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A great solution for anyone looking for a sturdy steel bike rack that installs easily without the need for tools. Anti-sway cradles fold up, so they're out of the way while you're loading your bikes. Tilts with bikes unloaded.
Features:
Specs:
Note: The distance from the center of the hitch pin hole to the face of the hitch must be 1-1/2" or greater to use this rack.
Dual Folding Arms with Anti-Sway Cradles
The Thule Apex XT has dual arms that provide excellent support for your bikes. They slope up to provide ground clearance for steep driveways and bumpy roads.
To fold the arms down, pull up the HitchSwitch lever at the top of the mast. This leaves a smaller footprint, so you can keep the rack on your vehicle to park in your garage. And when stored in this configuration, it doesn't take up as much space in your garage.
HideAway anti-sway cradles with rubber straps hold your bikes firmly in place. Each set of cradles has two straps that secure your bike along the top tube and one that secures the seat post or downtube. This multi-point contact helps keep your bikes from rocking back and forth, reducing bike-to-bike contact. The soft rubber cradles rotate around the rack's arms to accommodate bikes of different styles and shapes.
The cradles have grooves on the surface that prevent your brake and shifter cables from getting pinched.
Ratchet straps hold your bikes firmly in place on the cradles. You can remove the lower straps and fold the cradles up against the arms to make it easier to slide your bikes onto the rack.
Easy Tilting for Cargo Area Access
The rack tilts down without your bikes loaded. This means you won't have to remove the whole rack to access your cargo area for grocery runs and other errands.
To tilt the rack down, pull up the HitchSwitch lever at the base of the mast. When you're ready to go, lift the rack up until it snaps into place with an audible click.
The rack quickly installs in your hitch receiver, without the need for tools. Just slide the shank into your hitch and turn the knob until snug. Turning the knob deploys an anti-rattle wedge in the shank to help take play out of the hitch connection. It also sets the integrated SnugTite hitch pin into place, securing the rack to your receiver.
You can install the rack in a 1-1/4" hitch or in a 2" hitch. To use it in a 1-1/4" hitch, simply remove the adapter with the included Allen key.
The lock on the hand knob secures the rack to your vehicle. Once locked, the hand knob will spin freely so a would-be thief can't operate it.
The integrated cable lock threads around your bikes' frames and inserts into the lock at the end of the left arm. The cable stores inside the mast when not in use. The locks are keyed alike, so you only need to use 1 key. Additional One-Key System locks (sold separately) let you make all your Thule products keyed alike.
Available Adapter Bar
If you have a women's bike, kid's bike, or any other bike without a straight, horizontal top tube, you will need an adapter bar (sold separately) to properly mount your bike. The bar fits between the seat post and handlebar stem post of your bike to create a top tube so your bike hangs level on the rack.
Customer Satisfaction Score:
96% were satisfied with this product
4% of customers were not satisfied
Ratings & Reviews
Bmw X.
9/30/2021
It is just wonderful and highly recommended, quite stable while driving, easy to use for onoff removal.
David
6/28/2021
I have used this product for a year now. The rack is solid. Easy to put on and off. All my travels in different terrains showed it holds well I am very happy with the purchase and the service etrailer.com provided Thank you
Ryan
9/16/2023
Super awesome in terms of easy to put it on and take it off.
Katrina B.
5/31/2022
When it comes to the bikes fitting tightly, we recommend making sure that the bikes are alternating on the rack, to try and squeeze a bit more room between clamps. for example, one of them having the handle bars facing the drivers side, then the bike next to that one facing the passenger side, and so on.
Todd K.
8/7/2020
I like the bike rack but three normal size bikes is all we can fit on there. I guess if there was one small bike for a child I could squeeze the fourth one on. Overall the rack is easy to use and works very good
Daniel S.
10/6/2020
Still working perfectly. Looks nicer and sturdier than most other carriers I see on the roads around us. No regrets here. I only had a 1.25 hitch so this met my need well and will be able to follow me to a larger 2x2inch hitch size in the future.
Forbearer
12/17/2024
Its been a year. The Thule 4-bikes Hitch Bike Rack has been working out very well for me. With a well-installed hitch thank you, Pittsburgh Truck & Tow, this rack has proven to be very sturdy. First off, it was pretty straightforward to assemble and install following Thules instructions. Once assembled, it is a tad heavy, but removal and mounting of the hitch itself is a breeze. Mounting the bikes onto the rack is also not bad. We only use 3 of 4 racks so far, and it does get a bit challenging fitting the third bike on while decluttering the handle bars with the previous. I will also admit to not loving the pastic slip-straps that hold the bikes down, as I dont know how long theyll last, but so far theyve held up. Another note for those driving a modern vehicle with safety features and a rear-view camera. The hitch will interfere with radar that guards reversing, so that feature needs to be disabled. The hitch will very likely occlude a rear-view camera mounted near the license plate area, so you will need to rely on good-old-regular rear-view mirror instead. Overall, this is a great, safe, and convenient product for carrying a small familys bike on roadtrips our longest with bike being 3 hours.
Gregory
3/4/2023
Fantastic. The bike rack is easy to put in and take off and securing bikes to the rack is super easy.
Heather A.
3/8/2023
Do you have a question about this Hitch Bike Rack?
Condition: Like New
Notes: May have damaged packaging or minor cosmetic blemishes.
Condition: Surface Scratches
Notes: There are scratches and paint chips on the item. Otherwise, new and unused. All hardware is included.
Info for this part was:
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Mike L.
7/2/2026
Wow, we hope you're all okay!!