Softride Dura Parallelogram Tilting 4 Bike Rack for 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches

Softride Dura Parallelogram Tilting 4 Bike Rack for 1-1/4 - SR26247

by: Jeano B.04/30/2011

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Well build, solid, really good bike rack. The only thing that's stopping me from giving it a perfect score is because of it's weight. If weight is not an issue, get this bike rack if you want something that will last very long.12606

by: John H09/26/2011

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This is an excellent, well built product. It requires minimal assembly, just 4 bolts if I recall to attach the top plate, torqued to hand tight (snug). I posted a question about the torque as the installation manual did not mention it. etrailer contacted the manufacturer and got the answer (that's customer service!). Note: make sure the bike lock cable is pulled out of the main vertical rack tube before assembly, or you'll find yourself un-assembling it to do just that. If you have a spare tire mounted on the rear of your vehicle, you'll probably need the Softride Bike Rack Extender Bar for 2" Hitches (etrailer # SR26033). I have a 2004 Dodge Sprinter RV with a rear mounted spare, and my measurements suggested I might be able to go with the original hitch bar, but thankfully I bought the extender bar as it was needed. If you get this extender bar (which is 2" BTW), etrailer should have a short video on installing it to the rack - that was a question I had - as neither the extender bar nor the bike rack have installation instructions for it. It replaces the existing hitch bar. It's a little tricky with the washers, so watch the video. I believe the video is linked under the extender bar. I don't know if you can down-convert the 2" extender bar to 1-1/4. The bike rack comes with a 2" to 1-1/4" hitch converter, I just don't know if the 1-1/4 class hitches can handle it with the extender, so be careful. When you install the assembled unit in your hitch receptacle, you'll need a torque wrench. If I recall, the torque is 60 pounds, and this is in the install manual. You also might need a socket driver extension if your hitch receptacle pin hole is in a tight area. Once it's in, it's nice and snug. Installing the 2 bike carrying arms is a breeze - just slide them in until they lock. Next are the rubber straps. Before mounting any bikes, I recommend placing them toward the rear side of the vehicle on each rubber mounting assembly so that, as you mount bikes, you're pulling the straps away from the rear of the vehicle, toward yourself, to secure the bikes. The rubber straps are very tough and stiff initially, and I had a devil of a time getting them secured the first time. I had to use a long nose pliers, but since can manage without, what with my heroically strong fingers and hands. Ha! (Ok, maybe you younger stronger whipper-snappers won't need a pliers). In any case, the first time you mount bikes, allow yourself 3 times as much time as you think you'll need. After that first time it's easy and goes much quicker. The rack comes with a set of velcro straps and no explanation for them. I assume they are to secure the front wheel of the bike to bike frame, so the wheel is not twisting in the wind and clanking against the neighboring bike. A single velcro strap was not long enough for either of my bikes, so I had to daisy chain 2 of them together. I'm sure a rope or bungie cord will work just as well. I only carried 2 bikes, a man's on/off road, and a retro woman's bike with really wide handle bars. With only 2 bikes I was able to space them out, which made it easier to mount. There was plenty of space for a 3rd bike, but I think a 4th would've been very tight, if not impossible, what with the 2 wide-load bikes I have that are meant for lazy older people. Also, somewhere on etrailer, I read that if you use an extender hitch bar, you cut the weight capacity of the bike rack in half. That wasn't mentioned specifically for this product, so that might be a general rule of thumb. That'd be a good question for etrailer if you plan on loading up this rack while using the extender bar. This rack has a "lowering" feature that moves the bikes away from your vehicle, while keeping the bikes vertical. It is a singularly excellent feature. I am able to fully access the right rear door of the Sprinter. However, I cannot access the left door as that's where the spare is mounted, and even if I attempt to drop the spare to its horizontal position, it won't clear the lowered bike rack. I can live with that as I seldom need access through that door anyway. The rack comes with a hitch lock - very nice - that you'll pay extra for with other racks. It also has an integrated bike lock cable (lock not included). Pull the cable all the way out, and then maneuver it horizontally right or left under the top plate, and then pull it over the bikes to lock it. The cable is not long enough if you go over the top of the top plate. As far as performance on the road, I was impressed. Watching the tops of the bikes through the rear view mirror, they hardly move. And let me tell you, the Sprinter is notoriously tippy, side to side and front to back. It's like a 20 foot sailboat in 10 foot waves, especially going in and out of gas stations or over those pain in the arse speed bumps in my neighborhood. Once on the expressway though, it's smooth sailing for the vehicle and the bike rack. All in all, I think this is an excellent product and recommend it. I'm a bike rack novice (this is my first one), so I don't have anything to compare it to, but perhaps this lends credence to my thoughts on this product. Be careful, do your research, and have fun!24642

