Rack 'Em Up (or, A Collective Bump to Bike Rack Threads)

[steven3]

Thx.
the Kuat 4 carrier may need to go back to the front though. my front receiver seems to be mounted at a slight upward angle, which makes for excellent approach angle clearance with 4 bikes in front.
My only concern with this is if the rack ever failed (it sometimes takes a few tries to "click" back into the raised locked position after being dropped, which worries me) at highway speeds, it would be a mess.

[Steve_382]

Here is a video of a product called the Silent Hitch Pin. There are a number of products like this on the market. Both of my bike racks have a spring nut in the 2x2 tube and when tightened up with a wrench, stay very quiet and solid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFDcFVE ... detailpage

[tlg]

Steve_382: Unfortunately, the longer hitch extensions are built with a solid shank and won't accept anything like the Silent Hitch Pin. Picture of the Blue Ox Immobilizer II attached. Barely enough clearance to get it on but managed to make it work. On a side note, I found putting a strip of grip tape on the hitch extension kept my foot from slipping off. I end up standing on it quite a bit when accessing the rear of the rig.

[Steve_382]

Just a thought, but could you drill and tap the solid shank? It would be a lot of drilling, but could work the same way.

[prally]

Ok, I finally got a rack in place which I like!
Notice I had to move my license plate, but here she is:




This rack will swing out of the way WITH BIKES on it. It is a bit spendy, but totally worth it to be able to carry bikes safe and stable!

Cody is the man behind the rack: Recon Rack Co
He can make it so you can still accept a trailer as well, he will do custom work, and his stuff is super solid. Mine is just the latest in a long list of happy rack owners.

[ert01]

I ran across this today... From 1973 Popular Mechanics.



Seems like our safety standards have increased just a tad in the last 40 years or so. Haha

[sierraskier]

Originally Posted by prally

Ok, I finally got a rack in place which I like!
Notice I had to move my license plate, but here she is:




This rack will swing out of the way WITH BIKES on it. It is a bit spendy, but totally worth it to be able to carry bikes safe and stable!

Cody is the man behind the rack: Recon Rack Co
He can make it so you can still accept a trailer as well, he will do custom work, and his stuff is super solid. Mine is just the latest in a long list of happy rack owners.

That is pretty bad-ass.

[lulupass]

Hi Prally,
That appears to be exactly what we are looking for. Any chance you could snap and post a photo of the rack when it is swung out? Seems as if the bike is supported by the front tire; any concerns about this or locking the bikes up? Cheers

[prally]

Originally Posted by lulupass

Hi Prally,
That appears to be exactly what we are looking for. Any chance you could snap and post a photo of the rack when it is swung out? Seems as if the bike is supported by the front tire; any concerns about this or locking the bikes up? Cheers

If the wheels were straight, then this would be a no brainer yes. The wheels hold the rider at high speeds and over all types of terrain. In order to make the handlebars clear though, this rack has angled the front wheel creating a bit more lateral strain than normal. For mountain bikes with much wider/stronger rims, this is not an issue. I would be a bit more cautious using this rack with a road bike though.

I don't have any open photos, I'll post some though when I can. I can assure you though that the rack clears the box and tire perfectly.

As for locking the bikes. I lock them to the receiver with a chain or cable depending on where I am and how long the bike(s) may be unattended. No issues, but the distance is a bit far, so make sure the chain or cable is not swinging against your bikes, etc.

[alta825]

How's the swing out work with the spare/box? Can you open both sides with the bikes loaded up? Been eyeing the Recon Rack since i saw a few last summer
If you could snap a shot of the side view that would be terrific
Thanks a Ton
-d