Sports Deluxe Locking Quick Release 4-Bike Carrier for 2 Inch Hitch, Model 542QR, Black

Bought this bike rack because we were going on a road trip & wanted to bring the bikes for more outdoor things to do. I am also always bringing the bikes back & forth to our campground & having to load them into the bed of the truck can be annoying. When I was looking at the reviews for this product I saw a bunch that were geared towards SUVs & only a couple for pickup trucks. Here's my review after taking one test drive with this bike rack. 1st I have to say it was easy to assemble & seems pretty durable. I liked how the rack folds down & then can be moved away from the tailgate. When I lowered the gate it does rest on the bike rack & I wouldn't recommend standing on the tailgate while it's resting on the rack, but it does allow you to get the Tonneau cover off if you have one. From there you can climb into the bed of the truck. The 1st time I did this it was without bikes, so it was rather easy. Once I got back from our 20 minute test drive I tried lowering the bike rack down with 4 bikes on (pic attached). You might want to have 2 people for this since the rack is pretty heavy with all the bikes & needed some pressure to get the pin out. Also I recommend having someone guide the bikes down so they don't slam. In the end it worked, but will take a little bit more effort. Yes, raising the rack back into place is more difficult, but it can be done. Now the process of actually putting the bikes on. My one boy's bike is oddly shaped. Of course this was the 1st bike I tried to put on and it was a bit of a challenge. That is until I figured out that the mounts for the bikes rotate, which turned out to be a huge benefit. Once I got it figured out I was able to secure the bike nicely to the rack. I have attached a pic of how I had to rotate it & turn it upside-down. This also turned out to be benficial for the other bikes since they're all shaped a bit different & being able to rotate the area they mount allowed for the bikes to be secured well. I read that some bike racks need a bar for bikes, like female angled bars, to be attached correctly, but I didn't have an issue putting all 4 bikes on. Once the bikes were on and secure I used a tie down strap to secure all the front wheels. This would keep the handlebars from moving & swaying during travel. Now we set off on the 20 minute drive from our campground back home. The road getting out of the campground is a bit bumpy, but I didn't have any issues with the bikes. The remainder of the ride was mostly highway, going about 75 mph. The bike rack & bikes held up great! Finally, the security feature. I really like that I can lock the rack into the hitch. It was easy to tighten & seemed to do a good job at securing it. That doesn't keep somone from stealing the bikes off of it though. What I did was bought a 15' security cable & lock. I wound the cable around the bikes & used the lock to secure it to the hitch. I feel with both these measures out bikes should be pretty safe. At this time I give this bike rack a 5 star rating. If for some reason I have anything to add/change I will update this review. We are about to go on a road trip (about 3000 miles) so I should know more about it's durability then. UPDATE: This thing went 4000 miles without a single issue. At times the speed limit was 80 mph & I was worried after seeing some reviews about the arm bars bending. Well this thing is a tank & I highly recommend!

Bought this for our motorhome to transport bikes on our trips. The mounting to the hitch is very secure and stable - literally no wiggle at all. There is a very slight wiggle when the arm is extended and bikes are on, but nothing you wouldn’t expect. To combat this I bungee all the bikes together on the rack as well as bungee to our ladder on back of RV. Very little movement going down the roadway. You see some that are bouncing wildly all over the place going down the highway and I did not want to be that guy. Very pleased with the stability on this rack. Also, easy to get on and off the hitch. As far as size, I bought the 4 bike rack with the intention of only having 3 bikes. All 3 were a pretty easy fit, I could have added a 4th if desired. And that’s with a large cruiser style women’s bike and 2 BMX style bikes (20in and 24in). Straps stayed secure/tight.

I've used the "Deluxe Locking" four-bike version of this bike rack on my 2017 Chrysler Pacifica for over two years with no problems. Note that different versions of this rack are reviewed here, so many of the issues reported by reviews will not necessarily be relevant the rack you're interested in... My TL;DR version: The rack is solid; four bikes (two adult, two kids') fit easily; the tilt feature works well; installation and removal is simple and quick. My full review: We used to take it on and off every time we went on vacation or for a bike ride, but now leave it on at least all summer. (Mild climate where I live.) Since the rack has a built-in locking mechanism, I have no worries about anyone stealing it. The lock also serves to keep the entire rack very secure in the hitch receiver. Meaning, it does not rattle or wobble at all. The only issue with stability is when driving around with the empty arms folded down there is a bit of clanking. But that was quickly solved with a hook & loop ("velcro") strap that I had laying around. It took me a few tries to find the optimal loading sequence for our family's bikes, but I eventually found that loading one of the adult bikes, then the two kids' bikes, then the second adult bike was best with regard to spacing and not having pedals and handlebars get entangled. My wife has a step-through, or "women's-style", frame so we had purchased one of the temporary cross bars that are made for allowing these type of frames to be loaded onto a rack. I've since realized that we don't necessarily need it; her bike loads onto the rack just fine because the cups/cradles/mounts that the bike is strapped into will rotate 360 degrees, accommodating the frame at any angle. Also, we always use a bungee cord or two to keep the bikes from swaying and banging together and to keep the handlebars from turning and possibly scratching the car. The tilt feature is used a lot. When the rack is empty - like I said, we pretty much leave it on all time time now - we have to tilt it down to open the rear hatch to load groceries or whatever. It's very easy. When it's loaded with the four aforementioned bikes I need a second set of hands to relieve a bit of pressure, or weight, from the locking pin in order to tilt it down, but can lift it back into the full upright postion and set the locking pin and safety catch by myself. I do not like the style of straps that actually hold the bikes on the rack. I find them to be a PITA, but no one else in my family has a problem with them. Maybe I need to work on my fine motor skills... In all, I think this is a GREAT bike rack. Unless you're going to spend AT LEAST double the price, you won't find a better rack. Even then, what you'll be paying for is very similar features on an over-engineered product.

