February 22, 2010
Rack Attack Team
At Rack Attack we carry a large selection of Hitch Mounted Bike Racks and Thule provides many options to accommodate a wide variety of needs. This discussion involves a lot about the types of hitches available, make sure you check out our blog on Trailer Hitch Installs to help answer your questions.
One of the most popular of these options is the Thule Revolver. The Revolver is aptly named, providing you access to your trunk while your bikes are still loaded as shown on the Honda CRV below. The upright assembly also pivots to prevent the bikes from swinging into your vehicle, providing you the most accessibility of any cradle style bike rack. The Revolver is only available for hitches with a 2" receiver, typical to SUV's and some larger sedans, and can carry 4 bikes weighing a total of 140lbs (or 35lbs per bike).
The Thule Ridgeline offers many of the features of the Revolver, but lacks the swing-away capacit But, it will still fold down to access your hatch when the bikes are unloaded. The Ridgeline allows you to carry 4 bikes on a 2" receiver or on a Class II 1 1/4" receiver. You can also put the Ridgeline on a Class I hitch, but your total weight capacity for the bikes decreases from 140lbs to 105lbs.
The Ridgeline will work on either 1 1/4" or 2' hitches, you just need to use the included adapter sleeve.
Also available from Thule are the Helium 2 and Helium 3 bike racks . These all aluminum bike racks are much lighter and easier to take on and off your vehicle. To remove the Helium, you simply need to turn a knob, retracting a tab inside your hitch, and pull the rack out. This is a much easier option than the Ridgeline and Revolver which are held in place by hitch bolts requiring a tool for removal. Like the Ridgeline, the Helium folds out of the way after unloading your bikes.
Both the Helium 2 and 3 come equipped to fit all size hitches, but make sure you keep the weight of all 3 bikes down to 105lbs total if you are using the Helium 3 on your Class 1 hitch.
All the bike racks reviewed here come with all the bells and whistles you need to stabilize and secure your bikes. Each come with Thule's No Sway Cages which strap around your seat tube to limit side-to-side movement to stop your bikes from colliding with your other bikes or your car. All come with lock cables to lock your bikes to your rack and locking bolts to secure your rack to your hitch.
Thanks to Thule's One Key System, each lock will be the same, requiring only one key for all your racks. This key can also be matched to any other accessories you may have, such as your base rack and cargo box.
