Thule EasyFold XT 2 Hitch Bike Rack , Black

My only complaint is that it doesn’t support fat tire e-bikes with up to 5 inch tires and that there is no harness to hook up tail lights. It only comes with reflectors. My bumper sits low so it is hard to see the red reflectors at night. However, besides those 2 issues, absolutely well thought out and easily the best bike rack I’ve ever bought or owned. The wheels on the bottom make it as easy to move when not attached to my car. Also, I should mention, it comes fully assembled and ready to be mounted on your vehicle. Extremely easy to hold, lock in place with a key and remove from vehicle.

(My Requirements)I purchased the Thule EasyFold XT 2 Hitch Bike Rack after doing a lot of homework on an easy-to-install, easy-to-use bike rack for our 2 bikes. A Trek FX3 road bike and an Electra Townie 7D Step-Thru bike. Two totally different types of bike frames, weight and design. I also wanted an easy rack to pull out of the box and install on either of our SUV’s hitches, a 2” and a 1.25-inch hitch. Storage was also a prime requirement as our garages already had so many items to store in an organized fashion; I didn’t need something that did not store easily.And the most important requirement was the ease of loading, unloading, and protecting our bikes, without lifting, numerous bungee cords, protective padding, etc. And a rack that would be useful as our bike styles change.I read all of the reviews, watched many videos, and decided to give it a go. Why not? It had a 30-day return policy.(Delivery and Install Day!)The product arrived on time, and the box was in perfect condition. It was time to dive right in, open the box, and pull the product right out of the box. I found it fully assembled as promised by the videos and reviews. Removed some packing materials and the product was ready to use. How easy is that? I rolled it over to my SUV, pulled down the receiver arm (stinger), picked it up (only 45 pounds), and it slid right into my hitch receiver. Turned the nob to tighten the hitch and the receiver arm. I used the key to lock the knob and was on to the next step.Folded down the platforms, and it was ready to mount the bikes.OK, so it's time to mount and adjust the bike secure arms. This took a few minutes since it was new to me, and both bikes differed in frame design. Instructions tell me to install the heaviest bike closest to the vehicle first. So, I used the included ramps to load the Towne first. Wow, was that easy! Just rolled it up! I strapped down the wheels with the built-in straps with a ratchet feature and found the best location for the stabilizer arm to attach to the bike and the rack. Tighten it down, locked the knob, and got ready for the next bike.For the FX3, I just picked up, strapped it down, and found the best mounting place for the stabilizer arm. And I was ready to go.No more straps, bungees, pads, etc. I’m ready to go. All was secure and locked, and we were on our way!(Driving with it attached and loaded)We have had a few very good and well-made hitch-mounted bike racks. However, the strapping down, bungee the wheels, protecting the bikes from hitting each other in transit, the locking with a cable lock, and the noticeable bouncing and swaying became annoying. I even built an antisway bar to keep our bikes from hitting each other. And for the Townie, I required a top tube adapter sometimes called a crossbar substitute.This took way more time and frustration to secure everything than with our new Thule EasyFold XT 2 Hitch Bike Rack.Biking is supposed to be fun, right?Unloading was just a reverse of loading; we folded up the platform. We are ready to ride!!We have taken the bike rack off and stored it in the back of the SUV, but for many of the places we go, we just leave it on, fold it up, and back our vehicle into our parking space so the rack does not hang out into the riding or driving areas.Now for the take-it-off and store. Well, reverse of install, roll it into the garage and let me tell you the footprint of this product is smaller than my snow blower or lawn mower. Don’t even know it’s there.(Overall recommendation)If you’re looking for an easy-to-assemble, easy-to-install, easy-to-use, easy-to-store, which I was, I give this product a thumbs up!!! It was well worth the price paid. Now, as our bikes change our lifestyle, we can add mountain bikes and e-bikes without a problem. We even take our little kids' bikes just to take them someplace.Enjoy and Bike-On!

I liked that there was no assembly required, folds up with nice handles, fits 2 inch hitch perfectly with an extra security hook that fits into hitch on side. It also has ability to fit small sized receivers but I didn't try that. It seems to ride very well on most roads without wobble, haven't been on rough roads though. The locking mechanism for the hitch AND the 2 bikes is a very nice security addition and hopefully will deter those with ill intentions. It is very easy to tilt loaded bikes away from back hatch to open but with one ebike and one regular road bike I'm cautious with that hinge with the weight on it. The 2 bar clamps are excellent at really holding the bikes on the platform and the super adjustability of each clamp to fit a wide range of positions. When off the vehicle it has a set of wheels that is very welcome to move around on hard surfaces. The tie down ratcheting straps for the wheels work great except that for a 3 inch ebike tire only one set can fit, the other one is too short, Thule sells a longer set which is what I did and installs with only a hex key quickly and now is fits tire and locks down great. One other slight dislike is that for a large SUV like a Chevy Suburban, the hitch has like an S curve that requires you to lift the carrier up quite a bit to fit into the receiver. Maybe that is for greater ground clearance but for shorter people with larger vehicles it is a bit of hoist up to get it into the receiver.

Great product. For a bike rack that is mounted on a hitch, this crazy easy to mount on vehicle compared to others. Folds up nice in the garage for when not in use. My sister just paid a lot for another bike rack. When she saw mine, she was jealous. It's sturdy. No assembly. Holds 2 bikes firmly in place.

I admit I purchased this bike rack with no intention of testing it out and getting another if I didn't like it. I just wanted to invest something that I knew would be rock solid performance-wise, easy to use, and built to last. I do not have other bike racks to compare this to, but in the several months I have had this rack, it has been all of the above. Off the top of my head, it only has 6 major movements to mount this the back back of my truck, and mounting bikes seems self explanatory. I do not even own a e-bike yet, so I cannot comment as to how effective this rack would be, but for a mountain bike and a hybrid, this rack has served me well on bumpy roads, keeping my bicycles secured between Los Angeles to Lake Tahoe. I like that the hitch has a built in lock, as well as 2 fastening arms with locking clamps. I have only left the bikes on my truck while en route to places, but it is easy enough to remove and store indoors when I get to where I'm going. I highly recommend this rack in its simplicity, performance and design. I plan to use this for long many more trips / vehicles to come, and eventually for an e-bike or two. Thank you for reading.