Customer Reviews:
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 Well Built, Good Fit and Finish, Pleasantly Surprised, May 26, 2008
By Dave (Dubuque, IA United States)
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This is a great product.
The unit consists of a 1.25 inch receiver and a sleeve that screws onto it to convert it to fit into 2" receiver. It takes a couple of minutes to convert between sizes and is a solid, tight fit in either sized reciever.
This rack does not use the standard pin to hold it into the reciever like most reciever based products. Instead this rack uses a treaded bolt that screws into one of the sides (the center of the hitch is solid metal and is threaded). This actually makes for a very solid attachment with minimal "wiggle". The only drawback to this is that you cannot use a locking reciever pin....hence if you live in a high crime area, it would be possible for someone to use a wrench to take out the bolt and walk off with your bike rack. This is not a issue where I live, but could be for some.
The rack pivots in two places. One pivot is at the bottom allowing you to fold it down about 45 degrees to access a hatchback or rear door on a SUV, etc. (Note this only works when no bikes are attached and is primarily meant to allow you to use your vehicles rear hatch while leaving your bike rack attached). The second pivot is at the top and allows you to fold the rack flush with the back of your vehicle (this allows you to leave it attached and still park in the garage with minimal rear clearance). Basically, the rack is built to allow you to leave it attached all summer and still make full use of your vehicle. The pivot locking mechanisms are easy to release and snap back into the upright position.
This rack uses rubber saddles that you rest your bike frame on. There are rubber straps permanently attached at one end with many slots on the other end. You basically pull the straps over the bike frame and lock the strap in the slot that best fits. I have two adult bikes and two childrens bikes that I travel with. Each of my bikes is of a diffent frame design and style (which would be a challenge for any bike rack), so it took me a while to figure out the best order to place them on the rack. After a little experimentation, I found the right combination.
Overall I love this rack ! It surpassed my expectations and even folds up for easy storage. I have a GMC Denali and I leave the rack on all summer. I can easily fold it down when I need to access the rear door. When the bikes are mounted, I can still open the rear window for access into my vehicle.
52 of 52 people found the above review helpful.
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Well Built, Good Fit and Finish, Pleasantly Surprised, May 26, 2008
By Dave (Dubuque, IA United States)
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This is a great product.
The unit consists of a 1.25 inch receiver and a sleeve that screws onto it to convert it to fit into 2" receiver. It takes a couple of minutes to convert between sizes and is a solid, tight fit in either sized reciever.
This rack does not use the standard pin to hold it into the reciever like most reciever based products. Instead this rack uses a treaded bolt that screws into one of the sides (the center of the hitch is solid metal and is threaded). This actually makes for a very solid attachment with minimal "wiggle". The only drawback to this is that you cannot use a locking reciever pin....hence if you live in a high crime area, it would be possible for someone to use a wrench to take out the bolt and walk off with your bike rack. This is not a issue where I live, but could be for some.
The rack pivots in two places. One pivot is at the bottom allowing you to fold it down about 45 degrees to access a hatchback or rear door on a SUV, etc. (Note this only works when no bikes are attached and is primarily meant to allow you to use your vehicles rear hatch while leaving your bike rack attached). The second pivot is at the top and allows you to fold the rack flush with the back of your vehicle (this allows you to leave it attached and still park in the garage with minimal rear clearance). Basically, the rack is built to allow you to leave it attached all summer and still make full use of your vehicle. The pivot locking mechanisms are easy to release and snap back into the upright position.
This rack uses rubber saddles that you rest your bike frame on. There are rubber straps permanently attached at one end with many slots on the other end. You basically pull the straps over the bike frame and lock the strap in the slot that best fits. I have two adult bikes and two childrens bikes that I travel with. Each of my bikes is of a diffent frame design and style (which would be a challenge for any bike rack), so it took me a while to figure out the best order to place them on the rack. After a little experimentation, I found the right combination.
Overall I love this rack ! It surpassed my expectations and even folds up for easy storage. I have a GMC Denali and I leave the rack on all summer. I can easily fold it down when I need to access the rear door. When the bikes are mounted, I can still open the rear window for access into my vehicle.
52 of 52 people found the above review helpful.
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This is the bike rack you want, August 14, 2008
By R. Davies (Macungie, PA)
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I traded in my old, well-worn Thule bike rack for this newer model with the "folding" features for both rack and arm. It was a great choice. The fold down features on the new bike racks are much improved over earlier models, a simple lever thata middle-aged mom can easily use. I can fold down the rack to open the hatchback of my Subaru with a bag of groceries in one hand. And the arm of the rack that holds the bike is just as easy to use. The fold down features work so well that I haven't had to remove the bike rack from the car since vacation.
