Retrospec Lenox Car Hitch Mount Tray Bike Rack with 2-inch Receiver

I read the reviews and decided to try this rack. I have no idea why it took me so long. I'm going to give you a play by play because I do agree the instructions are a little difficult those not mechanically inclined.1. Take all the parts out of the box and remove wrapping. Make sure you have the bolts 3, washers 2 and the wrenches. You will also have a bizarro looking block with two holes, yes you need this.2. Lay the largest piece in front of you. Extend the right and left arm and place the pins. It's new, they are going to be snug. Tap them with a hammer or mallet. Don't go all crazy, just a tap. Place the pin for the center bar, leave it straight up.3. Take the reciever piece and place the block with 2 holes into it. Slide this piece into the main rack that is laying in front of you. If you put it in upside down dont worry, you cant put the bolts in. This is pretty dummy proof. Tighten well.4. This is were I deviate from the directions. Go ahead and put the rack on the vehicle. If you put the wheel trays on now it's just more to try and deal with. Before you slide the reciever into the hitch, take a wrench and tighten the 2" adapter. This will allow the receiver to slide in with no issues. If you dont, it may not fit correctly.5. Take the bolt that goes into the receiver and bolt it in. The washer goes between the hitch and the head of the bolt. As you tighten watch the cotter pin hole. As it gets close to tight make sure you have clearance to insert the pin.6. Now you are ready for the trays. Slide them on the bars. I have a Diamondback 56in carbon and a Cannondale 56in aluminium. Grab a bike and place on the rack after you put the trays on. This will make sure you have them positioned correctly. When in position, tighten in place.7. Last, grab a ratchet bar and place over the center bar. Slide down on the bar. One will go on top of the other.That's it. If you are not going to use immediately then fold the right and left bar up and insert the pins. If you have a truck you CAN open the tailgate. You need to remove the pins, lay the right and left bars down then lay the center bar over. Sounds like a lot but it takes seconds. This rack does NOT fold flush against the vehicle, buy a $400-$600 rack for that.This rack holds the bikes nice and secure. I really like the rubber bungee's for the wheels.Buy this rack, you wont be disappointed.

I've owned several hitch mount bike racks over the years for different cars - this my favorite. Currently, I'm using this on a Honda Odyssey with a 2" - Class III tow hitch. First off with the metal plates on the hitch insert that adapt it for the 2" inch hitch it fits perfectly with little to any space (unlike a previous brand that used hard plastic and also did not last!). The two bike holders hold my 26" cruisers extremely well. I no longer have to worry about those big bumps and a bouncing bike rack - held together with an odd assortment of bungee cords. Once the wheels set into the holders it is very secure and then the lockdown bar ratches down perfectly to completely secure your bike. And when you want to fold it up the attached hitch pins that secure the 3 bars of the rack are easily removed and reinserted to move all the bars upward. I firmly believe that this bike rack is about the best you will get in this price range. Here are my only issues: (1) its a little heavier than many other racks and even folded up it is still "big" and awkward to deal with the long hitch insert at 45 degrees to the upward arms , (2) you can't use a locking pin in the tow hitch unless you drill out the threaded pin that it comes with, (3) if you wanted to lock it to the hitch you would also need a locking cable to thread through the four wheel holders and one of the openings on the bottom of your hitch and remove the lockdown bars and place them in your car - I just find it easier to remove the entire rack and lock it in the car (but I do have a minivan with foldup seats), (4) the pressure connectors for the four wheel holders do have plastic parts in their clamps - which may or may not hold up over time and (5) young ones might not be able to lift their cruisers into/out of the rack without adult help/supervision. But it has been a pleasure for me and I absolutely buy it again.

So because this is my 3rd bike rack in less than a year, I didn't want to spend a lot, but still have some quality of a rack. That's where this comes in. However, I gave it less stars because there were more CONS that PROS...PROS:- Simply works. Nothing fancy, nothing special.- Materials seem solid and sturdy- Like the adjustable bottom tire supports and the top hooksCONS:- Freakin' hard to put on and take off. It is NOT easy removing the bottom bar that fits into the 2'' hitch, it's super tight. I had to take a hammer to hammer it in and use a pry bar to pull it out.- The bar that fits into the hitch is too long. While it's great to keep the rack a safe distance from the car, it really needs another hole or two to fit it into the hitch closer to the car. It stuck out so far that I could not close my garage door, so I had to remove it. And having to install this before I head out for a ride is annoying because it takes a good 15 minutes of wasted time getting it installed and prepped when I could have done it the night before.- No straps or ropes (aside from the rubber straps for the tires)! Hell, even a bungee cord would have done. My other rack came with two.- L-Shaped pegs to hold the vertical and horizontal bars are brutal. Firstly, the holes don't quite align, so it's tough to push them into place. So you have to resort to some force. Then the clamp on the metal cord that keeps the pegs tied to the unit are rough with sharp edges. I ended up cutting my fingers... so wear gloves!But hey, it was less than $100, so I can live with some imperfections.

does a good job f safely carryin two bikes, one steptrhu electric bike and one racing road bike, is sturdy enough for the Ebike (88lbs)

Could use better instructions, went on Youtube to figure it out but went fine after that. Other than that, very happy.

Well designed and sturdy. Holds bikes secure regardless of frame style. Very happy with it.

Bought this cause our 4 bike, bike rack was too large for our new compact SUV, also it's just my husband and I now, I assembled it myself probably took me 10-15mins. We are happy with it. Recommend this for anyone with a smaller vehicle.

Only one trip so far, but everything is working great. So easy to remove or replace bikes on rack.