What trailer hitch Bike Rack are you using
- Thread starter dclark2171
- Start date
Seatown
New member
Update:
Earlier this year I sold my NV2 for a North Shore Rack NS4. I really wanted to love the NS4, but I ended up selling it for the 4 banger NV2 combo. Problems I had with the North Shore were the bikes would touch and rub. No matter how much care I put in hanging the bikes someone's bike would get damage. I was always fussing with the stupid rear tire strings by adjusting the knots; just took too much of my time. Other cons: too big and clunky, would rattle and shake way more than the Kuat. It would also take wayyyy longer to get off and on, with the supplied hardware. Lastly, when hanging DH bikes with dual crown forks the bike wouldn't' hang up and down like the single crown bikes. They would only hang crooked, which fouled up the other bikes; this was somewhat remedied by hanging the DH bikes on the left followed by single crowns. End of the day, good riddance and hello again Kuat.
Earlier this year I sold my NV2 for a North Shore Rack NS4. I really wanted to love the NS4, but I ended up selling it for the 4 banger NV2 combo. Problems I had with the North Shore were the bikes would touch and rub. No matter how much care I put in hanging the bikes someone's bike would get damage. I was always fussing with the stupid rear tire strings by adjusting the knots; just took too much of my time. Other cons: too big and clunky, would rattle and shake way more than the Kuat. It would also take wayyyy longer to get off and on, with the supplied hardware. Lastly, when hanging DH bikes with dual crown forks the bike wouldn't' hang up and down like the single crown bikes. They would only hang crooked, which fouled up the other bikes; this was somewhat remedied by hanging the DH bikes on the left followed by single crowns. End of the day, good riddance and hello again Kuat.
DesertCanyons
New member
Simple bike rack and a cable lock
I bought a Yakima bike rack 15 years ago for around $100. Sorry, no pic's of the rack yet. It's a simple hanging design with a 2" Z-shaped steel tube that fits the hitch and turns up and rises, then backwards about 18". The bends are 90 degrees, not like an actual "Z". There's a hinge pin thru side plates at the lower turn to allow lowering the rack for lift gate access. This hinge doesn't work that well when the rack is loaded with one or more bikes. I use it after the bike is removed to open the tailgate. The rack hangs up to 4 bikes on wide plastic & rubber cushioned support brackets. The bike top bar anchors to the top bracket and I tie them off at a 1/2" lower bar accessory I added to the rack. To prevent swaying during the drive I use a strong bungee strap from the rack to a strong point on the frame, at an angle. The rack fits my hard tail mountain bike and my wife's bike which has a lower cross bar on top. It wouldn't fit some of the rear suspension bikes pictured above. If I lost this rack or it wore out (not likely) I'd make another one out of 2" square tube. The rack sits nearly flat when stored inside the truck and it hangs in a very small space in the garage.
As for locking a bike on a rack, I don't trust the locks that come with any of the racks. I use a locking hitch pin through the rack, a 6' long bike cable run through the trailer hitch chain loop and a heavy lock. I run the cable through the front tire and around the frame. If there are two or more bikes I usually need a longer cable for this. The U-lock mentioned above sounds good for securing the front tires but I don't see how it locks a bike onto the rack or the hitch.
Edit: If you look closely at most racks you can figure out how they can be taken apart at the hinge or base, allowing thieves to take it apart and steal the whole rack and bikes. That's why I went directly to a bike cable and lock threaded through the trailer hitch chain loop.
Around here thieves also steal the seats by releasing the quick adjust cam so I usually remove it and put it inside the vehicle.
I bought a Yakima bike rack 15 years ago for around $100. Sorry, no pic's of the rack yet. It's a simple hanging design with a 2" Z-shaped steel tube that fits the hitch and turns up and rises, then backwards about 18". The bends are 90 degrees, not like an actual "Z". There's a hinge pin thru side plates at the lower turn to allow lowering the rack for lift gate access. This hinge doesn't work that well when the rack is loaded with one or more bikes. I use it after the bike is removed to open the tailgate. The rack hangs up to 4 bikes on wide plastic & rubber cushioned support brackets. The bike top bar anchors to the top bracket and I tie them off at a 1/2" lower bar accessory I added to the rack. To prevent swaying during the drive I use a strong bungee strap from the rack to a strong point on the frame, at an angle. The rack fits my hard tail mountain bike and my wife's bike which has a lower cross bar on top. It wouldn't fit some of the rear suspension bikes pictured above. If I lost this rack or it wore out (not likely) I'd make another one out of 2" square tube. The rack sits nearly flat when stored inside the truck and it hangs in a very small space in the garage.
As for locking a bike on a rack, I don't trust the locks that come with any of the racks. I use a locking hitch pin through the rack, a 6' long bike cable run through the trailer hitch chain loop and a heavy lock. I run the cable through the front tire and around the frame. If there are two or more bikes I usually need a longer cable for this. The U-lock mentioned above sounds good for securing the front tires but I don't see how it locks a bike onto the rack or the hitch.
Edit: If you look closely at most racks you can figure out how they can be taken apart at the hinge or base, allowing thieves to take it apart and steal the whole rack and bikes. That's why I went directly to a bike cable and lock threaded through the trailer hitch chain loop.
