Bike Rack

[Asithappens 978]

Looking for a bike rack for a class 3 trailer hitch (Chevy Suburban). 

Any advice? Heard that Thule makes a good one. Only need a 2-bike one.

[CooterBrown 18289]

1Up USA is currently the go to rack. Super lightweight, compact, but rugged. Yeah, it’s the worst named company but the racks are awesome.

https://www.1up-usa.com/product-category/bike-racks/

[Asithappens 978]

Thanks!

I'll check it out. 

[TwiceHorn 32085]

21 minutes ago, Asithappens said:

Thanks!

I'll check it out. 

Yeah, the 1up is the state of the art for MTB hitch racks, but spendy.

For a lower-cost option, the Kuat Transfer is pretty damned good.  Some plastic, but I imagine it will outlive me.

The thing that people tend to look for is no frame contact.  That's probably not the end of the world, but particularly for long trips, I imagine it could become an issue.

 

Edited December 9, 2021 by TwiceHorn

[Jerry Callo 8963]

I have two Thule models.  First model looks like this and swings out so that you can access the back of the suburban without removing the bikes:

 

 

The second one holds the bikes by the wheels in cradles.  Mine doesn't have the capability, but they make some that fold down with the bikes attached for access to the car:

 

 

Whatever you get, check Craigslist.  I bought both of mine on Craigslist for at least half of the cost of new.  These are the types of things that people really want, but end up not using as much as they thought they would - mainly they stop riding their bikes.

[Asithappens 978]

I happened to be in Dallas this weekend and rode the Boulder Park Trail (really nice) and two vehicles had the 1Up racks. I’m in love. 
 

I’ll be checking the Craig’s list sites for them. 

[hrmaddie 48]

2nd 1UP - I’ve got one and it’s great.  Never an issue in 6 years and I don’t foresee one for another 10 years, super solid products. 

[TwiceHorn 32085]

6 hours ago, Asithappens said:

I happened to be in Dallas this weekend and rode the Boulder Park Trail (really nice) and two vehicles had the 1Up racks. I’m in love. 
 

I’ll be checking the Craig’s list sites for them. 

Never seen one on cl.  I looked for a while.

People that buy 1UP are dedicated bikers to begin with, and noone's unhappy with it.

Boulder is great.  Except for that climb out at the end.

Edited December 12, 2021 by TwiceHorn

[Your Mom 4981]

I scored a two-bike 1up on craiglist a couple years ago, but not for much less than new.  Basically saved me tax and shipping.  I love it.  Sturdy and simple.  A lot of folks are happy with their Kuat racks too.  

[Dbeasy 15603]

I bought the Kuat Sherpa 2 new and love it. It’s sturdy, well designed, secure, but pricy and a little heavy. Overall very satisfied. 

[Asithappens 978]

On 12/12/2021 at 11:45 AM, Dbeasy said:

I bought the Kuat Sherpa 2 new and love it. It’s sturdy, well designed, secure, but pricy and a little heavy. Overall very satisfied. 

I just saw one of those this morning. Looked pretty, pretty good. 

Kuat and 1Up clearly seem to be the very best. Now, if I really need the very best is something I have to talk to Santa about. 

[Dbeasy 15603]

1 minute ago, Asithappens said:

I just saw one of those this morning. Looked pretty, pretty good. 

Kuat and 1Up clearly seem to be the very best. Now, if I really need the very best is something I have to talk to Santa about. 

$200 extra for a bike rack is a lot cheaper than a multi million dollar lawsuit for your bike careening off a vehicle behind you and killing someone. Just kidding. Sort of. 

[BearSchlong 8248]

I'm a Kuat fan, I'm not even sure which model I've got but its heavy and sturdy as hell. I pull a boat at least once weekly too so I spend a lot of time swapping out the rack for a ball.

[Deej 77852]

On 12/15/2021 at 4:31 PM, Dbeasy said:

$200 extra for a bike rack is a lot cheaper than a multi million dollar lawsuit for your bike careening off a vehicle behind you and killing someone. Just kidding. Sort of. 

Less likely than a car careening into you and killing you while you ride your bike. 

[Allicie 4]

On 12/11/2021 at 4:24 PM, Jerry Callo said:

I have two Thule models.  First model looks like this and swings out so that you can access the back of the suburban without removing the bikes:

 

 

The second one holds the bikes by the wheels in cradles.  Mine doesn't have the capability, but they make some that fold down with the bikes attached for access to the car:

 

 

Whatever you get, check Craigslist.  I bought both of mine on Craigslist for at least half of the cost of new.  These are the types of things that people really want, but end up not using as much as they thought they would - mainly they stop riding their bikes.

