Sports 3-Bike Hitch Racks for 1 1/4 in. and 2 in. Hitch

While I can't compare this rack to others in use as it is the first I've owned, I can say it works very well. It holds up to three bikes and does so very well; I've had up to about 100 lbs on it total at once. The straps, while simple, work well to hold your bikes. The plastic bumpers work well to prevent your bike frames from rubbing. The lock, with a wedge-style system, works well to secure the rack within your hitch tube tightly. The rack also has a pin that indexes your hitch tube to help hold the rack in so it's not just using the wedge design. The unit comes with two keys. The quick-pin mechanisms work very well to lower both the whole unit so you can open your trunk and to fold the rack's arms down. There is an included adapter that bolts onto the portion that goes into the hitch to allow it to be used on 2" hitches.A few things I wish the rack had:- Long straps to hold the bike wheels straight and secure the bottom portions to the rack- Some kind of padding on the main rack tube to prevent the bike closest to the car from rubbing it's frame on the metal as well as help space it away from the car some to prevent it's pedal from rubbing your bumper- I wish there was a hole somewhere on the main rack tube to run a long cable-type lock through it. This would allow you to lock your bikes (see Python bike locks) to the rack while going into stores etc. You could probably get a lock long enough to run it to your car's safety chain rings but it would need to be longer than necessary for this. I may eventually weld a ring on myself at some point to make up for this.All said this is an excellent rack and most if it's short comings listed above can be overcome with simple DIY solutions. I'd buy it again, this product seems to hit the sweet spot between quality and features available for the cost.

We have a Roadtrek Sprinter-based RV that we take camping a few times per year. Prior to buying this rack, I had a strap-based rack that always made me a little nervous. When driving, especially on mountain roads, my eyes would be glued to the rearview mirror to make sure I still had all my bikes. The system worked, but at every stop I'd get out and tighten the straps. The strap system also prevented the doors from being opened, so I had to remove the rack at the campground and re-attach everything when we left. Not too horrible, but certainly inconvenient.So, when we headed to Yosemite this summer, I decided to try a hitch-based rack. It was a night-and-day difference. This rack assembles quickly and is quite sturdy. There is absolutely no side-to-side sway. You can the force the rack up and down slightly when it is empty, but it's rock-solid as soon as you put any weight (bikes) on it. The rubber tie down straps work great.When in camp, the rack swings down enough to open the Sprinter doors, So, I can leave this rack permanently attached to the hitch. Bueno.By the way, a couple of steps in the assembly require two identical-sized wrenches be used simultaneously on opposite side of the rack. Another reviewer recommended buying a 2nd ratchet to ease assembly. I did that and it helped. You can also use a box wrench plus a crescent wrench, etc.I used this to haul 3 bikes to Yosemite. One is an electric bike (which is fairly heavy) and the other two were of medium weight. It handled all 3 bikes with no problems.This was a great purchase. I'm glad I bought it and wish I would have done so sooner.

This hitch bike rack is a good value for the money. We'll only use it a couple of times a year, but it was good for our needs. Three bikes was a very tight fit, but we did get two adult bikes and a child's bike loaded and strapped down. I didn't notice much rattle or sway when we took our trip 2 1/2 hour road trip. Positives- price, tilt feature, ease of installation and removal for 2" receiver. Negatives- the arm for the bikes could have been 2" longer to allow more room. Straps & latches to keep bikes on the arm wre a little flimsy and would not stay very tight (had to use bungee cords to be sure bikes didn't move. Bolt holding the rack in the receiver worried me a little but it did hold okay for our trip. I'd recommend for a light-use bike rack.