Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I've been pretty nervous looking for a decent but affordable bike rack. After initially getting an Outback Rack from Target, I was disappointed by the flimsy construction and had to return it. I did some more researching and wasn't able to find any reviews for low-mid-priced racks online. Found a Bell 3-bike rack from Walmart and later on a Bell 2-bike rack from Sports Authority. These were a lot sturdier but also quite heavy.
I have a mountain bike that weighs about 35lbs. A friend of mine has a road bike that weighs about 25lbs. I kept looking and finally settled on the Allen because of the price, design and construction.
(I took a star off for aesthetics. The foam supports are grey. The top and bottom struts are unpainted silver aluminum, and the caps at the end of the rack are white.)
A couple of things I learned:
* cloth/nylon strap tie downs are better than plastic or rubber which become brittle after repeated use and exposure to different weather conditions
* use of lighter weight aluminum is better than steel
* the more anchor points to your car the better (3 is the minimum)
* put the heavier bike on the slot closer to the car
* women's bikes or bikes without a horizontal beam from the seat to the handlebar column will require a "bike adaptor"
* when not in use, remove the rack from the car to prevent it from being stolen or the foam padding from melting onto your car
* lock your bike(s) to the rack with a separate chain
* use common sense and don't put more than the number of bikes the rack was designed for
* drive more slowly and carefully on uneven streets
Hope this review helped! :)
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Allen Deluxe 2-Bike Trunk Mount RackNo roof rack, no problem with the 102DB Deluxe Two Bike Carrier from Allen Racks. This simple, sturdy bike carrying system fits most sedans, hatchbacks, minivans, and SUVs via a single configuration design that eliminates setup hassles and headaches during installation. The rack comes fully assembled, and mounts to your vehicle in seconds. Twelve-inch long carry arms easily accommodate up to two bikes, and a patented individual tie-down system secures and protects your bicycles. Also includes a manufacturer's lifetime warranty on workmanship and materials.
About Allen 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 more than 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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