I have heard about these racks and they seem to be of very high quality. Unfortunately, you are right, many people often lose interest in what used to inspire them and no longer use good things.

[Baboontyme 2883]

Does anyone know anything about bike racks or lock washers? I have a maybe 12+ year old Yakima hitch rack that is supposed to hold 4 bikes. I haven't used it in a long time but my long time memory of it was I never trusted it to stay in. It has a bolt that goes in through the hitch cover, a flat washer and a lock washer that hug the top of the bolt against the outside of the trailer hitch. That's it. The instructions say you can put a cotter pin on the end of the bolt or a bike lock but neither "tighten" the bolt. You can tighten it against the trailer hitch as much as you want, it just keeps spinning and spinning. It's not sturdy at all, like it is not tight in the hitch and has a lot of play in it, and I can back it out using just my fingers from the other side of the trailer hitch. This does not seem right to me. My wife is planning on going somewhere with bikes tomorrow and I can tell she doesn't seem at ease with it.

[TwiceHorn 32085]

12 hours ago, Baboontyme said:

Does anyone know anything about bike racks or lock washers? I have a maybe 12+ year old Yakima hitch rack that is supposed to hold 4 bikes. I haven't used it in a long time but my long time memory of it was I never trusted it to stay in. It has a bolt that goes in through the hitch cover, a flat washer and a lock washer that hug the top of the bolt against the outside of the trailer hitch. That's it. The instructions say you can put a cotter pin on the end of the bolt or a bike lock but neither "tighten" the bolt. You can tighten it against the trailer hitch as much as you want, it just keeps spinning and spinning. It's not sturdy at all, like it is not tight in the hitch and has a lot of play in it, and I can back it out using just my fingers from the other side of the trailer hitch. This does not seem right to me. My wife is planning on going somewhere with bikes tomorrow and I can tell she doesn't seem at ease with it.

Well, the usual arrangement there is that the pin goes through one side of the hitch "box" with a running or loose fit and then engages threads on the other side of the hitch box, which tightens it up, as well as threads on the tongue of the rack itself.

Sounds like either the threads on the hitch box or rack tongue are stripped out, or there's some other reason the pin isn't engaging the threads properly.  Like the pin isn't the right diameter or doesn't have the right threads for the hitch box, which may also have contributed to stripping out the threads in the hitch box.

These things I think are supposed to be pretty standard, but you can buy new pins and you might find one that fits better and locks or has some means for keeping the pin in the box, like the cotter pin. And/or you may need to tap the threads on the hitch box and rack tongue.

[Bevo 13900]

I'm not a fan of whatever rack I have because it is too heavy or I'm too lazy. It just seems like a PITA to put it on, strap the bikes up for a ride in Burnet and then take it off again when I get home and hide it in the garage. Roof racks may be even worse, though. It seems like a pickup would be the best option.

[Baboontyme 2883]

Thanks Twice, it was the bolt. I found another one, what might have been the original, and it tightened right up. Of course this was after I threw a hammer through the drywall in the garage and told the wife to put the bikes in the minivan and she already left town. 

[NeverMarryAStripper 22311]

I don't blame her for leaving town when you're throwing hammers

[Jiggy-Z 3509]

I don't have a bike rack on my truck because I put my ride in the camper shell.

I have a cab high shell and had been transporting by removing the front wheel and lowering the seat. Of course, to lower the seat I need to remove the rear light and to remove the wheel, I had to remove the front light mount, and then load the bike onto it's fork mount etc...and then reverse the process upon arriving at destination. Huge PiA.

Since I have windoors on the shell I was able to find a remedy that works for trips where my shell is not full.  I load the bike unaltered diagonally and rest the drop bars and seat on the shell ledge while turning the front wheel slightly. The cranks and pedals are free. You need the windoor to be able to position the bike easily, but I suppose it could be done without with a little more effort.

One could bungee in place, but I don't. Huge time saver and my bike has never moved in transport. Shell locks up and hides cargo and no worries with getting tear ended.

This is on a 2013 Tacoma long bed. Worth a try for those with similar or larger set up.

Bought the shell for $600 and also highly recommend with or without bike transport.