My first hitch rack after years of roof mounts so I can�t comment on how it compares to other hitch racks. My spouse refuses to deal with this thing blocking her access to the rear lift gate so we only plan to keep it on for travel. Thus, easy REMOVAL was really important to us. Initially I was quite concerned with the weight, but I�ve had no trouble as you can carry it easily by the bike trays and similarly leverage it to remove from the hitch. No folding beyond what it does on your car so plan a little storage space if it will spend a lot of time OFF your car. Mounting and removing bikes is utter simplicity. Also love that the holding arms for each bike are independent and allow you to shift each bike in one direction or the other to reduce contact with pedals, bars, etc� simple. You need to crank down on those arms too so that you minimize movement. Lean into it pulling both sides together toward the middle for max leverage!! Also, if you have an auto with sophisticated backup collision avoidance, this rack (probably all of them) may cause fits for those systems. After much frustration over a few days, we found a way to temporarily disable ours. Check forums and manuals ahead to be prepared! Hitch mount is very solid, no movement, easy to tighten down in seconds after you attach to the auto. Not sure if all racks secure the hitch, but this one does have a nice pass-through bolt with a lock that would not be easily compromised. I also like the included cable lock that secures the bikes to the rack. Obviously not high security, but for a quick run into a restaurant or store on your next trip, it should do fine. Highly Recommend. Undoubtedly will outlast my car!!!
I have two of these racks for my, and my wife's, bikes that have fenders. They it much easier to stow the bikes compared to the hook style rack we used to use. My wife had a hard time lifting her bike up on the hook, so the Steadyrack was a big improvement. These are road bikes with 28mm tires and full fenders. The racks fit great.
First let me say this rack is nice. The instructions were lacking in blow up pictorials of placing the cradles and sleeves for the locking arms on.....if you buy it you will see what I mean. The hardware bag with all the bolts should be labeled to sizing as some look alike. Small things in all reality but if you have put together as many racks as I have you generally can sort it fairly quick. This system could have been designed and space between bikes about 1" more per bike for a total of 3" to make sure nothing on a bike touches another......but it does slightly. But overall......a decent rack. Look for them on sale as they do hit sub $500 at times. Would I buy again......sure.
I discovered the hitch receiver cam tightener to eliminate play in the hitch. Awesome feature as at first when I placed into my receiver hitch on the RV it wobbled a bit and I thought this is lacking! Then I went back to the directions and it was printed as to this feature I just overlooked it upon assembly....LOL
Still 4.5 stars due to large cradle lack of more adjust ability to accommodate different styles of bikes without rubbing. As you see I gave it 5-stars overall, but in all reality deserves 4.5 for the fact they could have made the distance between the cradles a tad wider to be extra sure no bikes touch as to handlebars. Dealbreaker???? No.......just know unless you have a narrow width handlebar system your mountain bikes will more than likely touch if you load three! Road bikes, no problem!
I purchased a B&W box for travel to the West Coast for work. It was my first time flying with a bicycle. Although there was some trepidation, I'm very glad I did!
A few recommendations:
Assemble the box and then "pack" it without a bike to figure out the best way to lay out the shells, straps, etc.
Apply colored tape to the mating edge to show the correct (and incorrect) way to overlap the edges. I used Green and Red masking tape and it worked fine (this helps you and the TSA employee who may open the box for inspection).
Disassemble your bike (remove pedals, wheels, seat post, and handlebars) and lay the components out. Watch the B&W YouTube videa and follow along.
Pack the bike (and only the bike) in the box.
Reassemble the box, secure the straps.
Once it is fully packed, use a luggae scale ($20 online) to weigh the packed box. Keep it <50 lbs to avoid extra fees. Weight under 50 lbs is your budget for packing items with the bike. Use alaundry bag to weigh all the things you will pack with the bag to stay under weight.
Assmble the tools you plan to have with you at your destination. Using ONLY these tools, unpack and reassemble your bike.
If it hels, take pictures of the bike disassembled and the box as it is packed. Also take pictures of all tools used.
I recommend packing nitrile gloves, lube, and a few cleaning cloths. I also purchased some pipe insulation, cut it to length then scored it down the long side to permit placing on key tubes for additional protection.
The B&W box received several compliements from luggage handlers and random travelers as I wheeled it to the overside lugge space. I was able to carry it and a large suitcase through the airport, onto a rental car shuttle, etc. If you're renting a car, be sure to get one with a fold down rear seat.