This rack was easy to install, and easily held 3 adult mountain bikes on the bmupy NE US interstates for our vacation trip.
Don't buy the cheaper fixed arm model, you'll upgrade to this one sooner or later, start with the best, you'll use your bike more often.
19 of 19 people found the above review helpful.
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 Misleading advertising and hostile customer service, May 8, 2008
By MTB (irvine,ca)
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This was my worst online shopping experience that I can remember. The advertisement for the rack was misleading and false when stating "...The bicycle rack features Thule's Hitch Switch dual quick-release levers for rapid, rear vehicle access...". But it purposely does not disclose the fact that the rack can only be tilted "without the bikes on the rack" making it virtually useless. Upon trying to return this product and requesting shipping charges to be paid by the seller due to the fact that the item is not what was expected the customer service rep and the manager were very hostile and unpleasant. I would never order anything from Autobarn again.
12 of 59 people found the above review helpful.
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 Excellent buy!, October 19, 2008
By A. Buban (Bryan, TX)
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I was unsure if this would work on my vehicle but it attached to the receiver hitch perfectly and works great. I have a Suzuki Grand Vitara and even though I cannot open the back door all the way I can open it about half way and still have access to the back of my vehicle. Bikes load easily and ride great. I haven't taken it off the back because of the ease of getting in and out with the ease of dropping the bike rack down. The only thing is that you do have to take the bike(s) off before you can do that.
10 of 10 people found the above review helpful.
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Thule Roadway, May 27, 2010
By Tage M. Nickerson
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This product lives up to the Thule name. Quality is outstanding. Four full size bikes mount with out a problem. Mounting system (cradles, anti-sway device, and rubber straps) holds bikes tight and results in very little motion while driving on and off the pavement. Would suggest using added straps to prevent wheel spin and handlebar movement, though it is minimal. Full suspension MTB may require add on bar for mounting depending on frame design and shock mount location. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a solid hitch mounted rack system.
Bikes: Kona one20 Garbonzo, GT RTS, Specialized, Globe, SE Racing
Vehicle: Jeep Commander and Cherokee
7 of 7 people found the above review helpful.
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 thule 914, August 9, 2008
By Robert J. Berarducci (ohio)
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nice product a little disapointed on fit into reciever and the fact that you can't use a standard hitch pin or lock
6 of 10 people found the above review helpful.
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awesome rack, May 13, 2010
By Neo
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I got this for my 2009 highlander which didn't have a hitch at first. This rack fits 3 bikes without too much effort. I guess you can fit 4, but you have do a little work to get them on.
5 of 5 people found the above review helpful.
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awesome rack, May 13, 2010
By Neo
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I got this for my 2009 highlander which didn't have a hitch at first. This rack fits 3 bikes without too much effort. I guess you can fit 4, but you have do a little work to get them on.
5 of 5 people found the above review helpful.
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Great rack, August 6, 2010
By Lee M
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We purchased this bike rack for our new SUV and it works great (we also have a thule rack for a sedan as well). My husband had no problem getting it on or off. We recently went on vacation and used it to transport 4 bikes (2 adult, 2 older children) and were able to get them on fairly easily. 4 adults size bikes might be a tight fit. Our trip was 2 hours mostly highway driving going approximately 65-70 mph and we had no issues with the bikes coming lose. The bikes did bounce a bit but stayed secure to the rack. We used the black rubber holders but it also comes with another fastener which straps everything together to the rack for added protection just in case a strap comes lose or lets go. As for people stealing the rack off the car, we vacation on Cape Cod and left the rack on all week and I'm happy to say we still have it. I've already had 2 people at work ask about the rack because they liked the looks of it so much. I've recommended it to both.
4 of 4 people found the above review helpful.
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very nice, August 23, 2007
By Ali (Highlands Ranch, CO)
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The bike rack is very nice. It is a little harder to put all four bikes on it but works great otherwise.
4 of 5 people found the above review helpful.
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thule 4 bike bike rack, June 27, 2007
By Robert Lockhart
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Easy to use. Bikes are a little close to each other when you have 4 bikes on the rack. but overall bike rack is easy to put in hitch receiver.
Glad i got it
4 of 7 people found the above review helpful.