Around here thieves also steal the seats by releasing the quick adjust cam so I usually remove it and put it inside the vehicle.
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IronManKansas
New member
https://www.saris.com/product/thelma-2
I am using the thema 2 it is very easy to load and unload the bikes. They even have a 4Runner in their demo video.
I am using the thema 2 it is very easy to load and unload the bikes. They even have a 4Runner in their demo video.
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NorthShoreRack NSR-2
Buddy of mine has the NSR-4, which holds 4. They also make one that holds 6.
North Shore Bike Racks
Buddy of mine has the NSR-4, which holds 4. They also make one that holds 6.
North Shore Bike Racks
Apparently you haven't looked at the price of mountain bikes these days.
wirth.m
New member
Haha. No way my bike should cost more than my 4Runner. But it did and I love them both equally.
Bootleg
New member
:withstupid:
My wheels alone cost nearly triple that, Son. We're not talking Walmart specials here.
imp:
I was just mentioning to my wife that you can tell the people who care about their bikes versus the people who don't by looking at their bike rack. When you've got thousands of dollars worth of bikes being hauled around you need to make sure you're taking care of your investment. Investing in a good bike rack is a major priority.
My wheels alone cost nearly triple that, Son. We're not talking Walmart specials here.
imp:I was just mentioning to my wife that you can tell the people who care about their bikes versus the people who don't by looking at their bike rack. When you've got thousands of dollars worth of bikes being hauled around you need to make sure you're taking care of your investment. Investing in a good bike rack is a major priority.
LandCruiser
New member
15 year old cheap shit ALLEN carrier.
And I have some expensive bikes.
Still works great.
And I have some expensive bikes.
Still works great.
Jetboy
New member
Don't buy one of these - unless you find it at an REI sale for $99. Even then... maybe not a good buy. It's a PITA to use. But I own it so I keep using it. It is better than any roof rack though. I hate roof racks for bicycles.
In my area the std tool of bike thieves is an 18v grinder with a cutoff disc. There are no bike locks I'm aware of that will stop one. If one holds up for 30 seconds it's a really good lock. No real point in trying any harder than a decent cable lock. I have a few U locks and they're not any better against a grinder.
In my area the std tool of bike thieves is an 18v grinder with a cutoff disc. There are no bike locks I'm aware of that will stop one. If one holds up for 30 seconds it's a really good lock. No real point in trying any harder than a decent cable lock. I have a few U locks and they're not any better against a grinder.
1engineer
Moderator
What's wrong with yours? I have something similar and I like the fact it takes five seconds to put on or take off the bike. I ride 5X/wk so my rack sees lots of use and I hate taking that extra 20 seconds to secure my bike lol.Don't buy one of these - unless you find it at an REI sale for $99. Even then... maybe not a good buy. It's a PITA to use. But I own it so I keep using it. It is better than any roof rack though. I hate roof racks for bicycles.
In my area the std tool of bike thieves is an 18v grinder with a cutoff disc. There are no bike locks I'm aware of that will stop one. If one holds up for 30 seconds it's a really good lock. No real point in trying any harder than a decent cable lock. I have a few U locks and they're not any better against a grinder.
Stumpjumper FSR 29er?
Jetboy
New member
Quite a few things. First, if you have two bikes that aren't the same frame size - they'll only fit one way on the rack. So one bike must always go in the front facing the passenger side and the other must always be in the rear facing the driver for example. I have a few bikes as does my wife so it's not always obvious to remember which mountain bike goes where vs which road bike goes in what position.
Second - the Thule plastic ratcheting track on the upright portion is a PITA to use. It always sticks and requires a lot of force on the button and also wiggling the thing to get the bar to let go and release. A better track and lock mechanism would be a big improvement. Often my wife cannot physically open it.
Third - the straps for the tires aren't long enough. They barely catch on my 29x2.4 tires. They should be an inch or two longer to fit most mtb tires. I don't think they would work on some 27.5 tires.
If you don't strap the tires in - the bike falls off. Ask me how I know...
Finally you have to move the tire brackets every time you change bikes. And the plastic isn't very durable. One of the cam levers broke off recently.
So - those are my main complaints. The idea has merit. It's just poorly executed on the model I have. Compared to some others I've used, I wouldn't buy this one again.
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very good eye sir. :clap2:
1engineer
Moderator
Understood. My bikes have straight cross tubes so no issues. I never haul different bikes so don't have to move adjustments. My tray has square slots for the tires so I don't have to use any wheel straps to keep it secured. I do use WD-40 on the post every three months or so as they will eventually become hard to move. I know it's not a lubricant but it serves the purpose. When I bought it I was looking for the quickest on-off mount as I load/unload my bikes 10X/wk. So far after two seasons it still works well. I agree if the top tube was not horizontal or if I used different type or size bikes frequently this rack would be a PITA and I would go with a wheel clamp type. Anyway thanks for explaining.
Jhalko
New member
I have the Thule as well, I'm happy with it but for the ridiculously low price I paid nothing could compare. Honestly I prefer to put road bikes on top and mtn inside, but the hitch rack is perfect for my long travel bike with the 20mm through axle.
This is mostly irrelevant as I can ride out my driveway and literally mtn bike all day. :lmao:
This is mostly irrelevant as I can ride out my driveway and literally mtn bike all day. :lmao:
