Description:Carry up to 4 bikes on this receiver-hitch rack--Thule's most popular model. Black powder-coated steel provides exceptional durability. Stable dual arms with adjustable, non-marring cradles fit most frame sizes and designs, including women's bikes, with no need for adapters. Convenient tilt-down design provides easy access to rear of vehicle. Anti-wobble design provides a snug fit for mount in receiver box. Locking Eye allows you to secure bikes to rack with any cable lock (sold separately). Lock hitch to receiver with Snug Tite™ lock accessory (sold separately); choose 1-1/4" or 2" receiver.
Submitted by
Terri from N.J.
a Weekend Warrior
from Toms River N.J. Date Reviewed: June 29, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Albocondo
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$160.00
Purchased At:
bike shop
Strengths:
holds several bikes
Weaknesses:
straps are weak & slide, in spite of sleeve for 2"inch hitch lots of vibration
Bike Setup:
3 bikes back of rv
Bottom Line:
rubber cradle slipped and bike slid down front of rack toward rv bumper & dragged along the ground. Tire gone rim filed down. worst part was it occured at 55mph approaching the on ramp for the George Washington Bridge on the N.y side. All bikes were bungied tightly to minimize vibration. Had to cut them while while parked on the narrowest shoulder as cars flew by. I thought Thule was a good brand until now. Our whole family could have been killed by this incident. Wish I knew about the need for hose clamps and tape before buying this piece of garbage. It should be recalled!
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Submitted by
Dave
a
from Chicago Date Reviewed: April 23, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$150.00
Strengths:
Product is garbage
Weaknesses:
Threaded hole to attach to receiving hitch is a pain in the a_ _. To boot I was driving along the road in windy conditions and my bike blew off the rack and it did about $200.00 worth of damage. Avoid this product at all costs
Bottom Line:
Save yourself the pain and do not buy this garbage.
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Submitted by
Milwaukeehaze
a Cross Country Rider
from Wisconsin Date Reviewed: September 25, 2006
Favorite Trail:
All of them!
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$150.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Holds bikes well, is sturdy, hasn't rusted, tilting features are convenient.
Weaknesses:
Threaded hole in the receiver for the bolt and Thule Lock
Similar Products Used:
Graber Trunk Rack
Bike Setup:
Giant NRS Composite 2
Bottom Line:
I have used this rack (2 bike version) for about 5 years now and it's worked well holding my bikes securely with the rubber straps. I also use 2 heavy rubber bungy cords to secure bikes to keep from swaying, moving, etc...
However, I agree with a few past reviewers about the stupid threaded hole that takes the threaded bolt they give you. Then you need to buy the $40 Thule Lock so thieves don't steal your rack.
However, I quickly rendered the situation as follows: IF YOU HAVE THIS RACK, INSTALL IT INTO YOUR HITCH RECEIVER AND THEN SLIDE IT JUST PAST THE THREADED HOLE. THEN TAKE A PEN/MARKER AND OUTLINE THE HOLES ON EACH SIDE OF YOUR RECEIVER. REMOVE THE RACK AND DRILL OUT BOTH SIDES SO YOU HAVE A HOLE ON EACH SIDE OF THE RACK RECEIVER. SINCE MANY OF US WITH HITCHES ALREADY HAVE A RECEIVER WITH A BALL AND A L0CKING HITCH PIN, YOU CAN JUST USE YOUR NORMAL HITCH PIN TO SECURE THIS RACK TO YOUR VEHICLE.
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Submitted by
Aaron
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver Date Reviewed: July 7, 2006
Favorite Trail:
APEX
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
Garts
Strengths:
NONE. It worked for a while, then....
Weaknesses:
Besides dropping two bikes due to a faulty hitch pin set-up, it is difficult to put odd frames on this rack. (like a Stumpjumper), and holding on to bikes with rubber straps stresses me out
Similar Products Used:
Roof racks from Thule
Bike Setup:
'05 Stumpjumper Expert 120
Bottom Line:
DO NOT BUY THIS RACK! This rack extends from the hitch post and has a hinge to hold it upright. This hinge is held up by a pin that goes through both portions (similar to a trailer hitch). This pin is not held in by a secondary cotter pin (like every trailer hitch pin I have ever seen). Instead, a metal latch prevents this pin from pulling out. This latch failed, allowing the pin to work its way out. My bikes dropped to the ground in motion and were dragged behing my truck for ....who knows, but the result was horrible. Over $1000 in damages, and 4 weeks of no biking (not to mention the trip I was on was ruined). Thule did acknowledge there is a problem with the rack, and they replaced the rack with a T2 hitch rack (much better product). They also paid for damages to my bike. If you have this rack, replace the pin that props the rack up with something more reliable (like a hitch pin/with secondary cotter pin). Better yet, get the T2 rack...
