The Best Surfboard Bike Racks of 2023

Bike racks for your surfboard come in many shapes and mounts, but we’re certain there’s one for your particular needs out there.

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It’s very likely that you’ve ridden a bike with a surfboard tucked under your arm. It’s a good way to get to the beach, after all, and if you’re lucky enough to live within reasonable biking distance, it’s the best way to get there. No parking, a bit of extra fresh air, a bit more exercise… there aren’t really any downsides. Except, of course, the actual act of riding your bike with a surfboard tucked under your arm. Stiff headwind? It sucks. Stiff sidewind? It sucks. Stiff tailwind? Better, but still not great. That’s where surfboard bike racks come in handy — two-handy, if you’ll pardon the pun. Having both hands on the handlebars helps keep your skin attached where it should be (not to mention the skin of your precious surfboard).

The Best Surfboard Bike Racks:

Best Bike Rack for Longboards: Moved By Bikes MBB Longboard Rack ($100)

Best Bike Rack for Shortboards:  MBB Shortboard Rack ($100)

Best Budget Surfboard Rack: Ho Stevie! Surfboard Bike Rack ($70)

Budget Runner Up: Cor Surf Shortboard Bike Rack ($80)

Alternate Mounting Style: Carver Surf Rack CSR Max ($109)

Best Longboard/SUP Board Trailer: The Mule Surf and SUP Carrier ($199)

Best Surfboard Rack for Scooters/Mopeds/Ebikes: Carver Moped/Scooter Surf Rack  ($134)

What Makes a Good Surfboard Bike Rack?

It’s pretty simple. A good surfboard bike rack accomplishes several basic tasks. It keeps your surfboard secure while in transit and protects your surfboard (and you) by reducing the chance of a catastrophic fall. It should be easy to install. And it should make a minimal impact on your biking experience – the less it affects your mobility and visibility, the better. Each of the surfboard bike racks checks these boxes, some better than others. After examining everything available on the market, we’ve found these surfboard bike racks to be the best of the lot. Here’s our assessment of each.

The MBB longboard rack was our top pick for those well-endowed boards above 8 feet. It works great with most shortboards, too.

Best Overall/Best for Longboards: Moved By Bikes Longboard Rack ($100)

Pros: Wide profile is sturdy for longer, heavier boards.
Cons: Depending on the bike, can be a bit too wide-set to hold a shortboard.

Longboarding is a whole lot of fun, but going anywhere with a nine to 12-foot slab of glassed foam is a pain in the butt, to say the least. For this reason, the versatility of the Moved by Bikes Longboard Rack takes the cake. This longboard bike rack was created by people who were tired of trying to fit a longboard into a shortboard rack. Spoiler alert – it doesn’t work very well.

The Longboard Rack feature quick-release bars so you can remove the rack when not in use, and a front mount that attaches directly to the frame of your bike, making it a whole lot sturdier. The back mount can attach a number of places, like your seat post or a rear rack. And if you’ve got a special situation, or need a specific mounting style, shoot them an email, they’ll get you set up.

That said, depending on how big your board is, what sort of route you take to the beach, and a number of other factors, biking with that much board on one side of your bike might be an issue. If that’s the case, check out The Mule, our favorite trailer-style longboard bike rack, featured below.

This rack should work for most shortboards as well, but it’s worth measuring beforehand just in case, especially if you’re mounting the rear arm to a rear-rack, or plan on riding around Venice Beach with the breeze in your long hair and a stubby little fish by your side. If that’s the case, MBB also has a rack specifically for shortboards, which is our top pick for shortboards.

MBB won our hearts both for shortboards and longboards.

Best Shortboard Rack: MBB Shortboard Rack ($100)

Pros: Quick-release arms, solid build.

Cons: Bungees not included.

As stated above, There is a lot to like about MBB as a “by surfers, for surfers” kind of company. They put as much careful thought into their shortboard rack as they did for our overall top pick, the longboard rack. With extendable arms, it beats out a lot of its competition for seatpost mounted racks. The arms easily come off and on, which is great if you’re tight on space or simply don’t want the rack on your bike 24/7. It has the same solid construction as the longboard rack, and will hold up for many years to come. Get this rack if you want a strong, nimble, and reliable caddy to bring your shortboard safely to the waves and back.

The Ho Stevie! Surfboard Bike Rack is very affordable.

Best Budget Surfboard Rack: Ho Stevie! Surfboard Bike Rack ($70)

Pros: Decent price, easy to install.

Cons: Arms don’t extend.

