****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
This is a very solid and stable bike carrier. Not just "good for the price," as some of the reviews say, but just plain good. The steel used in the construction is high quality, and very thick and heavy. It is not flimsy thinwall tubing or "chinesium." All of the welds are clean and well formed. The fit and finish is excellent. The engineering is excellent, and all of the connections fit solidly and snugly. Every part of the carrier shows thought and planning.Contrary to what some of the other reviews say, there is no wiggle or wobble at all. Everything is solid, and there is no need for extra washers, shims, bolts, welds, or other modifications some of the other reviewers advise. Just tighten down the pivot bolts sufficiently to remove all play, but not so tight as to restrict pivoting. The included threaded receiver hitch pin prevents all side to side motion, and the U-bolt prevents all up and down motion. These two also work together to make theft much more difficult and less likely. All you will need to assemble the carrier is a 6mm allen wrench and a 17mm socket, box, or open end wrench, or even an adjustable wrench. You will need a 19mm wrench for the U bolt, and a 15/16" for the hitch pin, or again, an adjustable wrench if that is all you have. If you only have SAE tools (inch), you could probably get away with a 3/16 or 7/32 allen wrench, and 11/16 and 13/16 sockets. Assembly took about 15 or 20 minutes, and the instructions were pretty clear.Just finished a 100 mile trip with bikes on the rack. The bikes would have stayed secure with just the top hook, as there is no way for them to move or go anywhere, but we used the included velcro tie downs and the strap anyway. Belt, and suspenders. Neither the bikes nor the carrier moved at all, and anyone familiar with Michigan's wonderful roads knows that they are far from smooth and are horribly maintained. Again, very well engineered carrier, very solid construction, and very good build quality. I would buy this again even at double the price. Factoring the low price into the equation makes this a no-brainer. Very impressed.
