Information on New Hitch Bike Racks Available for 2008

[wheeleez]

Just found some good stuff posted on the WWW about hitch bike racks being released for 2008...

Thule 990 DoubleTrack hitch bike rack
Thule Racks is expanding their line of platform style hitch mount bike racks with a new offering for 2008. The new 2008 Thule 990 DoubleTrack is priced by about $70 below the Thule 916 T2 & 917 T2 hitch bike racks. So if you're looking to transport two bikes but the bikes don't load easily on a conventional mast style or hang & dangle hitch bike rack you've got another alternative from Thule. The Thule 916 T2 has held a top position among platform hitch racks because it's the only platform hitch bike rack in the category that tilts down with two bikes loaded for rear hatch access. The new Thule 990 Double Track only folds up, it can't tilt down. Thule 990 DoubleTrack does include the Thule Hitch Switch, like on the other conventional style Thule hitch racks. The Thule HitchSwitch makes the raising and lowering of the rack really simple, just lift the lever and the rack will flip up or down, no messing around with pulling pins or anything. The Thule 990 DoubleTrack also has independently adjustable wheel cradles so it will fit a wide range of bicycle wheel base lengths.

Yakima HoldUp hitch bike rack
The Yakima Hold Up is the new premium top-of-the-line platform style hitch bike rack that replaces the discontinued Yakima HookUp. The most important new feature of the Yakima HookUp is the fold down platform to gain access to the rear cargo area on vehicles even with the bikes loaded up. This feature puts the Yakima HoldUp on par with the very popular Thule 916 T2. An integrated Yakima bicycle cable lock is included with the HoldUp to lock all the bikes on the rack. A hitch lock is also included to lock the rack itself to the receiver hitch. There is also a 2 bike add on accessory to allow users to carry an extra 2 bikes (4 bikes total). Compatible with 2 inch hitches. A 1.25 hitch compatible version is also available but the extra 2 bike add on cannot be used with this model because of weight / stress issues with the 1.25 inch hitch size.

Yakima StickUp hitch bike rack
New for 2008 is the Yakima StickUp hitch bike rack which is a platform style hitch mount bike rack. The Yakima StickUp is a lower price than the Yakima HoldUp platform hitch bike rack and is designed to support 2 bicycles by the wheels which delivers many benefits over conventional upright mast style hitch bike racks. Benefits include no bike sway, no bike to bike contact and compatibility with most types of bikes and wheel sizes. One drawback of the Yakima StickUp is that it will contact the bike frame, not a big deal but there is always the potential of marring an expensive frame job. Specifically, there is a padded hook that ratchets down on to the bike frame's top tube. This is the main characteristic of what separates the most expensive platform style hitch racks (such as the Thule 916 T2 & 917 T2, Yakima HoldUp, Saris Thelma & Saris Cycle-On) which only make contact with the bike wheels and the more budget oriented platform style hitch bike racks (i.e. the Yakima StickUp, SportRack 2EZ & SportRack 4EZ and Thule 990 DoubleTrack) which hold the bikes by the bike frame as well as the wheels. The Yakima StickUp is the best option in this budget category though because the two ratchet hold down hooks are on their own independent masts compared to the SportRack 2EZ / 4EZ and Thule 990 Double Track that have a single mast where both hooks ratchet up and down on that single mast. By having just one mast there is the restriction of having to load bikes in a specific order, the lower hook must be reserved for the shorter of the two bikes. With the independent ratchet hooks and masts on the Yakima Stick Up the user can load the bikes in any order. Especially nice if you have to drop off a friend and don't want to have to remove both bikes.