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Submitted by
Nanger
a Cross Country Rider
from Houston, TX, USA Date Reviewed: June 22, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$120.00
Purchased At:
REI
Strengths:
Relatively inexpensive, light, easy to assemble, use..
Weaknesses:
Bullsh**! trailer connection...
Bike Setup:
Trek 8500
Bottom Line:
Ok, so this hitch works pretty well, and any issues such as the mounts sliding and bikes rubbing together can be solved very easily (tape, bungee cords, hoseclamps) I like that it's light, easy to assemble and easy to use. I have one major problem with this hitch, and I guess it's more of a problem with Thule in general... On the tube that attaches to your hitch, there is a hole which meets up with holes in your hitch so that you can put a trailerlock on it so that thieves can't just steal your bikes by taking your hitch. Well, instead of leaving that hole it's regular size so that anyone can use any hitch lock, Thule put a nut in that hole so that you can only put their screw into the hole. The only way to protect from some Joe unscrewing the bolt and taking your hitch? You guessed it, buy a Thule Lock to protect that bolt. This is not only lame, it's also inconvenient. With a regular hitch lock you can just unlock and slide the hitch out. With Thule's Lock you unlock and then you thill have to unscrew the bolt before you can remove. As you can tell, very annoyed at Thule for an otherwise good rack...
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Submitted by
Patruck Morgan
a Weekend Warrior
from Sault Ste. Marie Date Reviewed: May 12, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Highland
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$150.00
Purchased At:
REI in Northville
Strengths:
Minimum bounce on the highway, easy set-up, sleek look, and affordable
Weaknesses:
Sliding straps, slightly unstable on off-road (which it's not made for), and your paint is vulnurable to the staps that cause cable abrasion and other bike's forks may scratch the opposite end of another frame
Similar Products Used:
Thule trunk products and some nameless K-mart trunk rack
Bike Setup:
Fisher Tassajara, relatively stock
Bottom Line:
Though I mentioned many weaknesses, I would recommend this rack because these problems are avoidable. I Drive slowly through backroads to minimize jolting, I wrapped the arms between the straps with hockey tape to keep them from sliding, and I tie old rags on the edge of each fork that would otherwise scratch the opposing frame to avoid scratching. All of these "problems" exist for all bike racks with the strap. If you revere your paint job, you might want to purchase either a roof rack or the hitch rack without the straps, but if you're more concerned with value, than this is the rack for you.
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Submitted by
Brian
a Weekend Warrior
from Killeen, Texas Date Reviewed: November 13, 2005
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$179.00
Purchased At:
ORS Racks Direct
Strengths:
Easy to use
Weaknesses:
Locking feature on hitch
Similar Products Used:
Thule roof rack
Bike Setup:
Treck 4300, Navigator, kid's bikes, Kids trailer
Bottom Line:
Good rack; simple to use. Chose this over swinging racks (which everyone was recommending) due to light weight, ease of mounting, and easy storage. Have used it for family bike trips with a couple of hour highway drive time. Can mount to vehicle and get all bikes on and mounted in less than five minutes. Even less than that to take bikes off and remove rack. Fold down arms make for easy in car storage if you want to remove it at your destination. Did not get the zip stick and have not needed it. Took a couple of old swim noodles (long foam tubes), slit them lengthwise, and cut them up into six to eight inch lengths. Slip a piece of foam swim noodle over frame parts where the bikes contact each other. Finish with a few bungie cords to hold them together. No movement, no slipping cradles, and NO scratches. Fully loaded rack doing 80+ mph down the highway and absolutely no issues. Just remember to remove swim noodles before riding or you will get some funny looks. Only real challenge was not with bike rack itself but the top tube adapter for my wife’s 14” open frame comfort bike. The adapter was too long for the bike, even in shortest position. Took some creative duct take and swim noodle work to make up for the inch shortfall. Swim noodles should come with the rack but I guess they wouldn’t sell any zip sticks that way.
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Submitted by
Indiana Andy
a
from Indianapolis Date Reviewed: July 22, 2005
Favorite Trail:
the dirt ones
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$180.00
Purchased At:
some website
Strengths:
ease of installation on car and with bikes.
Weaknesses:
poor craftsmanship. The straps!!
Similar Products Used:
none yet
Bike Setup:
its a Klein!
Bottom Line:
Bottom line is that the damn rubber straps came apart after only about 5 uses. Is it wrong to wanna make sure my nearly $2000 Klein is well strapped in at 75mph???! Last time i tried to strap them down, the straps just came apart. I guess this hitch was not meant for real mt. bikers. Btw, im using the Thule 2 bike hitch mount, 1and1/4". Doesnt look like the one in the pic.
