head-turning looks, you'll be drawing a lot of attention at the trailhead. With bombproof materials, unique and innovative features and a super-burly design, the Backstage is a real gutsy bike carrier that has the punch to back up its good looks. Welcome, to a new benchmark in bike carriers.

Pros

180 degree twist.

30 degree tilt.

Super easy and quick to get the bikes on and off.

Bombproof design, using highly durable materials.

Folds up flat against the car when not in use.

Looks bloody fantastic!

Cons

The "tilt" mechanism can be a little tricky to operate with the weight of the rack and two bikes.

The rack is quite heavy and awkward when carrying to the vehicle.

We Get Swinging with the RockyMounts Backstage, the new benchmark in bike carriers.

The BackStage is the only swing-away platform hitch rack on the market that swings out 180 degrees. No matter if you have a truck, SUV, or camper van, this rack is perfect for those who need open access to the back end of their vehicle. The RockyMounts Backstage is based on their successful MonoRail platform, which we reviewed earlier in the year. Read all about that one, here.

To be honest, we thought the MonoRail was pretty hard to beat in terms of design, build quality, and price, but the BackStage has just gone one step further and has completely wowed us in terms of what a bike carrier can do.

The impressive RockyMounts Backstage securely carries 2 bikes, up to 27kgs each, that’s a whopping 54kgs!
Photo:©Richard McGibbon

The RockyMounts Backstage has a good-looking profile and sits well away from the rear of the vehicle.
Photo:©Richard McGibbon

Features

The RockyMounts BackStage is an adaptable rack that is incredibly easy to use and provides full access to the rear of the vehicle, even with bikes loaded. The BackStage, however, is a two-bike rack only and not expandable to three bikes but it can carry a total load of 54kgs!

Yes, the Backstage can do the tilt, but it can also do the TWIST. Just like a Saturday night down at the local barn dance, the Backstage will woo you with its moves and get you jigging around with excitement. The Backstage can tilt downwards at 30 degrees so you can access the rear hatch of your vehicle, but the pièce de résistance is the 180–degree twist. This is very impressive and is the hallmark of the Backstage.

• The industry’s first 180 degrees swing away platform hitch rack.
• Carries 2 bikes, up to 60 lbs. Not compatible with Add-On.
• No contact with the frame and secures bicycle by the front wheel.
• Carries road tires up to 5.0” fat bike tires, and diameters from 20” to 29”.
• Compatible with bike wheelbase from 34” and 49”.
• Folds flat against the vehicle, and tilts down 30 degrees to allow for hatch access.
• Only available for 2” hitches. Comes with an anti-wobble bolt.
• Includes locking hitch pin and cable lock, keyed alike.
• Not for use with fender-equipped bicycles.
• Rack weight 59 lbs (shipping weight 75 lbs).

The Backstage shares the same quality ingredients as the rest of the RockyMounts racks; high levels of engineering quality, a robust mix of materials and a very secure attachment system. The Backstage, along with the Monorail, also comes with a heavy-duty cable lock and two connection points. The Backstage has an updated set of locks that auto-lock and feature an all–weather rubber cap to keep the grit out of the keyhole.

Attaching a bike is very simple with the industrial-strength ratchet belt for the rear wheel, a large foldable cup that supports the front wheel, and the large vertical ratchet arm that holds the front wheel in place. What we like about the Backstage and the Monorail design is that there is no unnecessary weight placed on the bike frames as the whole weight of the bike sits on the main chassis and only the wheels are used as contact points.

Technical Specs:

• The industry’s first 180 degrees swing away platform hitch rack
• Carries 2 bikes, up to 60 lbs. Not compatible with Add-On
• No contact with the frame, secures bicycle by the front wheel.
• Carries road tires up to 5.0” fat bike tires, and diameters from 20” to 29”
• Compatible with bicycles’ wheelbases from 34” and 49”
• Folds flat against the vehicle, and tilts down 30 degrees to allow for hatch access
• Only available for 2” hitches. Comes with anti-wobble bolt
• Includes locking hitch pin and cable lock, keyed alike.
• Not for use with fender equipped bicycles.
• Rack weight 26.7kgs

• Click here for the User Manual 
• Click here for a Hitch Rack Comparison Chart
• Click here to see Hitch Rack Dimensions 
• Click here to see the BackStage on a Sprinter

The RocklyMounts Backstage comes with a heavy-duty cable lock and two hitch pin locks for locking up the bikes. There are two pins on the frame to secure the cable lock on to.
Photo:©Richard McGibbon

Conclusions

We’ve been using the RockyMounts Backstage for about 3 months and have fallen in love with it. We had the Monorail for about 6 months on a long-term test and really thought it couldn’t get much better, oh, how wrong we were.

At first, we thought the Backstage would be too much for us, but in fact, we’ve used the full 180-degree swing almost every time we go out with the bikes. With all good innovations, it’s often not known until it is. We didn’t think we would need a 180-degree swinging bike rack, but as soon as you’ve experienced it, you can’t go back. Think of some of the best bike product designs over the past years, such as the dropper post, 1×10 for example. We feel the RockyMounts Backstage can sit side by side with those greats and has raised the bar for all other bike carrier manufacturers.

Where to Buy / Price

• RockyMounts Backstage Two Bike car rack: $719.00aud (was $799)
• You can purchase the Backstage or any other of the RockyMounts bike racks from the Roof Rack Store.
• Or for further information, contact: Chris Murty (Australian Distributor) at chris@rockymounts.com.au