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(More customer reviews)This is a fairly lengthy review, so if you just want to skip to what I like and dislike about the rack, skip down a few paragraphs. I spent hours looking over various bicycle racks to mount on the back of my pickup truck. Most people would probably wonder why I don't just use the box for the bikes as I have a truck. I didn't really like this idea as there is a risk of scratching my two expensive mountain bikes everytime I want to go riding and also the fact that they aren't really very well secured and could get stolen. The las reason was I do go camping, so I'd rather have the box freed up for camping equipment.
So, I looked at the hanging racks first which I was going to go with those as they were cheaper than the platform racks. The only problem is you have to spend time securing them so they dont move or touch each other. I considered a platform rack, but the cheaper ones dont have adequate secure features, or you have to pay extra for the equipment. At the end of the day, I figured that I spent quite a bit of money on the bikes, why cheap out on a rack.
So I decided to go with the Thule 916XT (for 2" receivers) and the nice thing is that you can get add two more bikes (for a total of four). Keep in mind though, that this is for the 2" version only. Item came overnight just how I ordered it.
I put it together a few days after receiving it. It was nicely packed away, however I noticed one of the hardware bags wasn't properly sealed. I checked the box for any loose hardware and found none so I continued on my way. Everything was going well, until I reached step number three in the manual. The picture shows a bolt and washer going into the frame and attaching to the wheel cradle, yet the explanation beside it doesn't mention using a washer (ony a bolt and flat head screw driver). It was at this point that I thought that I was missing parts as I figured they just forgot to add the washer to the wrriten explanation. I looked at the parts list in the manual (which includes parts that are factory installed) and compared it to what I had. The manual shows nine washers, and eight are on the hitch connector, with the ninth washer used for the hitch pin. This lead me to believe that the picture shouldn't have included the washer, as the fit with the wheel cradles are more natural without the washers.
Moving on, I finished step #4 (attaching the trays) and decided to fold the rack to see how it looked. It folded, but the tray was making contact with the lever that allows the rack to fold. After spending a few minutes, and making a quick sketch and flipping it, I realized that even though the manual doesn't mention anything, they have to go in a specific order. So I removed the trays and changed the order and retightened and all is good. Also, don't be in a rush to fit in the locks, as I put the locks in before I realised the platforms were in the wrong order. Its a bit of a pain to get the locks our (which is a good thing), but eventually I did and flipped the locks to the other side.
After that, it is pretty much a breeze, except for adding the lock to the hitch lock. The locking mechanism on mine jiggled around, and it took me about five minutes before I figured out why the lock cylinder wasn't going all the way in. I had to jiggle the lock so that the hitch pin lock side of the lock was in the open position. A minor annoyance, which could have easily been avoided by a line in the manual makign mention of this.
So once I had the platform ready to go, I installed it in the hitch. Thule includes two socket wrenches so you can tighten the hitch pin to the rack, except my hitch (Curt Mfg) has a tie down clip close to the mounting hole and interferes with the wrench. Not a big deal, as I used a socket and tighetened it down way quicker then a wrench would have (and would have been my choice regardless).
So now that the hitch is ready to go, its time to actually use it! It is very easy and very quick to load bicycles on this rack (as I am sure it is with any paltform rack). The front wheel goes in the wheel cradle and the arm snaps over the wheel, which holds the bike. For the rear tire, there is a ratcheting hold down strap. Once the first bike is on, you can lock the arm in place (with one of the three included keys) for security. Adding the second bike is the same procedure.
Once driving with the bikes, there is little movement from the platform (which is to be expected), but the bikes are secure and move with the rack. I would imagine other users would have even less movement as I have a stiff suspension for my truck. I would feel confident taking my bikes on a long road trip as there is no individual movement of the bikes.
Overall, I would recommend the Thule 916XT to anyone looking for a secure and safe way to transport their bikes. Just keep in mind what I mentioned about the vague instruction sheet and it will save you time and a bit of frustration. I look forward to lots of use over the years as it is so quick and easy to transport my bikes.
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Thule 916XT T2 2-Inch Receiver 2 Bike Carrier Hitch Rack
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