Review of Allen Deluxe 5-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (2-Inch Receiver)

Allen Deluxe 5-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (2-Inch Receiver)
By: Allen Bike Racks Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 26
More Information

Great for hauling the family's bikes

On: 2008-07-03

I dont write many reviews but I was happy enough with this product to spend time giving my feedback.

The Good

* This rack easily accommodated 2 large adult bikes with *big* baby carriers, along with 2 smaller kids bikes (4 total). Because these are large and bulky I doubt we could get another full sized bike installed, but it easily handled our situation.
* I *love* the tilt feature which allows us to open the minivan hatch back without unloading everything on the rack. This is a must-have feature that is worth its weight in gold.
* Its well constructed so it should last many years. The steel is powder-coated so hopefully rust will not be an issue.
* Very easy to install
* Its not very expensive!

The Bad

* I doubt you can fit 5 unless they are all thin racing-style road bikes. But again, it fits 4 "family" bikes without a problem.

The Ugly

* The accessory strap buckle broke after one firm yank. This strap is not an integral part of the design so I simply used my own ratched-style strap in its place. Not a big deal, but its something to look out for.

Great value, great product

On: 2008-06-26

I cant see why you would pay more for a bike rack. This holds all our bikes great(mountain and road, womens, mens, and kids). It holds the bikes secure without damaging them. Its easy to use and gives you great access to the rear of your vehicle with or without the bikes in place.

Very happy with this rack!!!

On: 2008-06-23

I bought this rack last week and used it for the first time this past weekend on a 500 mile round trip!! The rack worked fantastic!! I cannot say enough good things about it. The "no wobble" bolt worked exactly as promised. I could not budge the thing. For security I ran a 16 inch piece of chain from the receiver to the hook on the hitch abd securted it with a padlock. This is a great product!

Great Rack, Great Price.

On: 2008-06-09

I got this rack to carry 5 bikes. I have carried 4 bikes already and so far no problems. I have not carried 5 bikes, but Im sure there wouldnt be any probems.

The bike rack was easy to install, although I had to borrow my brothers tools. Once, installed, it does seem like a small hassle to keep taking it off and putting it back on, so I keep it attached to my car. It tilts, so I can open my SUVs hatchback and get to stuff inside.

The build materials seems stong and the rack doesnt wobble or sag. I think this rack weighs less than the racks from Thule or other brands.

WE HOPE THIS WORKS WELL

On: 2008-02-22

WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO USE THIS YET BUT WE HOPE IT WILL WORK SO WE CAN TRANSPORT OUR BIKES.

Decent

On: 2007-12-07

The fifth slot for bike is very hard to put the bike on. The rack is somewhat wobbly in my 2" hitch. I bought it with understanding that it would not wobble. Everything else is fine.

Great Product, Great Price, & Free Shipping!

On: 2007-10-30

After reading the other reviews for this bike rack, I was expecting a somewhat flimsy product and a wobbly installation. My expectations were wrong! The rack is made of heavy gauge steel that is powder coated. After assembly, installation on my Suburban was a breeze. The "no wobble" bolt does its job very well--no wobble at all. I had originally planned to drill the bolt hole out to 5/8in so that I could use a locking hitch pin, but decided that this was an unnecessary step (especially considering how well the bolt works). My concerns for security were settled by a short length of chain and a padlock. We broke the rack in with a 1200+ mile trip carrying 2 adult bikes and 2 childrens bikes. It performed like a charm!

It is fine

On: 2007-10-17

This seems to do everything that it needs to do. I agree with other reviewers that Allen could put in a better bolt to attache it to the hitch--the current one requires two wrenches. Inconvenient but not fatal.

Great bike rack!

On: 2007-10-04

We have really enjoyed this bike rack. We have 3 kids and we can fit all 5 bikes on it. It is easy to get the bikes on and off and it is much more stable than I thought it would be.

Excellent carrier for the price

On: 2007-09-11

I have owned this carrier and another horizontal swing away carrier. I gave the horizontal swing away to my son because it was too heavy and I seldom carried more than 2 bikes. This one is half the weight of the swing away and works just as well. That is not to say that this carrier is light because it weighs about 20 pounds and is made of heavy gauge steel.

It works very well but I might question the ease of loading 5 bikes on this carrier. It would take an inordinate amount of adjusting to squeeze 5 bikes on this thing. At first, I thought it might sway too much as there is some amount of movement on the 2" carrier but in actual driving and use, it was solid. Im quite happy with the purchase, especially the price, when on sale.

Good for the money but.......

