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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
My favorite rack...so far
I purchased the 2", 2-bike T2 last year for use on our 2001 Honda Odyssey. Over the years I have had all forms of bike carriers and must admit that the T2 is my favorite one to date.
Here's why:
1) quick and easy to assemble
2) hitch mounted = less wind drag/noise and better fuel economy than roof-mounted alternatives
3) no front...
Published on May 14, 2008 by thismember
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0 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Get the Yakima
I bought this over the Yakima equivalent for the locking accessory. What a mistake i made. The racketing system that locks the arm down over the bike is made of plastic and doesnt work. I called Thule to complain and was told i have a faulty unit and i need to RMA it. I sent it back yesterday and hopefully that is the case. But i would steer clear if i was you.
Published on March 9, 2007 by S. Foley
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
My favorite rack...so far, May 14, 2008
This review is from: Thule T2 2-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (Sports)
I purchased the 2", 2-bike T2 last year for use on our 2001 Honda Odyssey. Over the years I have had all forms of bike carriers and must admit that the T2 is my favorite one to date.
Here's why:
1) quick and easy to assemble
2) hitch mounted = less wind drag/noise and better fuel economy than roof-mounted alternatives
3) no front wheel removal
4) <30-second bike mount/dismount
5) no finagling to makes bikes fit on rack so as not to scratch adjacent bikes
6) no swaying/banging of bikes against one another
7) accomodates all types of frames without additional adapters
8) "lockable" (with a caveat - see below)
9) once mounted, loaded, and travelling down the road, the entire rack is ROCK-SOLID; it does not rattle nor sway and the overall build quality is sturdy yet relatively lightweight
10) unloaded rack easily swings up and out of the way with the push of a lever. I often leave the rack on the van - if I had the Snug Tite lock, I would probably never remove it!
11) expandable from 2 to 4 bikes
The T2 is not perfect though:
1) the locking front wheel arm is not very secure. Why? All you need to do is deflate the front tire and swing the arm over the wheel or remove the front skewer and lift the fork off and voila - stolen bike! In essence, the lock on the wheel arm is a DETERRENT rather than an effective security device. Instead of buying the lock cores, go out and do what I did - buy 2 cable locks to secure the bikes to the rack. At least with the cable you can secure both wheels and the bike frame to the rack.
2) since this rack does not swing-away to either side (it does swing downward, but only by a few inches), opening the rear hatch is not possible once bikes are mounted. You must first unload the bikes to access anything in the rear storage area (remember I have a van, this may not apply to other vehicle applications).
So, in summary, if you're looking for a sturdy, easy to use, and versatile hitch-mounted rack, I would highly recommend the T2. I just hope Thule resolves issues 1&2 in future generations of the T2 - doing so would make the T2 a nearly perfect bike carrier!
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
The ultimate in convenience and ease of use., July 20, 2007
This is the BEST bike rack we've ever owned. It takes less than 30 seconds to load or unload a bike. It has changed the way we use our bikes. We take them everywhere now, even to the park for a 20 minute ride.
I leave it on the van all the time. It takes 5 seconds to move it out of the way when I need access to the rear of the van. There are no pins to remove, just flick the lever.
It took me about an hour to assemble it and put it in the receiver. I have had it for several months now and like it better as time goes on.
I have NO quality complaints about anything.
We used to have a two arm rack that swings out of the way. This one is much, much, much quicker and easier to use. We're out of the parking lot with our 3 bikes in under 3 minutes.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Secure and sturdy rack, May 7, 2007
This review is from: Thule T2 2-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (Sports)
I used this rack on several occasions since I first received it as a gift. If you add the lock cores and the snug tite lock, I believe it is one of the more secure bike racks you'll find.
I disagree that the fact that the device bolts to the receiver defeats the purpose of the receiver hitch. On the contrary, I think the bolt attachment adds some needed security. It comes with the required wrench and takes just a couple of turns to remove. Barely more time than adding a locking pin would take. It helps encourage a potential thief to move on.
