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Submitted by
sandy
a Weekend Warrior
from San Antonio
Date Reviewed: June 2, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike World | | Strengths: | Easy to use for vertically challenged persons when it comes to loading and unloading. Strong and secure. I live in the city and leave it on my vehicle most of the time. I only ride on weekends and won't ride in traffic. This is the best bike rack I have used and have experienced no real problems with it. | | Weaknesses: | Some of the smaller working parts can rust unless treated. Storage can be difficult. | | Similar Products Used: | Yakima, rhode gear. | | Bike Setup: | I have mine on the back of a 4runner. Fits 3 bikes. | | Bottom Line: | I have had this rack for 2 years and it has seen alot of use. I have no real complaints, only that it is a bit cumbersome for storing when you take it off. Noncyclist find it a curiosity when I have no bikes on it. Many times parking lot security has tried to direct me to the handicap parking thinking it is a wheelchair ramp! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Randall Wilson
a Weekend Warrior
from Granite Bay, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: May 12, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Foresthill Loop | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$488.00 | | Purchased At: | Online | | Strengths: | None | | Weaknesses: | The rack is too unwieldly to be left on the vehicle, and too large too store off the vehicle. Compounding the problem, the rack is too heavy to remove and replace an a regular basis. Assembly is more involved than with competitive racks. Bikes are located in a vulnerable position when mounted on the rack. | | Similar Products Used: | Yakima Steelhead, Sportworks Transport | | Bike Setup: | Trek 5500, Trek Fuel 98 | | Bottom Line: | Don't even waste your time looking at a Draftmaster rack. You won't like it when your bike is mounted on it; you'll hate it when your bike isn't mounted on it; and you'll hate it even more when you need to remove and store it.
Not surprisingly, the company that manufactures this engineering failure is apprarently having financial problems. I returned mine (the shipping charges exceeded $100.00), only to learn the company couldn't refund the purchase price. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg
a Racer
from Lansing
Date Reviewed: May 1, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | shop liquidation sale | | Strengths: | This rack folds out so it works great on SUV type vehicles with rear doors. It will easily hold 4 bikes without fear of scratches or scrapes. It is mostly made of alloy so it will never rust. | | Weaknesses: | The front tire need to come off. Also, I have a rear mount spare tire that gets in the way, so I had to purchase a receiver extension, but now it will drag on some abrupt dips. I guess I just need bigger tires on the Jeep. | | Similar Products Used: | nothing similar | | Bottom Line: | This is a great rack! It is well worth the investment for any serious rider who is looking for a rack that will last years and is easy to use. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John O
a Weekend Warrior
from Chicago
Date Reviewed: November 3, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$500.00 | | Purchased At: | web site | | Strengths: | Easy to load bikes. Easy to beak down to store. Saves a fortune on gas and no wind noise compared to roof racks, and nothing touching bike frames like other hitch racks. Also can open the rear hatch without removing bikes unlike other hitch racks. Lots of people come over and compliment it if you like that sort of thing. | | Weaknesses: | Occasionally the rear wheel trays would come loose until I really torqued then down hard. Lots of people come over and compliment it if that bothers you. | | Similar Products Used: | An old Bic roof rack which made my car feel like I was driving a sail boat down the interstate. | | Bottom Line: | Best rack on our team by far. We did an adventure race last weekend and our support crew consisted of our wives/girlfriends. With vertually no instuction these 4 petite women (one 7 months pregnant) unloaded and preped the bikes for the bike leg and broke down and loaded the bikes so we could quickly move on to "get lost" in the woods for the orienteering section. This saved us time as I know we would have had to help them with a roof rack.
Keep up the great work Draftmaster! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian
a Cross Country Rider
from Sumter
Date Reviewed: September 9, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | K3 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Draftmaster | | Strengths: | very durable, easy to use, looks great, never damages paint, modular, etc-- well thought out | | Weaknesses: | need to buy locking QR's seperatly. It was a bit spendy, but I don't regret it. | | Similar Products Used: | other goose neck type racks with dorky straps that look like crap when you have them loaded... | | Bike Setup: | Litespeed Hiwassee updated w/ full XT and a Duke XC fork | | Bottom Line: | I have yet to be disapointed with this rack. I have hauled bikes cross country using it without problem. Looks great and is quality! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Harry Morris
a Cross Country Rider
from Columbia, MO, USA
Date Reviewed: August 11, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$597.00 | | Purchased At: | Draftmaster website | | Strengths: | Well built and engineered. Breaks down easily for storage.
