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(More customer reviews)UPDATE as of June 12, 2009: I've only twice used this bike rack to tote 5 bikes on a trip. I just don't have confidence in the physical build of this design, and it's not worth the mental anguish wondering whether I'll kill someone because the bike rack broke while transporting 5 bikes at 65 mph. It's sitting in my garage now, where it's been the last year.
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I researched Amazon to find a bike rack that could transport 5 bikes. I chose this one mainly on the strength of the generally favorable reviews and because it was priced considerably lower than other products.
In short, the bike rack did what it said it would do, but I'd prefer a few design changes.
Firstly, the rack, after installing it into the hitch, tends to sag to the ground rather than protruding straight out of the hitch. On our Dodge Grand Caravan minivan, this posed a problem: when fully loaded, the trailer hitch was FOUR INCHES from the ground! If we were going to travel over sizeable speed bumps or travel over roads with sizeable gradient changes, the hitch was going to scrap the ground! In fact, backing out of the driveway caused the hitch to scrape the ground, and I had to physically lift the hitch up as my wife slowly backed out of the driveway! On vehicles where the hitch is 18 inches off the ground, this isn't going to by your concern, but if you're driving a minivan or other vehicle where the hitch is only 8 inches or so off the ground, then this IS a concern.
The "no-wobble" bolt that affixes the bike rack to the hitch actually bowed the part of the bike rack that slides into the hitch inward due to the pressure. You could argue, I suppose, that I overtightened the bolt. I would argue that my puny arms shouldn't cause the bike rack to bow at all -- there should be enough steel in the rack to keep that from happening.
I didn't have a problem getting the 5 bikes installed, but it takes some time and effort to arrange the bikes in a way that they all fit. Be aware, though, that our taillights were very badly obscured by all the bikes. In the future, I think I would like to add some trailer lights to the last bike on the rack to make brake lights easier to see.
While traveling down the interstate, I can tell you I had an uncomfortable feeling watching the bike rack bump up and down each time I went over a bridge. I felt like at anytime, the physical structure would break and I'd have 5 bikes flying across the interstate road.
In short, this bike rack did do what it said it would do, but I didn't have peace that this solution was one I would want to use repeatedly in the future. I'll keep my eye out on a small trailer on which I might be able to tow our bikes.
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Allen Deluxe 5-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (2-Inch Receiver)This Deluxe Hitch Mounted Bike Carrier by Allen holds five bikes and is ideal for weekend biking trips with friends and family outings. A tie-down system securely holds and protects each bicycle while 28-inch carry arms drop out of the way when not in use. Appropriate for two-inch hitches, this carrier includes a strap which eliminates lower bike movement. Minor assembly and simple set up of the carrier is required.
About Allen Bike Racks In 1967, after a few years of working on the aerospace technology for the Apollo missions, Dick Allen was out of a job. Government cutbacks led Allen, a Harvard-trained physicist, to transform his garage hobby into a new industry. A cycling enthusiast, inventor, and family man, Allen had a personal need for a bike-carrying device. On weekends, he would take his sons and wife to Cape Cod or the White Mountains of New Hampshire. What proved difficult time and again was the transport of his family's bicycles. Rather than fight through inconvenience with twine and a dinged car, Allen sought an answer for himself as well as a market in which he foresaw major growth possibilities.
Always a pathfinder, Allen took to work in his Lincoln, Massachusetts garage in search of a more efficient way to transport bikes. Drafting designs during the day and constructing them throughout the night, he put together a model made of electrical conduit, metal strapping, and fire hose casings (for padding). At first, the Allens' tested the prototype on weekend excursions. Finding the first trunk-mounted rack to be a success, Dick started Allen Bike Racks. Dealer acceptance came quickly, and by 1971 Allen Bike Racks were sold nationally through a number of major bicycle distributors. Today, the company owns over three dozen patents and offers a versatile product line of bike racks while Dick's son Alex now owns and operates the business. What started out as a small garage run operation now operates three warehouses nationally, two factories abroad, and has products sold in more than a dozen countries around the world.
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