It is HEAVY. So installing it is not for those with strong minds but weak backs. I would suggest a buyer get the snug-tite lock for it. Personally, I think it should come with it.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
Great Rack but Thule Should Have Left the Design Alone!, October 27, 2008
This review is from: Thule T2 2-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (Sports)
Let me start by saying I have owned the Sportworks T2 for years and absolutely love the rack, especially when hauling bikes without the traditional top bar. It is very sturdy, the bikes can be put on or taken off in seconds with little to no effort and there isn't any movement from the bikes going down the road.
Last month, someone backed into my Sportworks T2, badly bending it and I had to replace it with the Thule T2 as you can't find any of the older models any more. Of course it's basically the same Rack but when Thule bought the design they had to make some "improvements". Don't get me wrong, this is a great rack but I think the original Sportworks version was better.
The first "improvement" actually isn't bad as much as expensive and limited in usefulness. That would be the optional lock cylinders for the tension bars. I opted to install these and they are easy to install though a bit expensive for what they are (welcome to Thule!). They provide no security from theft whatsoever as you can either let some air out of my front tire or loosen the skewer and take my bike in seconds. I guess it could keep the honest honest if you need to dash in a store but that's about it. I think they are useful in keeping the tension from being accidentally released on long, bumpy rides but I never had a problem with this without the locks on the old version.
Next, the mounting of the rack has been updated in two negative ways. First, the top "anti-rattle" bolt that tightened the rack in the receiver has been done away with. The original version had this AND the threaded bolt hole that together made the rack incredibly sturdy and didn't budge even if you pushed and pulled enough to rock the vehicle. The second way they changed the mounting is to change the size of the threaded hole so that if you want to lock the bike rack onto the receiver, you'll need to kindly buy the insanely expensive Snug-Tite lock sold only by - you guessed it, Thule!
Overall, it's still the same rack and I still believe it's the best rack on the market. I only wish Thule would have stuck to the original design.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Always tradeoffs, but this is the right rack for me!, July 26, 2008
I did a lot of research and ended up with the Thule T2. I have a big family, so we bought the 2" model and the +2 extension--4 bikes! We have NOT been disappointed. I did a detailed write-up; google "squidoo bestbikerack".
One point I'll note here is that the Saris Cycle-On Pro has a better system for mounting the rack to the hitch--the Thule T2 requires a wrench to bolt on the hitch pin--a little clumsy. But the CycleOn Pro doesn't tilt down to allow access to the rear cargo area, which was a must-have for us. I discovered that no rack is the 100% perfect solution, but the T2 comes awfully close for my family.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
The best HITCH rack bar none!, September 24, 2008
This review is from: Thule T2 2-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (Sports)
I researched exhaustively to determine the best hitch rack out there for me and my uber-expensive bike, and I finally settled on the Thule T2.
I couldn't be more pleased with the selection! Even the tools to completely assemble it are included (though the flat wrenches are a little painful to use when cranking down on them).
Easy of use, sturdy construction, adjustable rails both sideways AND fore/aft, tilt up for stowage AND tilt down for rear car access, none of the other brands out there can compare to all these features combined. Though not the most elegant looking rack, these are quality built and very functional. Even the plastic wheel well is very solid and thick, unlike the more flimsy, aluminum-strip backed Saris Thelma's.
Bikes load and unload ridiculously fast and easy that my 8 year old niece can do it all by herself. Only the wheels are touched, leaving the frame unmarred and unstressed. And if I need more capacity later, I can add on a 2-bike extension.
For all its functionality, it is a bit heavy (50 lbs), so it is a chore to install and remove if you must do it every time you ride (which I do since I bike almost every evening after work but don't want to keep the rack mounted during work). Finally, the included anti-wobble bolt has the potential to loosen and fall out since it uses both a flat and lock washer. I recommend not using the flat washer (meaning your receiver side will get chewed up from the lock washer digging into it) or buy the optional Thule STL2 locking hitch pin which locks on the end of the bolt thereby trapping the bolt completely on the receiver.
Rear tire clamp mounts are not safely secured to rails when not being used (at least, no guidance is provided in the instructions; I figured out a way to wrap the strap through the front tire arm). Low ground clearance means the lower tube hitting pavement on deep gutter crossings when hitched to a low profile car/mini-van.
