Saris Freedom 2-Bike Hitch Rack – Universal Fit for All Bike Types, 1¼" & 2" Receivers, 120 lb Capacity, Compact Design, Secure Ratcheting Straps

Very sturdy, very simple. Easy to put together and easy to use. Folds up and locks to minimize extra space at the back of the vehicle for parking and maneuvering. Also, a very cool feature allows it to fold down at an angle when loaded with bikes so you can access a rear hatch w/o unloading the rack. Holds bikes very securely w/o any wobble or damage from bikes rubbing up against each other or the rack. All tire trays and frame cradles are completely adjustable, so you can fit most bikes and frame sizes pretty easily. We have 4 mountain/hybrid bikes. Saris makes replacement parts for everything and also has trays that support fat tire bikes if you need them. It is made for a 2 inch hitch receiver. My hitch is a 1.25. I purchased an adapter and 2 hitch tighteners (really just modified clamps) so I could use this. Place one tightener where the adapter meets the hitch and the other where the rack is inserted into the adapter and the whole assembly is rock solid. No rattle, sway, or other movement. You will not be able to quickly remove the rack if you do this, since you have to loosen up both tighteners before you can remove the rack and the adapter, but for me it is definitely worth the extra time to have the stability. With the rack folded, it really doesn't bother me, so I just leave it attached in that position. I've been driving around with it for a few months now and have had zero issues with parking lots, garages, or even those tight spiral ramps in the multi-level garages.The worst things, which for me are pretty minor:1. 2 seconds of inconvenience to tilt the rack out of the way to load/unload groceries and gear from the rear of the car and then fold it up again.2. If you are addicted to a backup camera or have proximity sensors on your car, they will go crazy since there is always something back there when you are in reverse. I can still see what's back there in my camera, so not really a big deal for a couple of seconds to back out of a spot.3. It does stick out over a foot beyond the back of your car when folded (maybe 2 feet with an adapter). However, unless you have a monster SUV or a truck, you really shouldn't run into too many space problems. I have a mid-size SUV (7 seats) and haven't had any issues.4. There are no good instructions for how to load the bikes into the rack.Notes:The cradle that holds the bike frame tube can be a bit dicey to figure out the first time and you have to manage the pedal position on each bike to avoid contact and damage during transport. I have mine loaded with the handlebars on the bike closest to the car on the driver's side. After alternating the direction of each bike loaded after that and some initial adjustments, everything fits very well. You do have to play with it a bit and it is helpful if there are 2 people working with it for the initial load. Once you have a system figured out and positions set, it is quick and easy for 1 person as long as you are strong enough to lift and steady a bike by yourself.Summary:This tray is MUCH better than those hanging racks that can have bikes swinging in the wind or have hanger failure problems. If you care about your bikes or your car, you need to get a tray rack. This rack is well designed, sturdy, and easy to use. Add hitch pin locks, a plastic coated cable and lock that can thread through all your bikes and you are good to go for road trips or a vacation that might require you to leave the bikes and hitch unattended occasionally. I definitely would recommend it for any multi-bike family.

I haven’t had a chance to use the rack yet, but I was impressed with it as assembling it. It did arrive with a broken saddle. My initial reaction was that this was not a big deal, the manufacturer will ship me a new one. They are refusing warranty service as they indicated that the product was not purchased through an authorized retailer. It came from a third party seller, new, through amazon. Amazon is standing behind the purchase and is shipping me a replacement rack, i will have to return the unused rack after swapping out broken parts.All will be fine in the end, but definitely disappointed in Saris support. I saw another reviewer with similar complaints. It seems like a great product for the price, just beware that the service from Saris is lacking.

I researched so many 4 bike racks for over 3 months. This one has the tilt down feature with bikes loaded, and a hitch pin lock and a bike cable lock (sold as accessory). This was the lightest and the smallest footprint rack for carrying 4 bikes without. I compared the 4 bike rack ones with push down clamps the frames, and even the Saris Superclamp version that clamps on the tires. The ones that clamp on frames did not come with tilt down feature and the ones with clamp on tires had the risk of coming loose when tire pressure goes down. This rack caught my attention at first but I was holding on from ordering because some reviews said it was difficult to put the first (the heaviest one) bike close to the car, as you have to lift, that the heaviest bike over the mast and set it on the rack. Finally I made up my mind and bought this. I am glad I made the decision. It is really a sturdy rack. Very solid and holds all the bikes tight and snug.Installation of the rack itself is very easy. But installing the bikes for the first time takes lots of adjusting. I had to have my wife come and hold it a couple of times. The bike that goes on last was not aligning easily, when I had to use the base boots marked A & B the right way as per the installation manual. We had two kids bike (both 16inch) and the tires wouldn't sit well on the base boots. So, I reversed the position of the boots opposite of A & B, and it worked perfect. Now the CG of both the bikes together is in the center of the rack and tires sat well. Once I had al 4 bikes well positioned, I tightened all the clamp positions tight, and from here on, putting on or taking out the bikes took 30 seconds per bike. It was that easy, and I always felt secure. I don't even feel the need to put on extra straps like you have to do on some of the 4 bike racks that hang from the top.Ofcourse, with 4 bikes loaded, the tilt down feature works. But we have to be careful. One person has to hold the rack as you lift gently and then unlock it to lower it, the weight of 4 bikes is quite heavy. The beauty was, when I lowered it to ground, the rack clears the liftgate of the Audi Q5 a lot. There is so much room. And the rack never touches the ground either. When it is folded up, depending on which way you fold the mast on the first set of racks close to the car. The mast comes close to the bumper. So I folded otherway and had it latched beyond the bracket slot (as shown in middle picture) and the mast for the second set of bikes that comes on the top folded to the right side that way it clears the bumper fully.The differences between this rack and that of the expensive ones in the market are: 1) foot print is compact. Expensive ones are long and when folded up, it can be as high as the SUV itself. But this one is only half the height. 2) Easy and secure on the frames (the straps seems to be smooth enough). 3) The latch sound is solid metal. Some of the expensive ones may be plastic/aluminum like sound, but you compromise on price and size.The only concerns I have are - how long will the plastic parts be durable. There are some reviews that say they broke. In my case it doesn't look like it will as I handle it safely. If these plastic parts lasts a lifetime or if Saris stands behind its durability, then I will say this would be the best, most compact, lightweight, easy to handle 4 bike rack in the market now.Another sweet addition would be, tail lamps on the rack itself with a connector that you can connect to the trailer outlets in the hitch. This would prevent anyone bumping into you at night if the bikes were dark in color. But I put the brightest kids bike at the far outward.