Submitted by
Mike Snyder
a Weekend Warrior
from Los Angeles, CA USA Date Reviewed: July 20, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Orange Line
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
120.00
Strengths:
Arms fold down easily; folds out of the way of tailgate easily; holds four-five bikes well.
Weaknesses:
Could use a quick-release system to fold arms up and down. The cinching system to hold the adapter to a 2" hitch should be less complicated. Whenever I take the rack off my car it takes a while to remember how it goes back on to cinch properly.
Similar Products Used:
Hollywood hitch mount
Bike Setup:
Hitch mounted on F-150 pickup
Bottom Line:
Yes, it wobbles at speed -- but that's easily eliminated by tightening the bolt that goes through the 2" adapter. A once-a-month tightening is all it needs to keep it snug and firm, regardless of how many bikes I'm carrying. The fold-down arms even have enough back room (the side opposite the mount where the bikes fit on the arms) to add another carrier for a fifth bike. I've used this rack with my and my kids bikes camping, to the beach, whatever and haven't had any problems.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Steve S
a
from Parma, OH Date Reviewed: July 4, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
None
Weaknesses:
Wobbles dangerously. Hitch adapter does not fit correctly. They include a plastic block that is very loose.
Bottom Line:
Do not buy this product. If you have a 2" hitch.....buy a 2" bike rack. Do not but the adapter model.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Yvette
a Weekend Warrior
from Austin, TX, USA Date Reviewed: November 30, 2005
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$99.00
Purchased At:
Target
Strengths:
Fits all 4 of our bikes with no trouble at all. Even fits the smaller frames. Easy to load on and off, easy to secure.
Weaknesses:
The adapter for the larger hitch gives too much. Not a good system for attaching such a large rack.
Similar Products Used:
NONE
Bottom Line:
The sway was terrifying. I had people on the highway flagging me down and pointing to the bike rack because it was swaying side to side so much. If the arm was larger (i.e. the same size as my hitch) so that I didn't have to use the adapter to mount it, I think it may work better and be more stable. Or if there was more than just one bolt to hold it together? I don't know, but it seems very unsafe to have the bikes swaying so much with every slight turn. I even had a bike shop guy look at it and he said it was mounted correctly, just a cheap rack. His words! So I guess you get what you pay for. I think I'll sell it and try to buy a higher quality one.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brian
a Weekend Warrior
from Phoenix, AZ, USA Date Reviewed: November 4, 2002
Favorite Trail:
white rock in Prescott, AZ
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$120.00
Purchased At:
bike nashbar
Strengths:
sturdy, easy to get on and off, reliable
Weaknesses:
None
Bike Setup:
I have a Haro Full suspension XLS Werks 3.0 and Nissan Altima Car
Bottom Line:
Yo moron if you have a Y frame you are going to have to use a different type of rack. Duh ?? I have a full suspension bike and I have no problems with this rack. I have the 1 1/4" 2 bike version and it is outstanding, especially for the price. I strongly reccommend this rack. It is very easy to get on and off. I have an Altima sedan which exposes the bike/rack to a lot of wind at 80 mph. So far, I have had absolutely no problems. The sway is mininmal. You are always going to get some sway with a sedan like the Altima. You can also open the trunk on the Altima and not do anything to the rack. This rack is perfect for sedans.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jimmy
a Weekend Warrior
from LI Date Reviewed: April 17, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Rocky Point
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$179.00
Purchased At:
Online
Strengths:
Holds 5 bikes, arms can fold down
Weaknesses:
Does not hold full suspension bikes. Will have to buy a bike beam in order to fit the bike to the rack
Similar Products Used:
Purchased a Yakima rimroc but haven't tested it yet
Bike Setup:
Intense Tracer, Specialized FSR XC
Bottom Line:
Graber indicates that you can fit funky style frames on this rack such as a "Y" bike. That's BS. Sure you can fit it on but then the rear tire is facing up towards the sky or sticking out from the side of the car. I have not been able to fit my full suspension nor my friend's numerous full suspension bikes correctly. Sure you can fit a Trek Y bike but then who makes those types of frames nowadays? So I had to buy bike beams to fit my bikes on. You're then at risk of losing your bike on the highway because if your stem or seatpost comes off, your bike is history. Also the bikes will sway back and forth like crazy with the beam. This rack is good for hardtails only. The rack is also not stable on the highway, it sways back and forth all the time. Don't buy this rack if you have full suspension bike You will have major regrets if you buy this rack and try to fit your dual suspension bike.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Murray
