Rex G

Silly me; I bought a Thule receiver-hitch-mounted 4-bike rack, thinking that since I usually see receivers mounted outside the vehicle, the rack could be used outdoors. Wrong! Rust inside, and rusty water running out to stain things as I fold and unfold the rack. Guess I should have bought a big SUV, and mounted the receiver on the inside, so the Thule rack would not get wet.

Siu Blue Wind

Good idea.

Rex G

Sorry, just had to rant a bit. I was doing some spring cleaning, and wondering what to do with this Thule rack. I had earlier used a Yakima SpareRoc that mounted on a spare tire, but decided to "upgrade" to a receiver-mounted rack, and tried a Thule. Big mistake, here in rainy coastal Texas. I hate to trust a few thousand dollars of bicycles to a hitch-mounted rack with rust inside.

Siu Blue Wind

I have the Thule T2. Sounds like the same one as yours since mine has the upgrade to add two additional bikes.

I'm guessing you keep in on all the time? Why is that? I take mine of BECAUSE I was afraid that was going to happen.

Otherwise it's a great rack. It's on the SUV.

Rex G

Not sure of the exact model, but mine has the folding arms that are up high, for hanging road bikes. There is a locking cable inside each arm, and they are pulled out and the ends locked together. Well, when I pulled the cables out one day, rusty water belched out and stained my clothes. The major part that goes into the receiver also collects and holds water. Yes, I leave, or did leave, my rack on, not all of the time, but much of the time. Here in upper coastal Texas, rain can be not just a daily thing, but there can be morning showers followed by afternoon thundershowers for days at a time. My Yakima SpareRoc does OK in the rain. I could, I guess, just not use the Thule rack on rainy days, but that means rarely using it for months at a time.