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Submitted by
Dave
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, CO, UDA Date Reviewed: September 17, 2004
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$150.00
Purchased At:
Campus Cycles, Denver, CO
Strengths:
Straightforward design. Built well.
Weaknesses:
Cradles.
Similar Products Used:
First hitch mount rack, roof racks otherwise.
Bike Setup:
Santa Cruz Blur, frame size is large.
Bottom Line:
I was looking for a rack that my Blur would fit on, nothing crazy expensive but built decent enough that I wouldn't risk hanging expensive bikes from it. My Blur fits perfectly on this rack. Putting the bike on the most inward cradles and running a strap through the wheels keeps it all snug. I do find the cradles walk together, but I only have a 2 bike version and so this is easily solved by the hose clamp fix. Overall the rack does what it's supposed to, I don't worry in the least about hanging my bike on it. I have not figured out an elegant way to lock it to the receiver without using the Thule hitch lock, so I just have a cable lock around it and my bumper, which works fine. It has some sway and jiggle in the mount at the receiver and in the arms, but nothing horrible. I've taken my bikes over some pretty rough roads and no damage to bikes or truck. Pretty much just use it without thinking much about it, which IMHO means the rack is doing it's job just fine.
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Submitted by
65cmFixie
a Weekend Warrior
from Dallas, TX, USA Date Reviewed: July 27, 2004
Favorite Trail:
White Rock Creek & Lake
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$252.00
Purchased At:
Rack Attack (online)
Strengths:
Simple, sturdy, relatively inexpensive, holds bikes securely (when equipped with Zip-Stick), nothing touches the paint on the car
Weaknesses:
They shouldn't even sell it without the Zip-Stick stabilizer. Bikes will swing and bang together without it. And the cradles can slip, allowing the bikes to crunch together - see my solution below.
Similar Products Used:
Yakima ROC4 & KingPin4, Yakima Roof Rack
Bike Setup:
Giant TCR Team road bike, Novara/REI "Bonanza" Mtn Bike, an older Performance road frame converted to fixed gear
Bottom Line:
In my usually over-analytcal style, I read reveiws here and elsewhere, talked to other owners and carefully examined racks at LBS before buying. If you have a full suspension bike or a weird frame design, this might not work well for you. Or you might need one of those frame adapters which look like a pain. I chose this rack over the Yakima KingPin4 and SlickRoc4. The arms on the Thule are slightly longer, so bikes can be a bit further apart. Thule's integrated locking cable locks all 4 bikes, not just the last one on. The biggest issue in the decision was stability. Yakima rack has no stabilizer stick. The cradle design has an extra strap and a part that is supposed to keep the bike from swinging. OK in theory, but didn't work well for me in practice. And with Yakima design, you still have to tie the front wheel in place to keep it still. I prefer the Thule Zip-Stick design. It keeps the bikes from swinging and keeps front wheel still at the same time. The only other issue to address - the cradles will slip on the arms, allowing the bikes to crunch together. It is IMHO a design flaw of most racks of similar design. I noticed that some who posted here used hose clamps to stop this. I got some 1" I.D. tubing from hardware store, cut to length and slipped it over the arms between the cradles (had to drill out and replace a rivet that keeps the security cable in place to do this). The cradles now cannot slip and the whole thing is quite stable at speed and over moderately rough roads. My rack is the "Expressway" model. It is the same as the Hitching Post Pro, but has 2-tone paint and includes the Zip-Stick, integrated locking cable and hitch lock. Avoid the older Hitching Post that has arms that do not fold down. And, again, don't even consider this rack without the Zip-Stick stabilizer.
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Submitted by
Arn
a
from San Jose, CA Date Reviewed: June 6, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$170.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Inexpensive. Very easy to assemble and install. Durable
Weaknesses:
Must purchase the zipstick. Without the zipstick the bikes will bang together.
Similar Products Used:
Sarix bones trunk rack. It scratched up my bumper and trunk.
Bottom Line:
The hithing post pro is a good rack. I cary my 17" and my wife's 13" (ladies frame) without any problems. I do use the zipstick and extra straps for added protection. *f.y.i. drive slowly up/down steep driveways, the hitch has a tendency to scrape the ground if you don't let the car's suspension rebound completely.
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Submitted by
J Fitz
a Weekend Warrior
from York,Pa USA Date Reviewed: January 13, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$170.00
Purchased At:
HDK Cycles
Strengths:
Overall good construction
Weaknesses:
Needs to come with zip-stick
Similar Products Used:
Hollywood Racks (suck)
Bike Setup:
Giant ATX 870
Bottom Line:
Good rack for the money. Spend the money and get the zipstick, couple of bungee cords and you are good to go. Don't be like these other people and complain about things that are an easy fix. It folds down, with bikes off, and able to lock it to your hitch. Not a bad rack at all. But get the stick with some bungees and everything will be fine. And if you ride enough you should already have some bungee cords anyway.
