Hitch mounted tray type bike mounts?

[Flagster]

What have you found to be the best...and why...any downsides to what you are running
I currently run old style trays on my roof but they are getting to be a a pain...especially now that 9mm QR is not the norm anymore for MTBs
Looking for a 2" tray type hitch mount...2-4 bikes. Yakima holdup, Thule t2, Kuat?
Thanks
Matt

 

[Christophe Noel]

The Thule T2 is pretty much the gold standard for such racks. Pretty tough to beat a T2, but if anyone does, it's Kuat. They make some seriously nice stuff.

 

[JAvendan]

i'll put this out there...

1upUSA is awesome.

the downside, price and lack of built-in security.

other than that very light, folds down to almost nothing so storage is cake.

and, expandable, but at a cost.

1.25" and 2" hitch sizes.

i have the 1.25" because i have the subaru factory hitch but the 1upUSA came with the 2" adapter.

joel

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[HelaJames]

I have Thule T2s mounted to an MWE swing out carrier so I can still open my jeep Witt the bikes mounted. It is a bomb proof setup, they will hold road bikes as well as my XL full suspension 29er.

Tried a couple of different sit-ups but this one works the best on a 4x4 in my opinion.

Check out MWE racks, they are custom made in the USA too.

 

[Ryanmb21]

I need to buy something like this for my new Giant Trance 29er. Why is the tray type preferable to the mast type? Thanks

 

[Ramjet]

Look up Tuf Rack. They are bomb proof and killer. Made in Canada by a bunch of downhill mountain bikers. You can also add up to 6 bikes on one rack.

 

[Flagster]

I decided to go with the T2 after reading the reviews online...
Should have it tonight and will let you know my impressions...
Will have to look into the MWE carrier swingout since this will see some time on both my landcruiser and sprinter?

 

[JAvendan]

Looks like I'm a little late to this thread. I recently got a Smart car for my commute. Obviously you're not fitting bikes inside that. So I added a trailer hitch and one of these.
http://www.amazon.com/Swagman-Cross...1367004541&sr=8-1&keywords=swagman+bike+racks

I've been real impressed especially considering the price. It is lockable (bikes) with a padlock as well. That's a nice feature. With the threaded hitch pin it rides nice and quiet. Easy to load and unload and it folds out of the way as well. It holds my Cannondale Delta V hard tail with it's funky shaped frame nice and secure.

I wanna see a pic!

Joel

 

[DaveInDenver]

i'll put this out there...

1upUSA is awesome.

Same here. Finally dropped the coin. Hell-for-stout, looks a bit home made but the machining is very well done, very, very stable in the hitch and the bikes don't move much. I've had a 1Up trainer for years, so I knew what they do.

the downside, price and lack of built-in security.

They are expensive, but I didn't feel excessively so compared to the Thule/Yak/Kuat, etc when you consider they are made in Wisconsin instead of China or Taiwan and are overall fixable (they support well and you can fix stuff using hardware store parts). There is no built-in security for the bike but I never trust the locks and cables on most racks so I almost always use a heavy cable around the bikes and bumper anyway, so no change from my perspective.

My only complaint so far (about a year and some) is that the aluminum is getting sorta roughed up where the latch slides. It's a spring-loaded jamming action that locks the hoops around the wheels. It's not terrible, but I have couple of times hit it with fine emory cloth to knock the edges off.

 

[EMrider]

Same here. Finally dropped the coin. Hell-for-stout, looks a bit home made but the machining is very well done, very, very stable in the hitch and the bikes don't move much. I've had a 1Up trainer for years, so I knew what they do.


They are expensive, but I didn't feel excessively so compared to the Thule/Yak/Kuat, etc when you consider they are made in Wisconsin instead of China or Taiwan and are overall fixable (they support well and you can fix stuff using hardware store parts). There is no built-in security for the bike but I never trust the locks and cables on most racks so I almost always use a heavy cable around the bikes and bumper anyway, so no change from my perspective.

My only complaint so far (about a year and some) is that the aluminum is getting sorta roughed up where the latch slides. It's a spring-loaded jamming action that locks the hoops around the wheels. It's not terrible, but I have couple of times hit it with fine emory cloth to knock the edges off.

View attachment 165445

Just bought the 1upUSA two bike carrier.

This is the gold standard. I have owned the Thule T2 for 3 years and it pales in comparison.

R

 

[balexander87]

Reviving this thread rather than starting a new one!

Just got a hitch and 1UpUSA rack on my rig! Super sweet setup. This rack is a work of art, crazy tough, and incredibly easy to use. Very, very happy with it.

 

[patoz]

Reviving this thread rather than starting a new one!

Just got a hitch and 1UpUSA rack on my rig! Super sweet setup. This rack is a work of art, crazy tough, and incredibly easy to use. So glad I went with it over the others out there.

No picture, nadda, nothing!

 

[balexander87]

No picture, nadda, nothing!

Doh... that's what I get for trying to use Google Photos as an image host... stupid permissions...

Hosted on Imgur now. Hopefully that fixes it! Thanks for the heads up!

 

[patoz]

Yep, working great now, and those are some nice looking racks. I'm going to bookmark that website for later.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Reviving this thread rather than starting a new one!

Just got a hitch and 1UpUSA rack on my rig! Super sweet setup. This rack is a work of art, crazy tough, and incredibly easy to use. So glad I went with it over the others out there.

It appears you have the old style glide bar. That's the piece that the tooth slides on and holds the wheel holders by jamming. These are the bars directly behind the red release levers in your photo, held on with countersunk socket cap screws at each end.

1UP makes a notched one that works much better. It doesn't vibrate loose nor does it require you to jam the wheel holders tight at all. I have a twin up rack and that was $36 worth spending without a doubt. I always thought that was the weak point and this solves it well. I thought new racks come with them, though.

https://www.1upusa.com/product-glidebar.html