Looks cool ! | | Weaknesses: | Cumbersome to install & remove ( assembled unit is a bit heavy & awkward for one preson to handle). Cam buckles are difficult to run the securing straps through. tray mounts were very tight on tolerance and made it difficult to install. | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | Trek 7200 hybrid & Tour Easy recumbent | | Bottom Line: | I've tried several different racks & this unit without a doubt best suits my recumbent. Transported both bikes on my Ford Rander PU recently to Wisconsin from Missouri & back, and had absolutely no problems with the trip. I would not recommend this unit for short distant transport only (unless you plan to leave it on the vehicle); better suited for the long haul.
The people at Draftmaster are super to work with and made every effort to provide customer satisfaction.
Warning: be prepared to answer a lot of questions regarding the rack it's a show stopper. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Al Williamson
a Cross Country Rider
from Oden Uah USA
Date Reviewed: July 11, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Rack is easy to load,easy to load and secures bikes both to vehicle and rack, no pads, staps, bungees, rubbed spots, roof dents,broken "Lawyer Lips" no loss fuel consumption, no noise and not affected by cross winds | | Weaknesses: | Did not find it sooner | | Similar Products Used: | 4 or more rear racks and 2 or more roof racks | | Bike Setup: | remove front wheel attach fork and secure rear wheel sesigned to carry 4 fron wheels, have attached 5 wheels | | Bottom Line: | Since 1988 have used rear and roof racks, but the Draftmaste has made the process of loading the rack, loading and securing bikes, accessing the luggage much easier..through the rear window without changing the rack...rotate the rack, no change to the bikes, and you can open the door. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from SoCal
Date Reviewed: June 23, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | 450 | | Strengths: | Well built
| | Weaknesses: | Instructions are poor and difficult to understand
No easy way to lock it
Ground clearance "issues"
Rear wheel trays are set way too high to properly hold full suspension mountain bike wheels - They barely hang on the back edge | | Similar Products Used: | 1up USA hitch rack | | Bike Setup: | Very high-end full suspension mountain bikes | | Bottom Line: | A good rack, but it simply couldn't hold our full suspension mountain bikes high enough to get out of even the shallowest driveways without leaving some rear tire rubber on the paving. Ouch! The optional extension is not really a solution because the rack moves around enough as it is without having to raise and extend the weight out even further behind the vehicle.
It's not that easy to load since the front wheels must be removed and bikes held vertical while being secured. It's no big deal with just one or two bikes, but add the third or fourth and you have to secure them while off the ground due to the height offset needed to fit the extra bikes. Also, if this rack is so stable, why the tie-down straps? They smack of afterthought. All in all, this rack just seemed sort of overly complicated. We returned it.
That said, I'd recommend anyone thinking about a hitch rack to check out 1upUSA's rack. It is the easiest to load of all because it doesn't require front wheel removal, the bikes go on horizontally and are held by the wheels only. It has great ground clearance, folds up the flattest and has a Allen-head bolt locking mechanism everyone else should be using. It is so damn simple to put together and operate and guaranteed for life! Check it out at 1upUSA.com. I don't work for 1up. I just appreciate a superior product (like their trainer, too). Like they say, spend more time riding, not loading your bikes. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tom
a
from Green Bay, WI USA
Date Reviewed: June 23, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$600.00 | | Purchased At: | Draftmaster Direct Website | | Strengths: | Once set up and run through the rack is easy to insert into the hitch and remove when not using and the bikes are easy and fast to secure and remove. | | Weaknesses: | The directions for assembly are weak (mostly sketches without alot of detail - pictorial or worded) - even for mechanically inclined people like me. Directions do not include recommendation as to how to load different size bikes which I figured out by loading and reloading multiple times before fine tuning what should have been described in the directions. Front fork locks worked extremely well on my family's two canondale bikes but less than optimal on two others where I needed to use an adjustable wrench to make sure..... Forks whose channels are straight do not work as well as Forks (such as Canondales') whose channels are at a 90 degree angle. | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | Two "adult" Canondales Mountain bikes and Two "junior" Haro Mountain bikes. | | Bottom Line: | The customer service is extremely helpful and knowledgeable both about its rack and trailer hitches in general. While the price appears high I wanted this to be my first and last system. Overall, after having used it for a 5-day bike vacation where the bikes were loaded and unloaded multiple times and the distance from home was approx. 150 miles - I am very happy with the performance and would definitely recommend it. Draftmaster shipped it when they said they would and it arrived in time for my family's vacation which was also a bonus. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Barry