On: 2007-08-23

I think it is true that you get what you pay and in this case i think you are receiving an item that cost less and do the job but it has its flaws. Still Im happy with it and even that I gave it a 4 star it should be mora than 3.5 instead

very pleased

On: 2007-07-25

I am very pleased with the bike rack. It comfortably fits four bikes (I havent carried five yet). The kind that mount to the back of my minivan were a disaster to attach and load. I had three kid bikes slip last year while driving on the highway -- thankfully my rear bumper caught them before it could cause an accident. This hitch-mount rack is sturdy and easy to assemble. I am a single mom and I can attach it myself.

Great rack for the price

On: 2007-07-16

If you are looking for something to tote the family bikes around, this is the ticket. Obviously easy to install to your car with a hitch recepticle. There is a little back and forth sway when transporting in the car, but goodness, that is to be expected with the weight of 5 bikes extending in the air out a few feet from your car. One thing that is a little bit of a pain, the hole in the part of the rack that fits into the cars trailer recepticle is a weird size, too small for the standard pin to fit through, so you may want to buy the proprietary Allen locking pin to go with it. The tie downs at first glance seem to be a little flimsy (not the stretch rubber ties I have seen on other models) but the fact that the whole tie down can rotate is a plus when putting on small and unusually shaped kids bikes.

Also the tie downs did seem to have the potential to break after time, so I called Allen to order a few extra to replace in case this happens, they sent them to me free of charge!!

Very nice

On: 2007-07-12

It is really great. The bikes do sway a little at the bottom since there is nothing keeping them straight or from bumping into each other. However, mose people buying racks like this one arent too concerned about getting a few scratches on the bikes. It is a great rack for the price. I would buy again if I needed one.

Fantastic Bike Rack

On: 2007-07-12

This bike rack works great for 5 bikes...they are generally easy to attach and will work with all bike styles...Adult to Kids.

This was the best deal we could find for the $$$.

Allen 5 bike rack- excellent buy

On: 2007-06-27

Im very happy with the Allen Deluxe 5 Bike hitch mount rack. It arrived very quickly- before Id even expected it- went together easily, and is very sturdy. Ive used it with 4 bikes quite a few times (5 wouldnt be a problem either), and even traveled with them from PA to Virginia Beach with no wobbling or issues. I actually leave the bike rack mounted in folded down position, unless I need to tow something else, which makes last minute bike trips very convenient. It was a very good investment and loading the bikes on and off is even easier than it used to be loading them into the back of a pick-up.

Just What I Needed!

On: 2007-06-10

This was perfect! When we go bike riding its generally 3 bikes, and my sons like to invite one or two of their friends. With the 5 bike hitch, its always enough room. Its built just as strong as those outrageously priced high end bike hitches. The 5 bike hitch is exactly what I needed!

One of a kind!

On: 2007-05-13

Our family of 5 loves to go on bike rides together. We can hook ALL of our bikes up to the rack and drive up to the state park on a whim. Most other bike racks only hold 4 bikes.

Its really easy to hook up the bikes....even the awkward shaped kids bikes.

5 bike hitch

On: 2007-05-09

Easy to put on bike rack, secure. Weve only used in once, but it seemed to work well.

An okay, but not great, solution for toting 5 bikes

On: 2007-05-01

I researched Amazon to find a bike rack that could transport 5 bikes. I chose this one mainly on the strength of the generally favorable reviews and because it was priced considerably lower than other products.

In short, the bike rack did what it said it would do, but Id prefer a few design changes.

Firstly, the rack, after installing it into the hitch, tends to sag to the ground rather than protruding straight out of the hitch. On our Dodge Grand Caravan minivan, this posed a problem: when fully loaded, the trailer hitch was FOUR INCHES from the ground! If we were going to travel over sizeable speed bumps or travel over roads with sizeable gradient changes, the hitch was going to scrap the ground! In fact, backing out of the driveway caused the hitch to scrape the ground, and I had to physically lift the hitch up as my wife slowly backed out of the driveway! On vehicles where the hitch is 18 inches off the ground, this isnt going to by your concern, but if youre driving a minivan or other vehicle where the hitch is only 8 inches or so off the ground, then this IS a concern.

The "no-wobble" bolt that affixes the bike rack to the hitch actually bowed the part of the bike rack that slides into the hitch inward due to the pressure. You could argue, I suppose, that I overtightened the bolt. I would argue that my puny arms shouldnt cause the bike rack to bow at all -- there should be enough steel in the rack to keep that from happening.

