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.

The media could not be loaded. I've read several reviews that mention there is a lot of wobble or movement when installed in 2" hitch. Given the price it was worth the gamble since Amazon has great return policy. I'm glad I took the gamble as after installing it I see there is literally no wobble once installed (see video). Perhaps people with the wobble didn't install correctly, or perhaps their hitch was defective by being larger than it should be. You'll need to use the bolt provided as it is designed to create a firm seating for the hitch. If you use a standard trailer pin or lock pin, you'll probably have wobble.Assembly is very easy and straight forward, taking maybe 10 minutes. Slipping the rack onto the hitch and tightening it down (with no wobble) and bike's installed without any issue. I only have 2 bikes, bought this 1) because it was less expensive than 2 bike model and 2) gives me plenty of room to get bikes installed easily. The mounting straps are OK, they do the job well, but seem to be more effort than it needs to be. You'll also want to purchase a set of bungee cords or long velcro type strap to secure the bikes to prevent bikes from swaying or wheels from spinning. The instructions mention using a 70" strap and notes as "not included". Not sure why Allen doesn't include strap as you'll def need it and their instructions seem to confirm that. But no knock on the rack for this as price is reasonable and I have several bungee cords laying around.It's easy to drop the arm when not transporting bikes, just simply pull the pin, drop the arm, reinsert pin - done. The only downside to this rack is there is no easy way to prevent someone from stealing your rack from back of your vehicle as the anti-wobble bolt provided can't be secured. Anyone with a pair of sockets or wrenches can have it off your vehicle and be gone in under a minute. Nothing would be more disappointing that to come back from a ride and find the rack missing.

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.