Allen Sports 2-Bike Hitch Mount Rack - Fits 1.25" & 2" Receivers - Heavy Duty Bicycle Carrier for SUV, Truck, RV - Perfect for Road Trips, Camping & Outdoor Adventures

this is my third hitch rack purchased in 3wks - trying to find the perfect fit. I think i've found my match. I'll update with pics, and after i've ridden with the bike on it. But i HAD to say something NOW. UPFRONT - if your rack is wobbling in your hitch, its more than likely because you have not taken the time to really read the instructions on how to tighten it. I've seen reviews where people say the key spins and spins, as does the hand grip. or they've videotaped the hitch and them wiggling it back and forth and up and down. i too thought something was wrong. i inserted the bar ( and thought) i turned the key, and then attempted to "tighten" the knob... severe wobble!! I was ready to send it back! i watched others' reviews who's rack didnt wobble, and knew i had to be doing something wrong. so i watched 3 YOUTUBE videos, which still werent 100% clear in my head. but then i re-read the instructions. went back outside, stuck the key in, turned it counter clockwise, took the key out - and "voila" - turning the knob CLOCKWISE, i felt the bar/hitch tighten up- now NO MORE WOBBLE. i mean ZERO!!!. OTHER reasons i think 'this is THE ONE for me; 1. because the arms fold down out the way, i can pull into my garage-remove my bike, pull down the arms, and shut the garage door! - i dont have to remove the whole rack, nor do i have to worry my garage door will hit the arms. my garage is small so i still have to SQUEEZE around front, or STEP OVER the rack if i want to go to the other side of the garage- but this is still much easier than removing the rack each time! OR having to open the garage door to go to the other side 2. the locking mechanism makes me confident that no one can easily steal the rack. and though it does not have an integrated locking system that includes the ability to simultaneously lock the bike - there are 4 'holes' on the rack which a bike chain/lock can easily pass through - OR you can use the holes in your hitch to lock down your bike. 3. i love that i can -with one finger- lift the latch that disengages the vertical bar and lets the rack angle away from the SUV so i can open the rear hatch EVEN WITH THE BIKE on it. i really didnt think i'd need it -but duh. its a MAJOR convenience to be able to open it -especially since my rear window doesnt pop up like my older model Pathfinder. i can also get larger items out the back (groceries - golf clubs). 4. i have a step-through "ladies" bike. As per the ALLEN video, i was able to easily lift and mount my bike to fit one arm below the seat, and the other arm between the two parallel bike bars that angle down to a V. i thought the rack arms might pinch the gear cable - but it doesnt. I STILL purchased a bar-adapter, but will see if this works before i return it. pics and videos will come later. BTW, i'm a 55yo, 5' 1.5" , non-athletic build female. i was able to put the two pieces together with NO PROBLEM. the instructions say 3/8" socket/wrench - but its really 9/16". and if you watch the Allen Youtube video - the lady says use a 9/16. Its awkward to carry, and weighs maybe ?20#s. ALSO - i DID struggle a bit sticking the horizontal bar into my hitch. had to balance it 'just right' and push and wiggle to finally get it in. REALLY was a SNUG fit. IN HINDSIGHT, i suppose i may have turned the knob 'too much' prior TO putting it into the hitch, thus pre-'expanding it'. (I dont know for sure, but that theory sounds right - either way. i struggled a bit, but finally got it in. So that, so far, seems to be the only con-which is likely due to user error.IMO - having tried 3 in 3 weeks, i think ALL racks that use ANY sort of "pin" or "spring" mechanism, will give weigh to 'some wobble'. Thus, since there must be a spring, or pin/latch, to allow EASE of angling the bike/rack away from the rear for ease of access- you have to accept that if its not a BOLT AND NUT tightening metal to metal - YOU WILL GET SOME movement. thats just plain common sense. But i'll accept that trade off, with the ability to lean the bike back and away. with the OTHER models - that use a pin/latch, i suppose you can exchange it for a bolt, and tighten it down while traveling long distance - and forego access to the rear. and when you get where you are going, swap out your bolt with the pin. BUT thats unnecessary work - since theyve obviously designed it to be secure, even with a bit of space/wobble. however, with THIS model - the quick release - there is no pin/latch. its spring loaded so there is 'nothing that can be removed and replaced'. so you dont have a choice. I'll ride around for a week - take it on the highway, and then report back.Took a chance and order "Condition: Used - Like New" to save some money, but turns out I got bit by Amazon's quality control: there's a small screw that connects the extender to the rack (so it can be mounted on a 2" hitch, particularly important for inserting / removing). That screw was broken by whomever had it before and thereafter sent it back, which wasn't caught by Amazon QC. I had to drill out the darn thing and get another screw that would work. Other than that, the product is actually easy to put together, I like the locking option a lot. There's rattle from the tilting lock not being tight, but can solved w/ a quick shim during long trips.Received this for use on a Focus Sedan and I'll have to say it works great. I purchased the Deluxe+ Locking model. Has all the main features I'm looking for. Here's what I like:1) The unit is very easy to put together. Essentially you'll have to install 3 bolts. Pay attention though because 1 is longer than the other 2. Metric wrenches are required.2) The unit will install in either 1 1/4" or 2" receiver. It does this by coming with a 1 1/4" to 2" adapter installed. If you use a 1 1/4" receiver you will have to remove the 2" adapter which requires a metric Allen wrench. My receiver is 1 1/4".3) Installed in a 1 1/4" receiver this is pretty much rock solid. You have to insert the rack into your receiver until a button 'clicks' into the hole in your