Hello,
I know this subject (bike racks) has been discussed a number of times and I thought I was on the right track until I pulled the trigger and purchased a Thule EasyFold XT bike rack for my wife's Rad City ST. From everything I had read I thought the Thule was the right rack because it has a ramp that keeps the user (my wife) from having to lift the 65 lb bike up on the rack (she can't). The provided ramp is pretty short (about 3').I know you can purchase an extended ramp (53") for it and we were planning to do so. However, we have a Honda Pilot (SUV) and the receiver in about 19" above the ground. When the rack is placed in the receiver, the rack bottom (where the wheel would sit) is 32" above the ground. If you can envision it, the 36" long ramp is at a pretty steep angle when attached to the 32" high rack! The longer ramp would certainly be better.
That brings up another problem....
The handlebars are 46" above the ground, Even with the long extensions there is no way to control the steering when running the bike up the ramp because it's difficult to reach 78" high (32+46).
Am I missing something here? Do any of you forum members have experience using a Thule EF with the long ramp and if so, is it "easy" (consider wife here) to control the bike while moving it up the ramp to the 32" height?
Is there another rack that would be more user-friendly on an SUV?
Thanks for your help.
I know this subject (bike racks) has been discussed a number of times and I thought I was on the right track until I pulled the trigger and purchased a Thule EasyFold XT bike rack for my wife's Rad City ST. From everything I had read I thought the Thule was the right rack because it has a ramp that keeps the user (my wife) from having to lift the 65 lb bike up on the rack (she can't). The provided ramp is pretty short (about 3').I know you can purchase an extended ramp (53") for it and we were planning to do so. However, we have a Honda Pilot (SUV) and the receiver in about 19" above the ground. When the rack is placed in the receiver, the rack bottom (where the wheel would sit) is 32" above the ground. If you can envision it, the 36" long ramp is at a pretty steep angle when attached to the 32" high rack! The longer ramp would certainly be better.
That brings up another problem....
The handlebars are 46" above the ground, Even with the long extensions there is no way to control the steering when running the bike up the ramp because it's difficult to reach 78" high (32+46).
Am I missing something here? Do any of you forum members have experience using a Thule EF with the long ramp and if so, is it "easy" (consider wife here) to control the bike while moving it up the ramp to the 32" height?
Is there another rack that would be more user-friendly on an SUV?
Thanks for your help.