Sunday, August 10, 2008

Allen Deluxe 5-Bike Hitch Mount Rack

I don't write many reviews but I was happy enough with this product to spend time giving my feedback.

The Good

* This rack easily accommodated 2 large adult bikes with *big* baby carriers, along with 2 smaller kids bikes (4 total). Because these are large and bulky I doubt we could get another full sized bike installed, but it easily handled our situation.
* I *love* the tilt feature which allows us to open the minivan hatch back without unloading everything on the rack. This is a must-have feature that is worth its weight in gold.
* It's well constructed so it should last many years. The steel is powder-coated so hopefully rust will not be an issue.
* Very easy to install
* It's not very expensive!

The Bad

* I doubt you can fit 5 unless they are all thin racing-style road bikes. But again, it fits 4 "family" bikes without a problem.

The Ugly

* The accessory strap buckle broke after one firm yank. This strap is not an integral part of the design so I simply used my own ratched-style strap in it's place. Not a big deal, but it's something to look out for.

Allen 102S Premium 2-Bike Trunk Mount Rack , Allen Tension Bar Bicycle Cross-Bar Adaptor , Allen Deluxe 3-Bike Spare Tire Mount Rack , Allen Deluxe 3-Bike Hitch Mount Rack , Allen Deluxe 5-Bike Hitch Mount Rack , Allen Deluxe 4-Bike Trunk Mount Rack

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