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 My Bikes Fell Off and Dragged Down the Highway, June 6, 2009
By C. Bush
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Do NOT trust the rubber straps to hold your bike on! I had 2 bikes both on the front of the rack as I was supposed to. I strapped them in very tight and put the blue cable around them for extra security. Plus, I had a bike lock wrapped around both of the frames. I wasn't on the highway for 10 minutes when one of the bikes popped off. Luckily it was strapped tightly to both the rack and the other bike so it dragged behind my car until I could get off the highway. I'm in the process of making a warranty claim to Thule so they can fix the damages to my bike. So far their claim rep has been nice but doesn't seem to think that they're going to pay for anything. My only shot is that there is a small fray in one of the rubber straps.
Overall, I actually really like the rack. The lesson that I learned is that I need to use lots of extra straps to make sure the bikes can't move AT ALL. Also, I wouldn't recommend using this rack with a car, even if you have a hitch. The weight of the bikes pushes the shocks down so the bikes bounce around a lot more.
4 of 8 people found the above review helpful.
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High quality hitch but should come with locking hitch pin, April 26, 2011
By cssny
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The build of the rack is very high quality. It feels very solid, but not too heavy that it is cumbersome to carry. The top bars fold down to align with the vertical support bar which allows for compact stowage on the car or in storage. The bottom pivot point makes it easy to access the trunk with the rack on the hitch with no bikes attached. It comfortably holds 3 bikes but 4 is a little tight.
The rack bolts on to the hitch with a threaded bolt, not a standard hitch pin. This is good in that wiggling inside the hitch is reduced, but locking the rack to the hitch is impossible without purchasing a longer locking pin from Thule (Thule STL2 Snug-Tite Lock) which I have done. Also, the standard pin it does not go all the way through the hitch so there is no way to secure it from the other side, you have to rely on the provided spring washer to prevent the bolt from unscrewing - it seemed to hold tight just fine for the few times I used it before I bought the lock. The Thule STL2 Snug-Tite Lock or at least a longer threaded bolt with a hole for a small lock should be standard - this is why I gave 4 stars instead of 5.
3 of 3 people found the above review helpful.
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Awesome!, June 28, 2010
By M. Fuss (Grove City, PA)
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Purchased product to relace an older 3-bike Thule, the strap on type, for 1000-mile trip to the Georgia mountains.. The rack functioned flawlessly and was the envy of my fellow traveler who had borrowed a Yakima which did not fold down. I am continuously impressed with the quality of Thule products and will be a customer and advocate for life.
3 of 3 people found the above review helpful.
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Good Bike Rack, May 17, 2009
By K. Seitz
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This rack works as advertised although with some (ladies) bikes it's a tight fit getting the bike frame on the rubber mountings. It was easy to install. The rack mounts far enough away from the car that on a Lexus SUV, you can still open the rear hatch without tilting the bike rack. Also, if you need a tailer hitch, take a look at U-Haul. They have custom hitches for many cars that simply bolt on (without having to remove anything from the car). Much cheaper than what local repair shops quoted to adapt a generic hitch.
3 of 3 people found the above review helpful.
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Works well after "fix"., June 27, 2011
By Kippy
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I originally had the Yakima Doubledown 4 which I returned because the bike cradles would slide on the support arms resulting in the bikes coming together and getting scratched. Instead I picked up this rack. Turns out I had the same problem. Not sure why others have not. I called Thule and they sent me replacement cradles. They shipped the T3 cradle model from the more deluxe rack. These cradles are more secure and no longer slide on the support arm. Now I am very happy with the rack. I like that the vertical support has an attachment point that enables me to run a cable to lock the bikes. BTW, Thule has very good customer support.
2 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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Really solid rack, June 25, 2011
By Keith J. Sibille (Lafayette, LA)
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I usually carry my road bike around in the bed of my pickup on an axle mount. However, my wife and I recently purchased a Toyota Highlander and we want to take our bikes (my high end road bike, my mountain bike and her cruiser) with us on vacation and we can't go in the truck. I have only test mounted our bikes but the rack seems to hold them very securely yet gently. I really like the anti sway devices that are included. I also really like the fold down feature which allows acces to the tailgate without removeing the rack. Some have complained that this is inconvenient because the bikes have to be removed but I think it would be asking a lot to be able to design the ability to fold down the rack with bikes on it. This rack is called a 4 bike rack and it would take quite a bit of wrangling to squeeze 4 bikes on it. I have only 3 bikes to carry and with this set up, the rack seems to be a perfect fit.