The Ho Stevie! works with all types of bikes, whether you’re on a beach cruiser, a road bike, a mountain bike, or a BMX. It’s lightweight and, since it’s made from aluminum, it won’t rust in that salty ocean air. With anodized paint, chipping will be a thing of the past. As far as we’ve seen, this is the most affordable surf bike rack on the market, and it gets the job done.

A tried and true option. Photo: The Inertia/Ryan Trautwein

Budget Runner-Up: Cor Surf Shortboard Bike Rack ($80)

Pros: Solid construction, good price, thick padding.

Cons: Not easy to remove the arms. Seatpost mount can be a bit rickety.

The Cor Surf Shortboard Rack is a solid bike rack for your surfboard, and almost was our pick for the best budget, yet comes in $10 more than the Ho Stevie! option.  The installation process is pretty simple. It only required an Allen wrench and about thirty minutes to properly attach it to the bike. The green might be a bit much depending on your aesthetics, but as the box says, “You’ll be visible to traffic.” Which is true. Unless you’re considering toting around something bigger than a shortboard, the Cor Surf Shortboard Rack performs admirably at an affordable price.

Alternate Mounting Style: Carver Surf Rack CSR Max ($109)

Pros: Low profile, easy to install, comes with a multi-purpose rear-rack for your bike.

Cons: Won’t fit some bicycles.

The Carver Max Rack takes a different approach than the popular seatpost-mounted style of surf bike rack, instead attaching to an included rear rack. So you’re basically getting two racks in one. If for some reason your bike won’t fit a seatpost rack, but will take a rear-rack, you’ll still be in business with this option. The wider-set arms will also support a wider variety of board shapes and sizes, from shortboards, to longboards, to SUPs with a max weight of 25 pounds.

Who wants to carry your board all the way to the surf, anyway? The Mule has you covered.

Best Surfboard Trailer

The Mule Surf and SUP Paddle Board Carrier Transport System ($199)

Pros: Transports large boards easily.

Cons: Doesn’t work for shortboards.

If you’re a person who rides something a little larger, like a SUP, or even just a classic log, you know that it’s basically (ok, more like actually) impossible to ride a bike with one tucked under your arm. Sometimes, even a side rack can be a pain in the butt with all that weight pulling you to one side. So here’s a trailer that is ingeniously simple: a strap attaches the front and back of the board together, then hooks over your seat. The back is attached to a small axle, and away you go, towing your board behind like a Roman chariot.

With a solid construction that won’t rattle loose, Carver’s rack won our pick for bikes with motors.

Best Scooter/Moped/Ebike Surfboard Rack

Carver Moped/Scooter Surf Rack ($134)

Pros: Solid build – will keep your board secure in all kinds of terrain.

Cons: Adds more weight to an already back-heavy setup.

This one’s not exactly a bike rack, but with the rise in popularity of the electric bike, we thought it might be good to include. Built by Carver Surf Racks (the same producers of the Mini, above), the Moped/Scooter Rack fits onto the existing cargo rack on most mopeds and scooters. It fits shortboards and longboards, and it is built to stand up to a little more speed.

Which Surfboard Bike Rack is right for me?

We come in all shapes and sizes. So do our boards. So there will have to be a compromise somewhere if you have a quiver. A few factors will help you determine which surfboard bike rack is ideal for you. Some things to consider:

What type of terrain you’re riding – If you’re on a freshly paved bike path at sea level, you can get away with something that’s not so tech. The less varied the terrain, especially if it’s fresh asphalt, probably means you are ok with the bare bones. But if you’re on bumpy terrain, you’ll want more than one attachment point, so a seatpost mount isn’t the best option for you there.

What type of bike you’re riding: If your bike has a rack on the back, you have a few more options. The frame or seatpost size makes a difference as well. So make sure you get the bike measurements down before you choose your rack to avoid disappointment if the chosen model doesn’t fit.

How hard you ride: If you’re a cruiser, you probably don’t need something too beefy. But if you’re the type who likes to take shortcuts and is always late, it might be wise to invest in a bit of a sturdier rig to ensure it can handle whatever you send its way.

Board size: We’ve covered a few different sizes above, so make sure that you’re not getting a shortboard rack if you’re a longboarder, and vice-versa. If you do have a large quiver, best to go with a longer rack than a shorter one to ensure better balance.

Budget: If you’re scrounging couch change for this purchase, then you probably don’t want the most expensive option. But even if your dad is buying this for you, maybe you don’t need all the bells and whistles. We’ve listed several options here in the budget range in case money is an issue. But no matter what your budget, a rack is a good investment in your peace of mind to ride with both hands on the handlebars while your board gets safely escorted to the ocean and back.

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Not biking to the beach with your board? Check out more gear reviews here.