Saris Freedom Hitch Rack – Lightweight Platform Bike Carrier for Car, SUV & Truck – No Frame Contact, Anti-Wobble, E-Bike Compatible – 2 or 4 Bike

[February 19, 2016] I have owned this rack for about two biking seasons so far. I take it off sometime in the winter and reinstall it back on in the spring. Removing the rack is quite easy and is a one man job. Putting it back on, for some, may require two people but is definitely doable with one. So far this rack has held up well even considering the fact I do leave it on well into the midwestern winter. Part of one of the plastic tire rest has broken off but not enough that it isn't usable. Twice I noticed that the empty rack has down from its upright position while driving. I don't know why this happens (maybe it already was in the down position for all I know). But I haven't noticed any part that could become a future failure point. So far I still love this rack and has served its purpose carrying around multiple bikes around. [May 27, 2014] This spring I decided that I needed to upgrade from my trunk strapped bike rack to a something that could fit 3 kids and 1 adult bike. Researching this, I found that only hitch mounted racks where the bikes sits but not hangs were the only way to go for kids bikes. I didn't consider roof mounted racks. Thule and Yakima had offered options I was strongly considering but I decided to go with the Saris even though I didn't really see many reviews compared to the other brands. It was easily the cheapest at $400 and the fact it was made in the USA, made the decision over the other brands so much easier. Positives: Solidly built. Doesn't shake when driving. Easy to place bikes on rack, though it is a little tight when fitting four bikes. Rack, even when filled with bikes, can be lowered to access my Toyota Highlander's rear door. Folds away neatly. Reasonably priced. Made in USA. Negatives: I had to install a hitch on my SUV. That is not really a true negative but it did add $200 to the total. The instructions to put the bike rack together is actually quite horrendous. A 30 minute job became a 1.5 hour job. I wish it came with locks to secure the bikes to the rack and secure the rack to the hitch. I bought a Saris hitch lock and locking cable to do that job. That added about $50. It won't protect against professional thieves but will hopefully deter against the occasional delinquent. It adds quite some length to my SUV when folded out but that is expected when you plan to haul around 4 bikes. Overall: Being my only hitch mounted bike rack, I really can't compare it to anything else. It works great for what it does. It carries my niece and nephews bikes conveniently and securely. I do not feel that its going to come apart on the highway. It is solidly built and well priced. Would definitely recommend. Will hopefully update this review sometime in the fall.

This is an excellent bike rack, and most especially so if you will generally be hauling the same four bikes. Initial setup of wheel holders and supports requires some time but, once you test load and get everything in the right place, loading and unloading the bikes is a breeze. The tilt feature permits easy access to the rear of the vehicle with the bikes loaded. You just have to remove a safety pin, which is simple to do given the good design. Please note that if you have tilted your rack for hatch access, be sure to put the safety pin back in before hauling (for clarity, this piece is shown dangling in one of the photos). While the rack is constructed well enough that it would probably be forgiving of this mistake, I would not want to test this on the highway! When empty, folding the rack up and down could not be any easier. The rack fits securely into a 2 inch hitch receiver. While driving, the bikes are completely secure. If you load them properly, you can forget about them until you arrive at your destination. Hence, your bikes will arrive just as you loaded them (i.e., with no scratches/damage). I did have to add a bit of foam (pipe insulator and duct tape) to one of the pieces so that the rack doesn’t scratch the bumper of my SUV when it is folded up. Given the high quality of the rack, this was really not a big deal to me and it certainly was not a deal breaker. It still easily gets five stars. Importantly, you should not forget about all the terrible drivers out there and that potentially includes yourself! :) So, don’t be a knucklehead and obscure your tail lights with your rack. Even though my tail lights are pretty visible through the wheels on my particular vehicle (hauling these particular bikes), I wired up some magnetic trailer lights on my rack. This greatly limits the chance of getting rear ended (and potentially ruining your rack and bikes and possibly being held partially at fault for an accident!). I also placed some reflective tape on the rack in strategic locations so that cars (or pedestrians) don’t run into it at night. I like the way this rack looks and, importantly, functions. If you’re going to use it, it’s definitely worth the investment.

The strap that comes in the down tube cradle is not long enough for my Aventon Pace 500.3 Step-Through E-bike. I mean, if I remove the bike's battery, remove the rubbery cushion thing that comes wrapped around the strap, position the cradle OVER my down tube (instead of under it), and really pull on (and struggle with) the strap, I can get it to the second ratchet notch (see red circle in photo), and that just didn't seem secure enough for my first drive, so I supplemented the strap with a large black plastic twisty tie (seen in another photo) that I happened to have. The straps that come with the wheel trays are long enough, but somehow these plastic ratchet straps fail to inspire confidence, even when they are long enough, so I guess I'm going to have to find better straps for all three points (the two wheel trays and the down tube cradle). The rack's vertical bar must be locked in the vertical position when transporting a bike, and common sense dictates that the down tube cradle should be as high as possible on that bar (to maximize bike stability), so the position of your bike's down tube will determine where the wheel trays end up. Even with the rack's down tube cradle on top of my down tube (instead of under it), my bike cannot be centered with my car; instead, it needs to be several inches to the right (starboard from my car's perspective). Oh well. The price of the rack seemed competitive, and it's not too heavy for this old man to move around, so that's all good. All in all, I'm pretty happy with the rack, or will be when I find straps I really like, and it might very well be the only bike rack I ever own. I recommend purchasing the optional Locking Hitch-Tite (threaded hitch pin with a lock). I also got a Fioracl Hitch Wall Mount 2-inch Receiver so I don't have to keep the rack on my garage floor when it's not on the car.