The only apparent design issue, and it may prove to be nothing, is that it seems that the hitch doesn't go into the receiver very far. The bolt hole and nut could have been placed a few more inches in on the hitch making more of the hitch slide into the receiver. An upside to this is that the rack is far enough away from the vehicle that I have enough room to pop open the window of the tailgate and still clear the rack without having to remove the bikes and fold it down I have also read several comments about the locking mechanism sold seperately and I agree that this is far too expensive. I purchased a 9 foot cable and lock for $15 and it's long enough to loop through the bikes, the carrier and the hitch so all should be secure.
I would still highly recommend this product.
2 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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Great Bike Rack!, January 22, 2011
By Lester
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I just purchased this rack yesterday and used it today with my Acura MDX. I drove about an hour and this rack is fantastic. You pay a little more than you would for a lesser quality rack but it's worth it. I researched all kinds of racks and finally decided to spend a little more than I had planned but I'm glad I did. One thing to consider is that when you get ready to sell it someday, you'll probably get almost what you paid for it. Thule is probably the most popular rack on the market. I strapped on 2 beach cruisers, one men's large tube aluminum bike and one ladies. I used the Sportrack adapter bar on the ladies bike. It worked perfectly and just for peace of mind I used a nylon strap to double secure the ladies bike. Just put the strap around the back part of the frame under the seat and run it over and around one of the rack arms. That way even if the seat fell off, the bike will stay on the rack. The anti-sway connectors really keep the bikes in place. Nothing rocks or even moves when all the connectors are on the bikes. This rack just makes going on a bike trip so much fun and no hastles with the rack. Enjoy!
Les
Thousand Oaks, CA
2 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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Used it for an 800 mile round trip, September 2, 2010
By Steven D. Rostedt (Endwell, NY United States)
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We bought this because we were going on vacation to Ocean City, MD from upstate NY. We had 4 bikes that we wanted to ride while we were on vacation.
Two of the bikes were girl bikes and after fighting to get them on, I decided to buy the Hollywood Rack boomer bar to use it with the girl bikes.
Hollywood Racks Boomer Bar Womens or Dual Suspension Bike Rack Frame Adapter
This worked out wonderful. The boomer bar gave the necessary room to store the bikes as if they all were boy bikes.
After attaching the bikes, I only used the anti-sway attachment on the bike closest to the vehicle and the one on the outside. I used the straps that came with the carrier and then added 8 bungee cords to secure it better. It really did not seem to need the bungee cords, but I was paranoid, and this was my first use with it. I still would recommend using bungee cords as an added precaution.
The carrier seemed very sturdy and well built. During the drive I stopped ever 200 miles (give or take) and checked on the straps and the bolt that secured the carrier to the vehicle. Every time, everything was fine and I never needed to adjust anything.
While at the beach I took the carrier off and secured it in the vehicle, so I really did not care about the fact that it did not have a lock while in the hitch. But if you are concerned with that, there's products that allow you to lock it to your vehicle.
It was perfect for us with four bikes. Two were 26" and two 24" wheels, so they were all adult size bikes. After adding the boomer bar for the girl bikes, it was easy to put all the bikes on and take them off.
2 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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Great bike rack, August 30, 2010
By manfredtex (New Jersey United States)
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I installed this bike rack on my 2009 Subaru Outback. It is an excellent bike rack that both my wife and I can easily load and unload. I am very pleased with the quality of the rack and the ability to leave it attached to the car and still use the rear hatch. The only change I would have made was to install a non-Subaru hitch. The factory hitch has an upper bracket that makes securing the Thule bolt difficult - I have seen non-Subaru hitches installed on Outbacks that don't have this problem.
2 of 2 people found the above review helpful.
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Beautiful Product, April 18, 2009
By Reza Gorji (USA)
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Great product as advertised. My only disappointment is that you can't use a standard hitch pin or lock. This means you have to take it off when not in use and want to make sure it does not get stolen.
2 of 3 people found the above review helpful.
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There must be a better bike carrier, September 5, 2010
By Walter
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While the Thule 4 Bike Hitch Carrier will keep your bikes secure it is not an easy carrier to use. Positioning the bikes on or off the carrier is very difficult. It takes much effort and at times requires 2 people. The same degree of difficulty has been encountered with my adult bike as well as my 11 year olds bike.
There must be something better out there. The only reason I dont return it is because I dont want to pay the exorbitant return shipping cost since this is a very heavy product.
2 of 4 people found the above review helpful.
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Great Rack easy to use tilt works great!, May 9, 2008
By BNY (Penn)
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I just got this from Autobarn quick delivery easy to set up and use.
A must for the family on the go!
2 of 4 people found the above review helpful.
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Good rack, some minor issues, July 8, 2011
By ALmarty
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I originally bought this to carry 3 bikes on a long trip and it worked out great, there is ample space for 3 or 4 bikes only problem that i found is that for a small size frame it is awkward to prop the bike up. I also ended up buying some bungee cords in order to prevent the bikes from swaying.
Overall this is an excellent item, works really well for my Honda Civic. Only reason i gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that the swing arms tend to move slightly so there is some vibration when on the road.
1 of 1 people found the above review helpful.
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Pretty good but could be better, July 6, 2011
By srijr
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First, I really like this bike rack. It is very solid and holds most bikes very well. I have found a way to fit most bikes on the rack from kids BMX bikes to women's bikes. I found there was too much play in the rack because of the two pivot points. I'm eventually going to have the bottom pivot point welded since I don't need to raise and lower the whole arm. I already had another hole drilled in the receiver piece so that I could move the rack closer to the vehicle. I drive a Pontiac G6 with a Drawtite hitch mount. The rack stuck out so far that I often bottomed out. Moving the rack closer to the car by about 3" really helped reduce that issue. I use a standard locking pin after getting another hole drilled in the Thule mounting shaft. I drilled another hole in the drawtite hitch to accomdate the threaded screw - the rack feels solid. I use a bungee cord to hook the front tire to the rack, this also helps keep the bike in place. I always use the safety strap so that if the bikes somehow pop off the rubber holders they still won't come off the rack. All in all a good bike rack that should last for years!
Update: After about a month of owning this rack I like it but still think improvements could be made. The rubber holders that hold the bike frame move much more easily along the shaft of the bike rack. After going down the highway the rubber holder often shift a few inches. I plan on trying a hose clamp behind the holder to keep the bikes in place. We plan on doing some long distance traveling and don't want to put lots of pressure on the holder. We always use the safety strap to keep the bikes on the rack! When the rack is loaded with four bikes it does bounce more than I like due to the play in the hinged joints. I may have the hinges welded since I don't need hatch access.
1 of 1 people found the above review helpful.
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better than yakima, January 30, 2010
By Dean J. Caufield
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Bought a yakima first. What a piece of junk.
Bought the Thule what a nice rack.
Stable, Solid what you would expect for the money.
A lil play on the 2" reciever. But not going to go anywhere.
1 of 3 people found the above review helpful.
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Great product, but..., November 15, 2008
By mangkaru (Campbell, CA)
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Great product. However when usually I receive stuff from Amazon, they always arrive in perfect condition. Not this one, it was pretty scratched up and almost looked like used. Since this is heavy and lot of effort to return, decided to keep it.
1 of 22 people found the above review helpful.
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Great bike rack!, August 16, 2011
By KJT8
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This bike rack worked great for the four bikes we have, 2 adult and 2 kids bikes. We didn't end up buying the kid bike adapters and everything was fine - not sure if they are really necessary or not.
The hitch option was perfect and allowed us access to the back of the vehicle.
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I am so glad I found this rack!, July 5, 2011
By LadyTeri
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I originally purchased an Allen premium trunk rack for my Hyundai Tucson. After one use I realized it as not the rack to carry my three cruisers even though it was made for four bikes. Although this was more than I planned to spend, the investment has been well worth it. This rack completely contains my bikes with very little wiggle at all. I love the rubber tie downs which are so easy and much better than any type of strap system.
I plan on leaving it on my car for the entire summer as it makes getting in and out of your trunk so simple. Make the investment, you won't be sorry!
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Thule 914XT 4 Bike carrier, October 12, 2011
By Phil
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Great Bike rack. However, bike holding saddles slide a bit too easily on the round tubes, but still would recommend this bike rack over several ones I've owned and used in the past, there gave it the five stars it deserves. Have found it much easier to access the rear hatch back door on our car and that Thule 914XT Roadway 4 Bike Hitch Carriermakes daily life much simpler.
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Great Bike Carrier!, September 6, 2011
By Billy Bike
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The Thule 914XT is a Great Bike Carrier because it will hold your bikes safety and securely. The anti-sway feature is a must. It easily attaches with just one bolt which can be quickly screwed in with a socket wrench. And it is "Made In America".
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