by: John B08/01/2011

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Just used this for a short two hour drive up to the mountains. Rack assembled quickly and installed quickly as well. It is very sturdy and is also easy to tilt, even with four bikes on it. I am using it to transport 2 adult and 2 kids (24") bikes. It is a tight fit getting all the bikes on, but I really like the space in between the bars. It is narrow enough to fits the kids bikes without having to buy any adapters. One of the rubber straps broke after the third or fourth use, so make sure you are not pulling too tight. All in all, I think this is a good value and would recommend. 20839

by: John O06/03/2011

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My only other experience with a hitch rack was a $99 Walmart special. Not good. This rack was easy to install and I used the 1 1/4" adaptor. Loaded up 4 mountain bikes. A little tight but made it work. Took it for a test drive and it was solid and quiet. Didn't even know it was there. Watching in the rear view, there was little movement. I was looking for something strong and it is. Some reviews stated concerns about the rubber straps. I pulled them as tight as I could and the held well. If they happen to wear out they are worth buying replacements. I am very confident in taking this across the US this summer with the family. Mounted it on a Mountaineer.16072

by: mark b03/29/2011

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haven't had an opportunity to use it yet. did mount it on a honda odessey van and was happy with the ability to open the back door by lowering the rack. we bought it in the first place because it will carry our bike higher above the ground than our last rack. we were dragging bikes going in and out of filling stations.10677

by: Don & Jess Alexander02/25/2011

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This bike rack is phenomenal. Came 95% assembled and is very rugged. Great warranty. We love our new bike rack which we'll use for long road trips and around the city. Again, great packaging and delivery by E-trailer. Love all the info that is posted on the site. Made me comfortable with my purchase. Thanks7908

by: stephen07/18/2011

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The rack works about as expected. The tilt-away feature is really worth it for gaining access to your hatch without messing with the bikes. I had great difficulty putting the bikes on for the first time, because the rubber attachment straps, when new, are very stiff and it was hard to get the round holes in the straps over the oblong attachment points. When the rubber stretches a bit, it should be easier, but I was surprised to find how difficult it was at first. (Given that, I can't imagine having to take the bikes on and off every time you wanted access to your trunk.) That said, we transported three bikes over one hundred miles on the first trip without problems -- once the bikes were in place. Pushing the bikes back in place from the lowered position does require some muscle, so if you're pushing three or four full size bikes a lot, I might spring for the hydraulic assist. The other feature I appreciate is the ability to easily slide the two horizontal supports off the rack for storage -- that's a good design element. Otherwise, the rack seems stable, solid, and well constructed.19629

by: James06/29/2011

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very solid and looks long lasting. If you are looking to own a long life bike rack, this is the choice. this even comes with hitch lock and keys. only cons i can say it's it's weight.18162

by: TL06/13/2011

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Overall a great product. Holds the bikes steady and functions smoothly. Would buy again.16872

by: John O06/03/2011

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PS etrailer.com shipped and delivered fast. Good price and free shipping.16073

by: Allen B04/14/2011

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The product was delivered the day after I ordered it even though I did not select overnight delivery. Everything was included, easy assembly, and it went onto the car with no issues. Thanks for the great service and great product.11713

by: Dave M03/16/2010

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Exactly as I expected!!!!! This rack is just what I ordered. I would recommend this rack to everyone.I thought it would be to large for my 2009 Santa Fe, but it looks great and works great. Buy one and enjoy.Also etrailer.com is the best site I have ever used to purchase from FIVE STAR !!!!!!!!!!!!!2812

by: Joe R05/06/2013

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So far I like everything about the bike rack except for one aspect. It is very inconvenient to use a wrench to secure the rack to the hitch. This was something I missed before purchasing. I don't like keeping the rack on the car when not carrying bikes so again this is a very inconvenient feature of the rack. Most of the other racks in this category allow you to tighten the rack to the hitch by hand and don't require a tool. 79123

by: Nick04/23/2013

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Great design, makes it really easy to get the bikes and the dogs in and out of our Subaru. Pretty sturdy overall, although a couple of parts could have been designed a little better. Assembly took a little creativity as the bolts from the lower section get in the way of tightening the nuts. You'll need the right socket attachment to get it tightened down all the way. Other than that, everything went together smoothly, and it holds the bikes very securely. The lowering and raising is a little stiff, but shouldn't be too hard for someone with average strength. Overall very satisfied. 77573

by: Sandy03/19/2013

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Love the rack, though had to purchase extra parts that would have been good to have planned for ahead of time; specifically mount tubes for women's/child bikes, in order to use the rack. It is also a bit difficult to mount in the receiver for women. The nut retainer (for the anti-rattle, locking bolt) would be a better design and easier to engage if mounted permanently in the base (weld nut) as opposed to the plastic insert from the factory that the nuts ride in. Overall though, a great product on which I feel my bikes are very securely mounted to for road trips.71626

The Softride rack uses a narrower arm spread than other racks so it is better, but it does not always work with womens or kids bikes. Step-through frames will still require use of an adapter bar for sure. Bikes for small children will also still need an adapter bar. The 20 inch might work, but the 12 will probably need an adapter bar. I have added a link to the adapter bar page so you can view the options. The arm spread is listed in the specs, so you can measure the openings available on the bike frames to get a better idea of how they will fit on the arms.

