Submitted by
GF70
a Cross Country Rider
from NoVA Date Reviewed: August 4, 2008
Favorite Trail:
NoVA Trails
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$300.00
Purchased At:
EMS
Strengths:
Has it all. QR Straps, AntiSway Mechanism, Locks for hitch and bikes included. Bikes are very secure during transport.
Weaknesses:
None
Bottom Line:
If you're looking for a hitch frame rack this is the one to buy.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jon
a Weekend Warrior
from Baltimore, Maryland Date Reviewed: May 26, 2008
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$320.00
Purchased At:
Princeton Sports
Strengths:
hitch lock, attached cable lock, nice finish/ paint, anti-sway, no pins for folding down arms or rack, one key locks everything. Fits 2" and 1 1/4" hitches. Does fine at speed in excess of 80 mph. Blocks my license plate from red light cameras.
Weaknesses:
A little challenging to use the anti-sway bars when putting on my girlfriends Cannondale feminine F7. If I got rid of her water bottle cage this would easier. It would be a little hard to put more than two bikes on the rack. I am sure that I could if I wanted to though.
Similar Products Used:
Played with some other thule, xport, and yakima racks.
Bike Setup:
Giant Boulder Se with some minor upgrades.
Bottom Line:
I just got done taking this rack on a 300 mile trip and it worked like a dream. I love having the bike locks because I am not as worried about leaving bikes on my rack for an exteneded amount of time. I would definately spend the extra couple of bucks and buy this rack again. I do not know if I like how the hitch lock has to screw into the rack, but it does add to the security of the rack.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Frederick, MD Date Reviewed: May 5, 2008
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$270.00
Purchased At:
REI
Strengths:
Quick release, anti sway adapter,locks, 2" hitch adapter, pretty much every feature the rack has.
Weaknesses:
I do not leave it on my vehicle, so I pull the rack off every time I am not riding. I do not like that you have to use a socket to tighten the rack on the hitch. It would be nice to see some other way to secure it and have it not rattle. Its also pretty pricey, but they all are.
Similar Products Used:
Pick Up truck bed
Bike Setup:
GF X-Cal 29er
Bottom Line:
The rack is great. I like the built in lock. I would not trust my bike on it overnight, but it gives me peace of mind when I grab a beer for the road after a nice ride. I drive a hatchback, so the fold down feature is also nice when I need in the back of my car when the bikes are on. The anti sway setup works great. I was skeptical at first, but the bikes do not move/ sway when they are strapped in. This is a great rack.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Antje
a Cross Country Rider
from Des Plaines Date Reviewed: August 28, 2007
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
REI
Strengths:
It is very quick and easy to install. The quick releases work extremely well. I just leave the rack on my station wagon most of the time, taking it only off if I have to put very bulky items into the trunk. So now I can just throw my bike on the car on short notice, without any hassle - which led to a 200% increase in the amount of exercise I get ;-) I had a rack before that didn't fold down, and I very quickly learned that this is a feature that you simply can't live without (unless your garage is huge), so I returned it after a week of having to take the rack off the car every evening and got the Ridgeline instead. I have used the rack with one bike on it on long drives, which included both interstate and bumpy dirt road use, and had no trouble whatsoever with the bike coming loose. I even had the car parked with the bike on the rack during near-Tornado-level winds, and found absolutely no evidence of the bike having banged against the rack or the car.
Weaknesses:
I could imagine 4 bikes being a bit of a hassle to figure out how to arrange them without handlebar conflicts. But loading up 3 has always worked out well so far.
Similar Products Used:
Yakima Bighorn
Bike Setup:
Ladies commuter bike (using top tube adapter) Often also transporting 2 additional road bikes
Bottom Line:
Love it, couldn't imagine life without it anymore!
$
Overall Rating:
Overall Rating:
