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SportRack A30902 4EZ Hitch Platform 4 Bike Rack Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Pros: this rack carries 4 bikes without any of them touching, and they are supported exactly the way they are designed to be supported. The carrier appears indestructible. If you have a lift back, the hatch can be opened when the carrier is mounted (but not when the bikes are on the rack). Any size or shape bike can be carried. When driving, the bikes are secure and silent.
Cons: weight -- the disadvantage to indestructibility is that a lot of steel was used to build the rack, and that makes it heavy (about 60 lbs without bikes). This weight only comes into play when putting the carrier on your car, or taking it off. loading -- If you have a lift-back, you need to get into it before the bikes are loaded. The upright bars can be tilted away from the back of the car far enough to open the back. length -- you have to remember that this carrier is sticking out a few feet behind your car. Storage -- even folded up it takes a lot of room in your garage.
We need to carry several bikes at a time: road, hybrid and "step-through" (ladies) -- and sometimes a mountain bike.
The wheels fit in lower channels, which may be adjusted for wheel length and to avoid interfering with the next bike's pedals. Then the "hold down" hook keeps the bike firmly in the channels, and the hooks are well padded. You can leave your frame pump on the bike if you want (although a rough road may vibrate it off if it's not secured). Finally, Velcro straps across the tires ... well, I'm not sure what these are for, but we use them. Once on, the bikes don't sway or bounce relative to the car, and any shocks are delivered through the tires -- where the bikes are meant to receive shocks.
A 2 inch receiver will allow for 350lbs -- or more -- of tongue weight. A 60 lb rack and 4 40 lb bikes will only be 220 lbs, well within the limits of the receiver. If you've got the hitch, you can handle the weight.
The assembly is not straightforward: it took me about an hour, and I had leftover pieces. After it was assembled I realized that I mounted the "hold-down" bars in reverse (the long one has to be in before the short one). Assembly is a one-time event, and, while difficult, should not dissuade you from getting the rack.
Tilting the upright bars, or shrinking the carrier from four to two bikes is done by moving cotter pins. The receiver has a screw-in bolt to keep it mounted to the car. Adjusting the wheel wells or hold-down hooks is done using handles that screw in or out.
Once the rack is adjusted for your bike, getting the bikes on and off is quick and simple.
For us, this is exactly the rack we need to carry 3 or four bikes at a time for any distance.

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4ez HITCH PLATFORM SYSTEM

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Swagman XP Fold Down 4-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (2-Inch Receiver) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Swagman's claim on this rack is that it:
"provides the ultimate in flexibility to accommodate a variety of bike frame designs"
So I figured I'd spend a little extra $$ on the rack and avoid buying a bunch of crossbars. Unfortunately, the rotating cradles are so big that quite a few bikes (including my GT XCR) start having trouble fitting into them without quite a bit of twisting and pushing, on top of that pretty much render crossbars useless.
It is a good rack but I'd recommend getting the non-rotating cradles if you really want more flexibility in the bikes it can accommodate.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Swagman XP Fold Down 4-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (2-Inch Receiver)

The XP Xtreme Performance provides the ultimate in flexibility to accommodate today's wide variety of bike frame designs while still maintaining all the advantages of having a hitch mounted bike rack. The XP is available in 3, 4, and 5 bike models with individually adjustable rotating cradles.These cradles: (1) Allow very fast loading and unloading of XP bikes. (2) Rotate to allow your bikes to be carried with the wheels level to the ground and provide greater ground clearance.(3)Come standard with a locking knob for added security.(4) Are deeper and wider to accommodate up to a 2" frame tube.(5) Have a soft Kraton vinyl cushioning, which is grooved for cables and provides a secure, scratch free ride for your bike. The XP, with its rugged all steel construction coupled with its locking feature, provides one of the stronges most robust products in the market today.

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Thule 887 SlipStream Kayak Roof Rack Mount Carrier Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I looked for a carrier for a rowing shell that would fit my SUV (a bit tall) and would allow me to load the shell singlehanded. Most of the conventional rack systems for rowing shells hold the hull well above the rack crossbars and that makes for difficult single handed loading.
The Slipstream allows for a lower loading height and the combination of the sliding (to the rear) frame and the rear roller make it easy to get the boat started with little chance of hitting the roof with the hull.
My only complaint is that there is no simple locking mechanism for the rack system. Thule suggests using a cable and lock, but I would much prefer locking fasteners such as are available with Yakima and other Thule racks.

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The Thule 825 Port Side Kayak Roof Rack Mount Carrier is designed to allow you to transport your kayak on the roof of your car. It uses an adjustable roller and sliding base system to load the kayak, which eliminates contact between the kayak and your vehicle. For maximum stability while driving, the carrier secures the kayak in place with saddles at the fore and aft, which allows the kayak to be positioned at the strongest section regardless of the base rack system's location. It fits the Thule square, Aero, and Yakima bars and also fits most factory-installed racks, increasing its versatility. This product is protected by Thule's limited lifetime warranty.
Manufacturer's Warranty Limited lifetime warranty

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Hollywood Racks HR1400 Sport Rider SE 4-Bike Platform Style Hitch Mount Rack (2-Inch Receiver) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Looked at several racks before finding the perfect one. We haul 4 "hybrid" bikes around. None have the traditional cross bar. The Hollywood Sport Rider supports the bikes by the tires/wheels. It weighs a bit, but if you fold it up, it balances nicely and can be put into the receiver easily. Also, it has a device to tighten it up once in the receiver, so it (and the bikes) do not wobble AT ALL as you cruise down the bumpy side roads. As with most anything in life, you get what you pay for with this awesome rack. Hope this helps.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Hollywood Racks HR1400 Sport Rider SE 4-Bike Platform Style Hitch Mount Rack (2-Inch Receiver)

This heavy-duty platform-style rack is designed as a 2 + 2 system so it can be easily converted to hold either two bicycles or four bicycles. It mounts on a 2-inch hitch and folds flat against the back of a vehicle when not in use. The rack uses padded universal top clamps and adjustable wheel holders. Bikes need simply to be dropped into the wheel holders and clamps slid down onto the frames. Velcro wheel straps add security. To prevent rack sway, the hitch system is "no-wobble/no-tools" and includes a locking pin and 9-foot security cable. The rack carries a limited warranty against defects.
About Hollywood Racks Hollywood Racks started in 1973 when they began making trunk racks in the back of our bike shop in Hollywood, CA. As a retailer, the company knew exactly what people needed: good quality products that were easy to use. They earned a great reputation fast and began selling racks to other dealers, and later to the bike companies. Today, Hollywood Racks builds racks the only way they know how: simple, strong, and secure.
Hollywood Racks are built with top-quality materials including high-strength steel, aircraft-quality fasteners, and thick powder coats to withstand the elements. Generous amounts of padding protect bikes and cars, and all of their products are fully covered with a limited warranty. The company's products continue to receive accolades from all the major outdoor sports magazines, and are in demand by everyone from recreational cycling families to weekend warriors to race teams on the road and off.

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Swagman XC-4 Cross-Country 4-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (2-Inch Receiver Hitch) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)At our children's urging we recently purchased bicycles for ourselves so that we could take family rides together. Since we are not experienced cyclists, perhaps I am not the best judge of a bike rack; in fact, this is the first bike rack I have ever owned and perhaps that makes me a mite too critical.
That being said, however, on the whole, I am very pleased with this rack. It holds our four bikes extremely securely, including my women's frame bike (one of the reasons we decided to go with a platform-style bike rack, like this one). The bikes, when firmly fastened, don't budge at all. I like the fact that the bike rack tilts upward, away from the road, which gives us an added sense of security when driving over bumps. I like the fact that the arms ratchet down, rather than screw down, as a competitive rack does, as I find that we are often securing and then releasing the arms to better the position the bikes. Screwing and unscrewing would drive me up the wall. Plus, the ratcheting allows us to get a really snug fit. My husband always gives each arm one last little shove before we take off and the ratcheting feature ensures an incredibly tight fit.
On the downside, we still find getting the bikes on the rack a hassle. We bought the platform-style bike rack because we thought, based on various reviews, that it would be easier to load than a hanging rack -- and perhaps it is. Again here our inexperience shows. Using this bike rack, however, is still like fitting together a puzzle. Even though we've figured out which bikes fit best in which position and we've gotten the tire loops set just right, it's still a challenge. Invariably, the pedals are oriented wrong and getting in the way of installing the next bike, or rubbing against the ratchet arm, or one bike's seat doesn't slide under the other's handlebars exactly as it seemed to the last time we loaded the rack. It can be very frustrating, especially at the end of an exhausting and sweaty ride. (I would note from experience that it's best to stagger the tire loops as dramatically to the left and right as possible to make the loading as easy as possible.)
Also on the downside is the weight of the rack. We store ours in a walk-out basement and it's all my husband can do to get the thing out and up the little hill to our driveway. I definitely could not install the rack myself.
Some additional points: The rack I received was a newer model than the one in the picture. This created a few issues. For one, the assembly instructions which came with our rack was from the older model and completely useless. Moreover, we couldn't even look at the picture on the box for guidance because the picture was of the older model. Assembly was extremely frustrating. Also, if you are looking for a locking hitch pin, note that this rack (at least the newer model which we received) can not use a standard locking hitch pin; it requires a specialized threaded locking hitch pin which only Swagman seems to make.
And finally, the rack we received contained parts in which the powder coating had chipped off and the rack began rusting immediately. We contacted Swagman about this problem. The company representatives we've spoken to so far have been friendly and more than willing to exchange the parts, but even that experience has been frustrating. No one I've dealt with at the company calls back when they say they will, or responds to email, and then when I finally received a box of parts, only one of the three damaged parts was actually in it. I've been promised the remaining parts and expect I will receive them, but this has been a ridiculous hassle. I'm never impressed with poor, unprofessional customer service.

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Easy loading and unloading of your bikes at ground level. Fast adjustable quick release tire hoops and ratcheting top arm allows you to quickly carry the widest range of bike frames. Top arms fold down and the base folds up to keep this rack our of the way when not in use. Carries up to 4 bikes (2-inch receiver only). Designed with a rise to offer more ground clearance.

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Thule 897XT Hullavator Kayak Roof Rack Mount Carrier Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've seen many video clips on the net introducing this product (search youTube) so I will skip the functions of it. Lifting my 17' kayak onto my CR-V roof is not something enjoyable, so I bite the bullet. I had to abandoned my factory cross bar and installed the Thule Aero Rapid bars (Thule square and Yakima round will also work but the Aero bar looks much nicer) to accommodate that. This is needed for the load bar to extend 4 to 8 inch beyond the foot, my factory bar will not do that. So after sinking in about $700 I got this going. The installation was not difficult; they even included a DVD with installation instructions. It seems the Hullavator is designed with the square bar in mind. The adaptation to the Aero bars looks like an afterthought. They gave you 4 thin plastic clear films per arm to protect the contact points. A square bar would fit nicely under the mounting bar. But for the Aero bar there were just 4 contact points; I don't even want to tighten the screws too much because of that.
I know before hands that the added height to my CR-V will not clear my garage door; so keep that in mind. The shorter cradle can barely makes it; the bottom taller cradle just simply won't. Now Thule has the Hull-a-port PRO which has a cradle/carrier that will fold, you would think they could have that feature on this $440 product, right? That will sure let me drive my CR-V into my garage without taking it off. The DVD suggest that you take the whole arm assembly off when entering a low clearance garage and states that it is easy.. Ah, it was not that easy, the arms are heavy and putting and removing the pivot pins through the holes can be tricky. I think I will just take the cradles off for now.
Another thing is the Aero bars are nice looking but this Hullavator is not; two big gray boxes without much aero dynamics are sitting on my car roof.. They did pack a lot of mechanisms in there so I guess there is not much room for improvements in that regard. Oh, also be careful not to hit your head, it sticks out just enough to get you. on the other hand it was a good thing that it leave more space on the rack for other things. I moved the front cross bar to in between the front and back doors to avoid it. I can see some other car may not have that choice.
Enough whining I guess the benefits are exceeding the shortcommings so it is a keeper for now.

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Kayak Carrier Accessory with lift assist - reduces lift height by up to 40" for carrying kayaks on roofracks

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Swagman XP Fold Down 5-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (2-Inch Receiver) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I needed a 5 bicycle rack that could handle all our family bikes, including our 3 children's (5, 7 and 10 yrs. old) for our yearly vacation. This one seemed to be pretty versatile, not requiring additional bars for most bikes.
While it took some work to make all bikes fit just right (especially the little ones), we made the 4 hour trip to the mountains just fine; no excessive movement (though it does sway a little), no damage to the bicycles (I used pipe insulating foam tube pieces in a couple of spots where bikes rubbed each other) and an overall uneventful trip, even on some not-so-smooth roads. Getting the kids' bikes on was kinda tricky (the littlest one had to travel upside down!) but it worked out fine--I don't think it would have been so with some of the other 2-bar models.
However, if I had to load all 5 bikes on a regular basis I'd probably be looking for a different option. Also, something this rack (and most others too) could use is some kind of reflective finish on the end of the tube... can never be too safe!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Swagman XP Fold Down 5-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (2-Inch Receiver)

The XP Xtreme Performance provides the ultimate in flexibility to accommodate today's wide variety of bike frame designs while still maintaining all the advantages of having a hitch mounted bike rack. The XP is available in 3, 4, and 5 bike models with individually adjustable rotating cradles.These cradles: (1) Allow very fast loading and unloading of XP bikes. (2) Rotate to allow your bikes to be carried with the wheels level to the ground and provide greater ground clearance.(3)Come standard with a locking knob for added security.(4) Are deeper and wider to accommodate up to a 2" frame tube.(5) Have a soft Kraton vinyl cushioning, which is grooved for cables and provides a secure, scratch free ride for your bike. The XP, with its rugged all steel construction coupled with its locking feature, provides one of the stronges most robust products in the market today.

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