Allen 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.

I am very pleased with this rack. As a previous owner of multiple Thule and Yakima systems I decided to take a leap of faith on this rack because of the price and good reviews. I have been pleased with my Thule products and I better be for what I payed for them which is why I am still scratching my head on the price of this. The comparable Thule rack is 3 times the price.My expectations weren't that high because of the price, but like I said, good reviews, so I bought the 3 bike hitch mount rack. Assembly was stupid easy. Functionality is great. Quality seems to be very good but I have only had it less than two months so hopefully it will stand the test of time. I had to upgrade from my Saris rack because it was scratching up the paint on the car. The Allen rack holds 3 bikes with a bit of maneuvering. I knew it would be tight but so are all the other brands from what I read when trying to put the full compliment of bikes on. We fit 3 adult mt. bikes no problem.The one thing I would change would be some kind of quick release bolt where it attaches in the hitch. You need a couple wrenches to remove or install the rack but I keep the two wrenches in the car and no biggy. The fold down hardware is easy to use, no wrench needed. I live on the bay and salt water spray is an issue here so the nickel plated hardware is going to rust at some point, but I will look into some extra hardware from Allen.There is a slight bit of wobble at the hitch but I could shim it with something if it was an issue - it's not. It doesn't rattle or cause any issues so no biggy.All in all, if you are looking for a hitch mount rack and want to save a couple hundred bucks, this is your rack.I only gave it 3 stars for security because it doesn't come with a lock but nobody elses racks do either and I suppose if you really wanted to be a low life and steal my rack all you would need is a couple wrenches but in the very low likelihood of that happening, I could buy two more of these racks and still be less than what I would have payed for the Thule or Yakima.