a Weekend Warrior
from Moore, OK, USA
Date Reviewed: February 4, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | So far, The Midwest Recumbent Rally in Wisconsin | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$320.00 | | Purchased At: | Local bicycle store | | Strengths: | ease of use, fast bike loading and unloading. | | Weaknesses: | vulnerability to rear ender and there goes $4000 in bikes, plus the rack. Stability straps tend to rub the paint on the vehicle, which can be fixed. | | Similar Products Used: | Graber hatchback model for the PT Cruiser | | Bike Setup: | used for: 1) TREK R200 recumbent, 2)Barcroft Virgina GT recumbent, and 3) Softride Roadwing Road bike. | | Bottom Line: | not easily removed from the hitch. I used to hex head cap screws to secure the rack to the hitch. I would drill out the threads, and put in a lockable pin, like some else mentioned, but I am a little fearful that the rack will start to rattle. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sam Peralta
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego, Ca
Date Reviewed: October 23, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Purchased At: | Cantina Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Very sturdy and durable, accessiblity to bike is convenient, and cool looking. | | Weaknesses: | The down fall is that some idiot driver from behind can hit and damage your bikes. | | Bike Setup: | Giant XTC NRS Air, NRS XTC 1, & NRS XTC 3. | | Bottom Line: | I absolutely love this bike rack. Mounting and dismounting our mountain bikes is as easy as 1, 2, 3. I receive many compliments about how cool looking the bike rack looks especially when all our bikes are mounted. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael
a Cross Country Rider
from Southern Appalachia, WNC
Date Reviewed: October 3, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Laurel Mountain-PNF | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$449.00 | | Purchased At: | www.draftmaster.com | | Strengths: | EASY installation. Loading and unloading a snap. Solid construction. Folds down to get into the rear of vehicle and it makes it easier to load and unload. Highway use---close your eyes and go. You do not know it is there. No need to worry about ramming into a drive through. Easy to clean bike while on the rack. The damn thing is flat out sexy! | | Weaknesses: | At this time there is no company hitch lock for the 1 1/4" receivers. They are looking in to it. They provide two nuts and bolts. Very solid. I bored out the threads and added a 1/2" hitch lock. Quite easy.
The skewers do not lock on to rack. I simply take them out and put them in the car while not in use. No big deal.
I find no other faults at all. The two that I listed I consider cosmetic in the scheme of things. | | Similar Products Used: | Yakima roof rack
Graber trunk rack | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale; Klein; Intense | | Bottom Line: | I purchased the rack to hold three bikes. I also purchased the tire carrier. Total on the two items and shippng was around $550.00. I have been using this rack for a short time but have been transporting 3 to 4 days a week now. I love it. I could not wait to right a review. I will follow up after a longer period of time to see if my opinion has changed.
The other day one of my friends drove his new Specialized into the roof of the bank drive thru. A few days later we went riding together and he saw my rack. Uggh was his response. His face said, "Why do I have a roof rack?" $600 bucks on roof racks seems like a fortune now and you will understand that you are NOT getting what you pay for. Draftmaster is worth it.
The folks at Draftmaster are excellent. That makes all the difference in the world. You got to love small companies with a great product. Very personal. CUSTOMER SERVICE is a huge A+++++
Bottom line is that it is no more expensive than roof racks. There are no horror stories about roof bashings. No back aches. Highway speeds are comfortable. The bikes are happy in the draft. So is my gas mileage. No more lifting. If you drop your bike while mounting it hits the ground and not your car. But actually to mount your bike the back tire never has to leave the ground. Too easy.
THIS RACK IS A NO BRAINER!