I bought this bike rack for my wife's new ebike. On the plus side, the rack is easy to use and assemble and I was initially very happy with it. After about the 4th or 5th time she used it, the clamping mechanism at the top became unbolted to the vertical bar. The clamp did not fail, it was the bolt holding the clamp to the vertical bar. It was then I discovered that the bolt had no type of locking mechanism. The nut was not a locking nut and there was no Loctite or other type of adhesive keeping the bolt from vibrating loose. It was only a matter of time before the bolt would come loose. The bike basically fell but was still clamped at the bottom and got dragged a ways before my wife realized there was something wrong. Luckily, it wasn't at highway speeds. I contacted Saris support via their website about 6 weeks ago and still have not heard back. The lower clamping mechanism (pictured) broke when the bike was dragged. If you have one, invest in some Loctite or other thread locker. I would also use a bungee cord to secure the top just in case.

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 may change my review to a more favorable rating after I've used this rack a few times. I've gone through three different bike rack assemblies now, and this one was by far the easiest to put together. I really do not like the plastic "cups" and don't trust them to hold the weight of my ebike, even though my bike meets the weight limit for this rack. I also found out that the 2.5 tire cups do not fit my bike. Other 2.5 ones did -- so I had to order (at a cost of $50 more) Saris's extra wide tire wheel holders. If you are only carrying one bike or you have two bikes of different weight, you must put the heavier bike on the inside mount -- closer to the car. It is really, really difficult, unless you have two people, to get the bike onto the inside mount. I like the heavy metal frame but I am extremely nervous about those plastic wheel holders. If that plastic cracks, you are going to lose your bike. I really wish those were metal. There is little support at the top part of the bike to hold it in place. I'm going to be doing a lot of extra strapping with Velcro straps to help insure the bike stays in place. In summary, I'm really nervous about this rack, especially with an ebike.

This rack was easy to adjust and fit in my trailer hitch. It was everything I was looking for and well engineered and built. The alignment tape was a great thought and very useful. Collapsibility of the rack without bikes allows the back up camera to view although it’s light and easy enough to remove when not in use and carry into the house or apt. NOTE: The rack is loose in the trailer hitch until the locking bolt is fully tightened at which point it becomes very solid. This is not a complaint just a note to users to tighten the both fully. If the rack was tight in the hitch it would be very difficult to get on/off. This is a solid design with good tolerances.

We recently purchased a 53 lb "commuter" ebike with a step through frame and fenders. Our existing rack can not carry such a bike so I went looking for a new one. I have many requirements. 1. Support for both a 1.25" and 2" hitches (I have vehicles with both) 2. Support for the e-bike with the weight, step through frame and fenders being notable challenges 3. Support for carbon fiber frames 4. Support for a few other bikes I have I spent hours doing research and was nearly convinced that a rack that could do everything I wanted did not exist. Then I ran across this Saris. I'm happy to say that everything on my wishlist is fulfilled! Of course no rack is perfect and this one has its own pros and cons: Pros: 1. Sturdy. Loaded up with the ebike and another bike, this rack is solid. There is some axial movement when going over bumps but it's not worrying to me. 2. Bikes are held very securely but also gently. I really like the tire straps and the fact that most of the bikes weight is supported by it's tires. The holders are nicely designed and interface the bike with soft surfaces. 3. Lightweight. At only 21 lbs, this rack is easy to install and carry around. My 1.25" hitch is only class 1 (100 lbs max weight) so the 21lbs avoids cutting too much into the weight budget for that hitch.. Cons: 1. Getting the heavy ebike into the (recommended) back position requires some strength. I fold down the center bar which helps a lot but still I'd say any bike being put in the back position will need to be held at chest height for 30 seconds to a minute or more. 2. It was quite a puzzle getting everything to fit the first time. The tire holders need to be slid into the best positions and the center support is too short to reach the horizontal bar of my road bike. The tire holders are also a bit close to the center bar and to each other, meaning that there are possible interference issues with the center bar and the bikes. I was able to puzzle through it all and have a satisfactory solution. Now that everything is where I decided to put it, the bikes go on very quickly. 3. The shape of the rack makes it a bit awkward to store. I put up some storage hooks that are getting the job done but I wouldn't call it a tidy package when off the car. Overall, I'm very satisfied with this rack.

I am very happy with this product! It works great and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to safely transport their bicycle without worries of it shifting during the journey.

Great product and great service

Straight forward assembly. Needed a replacement piece, sent email, received a reply within a day and replacement part in the mail - excellent customer service. Very much in the same class or better than Thule and Yakima.

Neither the clamp nor the tire supports were suitable for my e-bike. The clamp which is supposed to support the down tube is too narrow to accommodate a battery and the tire trays are also too narrow for 2" (or wider) tires. I returned the unit and bought a Thule which I am very happy with.

Love this rack, it let's me carry 2 bikes easily. If I just have a bike on the furthest out position my lift gate just clears, awesome to still have moderate access without buying a more expensive rack that tilts out of the way! I've taken this on a couple 10 hours drives and the bikes have stayed secure! The bolt that comes to lock to your hitch doesn't have any theft prevention measures, so if you're going to leave the bike unattended I would certainly look into getting a lock! Ideally for your the hitch and a cable lock for the bike. Anything to slow thieves down is worth it!