Interbike 2017: Bike racks
Bike racks continue to evolve to be lighter, stronger, and more user-friendly. Here are a few new ones that we saw at Interbike:
3 new bike carriers from Thule
By Scott Williams
The EasyFold XT is Thule’s new foldable platform hitch rack which will be available come March for $749.95. The two bike tray is capable of holding bikes up to 66 pounds in 2” and 1.25” options which are pretty incredible considering that this puppy only weighs 45 pounds and is 15 pounds lighter than Thule’s T2 Pro XT and fits bikes all the way from 20” – 29” wheel, 700c and fat bikes up to 4.7”. Riders who often have difficulties getting their bikes situated on the rack will be relieved to hear that this rack also comes with a foldable ramp that stows away nicely within the center and allows you to roll your bike right on the rack. Loaded with convenience this rack has the ability to fold up to roughly the size of a suitcase for easy storage solutions and offers an easy foot-actuated pedal to tilt the rack for quick and easy trunk access.
Thule’s other new racks include their single platform rack which weighs 37 pounds and offers frame free clamping with a ratcheting arm and integrated cable locks. This bare-boned single bike rack does not offer a tilt feature but is easily folded up when not in use by activated the HitchSwitch on top of the rack. And if you still prefer to utilize the space on the roof of your car for carrying your bikes, Thule now has the UpRide. This upright bike rack features an intuitive interface for switching between wheel sizes and provides additional support with the scissor-like interface for the front wheel.
New bike transport solutions from Yakima
By Helena Kotala
The BackSwing adapter from Yakima converts almost any hitch rack with a two-inch receiver into a swing-away rack (even those that aren’t Yakima). It will hold up to a four-bike rack with bikes (or about 250 pounds), will retail for $299 and will be available in April.
The SingleSpeed one-bike rack is designed for folks who tend to travel solo (or don’t have any friends) and want a minimalist hitch rack. It is compatible with a variety of sizes of bikes from 20-inch BMX to fat. It will also be available in the spring and will retail for $259.
The GateKeeper truck tailgate pad will be available in two different sizes (fitting five or six bikes depending on the size of your truck) and features individual straps to hold each bike in places as well as a cutout to allow the use of a backup camera with the pad in place. The larger of the two (62 inches wide and holds 6 bikes) will retail for $149 while the smaller (54 inches wide and holds 5 bikes) will cost you $139. They’ll be available in February.