I am very very happy, thrilled, and love this rack.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Robert
a Cross Country Rider
from Floyd, VA
Date Reviewed: August 27, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Purchased At: | Website | | Strengths: | Excellent construction and ease of use | | Weaknesses: | Bikes are way in the back asking to get squashed by an idiot parking (either the driver or another person) although this has never happened yet and may never. | | Bottom Line: | A great hauler for either long distance transport or for a dirty bike. Most excellent construction. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
CRAIG GODMAN
a Weekend Warrior
from GRAY, TN
Date Reviewed: April 5, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Warriors Park | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Purchased At: | FACTORY | | Strengths: | Excellent construction, versatile, durable, fast, easy loading and unloading, very high quality, attractive
The hitch rack is great for my wife. DEFINITELY A SOLID RACK! DrafterMaster people are very easy and willing to talk too, A+. | | Weaknesses: | None really, but I would like it if the skewers for the fork mounts were lockable. | | Bike Setup: | Giant NRS-1, Jamis Expert, both 2001 models. | | Bottom Line: | Draft Master is the Cadallac of hitch racks, Very versatile and easy. Great for the ladies, makes it so much easier than a roof rack. Excellent construction, engineering and precise fit. Its sharp looks make other riders envious. The Rack is a little more expensive, but why put your $1500 to $2200 bike on a cheep, rack. You get what you pay for. DEFINITELY the rack of choice. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
joanna chodorowska
a Racer
from chicago
Date Reviewed: November 7, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | N/A | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$350.00 | | Purchased At: | draftmaster direct | | Strengths: | carries 4 bikes securely without any problems. bikes are securely fastened with fork-mount and it is a easy as 10 seconds to mount. love the front wheel attachment gizmos (but lost one already). easy access to trunk, etc without getting in the way of bikes. i have a sedan, and trunk mount racks were a pain as was the thought of a roof rack. | | Weaknesses: | the cloth straps do not grip as well as they could so the straps need to be tightened every so oten to keep the sway to a minimum. the sway of the rack is a little disconcerting at first, but no problems on highway (even at 80 mph) | | Similar Products Used: | only have trunk-mount racs. first of this kind. | | Bike Setup: | SEVEN Axiom - steel. and friends bikes (SEVEN, LeMond, etc) | | Bottom Line: | after a rocky start with ordering, i was thrilled to finally get it all and working right. customer service is exceptional so the minor misundertanding we had at the beginning was taken care of quickly. LOVE the rack. and it not only looks cool, but really holds up. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Max Breuer
a Cross Country Rider
from Portage MI USA
Date Reviewed: September 10, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | direct from Draftmaster | | Strengths: | The unit can transport 3 long wheel base recumbents. The unit is easy to assemble, dissamble and store. | | Bike Setup: | Easy to mount bike on "tray" and easy to mount on vehicle. | | Bottom Line: | We have used the Draftmaster to transport 3 long wheel base recumbent bicycles (Rans Stratus). The unit is easy to assemble and disassemble. Three recumbents can be mounted by only removing the front wheels (seats remain on the bikes). Mounting the bicycles is easy by fastening the bicycles on a "tray" while on the ground. The tray can then be easily mounted on the main rack. The rack can also hold up to three tandems. This unit is by far the easiest to use of any rack we have seen; particularly for tandems and long wheel base recumbents. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jose Cortez
a Racer
from Pasadena, CA USA
Date Reviewed: August 22, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$550.00 | | Purchased At: | Online | | Strengths: | Easy to load and unload equipment, easy to set-up. Great looking addition to my SUV. | | Similar Products Used: | A roof rack, but there is no comparison. | | Bike Setup: | Very easy!! | | Bottom Line: | A great product! I am always receiving compliments and answering questions about the way the rack looks and how easy it looks to load and unload the bikes. Like my nephew puts it "AWRIGHT! COOL!" | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Carl Egetter
a Cross Country Rider
from Marietta, GA, USA
Date Reviewed: August 17, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Silver Comet Rail-to-Trail | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$970.00 | | Purchased At: | Draftmaser | | Strengths: | This is a solid, stable assembly on which you can attach your cycling equipment with complete confidence | | Weaknesses: | With special configurations, there is not much flexibility on different bike sizes. And of course it's quite expensive. | | Bottom Line: | This is the most solid, stable, safe and dependable bike rack I've ever seen. I hesitate to even call it a "rack" ... When assembled, it's more like a part of the car. If you're taking your equipment out on the interstates, or in heavy city traffic, you don't want to have to worry about something falling off ... damaging it or your car or someone behind you. With the Draftmaster, you leave any worries behind you. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jeff Quam
a Weekend Warrior
from Huron, SD 57350
Date Reviewed: August 6, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Mikkelson Trail Black Hills, SD | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$550.00 | | Purchased At: | Mail Order | | Strengths: | Ease of installation, ease of mounting bikes. | | Bike Setup: | Very accomodating | | Bottom Line: | We are very happy with the four-bike hitch mounted bike rack. It is light-weight and durable. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David Guenther