This bike rack has been very sturdy and reliable. We used it for the first time on a 4 hour car ride and did not feel any movement, shaking or play in the bike racks or bikes while driving. It was easy to install and easy to load bikes onto. We were easily able to get 4 bikes (2 adult and 2 child size) as long as we loaded the handle bars going opposition directions from the one before it. The smaller bikes we had to fit a bit more tilted due to the cross bar only being so long. The nice part is the saddle on the bike rack where the bar rests can move and rotate to accommodate the tilt/angle. The pins are easy to lock in place. We also have driven around town and in the highway with the bike rack empty/folded. It doesn’t rattle at all! It’s easy to tilt down to open the back hatch and easily folds back up.

Firstly please take the negative reviews with a ‘grain of salt’. This is a great well made solid bike rack. An earlier reviewer mentioned his concern at the lack of snug fit between the two RHS parts that form the main post. He forgot to mention that the two bolts pinch the tubes together which means there is zero movement. I also like the simple slip free fabric straps in lieu of a rubber thong like a ski rack. These straps will last longer and are simple and quick to fit. My bikes also cost a lot more then my skis so having a strap that will not fail and I can control the pressure on the top tube is very important (particularly for carbon frames). I’ve also found that because the straps and cushions rotate around the horizontal support tubes it enabled me to easily fit my kids half sized bikes, where I landed the bottom tube on one cushion and the seat post tube fitted the other side. The keyed lock is also great. You just then need to lock your bikes to the rack if you’re away from your car. Great rack, great price.

My wife and I have an 05 Suburban with a rear hatch that raises up, and this bike rack was a perfect fit all around. With my daughter helping by pulling the pin, we were able to fold the rack down with 4 bikes on it and fully open the back hatch for access to our luggage and coolers during our trip. We drove from middle TN to Panama City, Florida and back a few weekends ago, and had absolutely no issues with our new bike rack. All 4 bikes load and unload with ease, and we didn't have to worry about scratching them up or our vehicle. This bike rack is definitely a must if you have a family of four taking your bikes on a trip, and it's definitely worth the money. The only thing I would recommend is making sure you purchase a cable to lock your bikes up when you are traveling. The worse part about traveling and not having them locked up is not knowing the area where you stop and worrying the entire time if someone is going to mess with your bikes. They can't take the entire rack, but they could remove and take as many bikes as they want if you don't have a way yo lock them to the rack or the hitch on your vehicle.

I am surprised to see photos of bent rack arms. I almost wonder if others are carrying dirt bikes with this rack to cause that kind of failure. We had two adult bikes and two kids bikes and the Allen rack performed impressively. The rack feels strong and secure. We have the version with a built-in hitch lock, and I added a U-bolt that others suggested, and together the whole setup felt very secure. We travelled 500+ miles through the San Francisco bay area, curvy rural roads, on up to Glass Beach at Fort Bragg and didnt have any issues. I used a pair of Allen top tube adapters and also a 4-inch hitch riser and everything worked perfectly together. There were some creaks and moans from the bike rack on big dips and bumps but everything stayed together just fine. I emailed Allen about the creaking and they responded within an hour with tips on what to check. I almost went with a Thule or Yakima but they're so much more expensive and even those name-brands had posts about catastrophic failure on the road. I am very happy with the Allen 4-bike rack and look forward to using it more often.

Hands down the best bike rack I’ve ever seen/owned. I had this other bike rack that held only two bikes and it was an absolutely nightmare to get the bikes on and off. This rack is excellent. Assembly is extremely easy, the features are great and the rack is extremely well made. For the price, you cannot beat it. I’ve seen worse racks double the price. Installing the bikes is so simple and literally takes less than 60 seconds. The more bike you put on the more you’ll have to adjust the pedals and handle bars, but again, every rack that holds four bikes is going to need to be played with. My favorite feature is the feature that allows the rack to lay downwards and allow access to the trunk, or in my base, bed of my truck. I can put the tailgate 95% all the way down allowing for easy access. Highly recommend this mount if you’re looking for the most secure, high quality but easiest to use bike rack.