Submitted by
Greg
a Weekend Warrior
from Madison, WI USA Date Reviewed: June 14, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Tested or demo'ed only
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At:
Wheel and Sproket
Strengths:
Ummmmmmm, let me think for a while.
Weaknesses:
Poor Quality-Lots of Plastic-Fairly Heavy Will not work on long (59") wheelbase recumbants. Flimsy hold downs, 2 people from the dealership could not figure out how to correctly hook them on. BIG RED LIGHT!
Similar Products Used:
1 up usa hitch rack-$550.00-too heavy,awkward & expensive. Saris hitch rack-Saris advised against recumbant use! Thule hitch rack-Very unstable-Looked dangerous to me. I've researched everything I can find and the Alpaca Rack (see below) is the finest rack I can find.
Bike Setup:
2 recumbants-59" wheelbase.
Bottom Line:
I called the dealership (before driving 125 miles each way) and they assured me that this rack will handle a recumbant bike with a 63" wheelbase. WRONG, BIG TIME! As soon as we discovered that the rack could not accomodate a 59" wheelbase bike both the salesmen basically walked away from us. (one was a manager) Needless to say we did not purchase a rack from these yahoos. The sliver lining in this cloud is we were forced to continue looking and stumbled across Alpaca Bike Racks. What a difference! Outstanding customer service and great product. We purchased an APLACA STABLIZER HITCH RACK. Ed Stein @ Alpaca is the man to call for a variety of rack systems. Both our long wheelbase recumbants fit well on this rack and ride very securely. They are secured by a series of spacers and rings. This is a different system so it takes a minute to figure it out. Once you get it, it loads and secures quickly and securely. It also rides very well. We paid about $240.00 including 2" hitch adapter and shipping. This is a strong, light weight system that will handle a wide variety of bikes, skis or snowboards in a safe and secure manner. Well worth the money. As a matter of fact I have been searching for a hitch rack for 3 months now and this is the all around best hitch rack available. Bar none. Buy it, you'll like it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chris
a Weekend Warrior
from Mentor, OH,USA Date Reviewed: May 20, 2003
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$550.00
Purchased At:
Ernie's Bike Shop
Strengths:
Great system. I enjoy the security, ease and the speed this system offers.
Weaknesses:
Very heavy when assembled making it difficult to lift into the hitch. If you use the rack often you will not want to take it apart each time you use it. If you do it will require alot of your time, which is what this rack is trying to eliminate. Fully assembled storage is a little difficult in a one car garage. You need two people when putting the rack down from the upright position due to the weight and lack of a stop that is built into the transport series. A little odd to assemble too. The directions are vague for the recumbent tray and the sliding parts are put in the wrong order (for shipping). This means you have to completely reomve them before adjusting them. Once you get them in place however they are are good to go. It takes at least 20 minutes per tray to assemble. I received an incorrect mounting piece and had to have a new one shipped from Sportworks before I could use the rack (10 days). I have the transport series too. As this did not fit my Bike Es I had to completely buy the whole new mod series. Ouch, that hurt. The overall quality of the modular system seems to be slightly less than the original. The dealer network is rotton. My LBS dealer is 1/2 mile away and he wasn't the least interested in helping me to buy this product. Even after I spent $600 on the transport series from him 2 years earlier. 2 other shops were listed as dealers but had no information available and didn't want to look into it. Had to drive 65 miles away to find a dealer that wanted the business. Due to the extreme cost and the uniqueness of this rack I sometimes worry about theft when I park in remote or isolated trail lots. But then maybe I'm just being paranoid.
Similar Products Used:
Sportworks transport series for 4 bikes.
Bike Setup:
2 recumbent Bike E trays, one mountian bike tray
Bottom Line:
I would do it again. Wait, I alread did it again. Obviously I think this is a great set up. I would like to say that this will be the last bike rack I ever buy but I thought that when I bought my first Sportworks rack. Who know what our future needs will be.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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