Allen Sports Deluxe 5-Bike Hitch Mount Rack, Model 552RR-R , Black, 2-Inch Receiver

UPDATE (2/21/19): After traveling 9,000 miles over 60 days with 5 adult bikes on the back, this product held up fantastically! I am definitely a fan.All 5 bikes fit. I did it, and without ramming handle bars or pedals through spokes of other wheels. Not sure why others say it can't hold 5 bikes.The KEY HERE: modify orientation of the bikes. They can NOT all go straight left and right. They need to be stacked at different angles, using the different cross members of the bikes. That's why the straps can swivel around the bar.We are heading out on a long RV trip this summer and needed a 5-bike rack. We already had the Allen 4-bike rack, and it was awesome. This one took a little longer figuring out how to fit all 5 bikes (ALL ADULT BIKES!!), and when I did, I took pictures of everything and even made myself a tutorial on how to hook them up, so it's easy each time we pack up and move to the next location (every 2-4 days).See the attached pictures on how I put each bike on, the orientation, and how well they all fit together (Bike 1 is closest to vehicle).There are two downsides:1) The handle bar of the first bike (closest to vehicel) hits the back wall of our RV. We'll have to get a little cushion to keep the handle from scratching/denting the RV2) The first bike attachment is a little awkward. If you were to hook the bike on normally (parallel to ground), then you physically can not get the bike on the strap holder without pulling the tilting pin, and pivot the unit away from the vehicle. You would then strap on the bike (installing from the vehicle side), then rotate the unit back in place, replacing the locking pin. Just wierd. But I install my Bike #1 differently, so this is not an issue.Hope this helps others realize that it is possible to securely get all 5 bikes on the rack, tied down, and not have them mash each other either.If I have issues after 2 months of hauling them around the US, I'll update my comments. Otherwise, two thumbs up.

I was looking for a 5 bike rack and didn’t want to pay top dollar for it. I have a mechanical engineering background and believe this rack will hold up for a long time. There are a few things I would redesign if I produced this product. 1 - add a large welded loop to put a locking cable through, 2 - design the bike rest so they can be locked in position or tighten the tolerance so they will not be able to rotate easily as you put the bikes on (Nice idea for positioning the bike but very frustrating when they rotate as the bike is going on). 3 - add into the kit some padded Velcro straps to put between bikes as they are very tight together and rub in spots. 4 - build this this rack with the same dimensions for four bikes with an added push button extension bar on the end for a fifth bike if needed (this would allow for more room between bikes).Comments: I was concerned about the bike straps being difficult to reach and feed the straps through. It turned out not to be a problem. Overall they work fine, but take a little more time to put on and especially to take off than the rubber stretch style. They will not come loose after pulling them tight. I am not sure how well the strap material will hold up over time if left out in the elements but I believe they are replaceable. To put a bike on the inside towards the car the rack needs to be tilted out and then lifted back up with the bike on the inside. I only put a small bike on that side so far and it cleared the back of my van. If you put a bike on inside of the rack there is no way to access the back of a van even after tilting the rack because the van tailgate will hit the bike. Without the bike there it clears fine. It is a little difficult to reach and remove the tilt pin with all the bikes on to access the tailgate. I did it a few times with not too much difficulty but I am a bit stronger than the average person to lift all the bikes back into position. Overall, well built and designed and I would still recommend it as it is without improvements.

After owning the Allen Sports rack for a couple of months now, I really can't think of anything I dislike about it! We loaded 5x 35lb adult mountain bikes on it and left them there for 7 days straight as we drove from Ohio to California. The only slight issue was that the salt on the winter roads caused a couple of very small rust spots to appear on the rack. The same salt caused the bike chains and brake discs to rust much more than the bike rack did.I previously bought (and subsequently returned) the much more expensive Yakima FullTilt 5. I found it time consuming and awkward trying to slide the bikes past the Anti-sway cradles on the Yakima.Here are my suggestions if you're planning to buy the Allen Sports Deluxe:1. Don't exceed the specified weight capacity (5x 35lbs): Take your bathroom scales out to the garage. Weigh yourself, then weigh yourself again while holding your bike. Subtract the two numbers to get the weight of your bike.2. Keep a couple of bungee cords handy. If you have only one bike mounted, you'll want to bungee the front wheel so it doesn't flip around as you go 80 down the freeway.2. The tapered bolt that holds the rack to your hitch should be cranked tight with a wrench that has a long arm (allows you to get it tighter). If you get it nice and tight the rack won't wobble side to side.3. Don't try to raise and lower the rack with bikes on it. The instructions are explicit on this point, and I wonder if folks who mention using a hammer to get the pins seated are trying to ignore this critical instruction. 5 bikes plus the rack itself is about 200lbs. You don't want to be lowering and raising 200lbs anyway!4. Squeezing 5 bikes into a tight space is always frustrating. Try removing the seat posts from all the bikes and throwing them in the trunk. The seat posts and handlebars always seem to collide, so getting them out of the way will help.5. If you're really having trouble getting the bikes to fit, you could loosen the headset bolt and rotate the handlebars so they are parallel with the bike frame.