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Has anyone bought a hitch bike rack from ebay?

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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

Has anyone bought a hitch bike rack from ebay?

Old 04-07-13, 07:14 AM
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Has anyone bought a hitch bike rack from ebay?

Has anyone on here had experiences with the cheap hitch bike racks you can buy on ebay? Search "hitch bike rack" and you'll see plenty of examples of what I'm talking about.

I want to buy a hitch rack (either an "arm" style or the "tray" style) for my vehicle and I can't help but compare the price of the ebay ones (ranging from $35 to $75) to Thule/Yakima/Kuat (anywhere from $250-$400). The savings is hard to ignore but I'm questioning the actual product...the low price seems too good to be true. I do realize that you are buying a much higher quality product with a name brand, and probably a manufacturer's warranty - but any reason not to buy the cheap one on ebay? Part of what I'm thinking is "powder coated steel....how can an off brand really be that much of a lesser quality?"

FWIW: I'm not planning to use this to take my bikes across the country or off road - just want to easily be able to transport two bikes to group rides/local events without having to take both wheels off each bike.
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Old 04-07-13, 08:33 AM
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Well my dad bought one for his MTB. He rarely used it to actually mount the bike but he had it on for about a month straight. It started to rust after 3-4 weeks. And you can't fold it or anything so you have that thing sticking out at all times unless you take it off completely. It looked fairly flimsly and wobbled a lot. I suggest you invest in a brand name hitch instead of trying to save some money on a no name one. I've tried to cheap out on many things when I first got into the sport and have learned that I actually spend more money that way. Buying the cheapo then the real thing after the cheap one breaks. FWIW, my first rack was a Saris Bones and I'm glad I spent the extra money.
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Old 04-07-13, 09:14 AM
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Some things you shouldn't cheap out on
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Old 04-07-13, 09:33 AM
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Yes, had one for maybe ten years. 4 bike arm, 2" hitch receiver - it is a hardy sucker, stored outside and rust hasn' t been a problem. No issues, though I rattle can painted it a few years ago. I will say the thing has always made me nervous, I do a back-up retention system with straps, just in case. The concern is the fold down hinge, all that weight replying on one pin, even though it is hardened steel. Frankly, I'd likely have the same concerns with with any rack of a similar design, so I don't think there is much advantage with spending the money for something with a brand name.
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Old 04-07-13, 10:17 AM
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I was looking at one of these also which looks very tempting, sure beats the price on a Kuat especially when I'm only going to use it no more than 6 times out of the year as my bikes are only 17 lbs each:

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Old 04-07-13, 02:35 PM
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Originally Posted by FrenchFit
Yes, had one for maybe ten years. 4 bike arm, 2" hitch receiver - it is a hardy sucker, stored outside and rust hasn' t been a problem. No issues, though I rattle can painted it a few years ago. I will say the thing has always made me nervous, I do a back-up retention system with straps, just in case. The concern is the fold down hinge, all that weight replying on one pin, even though it is hardened steel. Frankly, I'd likely have the same concerns with with any rack of a similar design, so I don't think there is much advantage with spending the money for something with a brand name.

We've got one that sounds just like this. It's got 4 red rubberish holders on the rack, with velcro straps, for holding the bikes in place on the rack. We've had it a while, store it outside. It came with an adaptor to fit into a standard size receiver. We have a 2" receiver on our Honda CRV and a Class II on our Ford minivan.

It's worked fine so far, with minimal rust. I think it's aluminum.

In fact, we just drove 6 hours down to Destin with 4 mtbs on the back. I KNOW mine weights about 40lbs. My husband's is a 25lber, if I had to guess. My son's is probably 30lbs and his friend's is about the same. So 125lb worth of bike and it was fine. It shouldn't wobble much if it fits the receiver right. I, too, wonder about the strength of the hinge. It seems solid at the moment.

I would say for tooling around town it's fine. I'd even advise it's a good idea because it's easy to mount, etc. But save up for a hitch with good reviews for any long hauls.
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Old 04-07-13, 02:44 PM
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In fact, I'd say ours is almost exactly like this one, only a 4-bike rack: https://www.harborfreight.com/two-bik...ack-98019.html


OK, here it is, this is ours: https://www.sears.com/bell-automotive...SPM5764520101P
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Old 04-07-13, 06:39 PM
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I bought a Yakima on CL for $100 (hitch style, holds 2 bikes). Never had any problems with it.
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Old 04-07-13, 06:47 PM
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Look at Allen racks. Reasonable price (low) but high quality
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Old 04-08-13, 08:57 AM
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I bought the hitch receiver itself off eBay, but I got the bike rack off Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Hollywood-Rack...wood+bike+rack
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