In addition the locking mechanism disables the tightening knobs rather than using an easily cut cable.
Here is a close up of the clamp on the seat tube showing the key slot on the knob. Once locked the knob just spins freely.
View attachment 22633
The exterior of the clamp is plastic and rubber. Given the force with which it grips the frame, I am certain the framework, hinge, etc. Is metal. Give me a cordless skill saw and I'll defeat any rack's security.Alaskan, thank you very much for this and for your many helpful posts.
The locking mechanism is one of my criteria and while I know that nothing can deter a determined thief, could this locking mechanism be easily defeated simply by breaking the plastic clamp that attaches to the hitch U tube? I like this rack a lot but when it comes to locking, "a chain is only as strong as its weakest link" so I would think all metal locking is the only way to go. Also, in what may or may not be related to this, a reviewer on the Thule website reports that their bikes were stolen by someone simply jamming a knife in the lock to defeat it, (plastic?), so be aware. Any insights on potential easy plastic break points of the clamp/locking system or am I misunderstanding how this works?
I have yet to see a rack I would leave my bikes on overnight. If my lodging does not have secure storage or allow bikes in the room I go somewhere that does.
That’s true, but I have used this rack to transport my two townies in my 1300 mile drive from the Midwest to southwest Florida and back every year and never had an issue with it.I'm finding that Townie style frames JUST barely fit on most racks. Their long wheelbase can be an issue.
Same story with my three year old Yakima rack, which I had liked very much until that point. I was turning onto my street, so going very slowly - fortunately - and heard a mighty thunk and scraping from the rear. Look in the rear view mirror, no brand new, $3600 bike.
The ratchet on the post had failed, the arm over the top tube jumped, and the bike went over backwards. Incredibly, the only damage was the mirror and the corner of the drop bars where the road burned off the tape and scored the aluminum. The brake lever, the pedal, nothing else at all ever touched the ground. So very lucky.
Enter the 1 Up rack, which amazingly was delivered overnight. All aluminum, 23 pounds, dead easy to get on and off, but a little tough to steal unless your thief happens to have the special Allen wrench needed. I have the one bike tray version, which I just love. It doesn’t interfere with my backup camera when folded up since there’s only one tray, though the rear sensors still have to be turned off.
We have this bridge near here with some sort of weird resonance in it that I didn’t dare cross any more than about 40 mph... the bike would bounce and shake like mad back there. For some reason, the 1 Up is solid as a rock over it. My experience with it is all positive.
Great feeling though, isn’t it, when you realize the bike ain’t there anymore and you’re still moving!
I have owned the Thule easyfold rack for two years and have not been happy with it for a number of reasons. First and foremost is my Turbo Levo cannot be safely secured no matter how I attach the clamp. Even though I lock the clamp, it will still loosen up during the trip.
Thank you Kathik for sharing your insights.
On the Easyfold, I understand why you would not be happy that the clamp is loosening.
Why do you think that the clamp is loosening? Are you tighening it until it clicks?
The rack comes with 2 clamps. Have you tried the other clamp to see if perhaps the first clamp is defective?
What does Thule say about this?
This does not seem right....
Alaskan-I have a new Homage which I carry on my EASYFOLD X2 rack. Because of the geometry of the bike and the rack, I have not found that either the long or short clamp allows me to get a good solid grip on the seat post down tube. I had the bike in the slot close to the car. Do you have a photo showing how you do it?I put a Curt class 1 trailer hitch on our Subaru Tribeca. I had the work done at a local truck/rv accessory shop, not the Subaru dealer. The hole on mine is about 3 inches forward of the rear edge of the receiver, so it has a good hold on the tongue of the rack. I would not use that extension. It does not really solve the problem, as the adapter would not be inserted far enough. In fact it introduces a new potential issue putting the rack even further back from the point of attachment of the hitch, giving the bike unwanted extra leverage against the car's frame.
I would consider drilling another hole deeper into the receiver, as deep as the tongue on the rack will allow. With three years passage it is way too late to ask Subaru to put a proper hitch in place and drilling it out in place would not be an easy task but that is the only thing that can be done short of putting a new hitch on the car. I think mine cost around $300 installed. Also U-Haul is a great place to get hitches installed at a reasonable cost. You might go there and see what they can do.