TransIt Flatbed 2DLX 2-Bike Hitch Rack

I will give this 5 stars. Would give it 4 1/2 if I could. Excellent rack so far for the price. Just the right form/price in my case. Seems quite solid. Platform racks are cool because the bike sits in them and doesn't hang FROM anything. Soft rubber on top hooks should cause no damage to bike's top tube.Time will tell if the locks continue to work well - some have complained that they don't. I also use additional bungees on my bikes for safety, and with this rack, will continue to do so.Someone in a torrid zone complained that these can get hot, but they are black metal, as most are - I don't know what else to say about that except perhaps you can paint them white/silver if you like.Pros:1. Very easy to assemble. Took less than 15 minutes, even missing inserting the plastic Upright Tube Guide Plates on first pass.2. I like how solid this feels, especially for the price. Might sway a bit, but the construction quality tells me that it and the bikes will probably not be going off on you while in transit (no pun intended).3. I like how the platform tubes fold against the upright for storage, and then you can re-insert the locking pins to hold them in place (but the hitch tube still sticks out - you can't have everything).So the minor gripes:1. The lock-lever for one of the top hooks (yes it was not key-locked) was very balky for a couple of minutes - couldn't get it to release. Seems as if a small piece of something got into the mechanism. Once I heard that get free, it worked fine, just like the other one.2. The instructions say 17mm wrench to attach the hitch tube bolts. It's really 5/8"; 17mm is a bit too large, but any adjustable wrench should work for this. And given that the other bolts are inch-sized, 5/8" makes sense.3. Too bad that the hitch tube doesn't fold against the upright as well, but given the price I am taking off nothing for this, except my work gloves.4. I stripped out the Upright Tube Bolt by over-tightening. My fault - should be a hardware-store item but I didn't find the exact piece. Has to do with the length of the shank on the bolt. My temporary replacement has too much thread. I may need to call the manufacturer for a proper replacement.5. If you take out the two bolts holding the hitch tube to the rest of the rack, you can carry the bike(s) away with you while they are still on the rack (unwieldy but it can be done). If you're security-minded, you might want some kind of locking mechanism there too, but that could also be said about dismantling the rest of the rack from underneath. All in all, this is secure enough for the price. I try and keep an eye on my bikes while on the car, whenever I can anyway.6. Keys cost the company very little. This should come with 4 keys (only comes with 2).Have not been on any long rides yet, but have taken one bike out for a few miles, and it seems very happy. You can see the bike sway a tolerable amount on the rack, but I hear no rattles - OK the windows were closed, but I really don't think that's an issue. All in all, a very nice product indeed. I will come back here again and report if I find anything else of note.Update: OK it's lots later and I've now used this a few times. Still impressed and no problem with this rack. No issues with the locks, and I don't feel the need to upgrade to a better rack. This one's just fine for me.

Been very impressed with this bike rack so far! Mostly use it on our travel trailer. The locking feature is really handy when we want to quickly lock the bikes up at the camp site. The center post folds down which is nice when on my truck because it allows me to lower the tail gate without having to remove the rack, also makes it very easy to load/unload the rear bike on the rack. The 1-1/4" to 2" adapter is made of steel, not plastic like some more expensive units I looked at. The most important feature for us was that the rack cleared the spare tire on the camper with it does. Also it folds out of the way if the spare tire needs to be removed. Noticed some of the reviews complaining about the locking hitch pin, this was actually a selling point for me. The locking pin prevents the rack from rattling around in the hitch. Just keep a cheap ratcheting wrench in your glove box and it takes 30 seconds to remove. Overall we have been very happy with this rack and after looking at countless others for nearly a year we believe this rack is one of the best deals to be had.

This is not the prettiest thing in the world, and I find the adjustment on the vertical bar a little balky, but it does everything my friend's platform rack does and it cost one quarter the price. I usually mount the bike using only the rack's bar and tires straps and it holds beautifully. Still, I add a long bike lock wrapped around to ensure that if something happens the bike will stay secure . My bike is too expensive and precious to me to take any chances.) I also wrapped it with reflective tape because it is all black. One note: I drove around a number of days with my bike mounted and the rubber/foam type covering on the bar tore from friction exposing the metal underneath so that the metal met the bike's bar and scratched off the paint. Maybe I had it too tight, and it was riding around a long time, but you would think the tighter the better.Iinfuriating. I will bolster those foam bar covers. Bottom line, this is a very economical, satisfactory alternative to much more expensive racks.

I was able to put this together myself and have used it a few times now to get my mountain bike around. I have only carried one bike so far. My bike is very secure with the locking hooks over the frame and the velcro tire straps.Assembled, the rack was a bit heavier and more substantial than I was expecting, but it was very straightforward to get my bike on and my bike felt super secure during driving.The only thing that I would change is making the rack more compact for storage. I've been driving around with the rack on after taking my bike off and folding up the platform tubes (see photo). And that configuration is compact enough. But after removing the rack from my car hitch, the tube/bar that connects to my car hitch receiver does not fold up. Outside of that, I'm so pleased with this purchase and still give it 5 stars.

I like that it is nice and sturdy, I don't have to watch my bikes flopping around in the rear view mirror. And when not in use I can fold it up so it isn't in danger of getting hit by a car in a parking lot. It is pretty easy to install and remove and the bikes feel secure when they are mounted on the rack. I also like that I can lock the bikes down. The rack bolts and locks onto my trailer hitch nice and secure. I've had it about a year and a half and it still looks good and feels secure. We've taken it on about 15 outings anywhere from 30 minute to 5 hour drive and it has held up well.