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Product Features
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About Allen
About Allen Bike Racks
In 1967, after a few years of working on the aerospace technology for the Apollo missions, Dick Allen was out of a job. Government cutbacks led Allen, a Harvard-trained physicist, to transform his garage hobby into a new industry. A cycling enthusiast, inventor, and family man, Allen had a personal need for a bike-carrying device. On weekends, he would take his sons and wife to Cape Cod or the White Mountains of New Hampshire. What proved difficult time and again was the transport of his family's bicycles. Rather than fight through inconvenience with twine and a dinged car, Allen sought an answer for himself as well as a market in which he foresaw major growth possibilities.
Always a pathfinder, Allen took to work in his Lincoln, Massachusetts, garage in search of a more efficient way to transport bikes. Drafting designs during the day and constructing them throughout the night, he put together a model made of electrical conduit, metal strapping, and fire hose casings (for padding). At first, the Allens tested the prototype on weekend excursions. Finding the first trunk-mounted rack to be a success, Dick started Allen Bike Racks. Dealer acceptance came quickly, and by 1971 Allen Bike Racks were sold nationally through a number of major bicycle distributors. Today, the company owns more than three dozen patents and offers a versatile product line of bike racks while Dick's son Alex now owns and operates the business. What started out as a small garage run operation now operates three warehouses nationally, two factories abroad, and has products sold in more than a dozen countries around the world.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
334 of 337 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Works well for the price...,
By I have a mountain bike that weighs about 35lbs. A friend of mine has a road bike that weighs about 25lbs. I kept looking and finally settled on the Allen because of the price, design and construction. (I took a star off for aesthetics. The foam supports are grey. The top and bottom struts are unpainted silver aluminum, and the caps at the end of the rack are white.) A couple of things I learned: * cloth/nylon strap tie downs are better than plastic or rubber which become brittle after repeated use and exposure to different weather conditions * use of lighter weight aluminum is better than steel * the more anchor points to your car the better (3 is the minimum) * put the heavier bike on the slot closer to the car * women's bikes or bikes without a horizontal beam from the seat to the handlebar column will require a "bike adaptor" * when not in use, remove the rack from the car to prevent it from being stolen or the foam padding from melting onto your car * lock your bike(s) to the rack with a separate chain * use common sense and don't put more than the number of bikes the rack was designed for * drive more slowly and carefully on uneven streets Hope this review helped! :)
46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
No Worries Rack,
By
This review is from: Allen Deluxe 2-Bike Trunk Mount Rack (Sports)
This thing is great. Relatively simple to set up (do a dry run before your first trip), functional for two mountain bikes, no extra strapping or tying needed. You will have to watch out that your pedals don't scrape your car, but the rack itself is totally sturdy. A nice product at a nice price (with lots of buying options).
40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Dissapointed,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Allen Deluxe 2-Bike Trunk Mount Rack (Sports)
This product works great as long as you go under 45mph in your car. Ideal for city life. It's easy to put on and take off which beats dissembling your bike to put it in the trunk. It was fine when I had it for the first couple of months driving around the city to go the trails.
However, I drove 5 hours each way to go on a biking trip, mostly doing about 70+ mph. The bike ended up scratching my bumper pretty bad as it was flying around. Furthermore, the rubber wheels of the rack that sit on the trunk ended up burning a hole through my paint as it shifted back and forth from the force of the bike flying back and forth. I even stopped 4 times to tighten everything down as much as possible!!! I'm glad I have an older car so this doesn't matter so much to me, but I can't imagine the surprise people are getting on their new to 1-5 year old vehicles!! People were staring, and no one followed within 300ft of my car. The top of my trunk has two holes straight down to the metal and the bumper has skid marks/scratches all over it. Don't be cheap and get yourself a trailer hitch installed. Then purchase the bike racks that fit into those that keep the bike away from your car and the product off the paint!!!
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