a Cross Country Rider
from Los Alamos, NM USA
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Upper Pipeline down Guaje Ridge | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | DraftMaster | | Strengths: | The ability to load up two MTBs and a Tandem and never having to hoist them on top of a SUV roof rack. The flexibilty to load up three different bikes including bents, tandems, mountain, road, and my three year olds 12" is great. I will never outgrow the rack. | | Weaknesses: | The strap ends that loop through the rack should use hardware to avoid the nylon from abrading (hooks, well rounded slots...). | | Similar Products Used: | Have a Yakima on my truck and both skewers have fatigued to breaking over the years. BEEFY SKEWERS ARE A GOOD THING! | | Bike Setup: | 1 Tandem, 3 Mountain, 1 Road and 1 childs Mountain Bike | | Bottom Line: | The DraftMaster rack is the best I've seen. Solid construction, good design, well made and a nice finish. Loading up your bikes is pretty effortless so you can save your energy for the ride. The rack rides well when loaded and is very paint job friendly to the car and bikes.The staff at DraftMaster is great. They take care of business with PLEASURE! The bottomline: The rack and Draftmaster are SWEEEET! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Edward Schenck
a Weekend Warrior
from Ponca,NE,USA
Date Reviewed: July 30, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Bizz-Johnson | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$600.00 | | Purchased At: | direct from Draftmaster | | Strengths: | Ease of loading both our ATB's and our bents. Especially the drop down feature when loading and unloading our recumbents. | | Weaknesses: | We have no complaints and the people at Draftmaster are the best. | | Bottom Line: | My wife and I really like the way our bikes are secured to the rack and the ease of loading and unloading. Last month we took a 4700 mile trip with our bikes mounted on the Draftmaster and rode several bike trails in western USA and received a lot of interest from other riders as to how easy it was to load and securely they are held in less than 30 seconds for each bike. We love this rack. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Doug Richards
a Cross Country Rider
from Alexandria, VA
Date Reviewed: July 29, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Phil's Loop, Bend OR | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | from manufacturer | | Strengths: | The Draftmaster 4 bike rack is: easy to use,easy on the vehicle, strong&durable, simple to set up, helps avoid roof wipeouts with garage enterances & low ATM drive throughs. Anyone can load this rack at ground level(even my 13 yr.old). No better way to get 4 buds (or the family)& their bikes + gear into one vehicle to the trail. | | Weaknesses: | Some small loose parts that can get lost if you're forgetful (like me). Company should design in attachments for these in future. | | Similar Products Used: | N/A | | Bike Setup: | Specialized FSR XC | | Bottom Line: | The Draftmaster 4 bike rack is a great product at a good price. It is suitable for use by serious XC addicts to the weekend family rider. I highly recommend it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gary Herman
a Weekend Warrior
from Los Altos, CA
Date Reviewed: July 22, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$549.00 | | Purchased At: | Sports Rack | | Strengths: | Beefy, quality construction; modular components lock together with quick releases, which simplifies assembly and disassembly for storage. Spring loaded carrier descends to simplify loading/unloading and provide access to tailgate.
Great customer service from Draftmaster! | | Weaknesses: | Very minor - cloth straps are a bit tricky to thread through clamps on wheel trays. | | Similar Products Used: | Yakima tandem rack; Yakima and Thule roof racks; Bauer hitch rack | | Bike Setup: | Co-Motion SkyCapp tandem; Seven Odonata single; Habanero mtb | | Bottom Line: | The engineering and quality of the Draftmaster gave me a huge grin when I assembled it! Took our tandem and two singles up to Tahoe last weekend at 75-80 mph on I80 and up and down the twisties on Highways 89 and 88 with no sway and no noticeable effect on our MDX's handling. Easy no-lift mount and dismount of the bikes.
Great rack! Great service! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Carrie
a Weekend Warrior
from Cedar City UT USA
Date Reviewed: July 19, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | The bike rack speaks for itself, it's great! But, the customer support and sales staff only amplifies the quality of this product. Great all the way around!!! | | Weaknesses: | None | | Bike Setup: | Extremely easy! | | Bottom Line: | We just started riding and the draftmaster bike rack has made it even more enjoyable. It is so easy to "throw" the bikes onto this rack and just go. Even for the short rides. The convenience and unique way the bikes mount on the rack takes the inconvenience out of the quick trips. Yet the safety and security has allowed us to travel long distances knowing that the bikes are on the back of our travel trailer and secure. We wouldn't be biking and exploring as much without this bike rack. It's too easy to go!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joshua Laverdiere
a Cross Country Rider
from Breckenridge,CO
Date Reviewed: July 16, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | CT | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$480.00 | | Purchased At: | Draftmaster | | Strengths: | -craftmaship
-customer service
-ease of loading and unloading bikes
-stability
-convience
-looks
-not too big
-did I say the girls at draftmaster. | | Weaknesses: | maybe the price,
this is just a few alterations I would make:
make a locable skewer,not having to buy one extra
have rachet straps instead of the cloth type | | Similar Products Used: | Thule | | Bike Setup: | Car setup is 2001 Durango, bike is 2001 Truth with Disk brakes(the rack fits) | | Bottom Line: | It is all simple to say, You get what you pay for!
