Seeking recommendations for a trailer hitch bike rack
 

I'm looking for a trailer hitch bike rack that will slip into my soon-to-arrive 1.25" Class I receiver hitch for my hatchback. I'll most likely going to buy a Trek 7.3 FX hybrid bike. A local bike store sells a couple Saris trailer bike racks (Thelma and T-Rax). I know Saris is a big name, but I'm not sure if there are other better value manufacturers.

My requirements, in arbitrary order, are as follows:
- Capacity of 2 bikes.
- Easy to install and remove the bike rack to/from the receiver hitch.
- Easy to put and remove bike on/off bike rack.
- Reasonably priced (< $200).
- Easy to secure bike rack and bike with a lock.
- Won't damage the bike or paint job (I'm willing to use a washcloth to protect the cables from the frame).
- The bike rack won't break through normal wear-and-tear of installing and removing from receiver hitch.

I also browsed the selection of hitch mount racks at performancebike.com, but I'm not familiar w/ those brands.

Any help and advice would be appreciated. TIA.

Edit: Here's an update.

I use
http://www.drawtite-hitches.com/prod...Carrier,59403#

Works fantastic, Very easy to hitch to car and load your bikes

Thanks for the link and the recommendation. I should clarify (and I'll update my original post) that my receiver hitch is a 1.25" Class 1 hitch. I bought it from U-Haul and will have it installed by them in a couple weeks.

Do a search on Bike Racks. There is alot of info on them. I use one or these and love it.
http://www.sportrack.com/a30901

a thule T-2 works well for two bikes-
easy on and off,
bikes sit on their wheels so no damage to frame/paint,
probably the only downside is the bikes get some road spray
in the rain (all hitch mounted racks have this)- however i think
with the T-2 riding a little lower the bikes might get more than
with a higher hitch mount.

Thanks, that looks pretty good and is reasonably priced. I found a video of that bike rack. I see it will still touch the bike's frame, so a washcloth would still have to be used. (No big deal.) At under $200, it's reasonably priced.

Wow, that's like the deluxe of bike racks! The reviews are great but at almost $400, it costs almost as a new bike. :eek: I'll keep it in mind, thanks.

Here's a quick update. I recently bought the XPORT Flatbed 2-Bike Hitch Rack from PB and assembled it last weekend. I'm looking for a lock for it and read in one of the reviews to get the SportRack - A30901Lhp - Hitch Pin Bolt w/ Lock. What is your opinion of it? I also need to get a 3/4" wrench to tighten the hitch bolt. The largest wrench I have is 5/8". D'oh! :mad: Yeah, I can probably use pliers to hand-tighten it. That's what I did for another bolt that requires a 17mm wrench. (Why the manufacturer decided to mix US and metric sizes for their 2 bolts is beyond my comprehension. :()

I use a Yakima King Pin 4 on my 1.125" rack on my Honda Accord. It works for me. I think this is now discontinued and the replacement models are nice.

http://www.yakima.com/racks/bike-rac...bledown-2.aspx

http://www.yakima.com/racks/bike-rac...4-(1-1-4).aspx

If you have two bikes, google Yakima Kingpin 2.

saris thelma = not cheap, but I love it. doesn't clamp down on the carbon fiber top tube, holds the front wheel securely. very nice.

I have a Thule Hitching Post that can carry 4 bikes, but have only carried 2 at one time. Works well and was discounted to under $100.

I have a very similar Swagman carrier. Absolutely love it. It's light, easy to use, folds up quickly, stores in a small space and holds the bike securely when in use. :thumb:

For locking it, you need to lock two things - the rack to the car and the bike to the rack. No experience here with the particular locking hitch pin you noted, but I would avoid it because of the wrench. That mechanism is to stop the rack from rattling. You can use something like this locking hitch pin and a stabilizer like this. I use that exact combo. No wrench required.

For locking the bike to the rack, I'll bet these would work even though they say they are for the Swagman not an Xport. You can also use a chain or cable but I'd advise against that while you are driving. Just put the chain or cable on when you stop or risk much scratching of the bike frame. Word of caution, that rack can be disassembled pretty easily so anything that locks the bike to the rack is not going to stand up in a risky neighborhood for a long time.

