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Customer Reviews: Average Rating:  Rating :  - The best HITCH rack bar none!
I researched exhaustively to determine the best hitch rack out there for me and my uber-expensive bike, and I finally settled on the Thule T2.
I couldn't be more pleased with the selection! Even the tools to completely assemble it are included (though the flat wrenches are a little painful to use when cranking down on them).
Easy of use, sturdy construction, adjustable rails both sideways AND fore/aft, tilt up for stowage AND tilt down for rear car access, none of the other brands out there can compare to all these features combined. Though not the most elegant looking rack, these are quality built and very functional. Even the plastic wheel well is very solid and thick, unlike the more flimsy, aluminum-strip backed Saris Thelma's.
Bikes load and unload ridiculously fast and easy that my 8 year old niece can do it all by herself. Only the wheels are touched, leaving the frame unmarred and unstressed. And if I need more capacity later, I can add on a 2-bike extension.
For all its functionality, it is a bit heavy (50 lbs), so it is a chore to install and remove if you must do it every time you ride (which I do since I bike almost every evening after work but don't want to keep the rack mounted during work). Finally, the included anti-wobble bolt has the potential to loosen and fall out since it uses both a flat and lock washer. I recommend not using the flat washer (meaning your receiver side will get chewed up from the lock washer digging into it) or buy the optional Thule STL2 locking hitch pin which locks on the end of the bolt thereby trapping the bolt completely on the receiver.
Rear tire clamp mounts are not safely secured to rails when not being used (at least, no guidance is provided in the instructions; I figured out a way to wrap the strap through the front tire arm). Low ground clearance means the lower tube hitting pavement on deep gutter crossings when hitched to a low profile car/mini-van.
Regarding security, lets be realistic: NO bike rack is theft-proof. ALL security measures can be defeated, given a determined and well-equipped thief. So degrading the rating of this rack to the lowest for having supposedly "no security" is not a fair assessment.
With that said, for the price, I feel this thing SHOULD have included at least lock cylinders for the arms as an out-of-the-box theft deterrent for the grab-and-go low lifes out there; having to buy them separately blows.
Regardless, you should add a cable lock that threads through both wheels, the frame(s) and to the hitch itself. Even then, I would never leave my bikes unattended, out-of-sight for any extended periods of time, no matter which brand of rack it was on (even though I have insurance that would cover the bike).
No rack is perfect. Each have their pros and cons. But the T2 has the best overall quality, durability, functionality, adjustability, ease-of-use, expandability, accessories and features. Overall, if you are hauling any worthy bike(s) of value on a carrier and have a receiver hitch, this is the rack to get. In fact, at a local trail I noticed that almost all of the hitch racks I saw in the parking lot were the T2.
As I ordered this through Amazon, I placed it on a Sunday for two-day delivery and it arrived the next day! That was simply AMAZING service! Thanks Amazon! + See Full Customer Review |  |