a Weekend Warrior
from Sacramento, CA Date Reviewed: March 19, 2002
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$180.00
Purchased At:
City Bicycle Works
Strengths:
heavy duty; well made; looks good (if you like black); arms fold down; holds all sorts of frames
Weaknesses:
rack sways from side to side a bit; section that goes into your receiver hitch can be a bit longer (I have to remove a pedal to clear the back of my Plymouth Voyager van); plastic "cam levers" for folding down arms can be chipped if you're not careful
Similar Products Used:
cheap trunk mounted carriers
Bike Setup:
mountain bikes, road bikes, kid bikes
Bottom Line:
I have the 5 bike model. So far it hasn't given me any problems -- Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, camping trips, around town. I've taken it on extended rough roads and watched the bikes sway from side to side. This is the only weakness and can be attributed to the fact that there is only one bolt that holds the upright section to the hitch mount section. I am thinking about adding another bolt to the hitch section (there are holes to do so) to prevent the sway. I haven't had any problems with the fold down arms other than a quarter-sized section of the plastic cam lever breaking off when I was putting it away (metal meets plastic, plastic breaks). The $180 I spent on the rack plus the $140 I spent for the hitch is less than what I would have spent on a roof system. I recommend this rack if you have a hitch and lots of bikes to carry (as I have a roof top box for stuff).
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from New York Date Reviewed: August 30, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Greenbelt
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
Sheepshead Cycles
Strengths:
Sturdy rack, looks great, collapsable arms
Weaknesses:
Sways a little
Similar Products Used:
Graber Roof Rack (no good) and Saris roof Racks (great rack)
Bike Setup:
1998 Specialized M2 pretty much stock execpt for riser bars
Bottom Line:
This is a nice rack. I could have spent another $100 for the Thule space station but then I could only hold 2 bikes with the Thule. As for the Graber, I can hold up to 5 bikes. The rack sways alittle bit but I've used it every weekend since I purchased it and it hasn't given me any problems at all. I recommend this rack.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Stu Miller
a Cross Country Rider
from Littleton, CO Date Reviewed: April 22, 2000
Favorite Trail:
the last one I rode
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Bottom Line:
By the way, I left out a key word in my earlier review, the rack does NOT scratch the car. Duh!
The rack is still working great. The movement has not changed and is not a problem. My riding partner has one now on his Toyota Solaris. Still recommend it as a great alternative to a trunk or roof mount rack.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Sam Bass
a Weekend Warrior
from Mooresville, NC Date Reviewed: October 25, 1999
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Well Made, Sturdy, folds down
Weaknesses:
Have to undo allen screw to fold arms down, a pain
Bike Setup:
Lincoln Navigator
Bottom Line:
Very well made rack, needs different system to collapse arms
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Stu Miller
a Cross-Country Rider
from Littleton, CO Date Reviewed: April 2, 1999
Favorite Trail:
Amasa Back, Moab
Duration Product Used:
less than 1 month
Strengths:
available for 1.25 or 2 receiver hitches carries 2 to 4 bikes depending on model access to trunk with swing down feature cam controlled arms swing down for storage hold downs & straps rotate on arms to accept different bike frames
Weaknesses:
rack swings back & forth due to slop in hitch mount connection
Similar Products Used:
Hollywood Trunk Racks
Bike Setup:
Honda Accord with 1.25 receiver hitch
Bottom Line:
This rack is high quality and does what I need, transports up to 4 bikes with scratching the car's finish. I've used roof mounted and trunk mounted racks in the past and all of them scratch the car's finish sooner or later. I bought the 1.25 hitch model in the 4 bike configuration (model 1078Q4). Rack could carry more weith than my Class 1 hitch could handle (200 lbs. tongue weight). Used 1 time so far with 3 bikes averaging 25 lbs. each. The rack stores in my trunk when I'm on the trail thanks to the cam controlled folding arms. Some play from side to side due to receiver hitch and receiver tube movement. So far the movement is acceptable. I will follow up with a review later in the season. I will give this a rating of 4 for now due to the movement in the hitch.
Overall Rating:
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