Patrick B - 5/13/2013

by: J. Twine09/29/2012

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Very pleased. Meets my needs well. 56114

by: Sean M09/14/2012

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Easy to assemble. Solid. Built well. Very heavy and Im a big guy.54689

by: Clermont C08/18/2012

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I have used this bike rack now for 5 months. Rack is wonderful. The only issue I have is that 2 of the straps have ripped. I have contacted etrailer and was informed that there is no warranty on the straps after 3 months. I was able to order a new pack of 4,but will look into another make of strap to see if it will fit. Rack is solid though and people at etrailer are nice.52178

by: Tom W08/07/2012

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I installed the rack on a Subaru Outback 2.5 Limited 2012. It was connected to a hidden 2” hitch from eTrailer. A couple of things: 1: The rack arrived with two set of screws (needed to connect Rack to hitch) for 11/4” hitch as oppose to one for 2” and one for 11/4”, as the installation manual specifies. It prevented me from completing the installation. However things like that can happen and the true test of a vendor is how they handle problems. I called customer service and after 48 hours I received a box with the missing 2” strews. They took ownership of the problem and solved it immediately. Overall very positive experience. The product is great!! However be aware that it is very heavy; although manual says that can be installed on 11/4” hitch (comes with an adapter) it is strongly not recommended by the pros. Be aware of your car tongue weight limit given the weight of the rack + bikes etc. I have been using it for 10 days across 3 rides so far the loading/unloading of the bikes is easy and hassle free; love it. 50848

by: Bonnie M.08/01/2012

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Excellent delivery time; however, not sure on the rack. Very, very hard to tilt & push back into place. Cap on key lock will not stay on so I have it taped. The latch on bar does not fit well and very hard to fit into hole. It a very stable bike rack. Have not used it yet to see how the bikes are for traveling. Not sure if I want to keep it. The staff is great. 50061

by: Andres07/18/2012

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I'm very, vary happy with this hitch. It is easy to setup and works as announced. Putting it back to the up position with 3 or 4 mountain bikes requires a bit of strength, but not too much even after a few of hours of biking. One of my friends said he was buying the exact same model. He has one that can be lowered but doesn't tilt, and that makes a huge difference --- the other you simply cannot easily lower when the bikes are on. Great product and i'm very happy with the review and service provided by the folks at etrailer --- the hitch arrvied fast and in perfect condition. 48393

by: Dave M.07/16/2012

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E-trailer and the shipper got the bike rack to me in less than 24 hours! The rack was fairly simple to assemble and operated as promoted in our 2" hitch on our 2012 Chevy Traverse. Plenty of room to open the back hatch with the bikes swung back. Straps were stiff initially but worked well after being used a bit. The test drive showed no signs of sway or bounce. I'm very satisfied so far. The only negative was the locking mechanism for the hitch. I had to grind away some of the brass to get the lock to catch on the hitch bolt for the 2" set up. I tried the smaller 1 1/2" set up and it worked fine so the design tolerances on the 2" aren't quite right.48202

by: Nate M.07/05/2012

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This bike rack is very good. You can drop and lift all four bikes to access the back of an SUV. The only drawback is that the arms don't fold down. You have to remove them(which is easy)and stow them away. Otherwise it is a great rack.46860

Less than that, just a few seconds really. There are a pair of slide latches on the backside of the head. Push the latch and the arm slides right out. 15 seconds tops to get the arms out.

Patrick B - 3/21/2013

by: Mark06/20/2012

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Seems like a good sturdy rack. Easy install. Have yet to use it. 44905

by: Rich R06/19/2012

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Easy to assemble (10 minutes and ready to go). The ability to swing the bikes out of the way and still have them stay level is ideal as it keeps the bikes from hitting the ground at an odd angle (which is the specific feature I was looking for). As long as you have a modicum of strength, you do not need the hydraulic assist to lower and raise the rack. Solid construction. Works very well on highway with no rattle or sway at speeds up to 75mph. Like any rack, if the bikes you are putting on have very different geometries then it is hard to get four bikes on. Overall very pleased, got exactly what I was looking for and found the etrailer website informative with it's various videos and reviews.44750

