Review on High Capacity Allen Sports 5-Bike Hitch Racks for 2 in. Hitch: Secure & Convenient by Chris Ostby

I just installed a custom Curt hitch on a 2016 Kia Sorento. We had planned a trip to Moab, Utah. This is a mecca for mtn bikers and with 3 new mountain bikes for our kids we needed a way to carry 5 bikes to make the most of some great trails in the state parks. So we needed to have some Spring Break fun on 2 wheels. Let's get to the rating. Overall: This is a solid and affordable stand with some handy design features. There are some design flaws that limit its usability for some vehicles. The ability to haul five bikes on one trailer rack makes a world of difference when you need as much cargo space in your car as possible and don't have roof rack options. your order. It seemed like a good option and had 4 full size adult bikes and a girls 24 inch youth mountain bike. 2 were Mtn Bikes hardtail trek bikes, 2 were Diamond Back trail bikes. So it worked as advertised and didn't work under pressure. Being able to fold it away from the bumper was a nice handy feature that came in handy a couple of times when we needed to open the tailgate of an SUV! CONS: Well, this design has certain disadvantages. · The horizontal length is long enough, but barely! This way the bikes will be very close to your vehicle unless your hitch pocket is way above the bumper. To accommodate 5 bikes, one of the bikes must be placed behind a luggage rack next to your car/bumper. So it takes careful planning to put the bike on so as not to scratch the back of the car. This hitch is not long enough to EASILY mount all 5 bikes on it. And you will never open the tailgate of your van or SUV. Without using the stand-down tilt function. There is obviously no problem in a pickup truck unless you have a desire to open the door at the back of your truck. If your tow hitch is sticking out too far from your car's bumper, you should also be in pretty good shape and have extra room to fit your bike in the front of the trunk and in the back of the car. · Low ground clearance. It sat fairly low to the ground for my SUV and when the bikes were adjusted they were relatively low too. The carrier can have a higher rack for lifting bikes for low seated SUVs or vans. If you have a pickup truck or high clearance vehicle where your hitch is more than 12 inches off the ground, you have a lot more bike clearance. There was a moment I could hear the underside of this rack scraping the ground as I pulled into a parking lot with a big dip. But we were going too fast. Otherwise there were no problems with ground clearance. I worried at times, so I was careful with the bumps. · Hitch fits: when it's easy, into a two-inch receiver. But when we encountered terrain that made us roam, you could hear the hitch rumble in the receiver. You could try wrapping something like a thin pad around it, but it won't fit exactly. The bolt hole is smaller than standard so I couldn't use my lock to lock this post in the receiver. The screw that comes with the kit works, but it seems a little strange how it's made. You'll see. The downsides for this are mostly due to the fit and clearance issues found in the design. PROS: Good features. Very important. Stable stand. Reliable mounts. The two standout features are the pins, which are securely wired/attached at key hinge points. 1 allows you to tip the hitch off the vehicle. This is especially useful when you need to get into the back of a van or SUV. It doesn't help at all to load or unload bikes in my opinion. And there's a pin you can use to lower the horizontal bars your bikes are mounted on. It's just handy when you don't have a way to remove the trunk during a trip, but you don't take your bikes with you at all. When not in use, it fits neatly and compactly on your rig. The rack isn't very long so your setup won't be too long, but it can be difficult to put 5 bikes on it. All of your bikes need to be very close together due to spacers between each set of rack mounts. When we first set off, I released the handlebars on the four adult bikes that were sitting in the back. Having the handlebars rotate parallel to the frame and wheels helped, which required more careful assembly to avoid damaging the cables on the brakes and derailleurs. It was a slight inconvenience because ultimately the bikes were still difficult to get in place so I don't think it was worth it. We also had to deal with retightening and adjusting the handlebars after arriving at our destination. You couldn't just drive there and start riding or just walk around on your bike. Back at home I set up the bikes without loosening the handlebars and all 5 bikes fit on the rack and swap orientations with the handlebars each pointing in opposite directions. adjacent bike. It was a little difficult to attach. You will need to adjust the pedals and handlebars to ensure the bikes are properly seated and properly secured with velcro straps and mounts. I've built a luggage rack the same way for years, so while it's hard to figure out, once you've done it, it's easy. You just have to constantly adjust the parts of the bike relative to each other. The reason I view this as a positive is that when the bikes are put on and set up correctly these velcro straps hold them very securely and I never felt like the bikes would fall off or detach from the rack. It's also very easy to undo the velcro straps and take them off when you're ready to go. So putting on the bikes takes time, but taking off is very convenient and easy. I suggest two people mount the bikes, especially if you mount the front-most bike closest to your vehicle. It's very difficult for one person to install this 1. Love the fact that your 5 bikes don't stick out more than 4-5 feet from the car. The compact design seems to improve safety and optimize your car's aerodynamics, so the bikes don't experience too much wind shear and the potential issues that can arise. It's very strong and I think steel construction. I was a little worried about how much weight 5 bikes could put on this rack but it held up like a champ and didn't seem to have any major issues. I even tipped it down a few times when all 5 bikes were installed and it held up well so it's a great feature for accessing cargo. Bring 5 bikes for group fun on two wheels. The stand is sturdy and big enough to get the job done but small enough to be comfortable. It's not for professional cycling teams who keep big, expensive bikes ready for racing. This is a great family or weekend trip rack for those who don't have pickup trucks or roof racks to easily haul lots of bikes. Definitely worth it for the price, just be prepared to do a bit of work to get the bikes on board. Their removal and other uses are very well oriented in this system. This helps if your hitch is a little off the ground, but if you're a careful driver you shouldn't have a problem. Small youth bikes fit easily on this carrier. This is a very good option for those who want to take their family bike on the road and save money.