This rack works beautifully, except for those few weakness, but that is really nothing to complain about. I went and bought 2 locking skewers from Yackima and it works fine.
If your bike has disk brakes it will fit without an adaptor. Oh the last thing is the wheel tray the rear tire it needs to be alittle longer. I might need to put something on correctly it might be me. But everything else is A OK. BUY THIS HITCH MOUNT RACK THE BEST>>>>> | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tony
a Weekend Warrior
from Minneapolis, MN
Date Reviewed: July 16, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Easy to mount rack on vehicle and bikes on rack
Provides a stable platform even at highway speeds
Can be easily adapted for future needs
Great customer service
| | Weaknesses: | Assembly instructions could be better but once you begin assembly it all falls in place | | Bottom Line: | This rack meets all my expectations, easy to assemble, easy to mount and very stable. I carry a three wheel recumbent and a semi-recumbent two wheel bike. The pivot feature is especially helpful since one person can load the bikes easily. It also allows access to the back of the SUV for easy access to coolers, camping equipment, etc. This company is also BIG on customer service. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark Hallett
a Weekend Warrior
from Spencer, Iowa Clay County
Date Reviewed: July 16, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | anywhere my bike will take me | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$425.00 | | Purchased At: | Company | | Strengths: | I just bought my second rack from Draftmaster I have been using product for over four years it is a great product, allows me to rack four bikes to five behind SUV and keeps them from touching one another. Upgraded to new rack because it has an easy release feature that allows the bikes to stay racked and allows me to lower the bikes to ground so that I can get into the back of the SUV. The new lowering feature is spring loaded and and takes weight of bikes from user. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Yakima, good rack not as easy to use | | Bike Setup: | road and mountain | | Bottom Line: | Good rack easy to use, has fexibility. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bob Neidinger
a Cross Country Rider
from St. Joseph, MO, USA
Date Reviewed: July 12, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Open Road | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | TailWind Cycling and Fitness | | Strengths: | * One person can put a tandem on the van.
* I didn't feel any wind drag, even in the flats of Kansas.
* The bikes rode well, no bounce, no shifting; I had to keep looking to see they were still there.
* Doesn't block view like other racks, I could still use my back window.
* The rack easily lowers to make it more accessable. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Tandem Rides, this is the rack for you .... | | Bike Setup: | The front wheel bar is Great! We used to put the front wheels it the van with the kids, now the wheels are on the bar; the kids loved the extra space this summer. | | Bottom Line: | We ride a recumbent tandem, recently we went on a tandem rally in Dorango, CO. We saw many roof top racks and helped a few riders get their bikes off their racks, why? Because our bike was so simple to get off the rack we had time to help. We have ridden tandems for 3 years and tried a variety of racks, but by far the Draft Master is hands down the best rack. It is so simple to use, the bikes go on and come off our van very easy. We can travel across country, stop take our bikes off, go for a ride, put them back on and continue our trip, it's that easy. Our Draft Master rack was a hit at the rally, espically with all the roof top rack oweners. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Garrett Velasquez
a Weekend Warrior
from Boulder
Date Reviewed: July 11, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Slick Rock Moab, UT | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$483.00 | | Purchased At: | Direct via 1-800 | | Strengths: | Solid construction
Does a great job of clearing the rear entryway
Great customer service | | Weaknesses: | Cost could be prohibitive (but you get what you pay for) | | Similar Products Used: | Thule | | Bike Setup: | 3 Bike rack with security bolt and 4 wheel carrier | | Bottom Line: | This rack kicks ass. It's very solid, fits perfectly behind my truck, and does a spectacular job of clearing my tailgate for easy entry. (I have a topper with a single piece tailgate and built in rear glass door... this rack clears both the door and the whole tailgate!) Stylish and functional... I love this thing. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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$ 449.00