Regarding security, lets be realistic: NO bike rack is theft-proof. ALL security measures can be defeated, given a determined and well-equipped thief. So degrading the rating of this rack to the lowest for having supposedly "no security" is not a fair assessment.
With that said, for the price, I feel this thing SHOULD have included at least lock cylinders for the arms as an out-of-the-box theft deterrent for the grab-and-go low lifes out there; having to buy them separately blows.
Regardless, you should add a cable lock that threads through both wheels, the frame(s) and to the hitch itself. Even then, I would never leave my bikes unattended, out-of-sight for any extended periods of time, no matter which brand of rack it was on (even though I have insurance that would cover the bike).
No rack is perfect. Each have their pros and cons. But the T2 has the best overall quality, durability, functionality, adjustability, ease-of-use, expandability, accessories and features. Overall, if you are hauling any worthy bike(s) of value on a carrier and have a receiver hitch, this is the rack to get. In fact, at a local trail I noticed that almost all of the hitch racks I saw in the parking lot were the T2.
As I ordered this through Amazon, I placed it on a Sunday for two-day delivery and it arrived the next day! That was simply AMAZING service! Thanks Amazon!
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
This is the BEST of the BEST (from a former Yakima owner!), September 20, 2007
This review is from: Thule T2 2-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (Sports)
This rack truly is the best of the best. I've owned:
1) Yakima RimRoc (hitchmount)
2) Yakima HitchFork (hitchmount)
3) Yakima Full Swing (hitchmount)
After being "married" to Yakima products for over 10 years, this is the first Thule product I've ever purchased and I'm very pleased. Bikes load easily and are stable when transporting. Accommodates almost ANY type frame and most importantly... the frames aren't scratched or damaged on long trips. Yakima's Full Swing would pinch the shift cables against the frame thus scratching the frame.
I'm an avid cyclist and my bikes are precious to me. The Thule T2 lets me transport my bikes without damages associated with other racks. Also, these racks are VERY similar to the racks used on Seattle City Buses.
I highly recommend this rack. I'll be purchasing the optional "add-on" rack (adds 2 more bike holders) in the near furture.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
One of the best hitch bike racks you can buy., October 15, 2009
This review is from: Thule T2 2-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (Sports)
This was the first hitch bike rack I have ever purchased. After doing much research I decided to purchase this rack after reading all the good reviews. I wanted a rack where I would not have to worry about scratching the paint on our mountain bikes as has happened with the bike racks where you set the frames on to the bike rack tubes. This rack was very easy to put together as it only took about 15 minutes. Installation on my hitch was a breeze. I recommend the Thule hitch lock as that is what I'm using with it. Once I get the rack on my hitch I put our mountain bikes on. Before installing the hitch I was a little skeptical how sturdy it would be. After getting the bikes on it and driving around to various paths and trails I must say this rack is rock solid. Hardly any sway and the bikes do not move. This is the first rack I have owned where I feel comfortable going on the highway for long trips without the fear of bikes falling off. Overall I am very impressed. This rack is expensive but you get what you pay for and it's great. Highly recommended.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Great Bike Rack, August 18, 2009
At first I was a little leery spending so much money on a bike rack. I'm amazed at how easy it is to use. It literally takes seconds to pop your bike on the rack and lock it down for travel. I've had the rack 2 months now and I'm glad that I bought it. I would buy another one in a heartbeat and would recommend it to friends. It was easy to mount. Don't forget to buy the locking hitch pin which is sold separately.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Nice Rack, April 28, 2009
This review is from: Thule T2 2-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (Sports)
Debated on what style rack and decided that this was the best option for me. Being a mt. biker this was my choice for the ease of transporting. Mt bikes have all sorts of frame designs and shock placements. Buddy has a roof rack and seemed more of a pain than I wanted. Researched and decided on this. Putting it together wasn't bad. Not difficult to remove from the car. A little heavy but easier than my Thule Speedway. Another reason is the 2 bike add on which I also purchased. Works great. Also bought the locks to protect my investment. Real happy with everything.
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