I didnt have a problem getting the 5 bikes installed, but it takes some time and effort to arrange the bikes in a way that they all fit. Be aware, though, that our taillights were very badly obscured by all the bikes. In the future, I think I would like to add some trailer lights to the last bike on the rack to make brake lights easier to see.

While traveling down the interstate, I can tell you I had an uncomfortable feeling watching the bike rack bump up and down each time I went over a bridge. I felt like at anytime, the physical structure would break and Id have 5 bikes flying across the interstate road.

In short, this bike rack did do what it said it would do, but I didnt have peace that this solution was one I would want to use repeatedly in the future. Ill keep my eye out on a small trailer on which I might be able to tow our bikes.

Allen 5 Bicycle Rack

On: 2007-04-12

Very well made product; easy assembly and mounting. The no wobble feature is excellent. Highly recommend this product.

Allen Bike Hitch Mount

by: Anonymous On: 2007-01-19

This bike mount is solid and well made. The instructions were clear and easy to follow for assembly. There is absolutely no play or wobble when traveling with bikes mounted.

The only weak spot is lack of padding on the vertical frame to prevent scratches on the bike frames. We added some padding and taped it on and it works fine, however.

Allen Deluxe 5-Bike hitch is a winner

by: Anonymous On: 2007-01-11

The hitch is easy to assemble and easy to use. We found it holds our bikes securely with out scratching the frames. The straps are easy to fasten and we like the fact the straps are attached to the hitch so they do not get lost. I also like the fact the bikes are easy to see in my rearview mirror, but they dont obstruct my view or my taillights.

It is a well designed product, but we modified the holes on the hitch to match our receiver so that we could utilize a LOCKING hitch pin. This is too nice a rack to leave unsecured on a vehicle. If youre hauling bikes, you probably are going to leave the vehicle parked and ride the bikes. Unless the hitch is locked or removed from the vehicle, it is open for an easy theft.

The hitch is lightweight, but of very strudy design. We also like that it can be tilted to gain access to the cargo area of the van. We had a hard time finding a bike rack that would hold five bikes. It is easy to fold up and store in the garage. This is great.

Well designed! A great product!

Good deal for the price

by: Anonymous On: 2006-11-03

I spent a great deal of time searching for a 5-bike rack. The greater challenge was to find one I could afford. This rack fit the bill. It was considerably less expensive than other 5-bike racks, yet it works rather well.

Good points:
- Easily adapts to various bike frame types. I carry one mens frame, one old womens 10-speed, a womens autobike, a 24-inch womens frame, and a 26-inch womens mountain bike with a large tube design. Each of them fit the rack without any additional parts or hardware.
- Solid design. It doesnt rock, sway or rattle, nor do the bikes. Even at freeway speeds, everything stays put.

Bad points:
- Less-than-easy installation. It comes with a bolt and locking nut for mounting to the receiver instead of allowing the use of a regular pin. The hole is too small for a pin. This is supposedly to make it more solid (see good points above). However, I plan on buying a different collar-and-bolt style stabilizer, and drill out the hole so I can use my locking pin. Pulling out wrenches every time I want to put the rack on or off my truck is a PAIN.
- Ok, I guess that is my only beef with it right now.

Overall, you get more than you pay for with this rack. If you are on a budget, I highly recommend it.

Very good rack that CAN hold 5 bikes!

by: robert009 On: 2006-10-14

If I could give this rack 4.5 stars I would! I have owned this rack for about a month. First off, it was easy to assemble and has a quality feel to it. Once attached to my hitch it is easy to load and unload.You load 1 bike from the backside of the rack and 4 from the front. I put 3 - 26" mountain bikes and 2 - 20" BMX style bikes on it with no problem. The tie downs are easy to use and the optional lower strap holds things in place nicely. I was skeptical that this rack would actually hold 5 bikes, but it does!

My only complaint about this rack would be that the hole in the end of the rack that goes into your hitch receiver is only 1/2". So if you want to use your standard 5/8" receiver lock you are out of luck. The rack comes with a "no-wiggle" bolt that holds the rack to the hitch, BUT anyone could come along with a couple of wrenches and steal your rack. SO, I bought a 5/8" drill bit and made the holes bigger so I could use my standard hitch lock. Now I can easily take my rack on and off and not worry about the rack being stolen while out riding our bikes.

Broke after 3 days :^(

by: Anonymous On: 2006-07-03

Works as advertised, except... One of the attachment straps broke the 3rd day. No particular stress applied or anything. Im going to Allen to see if I can get a replacement.

That was my only complaint. Otherwise, its fine. Then again, breaking on the 3rd use is a big complaint.