KAC Premium Bike Rack for Car, SUV, Hatchback Mount - Anti-Wobble Hitch & Quick Release Lever for Bikes - Heavy Duty Bicycle Carrier, Easy to Assemble/Install - Tire & Frame Straps Included (4 Bikes)

I just received this carrier today and was anxious to see how it performs. Assembly went fairly well, but the instructions could be more detailed. 2 extra "spare" plastic pieces were included, but not shown in the instructions, and almost no info on what they are for. My Prius has a 1.25" hitch which I had professionally installed when I purchased the car. I think it has a label with "Curt" on it. I just recently bought an ebike and I wanted a platform carrier to take it to nice riding locations. I only plan to place 1 bike on the carrier; it weighs ~50 pounds with the large battery installed. I may remove the heavy battery when traveling. One of the first things I noticed during installation is that the horizontal bar that attaches to the car receiver **has way too much vertical movement**. I don't want the rack/bike bouncing up and down a lot while driving. Since this might be due to the receiver opening being too large I decided not to deduct 1 star for this. I did attach a hitch clamp which essentially eliminated the vertical play. I also was not confident in the pin that goes vertically in the vertical bar, so I installed a good bolt to make that part of the rack more secure. Over-tightening the bolt slightly bent the 2 horizontal metal tabs the bolt goes through, but not enough to be concerned. The bottom of the vertical hook (near the adjuster knob) gets too close to my battery case. With some movements while driving this lower section of the hook bar would be hitting and damaging my battery case. So I added some cushion foam to the bar in that area to prevent that from happening. When I first tried to slide the vertical hook up to remove my bike, the top of the bike fell forward toward my car. The left handlebar hit my rear window and created a small scratch. This was due to the entire rack having a slight angle at the top toward my car. Adding extra bungie cords is a very good idea while traveling. The 3 included straps seem to be pretty strong. After putting the bike on I noticed how much my taillights and license plate were being blocked, especially by the large battery and the fat tires. I immediately ordered the Curt 53201 Auxiliary Automotive LED Light Strips. They should fit perfectly on the rack's rear right and left sides of the horizontal bar. Will need to do the wiring from the car, of course. I will check up to see if I can obtain a temporary license tag (or make a color copy of my license plate) to put on my rear window when using this rack with the bike on. I need to find out what the laws and options are in Oregon. Each state has different laws regarding the obscuring of taillights and license plates by rear racks, etc. Some have zero tolerance; some have 100% tolerance. Most are in-between. I went for a test ride for a few miles in the hills around my home and the rack/bike seem pretty secure----some movement, to be expected, but not enough to make me concerned. Should be good to go on the freeway at 65 mph. I'll soon find out! Overall, initially, I am happy with this rack.

I have an electric bike. The bike is heavy and lifting it to a “hanging” type carrier would be difficult. I wanted a lower, shelf type carrier so the bike would not have to be lifted as far. And, the bike sitting on or in the “cradles” make’s it more secure in my opinion. Once the tires are in the cradle, just velcro straps over the rim and that is set. The sliding bar/upside down “U”/hook piece that slides down over the bikes cross bar is a great idea. It serves to hold the top of the bike secure and in place, but the tightening knob that gives it the snugness to secure the bike, can be locked so it can not be loosened to lift the the retaining hook off the bikes cross bar, thus locking it to the carrier. Once the retaining hook is in place and tightened, nothing further needs to be done for short trips to keep the bike secure. For long distance, a strap is included to then strap the bike to the carrier to further secure the bike to carrier. The carrier is attached to the hitch on the car and secured with a bolt that has to be tightened using a wrench (thin, cheap one supplied.) I use a ratchet nut driver and it takes a few seconds to tighten it up and into the locking receptacle on the other side of the hitch. It does lock as well. And, because this is a bolted in place there is no problem with wobble or needing anything else to secure the carrier to the hitch. If going over some rough roads, check the connections if you see some wobble, tighten the bolt and you are set to go. The fold down aspect with bikes attached is important if you have an SUV with hatch that opens upwards. Works like a charm. Just be sure you are standing on the outside (not near the vehicle, but on the other side away from the car,) and have a good hold on the bike when you disengage the holder to let the bike down. It’s heavy and will drop quickly. When the bike is out of the rack, it can be folded up so it doesn’t stick out as far. I was careful not to open the hatch when the rack was folded up to avoid hitting it, but accidentally opened it and it missed by about an inch. You’ll just have to check your own clearance. Okay, those are the pros, the cons, well the thing is heavy and awkward when removed. Heavy does mean that it is solid and well made and not junk. So, that really is good, but still hard to handle and store. There can be some rust from some of the parts, bolts and such. I have only had it for a few months and it was in lots of rain, but when I removed it after the trip, I wiped it down and left a light film of oil on it and it should be oaky. So, the cons are minimal and the weight thing is good as far as the quality of the materials are concerned. Finally, I have to talk about customer service. I will not describe the reason for contacting them, but it was somewhat of a small issue, and after confirming my purchase 3 1/2 years ago (not a warranty item,) they took care of my issue in an incredibly timely fashion. This is a place that makes a variety of carriers, all of which are of the same durable quality. I can’t say enough good things about their products or service. Buy it, works great.

First, the positive. When I assembled it, which was incredibly easy, I had a question regarding which hook to use, since I was using it primarily to transport a single bike. The company was incredibly fast in getting back to me, twice, with an answer. Second, I like the rack. It works well, is solidly build. My bike is secure. Also, I can get the bike into my semi-short garage and close the door. It does not protrude too much off the bumper. Second, I love the fold up option which significantly reduces the distance it protrudes when I leave the bike at home. I also added caution tape across the bottom of the rack (too many crazy drivers in our town). I also like the locks on the hooks and hitch. Nice, solid. My one complaint is a design flaw. I ride a Trek stagger, which has a diagonal center brace. (See picture) That's not a problem with securing the bike. It's solid held by the hook. However, I noticed that an earlier review mentioned that their bike was stolen from the rack. I studied my setup and realized that if someone did want to steal it, they could, with some effort, slide my stagger bike one way or the other, and slide it out from under the hook. It would only take a couple minutes to remove it. Stagger bikes, and many bikes designed for women, have diagonal cross bars. I came up with two solutions. One is to install a horizontal bar that locks to your steering column and the seat column. They're not too expensive. Second, (the solution I chose) you can use a short locking cable to lock the bike from being slid left or right. It would be nice if the company who manufactures this rack came up with a way to lock the bike from moving left or right. The velcro straps, while nice, will not slow down a thief if you have a diagonal cross bar.

Ok, so I was worried about this rack even though the reviews seems to be great. My biggest concerns was adding two heavy fat tire e-bikes on this rack and how stable it will be. The packaging was adequate and the assembly, overall quality and finish was impressive. I have only done a short trip with it so far but impressed with this rack overall. Both e-bikes were stable with some slight movements but not from the hitch part that was stable with no wobbles. Overall for the $$ it was worth it for me. Time will tell on longer 5 hours plus trips how it holds up but very happy with this buy.

Easy to install remove bought for electric bike

Good quality

Easy to assemble and install.