by: Jack L.06/16/2012

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We bought this item in April and have been using it for about two month now. We are very happy with our purchase. We drove from Georgia to California (2400 miles trip) and the bicycle rack is rock solid. Our bicycle is safely secured on the rack, the bicycle does not move even when we drove through the winding Highway 1 (PCH) around Big Sur. Once we bolt the bicycle rack onto the U-haul 2" hitch, the rack does not move or sway. Here are the pros and other thoughts of this bicycle rack: Pros: 1) We like the ability to be able to open the trunk of our Honda CRV while the bicycle is on it. 2) We can load the bicycle on the lower position, lock the bicycle to the rack, and use the straps that came with the rack to fix the bicycle wheels. 3) Its great that the hitch lock came with the package so we can lock the bicycle rack to the hitch. 4) I am able to load my wife's bicycle onto the rack without the top tube adapter. Other thoughts: 1) The rack is kind of heavy, I can notice that the ride height change of our Honda CRV when the bicycle rack is attached. 2) Once both of our bicycles are on the rack(both bike together weight 54 pounds), it becomes kind of heavy to push the rack to the upper position, kind of wish that I have bought the hydraulic assisted version. I have tried Saris Bone 3 before on a different car, the rubber leg actually scratch the paint on my trunk. I have also tried the Yakima hitch rack in the past, but not been able to access the trunk while the bicycle is on the rack is not very convenient. I think the rack is great value for its price.44412

by: Erik O.05/22/2012

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For maybe the first time in my life, something that required (even minimal) assembly was easy to put together with instructions that made sense. Quick to assemble and VERY sturdy. Mounted it on my wife's Sequoia with ease and plan to take it out this weekend.41251

by: Louis T.05/07/2012

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I just got this rack and really like it. I admit I've only used it once so far, but I'm quite happy. It connects securely to the car and hold the bikes well. It's easy to get into the trunk. I found some minor gotchas but nothing that would make me downgrade this rack. 1) During initial assembly, the bolts to attach the head plate are awkwardly placed and stick through the nuts pretty far. A crescent wrench won't do it; I needed a good socket wrench set to get this together. Right tool = no problem. 2) The metal ring that goes around the hitch pin lock was loose in the parts bag when I got it, but was not mentioned in the directions. It took me a minute of deductive reasoning to figure out where it went. 3) I have a 2012 Honda Odyssey with a U-Haul receiver hitch, and the review is correct that there was only 3/4 inch between the rack and the bumper. This is fine once latched, but there's enough play when raising the rack that I was not able to get the rack to latch in the up position without pushing it into the bumper. I'll either have to mount it in the second hitch hole next time, or decide I don't care about a small bump to the bumper. I like that the arms can be removed. You just have to be a little careful to get then in the right side when re-installing them. (The anti sway arms should fold inward, not outward.) The anti-sway arms can't be removed (which would be nice when you only have two bikes on this four bike rack, since they like to get in the way when loading). The rubber straps are just what I expected - tough, but just like the ones on the Thule I have for my sedan. Tip: When pulling a strap toward you and trying to get it over a "button", hook the far end of the button through the hole first while you are pulling, then relax and let the near end of the button hook the hole.39643

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by: A. Brown05/05/2012

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Just tried once. So far it works well. The instructions stop short on the specifics of the lock system and the rubber tie downs. The tie downs are difficult to use and install.39456

by: Ken R05/03/2012

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Great rack..... the best without a doubt. quick ship, all there,No damage. Will deal again.39289

by: Mike04/18/2012

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Fantastic service from etrailer. Product was ordered on Monday and delivered on Wednesday. Product looks great but have not used it yet. 37626

by: chris s02/12/2012

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fast delivery from etrailer. fits great and works better than expected. looks very good on vehicle as well31619

by: Paul B01/29/2012

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Pros Good Construction Easy to assemble Cons V hard to push up Rubber straps holes are hard to get onto here designated keeper Rubber straps very stiff, not for older people Would be much easier if they were like a bungie cord 4 bikes are really tight. I would not buy this rack if I had known the above information Review of E Trailer Made a customer for life out of me. Thanks for the great customer service. 30504

by: Bob G09/13/2011

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3rd time I've used etrailer. Product always arrives on time or early. Great quality and easy to assemble. Should be the last bike rack I will buy.23862

by: Andrew P.08/10/2011

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I was intrigued by tilting mechanism of this rack and the fact it has most of the features of Thule and Yakima systems at a slightly better price. The product arrived on time and was easy to assemble and install. The rack itself is very well made and sturdy. Had no issues carrying three bikes, but had to some trouble with my cruiser bikes. I found this product called Xporter which is like a clip on top tube that solved the problem. The issue was not with the rack, but with my bikes as I would have run into the issue with the other brands as well. Overall I am very happy with my purchase and would recommend it.21573

by: Emily R.07/18/2011

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Do not buy this if you want to transport 4 bikes at a time! Worked ok for 3 but definitely not the 4 it said it could hold. 19671