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Submitted by
Jessy
a
from Chandler, AZ Date Reviewed: November 8, 2003
Favorite Trail:
too many
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$160.00
Purchased At:
REI
Strengths:
Cheap, pretty easy to use and easily removed.
Weaknesses:
Bounces around a little.
Similar Products Used:
Truck bed
Bike Setup:
Stock specialized stumpjumper and bianchi siss
Bottom Line:
You must buy the stabilization stick with this rack. I have never used it with out the stick. Also get some hose clamps to hold the cradles in place. After that this thing works really good. Small frames can be hard to fit but I can get a 15.5 on it. I have been thinking about one of those racks that hold the bike buy the wheels but they seem like they would put too much leverage on a class 1 hitch. If you don't want to spend a ton of cash this one should work out.
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Submitted by
Robert
a Cross Country Rider
from Bentwaters Co. Date Reviewed: April 17, 2003
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$160.00
Purchased At:
Oshmans
Strengths:
makes a nice coat hanger
Weaknesses:
bikes will sway cradles move=scratches on bikes had to spend an additional 25$ for a zipstick overall a poor design
Similar Products Used:
Saris bones
Bike Setup:
Trek Fuel and Kona Stuff
Bottom Line:
WTF??? I thought this rack would work well but I guess I thought wrong. Set up is easy but as soon as you load the bikes thats when the fun begins. I have the model 945 which holds four bikes. As soon as you hit 60-70 mph the bikes will move. I will sway dangerously and the cradles will move causing the bikes to bang against each other. I had to resort to putting hose clamps(pep boys sell them) in front of the cradles to stop it from moving. Why Thule did not include a stablizing bar(had to buy the zip stick) in the design is beyond me. I had to pull over a few times to make sure that the bikes are secure. Remember, only a rubber strap is holding down your $1500 bike. Oh well I've learned my lesson.
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Submitted by
Codes
a Weekend Warrior
from Austin, TX Date Reviewed: September 23, 2002
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$130.00
Purchased At:
REI
Strengths:
Fairly inexpensive. Easy to assemble and use. Well-made. Good for 1 1/4" (class II) hitches common on smaller SUVs.
Weaknesses:
No built-in stabilizer.
Bike Setup:
Bianchi Ibex & Giant Rincon
Bottom Line:
We initially went with the Yakima ROC 2, which cost the same with a recent sale but required a 2" receiver adapter. This turned out to be chintzy and unstable, so we returned it and got the 1 1/4" Hitching Post with the Zip Stick stabilizer. It takes a couple minutes extra to attach the straps but it keeps the bikes very solid. Not sure if bungees would work as well. Thule isn't as elegant as Yakima but it gets the job done, and simply. If there's just two of you and you don't have much of a budget for it, this is a great option since roof racks will run you easily $300 and up.
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Submitted by
Gregg
a
from MA Date Reviewed: August 30, 2002
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Landry's Bicycles
Strengths:
Easy to take on and off, compatable with many frames. Cheap alternative to other systems.
Weaknesses:
Bikes can sway if you don't use bungee tie downs.
Similar Products Used:
Thule roof rack systems, regular trunk systems
Bike Setup:
Marin Shoreline Trail
Bottom Line:
I found this rack to be good. I think the other reviewer should invest in some bungee chords to secure the bikes together. I did this and it eliminated the need for me to have to buy the anti-sway adapter that Thule sells. It also kept the bikes from banging together. Without the bungees to secure your bikes you might have those types of problems. But that was the first thing I picked up as I've used those with any normal non roof rack system. The bikes stayed in place even at 75-80mph highway speeds. I recommend it!!!
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Submitted by
Matt
a Racer
from Moscow, ID, USA Date Reviewed: August 19, 2002
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Cheap
Weaknesses:
Bikes easily damaged by banging together. Posts stick out and cannot be folded down in the 945 model.
Bike Setup:
Litespeed mountain and road bikes with XTR and DA, respectively.
Bottom Line:
We bought the model 945 to haul 4 bikes about 1000 miles to Moab. Within a very short time it was clear that the mounting brackets for each of the bikes slide during transport allowing all the bikes to crunch together. This leads to a lot of chipped paint and scratches. I stopped and purchased some black electrical tape in order to stop or at least slow the slipping. This seemed to work OK, but the need for such a method seems unreasonable. In summary, I found the carrier completely unacceptable and will not use it again. I wrote an email message to Thule, but received no reply.
$ 160.00
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