Mounted my Rack today with no hitches. Didn't have my reign 1 as it's in the shop so could only try 3 bikes but I'm sure 4 is just as easy.No Wobble at the hitch and I mean NO Wobble. Didn't have to adjust the rack for the bikes at all. I have the 5" hitch riser assembly installed on the rack to get the bikes up for the Ferry ramps at extreme tides and to get the bikes up out of the road schmegma from under the car.It is awesome. I'll leave the 2 bike on all the time and add the 3 rd and 4 th on as needed. The only negative thing is the 1200.00 canadian price tag.But it's holding 16,000 in bikes so it's worth it not to see your bikes in the rear view flying down the highway.Will still have to use the Krypto chain to lock them up to the car frame. I have to drop the rack to open the clamshell at the back.
Sportworks T2 4Bike Rack on My Element
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That rack is sweet. I only just heard of it for the first time last week in another post, and played with one at Sea Otter.
The 4-bar pivot is ingenious -- no side to side sway, and very easy to lift or drop the rack.
Still a bit of an exercise when loaded with bikes, but the bike frames make for good lever arms and it can still be manuevered with one person with proper technique.
The nylon/molded wheel cups are a nice departure from the old hoop design, and the new rear wheel ratcheted hold-down strap is superior to Sportworks' old plastic ring doo-hickie.
I've always appreciated that they have found a way to do this without relying on pins, meaning the rack lifts or drops into "detents" that don't require the nonsense of aligning holes and wiggling rusty bits of metal into place.
When I told the Thule rep at S.O. how I thought it was "a shame" that Sportworks had sold their operation to them, he asked me a surprise "why is it a shame?" Well, we sure haven't see the inventiveness, product quality, and friendly customer service from Thule that Sportworks has been providing to us for the past 5+ years (longer?).
The 4-bar pivot is ingenious -- no side to side sway, and very easy to lift or drop the rack.
Still a bit of an exercise when loaded with bikes, but the bike frames make for good lever arms and it can still be manuevered with one person with proper technique.
The nylon/molded wheel cups are a nice departure from the old hoop design, and the new rear wheel ratcheted hold-down strap is superior to Sportworks' old plastic ring doo-hickie.
I've always appreciated that they have found a way to do this without relying on pins, meaning the rack lifts or drops into "detents" that don't require the nonsense of aligning holes and wiggling rusty bits of metal into place.
When I told the Thule rep at S.O. how I thought it was "a shame" that Sportworks had sold their operation to them, he asked me a surprise "why is it a shame?" Well, we sure haven't see the inventiveness, product quality, and friendly customer service from Thule that Sportworks has been providing to us for the past 5+ years (longer?).
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It looks like someone could jump on where the fourth bike goes and make that Element ride a wheelie 
My only beef with sportworks is the lack of security. The old cable routine sucks. I realize yakima is only a deterent at best, but it's better than nothing. Those new t2's are nice though.
My only beef with sportworks is the lack of security. The old cable routine sucks. I realize yakima is only a deterent at best, but it's better than nothing. Those new t2's are nice though.
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I like to think of the cable locks on my Yakima Cobra as "a suggestion" not to steal my bike.mtnbiker1973 said:
I'll still go through the trouble of using a second and third lock if I've got to leave my bikes out of sight for more than a few minutes, and even then I'm extremely paranoid about when and where.
It is easier and faster for me to run one cable through multiple bikes than to deal with the short, skinny & individually lockable Yak cables.
Lock em up
I have 4- 6 foot Masterlock flexi link locks that you can join into 1 24 footer.. I always use it if the bikes are further than I can run with a knife in my hand. Any other locks are a waste of time as far as i'm concerned.I run the lock through front tires , backtires and framesand down to the vehicle structure.
I have 4- 6 foot Masterlock flexi link locks that you can join into 1 24 footer.. I always use it if the bikes are further than I can run with a knife in my hand. Any other locks are a waste of time as far as i'm concerned.I run the lock through front tires , backtires and framesand down to the vehicle structure.
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so Tele, you're saying with the T2 you can lower the tailgate of your ELement all the way down with no interference?
I have the older Sportworks rack and the tailgate of my Element hits the hinge/pivot of the rack when i try to lower it...
I have the older Sportworks rack and the tailgate of my Element hits the hinge/pivot of the rack when i try to lower it...
tailgate clearance.
No I can't anymore. I could with the factory mount it came with but now that I installed the 5" hitch riser assembly for more clearance I can't anymore. I put a small piece of dense foam on the top of the hinge plate and the tailgate rests on there. It is about 1.5 inches from all the way down. We still are able to get the bikes in and out through the tailgate if needed for better security if we are stopin for shopin on our trips to ride down island.
Although....... Yesterday I wheeled them in and out through the drivers side clamshell with the drivers seat all the way forward and it was probably easier and may stick to that.
No I can't anymore. I could with the factory mount it came with but now that I installed the 5" hitch riser assembly for more clearance I can't anymore. I put a small piece of dense foam on the top of the hinge plate and the tailgate rests on there. It is about 1.5 inches from all the way down. We still are able to get the bikes in and out through the tailgate if needed for better security if we are stopin for shopin on our trips to ride down island.
Although....... Yesterday I wheeled them in and out through the drivers side clamshell with the drivers seat all the way forward and it was probably easier and may stick to that.
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