receiver. At this point it's not completely secured. You then have to turn a knob at the end of the unit (which is the triangular looking part in the photo) which will engage a wedge that fully secures the unit in your receiver. At this point it should feel very rigid in the receiver - if not (at least with a 1 1/4" receiver) you've got some kind of a problem.4) Once in your receiver the triangular knob has a key lock that allows you to disengage it. So if someone tries to unscrew it to steal your rack it will simply spin without doing anything. Works great. Just be sure to put the key on your car key ring so if you're on a trip and have to remove it you'll be able to. This comes with 2 keys.5) The tilt feature is kind of nice. It allows you to tilt the upper part of the unit away from your vehicle 20-30 degrees by pulling up on the red handle that's about 1/3 up from the bottom in the photo. This should allow most trunks or SUV doors to be opened. It's spring loaded so I don't see a bump or something accidentally engaging it in normal use. To re-right the unit just push it back and it will automatically lock in the upright position.6) A word of advice when it's time to unplug this from your receiver. Remember that triangular knob you used to secure it? Well you're going to have to unscrew it to release the unit. Remember that little button I mentioned that 'clicks'? Well you're going to have to press it in to release the unit. There's a little trick though. You want to unscrew the the knob just to the point it releases the wedge and no more. Then press the button and pull the unit out. If you 'over' un-screw the knob pressing the button and pulling won't work because the button will push the opposite side and wedge the darn thing in your receiver. Pull to your heart's delight and it ain't movin'. Just remember not to 'over' unscrew it and you'll be fine.I think this is a quality unit overall. However I am deducting 1 star because it doesn't come with straps or padding you'll need when transporting your bikes. What is it you'll need you ask?1) You will need straps to secure the front wheel in place so it doesn't bang around (unless of course you don't care in which case don't worry about it).2) You will need straps to secure the frame of the bike to the rack so the bike doesn't rock back and forth as well (same deal - don't care then don't worry about it).3) You will need padding to put between the 1st bike & rack and if carrying a 2nd bike between the 2 bikes. Without padding there is nothing to prevent any bike from hitting/rubbing against things. I'm going to use polyethylene (closed cell so it shouldn't get saturated w/water - think like a pool noodle) instead of polyurethane (open cell so it's like a sponge) foam blocks.If this had come w/straps & padding it would have been a solid 5 stars. Yes, I believe most people would want these.I’m still searching for a way to keep it from wobbling a little with driving. I thought it would be fixed without movements from side to side.This rack is very simple. It went together in under 10 minutes and holds quite securely to my 1.25" hitch. After reading the reviews, I ensured that the bolts were all very tight and that the little round rubber spacer was left in for support. There is almost no movement possible with this thing, to the point that I question how it would fail if it did. It seems like the only option is to rip open a weld. I put my 50lb e-mtb and my 25lb gravel bike on it and drove around town for a bit. The bikes swung around in the rack as they weren't attached using straps or bungees, but the rack didn't budge. Even when I took a fast turn or bumped over a speed bump, the bikes merely wiggled atop the stable rack.I will update this review if anything happens with the rack. Until then, assume it's working fine for me.Attenzione alle modalità dì fissaggio che non sono direttamente su sfera gancio traino come molti modelli. Il sistema è ad inserimento nel supporto porta stelo gancio traino che risulta necessario rimuovere. Nel mio caso, il porta bici era incompatibile con il mio modello di supporto. Nel complesso mi sembrava anche robusto ma ho dovuto restituirlo. Nella descrizione prodotto non era chiaro questo aspetto e il modello di supporto adatto.One of the rubber straps broke during the first time using this bike rack at highway speed, resulting in the bike flying off the rack and onto the highway -- a potentially deadly scenario. Fortunately no one was hurt. I returned the product and received compensation from Allen Sports for the repairs needed for my mountain bike. One of the first things you'll notice about the rubber straps on the Allen bike racks is how thin and flimsy they are, clearly inadequate for the job they are expected to do. For this reason, it is essential to use the nylon "safety" strap -- not merely an option. Or better still, spend a bit more and avoid any bike rack that uses rubber straps. The more expensive Thule racks still use rubber straps, but at least these are much stronger. Yakima racks, which I now have, use locking plastic clamps which work well and give greater peace of mind.Excellent bike rack. Easy to install and supports bikes very well. The fall back feature to allow tailgate access is very handy. Haven't noticed any wobble as reported by other people. The dual arms and well designed cradles and straps support bikes much better than other racks I have seen, and the fold-down arms when not in use are a great feature. Highly recommend this rack, the more I use it the more pleased I am with it.i really wanted something i could take on and off quickly and i noticed many of these required you to have a ratchet handy... I wasn't sure how this one would work but i've used it a few times now and the system works quite well to hand tighten the wheel to secure the rack into the hitch. Unit seems quite solid as well. Only things to keep in mind is that the 'locking' mechanism only locks the rack, not the bike so you'd need to buy a cable if you need to lock the bike too. Also, the pictures showed blue but they shipped black - that was fine with me but you should know it's not blue (which I thought would have been cool but oh well)