2 thoughts on “Allen Sports Deluxe 2-Bike Trunk Mount Rack”

1. 323 of 329 people found the following review helpful

   
   Excellent bike rack!, April 13, 2013

   By 

   Louisville Cardinal –

   Verified Purchase(What’s this?)

   This review is from: Allen Sports Deluxe 2-Bike Trunk Mount Rack (Sports)

   I searched for months trying to find a bike rack that looked sturdy enough and had enough positive reviews for me to even consider it, and then I found this. The added support of the two side straps is excellent, it keeps the rack from sliding side to side, even when you make quick turns. I have a 2002 Camry without the spoiler, and I have no trouble installing this rack. Now, to ease your worries of some other reviews you may have read. I read that some people had to keep stopping and tightening the straps because the rack was sagging. If you simply read the instructions, it gives you a specific knot to tie so this doesn’t happen. I’ve already driven my bikes about 200 miles, and have not had that problem once, even on bumpy roads. Other people suggested wrapping the metal hooks with electrical tape to cushion the areas where it latches onto your car to avoid paint chips, so I went ahead and did that as a precaution and I haven’t had any trouble. You will also want to get a bungee cord or some rope to keep the front tires from hitting your car, and a sock or two over the pedal closest to the car to avoid scratches. Overall, this rack is extremely well made, and very sturdy. I definitely recommend this product. One last tidbit, if you plan on hauling a women’s bike, make sure you get the adapter. There’s one made by Allen on amazon that is the cheapest and works like a charm.

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2. 206 of 221 people found the following review helpful

   
   Sturdy, works well, but some inconvenience and frustration., June 8, 2013

   By 

   R. Knowlton (USA) –
   
     

   Verified Purchase(What’s this?)

   This review is from: Allen Sports Deluxe 2-Bike Trunk Mount Rack (Sports)

   I purchased this rack to haul a 19″-frame Trek hybrid alongside a 17.5″-frame Trek hybrid (both are 29ers) on the back of a 1995 Saturn SL2 with a spoiler. The spoiler is at the edge of the trunk, is about 1.5″ tall and about 5″ wide.

   Pros:
   – Fits well on the back of the Saturn, even with the spoiler. The top straps can be shortened or lengthened to position the rack around the spoiler.
   – Long straps allow for plenty of fastening options. I couldn’t connect to the side of my trunk lid, so I lengthened the straps and connected to the inside surface of the trunk lid, then closed the trunk.
   – Very secure once everything is tightened. Worry-free travel with 60-pounds worth of bicycles at 75+ mph. Very little movement, bounce, etc. Confidence inspiring. The side straps account for much of that stability.
   – The foam cushions on the trunk–so long as they are kept clean–do a great job of protecting the paint.
   – The bike-securing straps are connected to plastic/rubber cradles, which nicely protect the bike’s top tube from wear.
   – Very easy to throw the rack in the trunk when not in use.

   Cons:
   – The weight of 2 bicycles compressed the license plate foam bumpers enough to cause metal contact with the license plate, which wore the paint off of a portion of the license plate.
   – The bike-securing straps are connected to tubes which rotate freely around the bars. It’s easy for them to get out of position as I’m putting the bike in place, which means I have to fuss with them to get them back into position while holding/lifting the bike.
   – Bikes have to be lifted a significant distance and held out away from the body while mounting. That could be an issue for individuals with less upper body strength or with back problems.
   – The bike-securing straps on my rack started to loosen just slightly after 2 hours on the freeway…not enough to be of concern, but enough for me to check them regularly.
   – Lots of contact between the first bike and the car, and between bicycles, including handlebars, pedals, and tires. Contact is pretty much inevitable when carrying full size bikes on a rack of this size. Be prepared to have rags strapped on for padding and plan to experiment with different configurations to see which one works best (e.g. bikes mounted with handlebars on same side, bikes mounted facing opposite directions, handlebars twisted 180 degrees, etc.).
   – Because all of my bike’s bare control cables run on the bottom side of the top tube, the full weight of the bicycle was resting on these control cables.
   – No way to secure bicycles. I wouldn’t want to leave my bikes for more than a minute or two.
   – No way to secure the rack in place, so theft could be a risk when one has traveled some place and is off using the bikes. I always took it off and stored it in the trunk while I was hitting the trails.

   In the end, the rack works well but it’s a bit frustrating and inconvenient. At $40, it was much cheaper for me to use this rack on a high-mpg car for a long trip rather than to put the bikes in the back of my gas-hog pickup truck. I’ll keep it around for occasional use, but have since upgraded to a platform style bike rack to alleviate a lot of the frustrations experienced with this rack.

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