Thanks for that excellent info. Much appreciated! That'd be great if I didn't have to mess w/ a 3/4" wrench to secure the bolt to the 1.25" receiver hitch. Do you have a picture of your bike rack using that hitch stabilizer and the Nashbar hitch rack hitch pin?

I was planning on just locking my bike to the bike rack w/ my bike lock cable. I wonder how that Swagman locking knobs would work w/ my Xport bike rack. Thanks again for the recommendations. :thumb:

Although you've already got your rack, I was looking for something similar. I have a Ford Ranger with a 2" receiver, while my wife has a 2006 Toyota Camry Solara 2dr coupe. We found the best deal on a hitch from Uhaul also (I moved their sticker up to the top of the hitch away from view), which has a 1 1/4" receiver. So I wanted something that could be switched between the two vehicles.

The Thule Roadway 2-bike 912 was just what we needed. I also got their locking hitch pin and a cable lock to keep the bikes on the hitch and the hitch on the truck/car. We took a 150 mile drive in her car with them mounted with no issues whatsoever. Most of the time, it's mounted to my truck though. Here's a photo just before heading up the mountain pass for our canyon ride:
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...hitchbikes.jpg

^ That looks good, Steve. :) Thanks for posting the pic.

Here you go. I thought I snapped one with the bike still on the rack but alas - it wasn't there when I went to retrieve it. Phone photos so no contest winning quality but I think it shows what you want to see.

Thanks, I appreciate it! So that stabilizer works in tandem with the existing receiver hitch collar. When I just hand tightened the bolt, I noticed that the bike rack was still a little wobbly or jiggly, but I figured it was b/c I didn't wrench-tighten that bolt. That hitch stabilizer would probably do the trick. :thumb:

Great - I just got the same rack at PB - can't beat it for $140 :).

I was thinking about getting a hitch lock, but even if you lock it at the hitch, someone can remove two 17 mm bolts holding the hitch bar to the rack. Is there a solution for that?

I was also thinking about that 17mm bolt that I tightened as part of the assembly process. I don't plan to keep the bike rack attached to my car's receiver hitch permanently. But I'd still be paranoid about it. Otherwise, I might just forgo the idea of getting a lock and keep a 3/4" socket wrench in the car so that I can remove and reinstall the bike rack as needed, storing it in my car's hatch while I'm not there.

Depends on what style you want...

If you have nice bikes are dont want them to get damaged check out Thules T2 system it is one of the most secure / stable / and safe racks out there...

if you are looking for save money, and dont mind some paint scratchs on the bikes check out the Sette 3 bike hitch rack from price point, it is like $50 and works.

I'm not sure what happened to my previous post. Anyway, I wrote that I'm happy w/ the XPORT 2-bike rack I bought last year. I just want to find a better way to secure it (i.e., w/ a lock). I appreciate dalmore's input but am looking for other suggestions that would definitely work w/ my bike rack and a 1-1/4" receiver. How about something like this? I assume the diamater of the hole is 1/2" and not 5/8" for my bike rack's bolt.

I have the Performance XPort 2 bike tray hitch rack and use the dual hitch and bike locks below. I love it. I have my bike racked before some riders with roof racks have their front wheels off and leaning on their cars. I also leave it on the car 24/7. To beowulf7...The anti rattle comes from tightening the hitch bar wich is a screw on so what you're asking about is unnecessary.

You'll still need a 15mm wrench to tighten up the screw hitch from time to time but it's no big deal.


http://www.amazon.com/SportRack-A320...sg_ai_-2_5_tit

Thanks, MAK. However, I'm a little concerned about the 3/5 rating on that Amazon review.

Man...this is why it sucks when people link to stuff. I'm really curious what the stabilizer is, but the link doesn't lead to anything but the "I don't know what that means so I'll send you to the front page" front page of those sites. :-(

You can get these on ebay for like $59 shipped.
http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-1-1-4-2-2-BI...item2a0b6629a5