Superdelite Bike Carrier (Thule Towbar?)

[FezUSA]

That MoTow looks very clever. I love the lift. Looks to be $984 with the lift. You mentioned it's not perfect — what's less than ideal in your experience so far?

• My two bikes have very different wheelbases so one of them was always going to be a little tighter fit.
• It's all metal, so be prepared for your bike frame to get marked up a little unless you're extremely careful. I will probably look at adding additional protection on the rack and maybe some clear film in a few specific spots on the bike frame that seem like they will be in frequent contact. More-so for the bike you put on the rack first, not so much for the 2nd bike.
• If your wheels have a lot of spokes AND its a fat tyre, be prepared to wiggle the wheel back/forth as you install onto the wheel supports to keep the support aligned with the gaps in your wheels.
• Velcro straps for the lower wheel support - I just installed a Jack-It rack on my camper for the kids analog bikes, they have a rubber strap system that I think I prefer; pro's and con's to both I guess though.
• A couple of the holes weren't quite aligned (about 1mm off, but enough to prevent proper installation) in the support arms, had to widen the holes a tad with my drill - per their instructions after I called them about it (they answered straight away when I called)
• Came with a threaded bolt/ lock nut as a safety measure to go through the lift once you're set up and ready to drive. I didn't like this option as it meant I needed to have a couple of 9/16" socket/wrench for every time I would want to raise/lower the lift in addition to the 15/16" for the lift mechanism itself. I solved this by again slightly widening the holes and then installing a 4 1/2" long hitch pin (3/8" dia) that had a large red handle on one side and a 'R' cotter pin on the other. Made it quicker/easier to use and the large red handle makes it obvious that it's there before I try and raise lower the lift.
• No built-in security cables/locks like the Thule option. Will solve this by using a combination of a lockable hitch pin where everything connects to the vehicle (can also get one with a 4' or longer cable that can wrap around bike frames). May also replace the red handle hitch pin from above point with another lockable 3/8" hitch pin/ cable combo if I plan on leaving bikes on rack while going into restaurant etc.

All of these are minor details in the big picture of the product they delivered, don't get me wrong!! There is no perfect option, and I wanted a lot of flexibility. They delivered a great product, packaged extremely well, sent/delivered quickly, and with easy instructions. You can quickly take the support arms out and it breaks down quite easily in case you don't want to carry the full 25lb carrier and 23lb lift from your vehicle to your garage etc.

If the Thule EasyFold XT2 was readily available I would seriously consider the two as the best contenders. It wasn't even close to being available whereas the Motow was. Motow is also US made, if that means anything to you. Having had it for a few weeks now I am happy overall with my purchase. The lift is awesome. There's 3 mounting heights which accommodates my much lower 1 1/4 hitch and my 2" hitch on the truck. Makes loading very easy!!

 

[bradl]

Thanks for the details. I have the Thule EasyFold and use it on my Jeep with a Tern GSD. It has a lot to recommend it. On the down side I only have the shorter ramp and it's not particularly helpful as I'm relatively short and the Jeep hitch receiver is rather high. Fortunately the frame of the Tern is compact and has lots of handholds and the handlebars fold out of the way so I no longer bop myself in the head (lesson learned) wrestling it into position My wife and I have a Nevo and Homage on order coming in the new year and that 'elevator' lift has immense appeal. Will probably see how we get along with the Thule but if I did not already have it I might well have tried the Motow had I known about it. And I might yet, still.

 

[Scott Eakin]

We have been successfully toting a Super Delight and Homage, and before that an EasyMotion and a Haibike, and before that an E-Boda Boda and an EasyMotion on a KUAT NV 2.0. I always remove the batteries. The rack will sway a bit over larger bumps but it remains tight and quiet.

 

[Tex Dubbo]

Has anyone looked into Dirt Bike mounts for 2" Hitch (Hayman Reese Hitch) as alternative?
Eg something like this - https://www.mxstore.com.au/p/Ballards-Bike-Rack-Carrier/BA-BR01
Seems a lot cheaper than dedicated ebike carriers but appears more rugged and can handle the weight.
I know this is mainly for SUV's

 

[Law]

Having gone through 2 Saris racks, as my 54 cm Bulls Iconic Evo won’t fit, just got in this 1 up rack. It’s brilliant. All metal, no plastic anything (including wheel tubs, no plastic or Velcro straps, no frame support needed. Rack fits all the way into hitch and has a through bolt, not a cross bolt, that keeps rack real close to car and therefore zero sway. THIS is how a rack should be designed.

1.25" Equip'D

www.1up-usa.com

 

[Desert John]

Desert John,
Good tip for suggesting lowering the clamp/tire bar as that is what I was planning to do, provided it worked, once my SuperDelite comes in. Glad it works but one question. With the clamp/tire bar lowered the angle of the back support will make the overall width of the carrier wider. Can you estimate how much it extends versus leaving the clamp/tire bar at the top of the support and using it on the fender versus the tire?
Just to add how strong the 1Up racks are we have a dual bike unit that carries two cheap & heavy Fat Tire bikes on the back of a Jeep then head off on desert trails. A great bike rack and I hope that doesn't change based on what Lumos wrote in post#29.
Thanks, Tom
View attachment 64967

Actually It does not increase the width at all. It is less than 90 degrees so it still angles slightly in. BTW, I took my rear fender off--I live in the west where rain is rare. I ride 5 days a week on sandy terrain and there are not adverse consequences.. The front I kept on. BTW if it does rain just put some cardboard on the rear rack. Without the rear fender I have the 1 up at the top and seems a little more secure. Again, IMO in the west the rear fender is rarely helpful and gets in the way--at least for my kind of riding.

 

[Desert John]

We have had a Thule Easy Fold 2 for almost three years now and have found it nearly ideal for heavy Riese & Muller Bikes. We have take two 3,000 mile road trips with our bikes. We had one of the clamp arms go bad as well as the locking ring for the hitch. Thule provided quick replacements in both cases. I do use two Curt bike rack straps to stabilize the rack and help support the weight. Here is a photo on the Oregon coast with a Homage and a Delight Mountain on the Thule rack.

View attachment 66002

View attachment 66003

 

[Desert John]

You must not have the large R&M frame. I wanted this rack at first but the large frame on the R&M SuperDelight has a longer wheelbase than the Easy Fold 2 will accommodate. I'm thankful that a helpful Bike shop recommended the 1 -up even though they did not sell it.