Today we'll be reviewing the Rola TX-103 Three Bike Carrier for inch and a quarter and two-inch hitches, part number 59403. This bike carrier features large, soft, anti-sway cradles that hold your bike securely in place with the rubber straps. It accommodates most bike frame tube sizes, up to two inches wide and three inches tall. The cradles slide along the arms to ensure proper bike spacing and they also prevent bike-to-bike contact during travel to protect the paint and surfaces. The dual arms offer excellent bike stability and conveniently fold down for storage when the bike rack is not in use. Some bike styles may require an adapter bar, part number 64005, which is sold separately.
It has an integrated retractable cable lock that provides bike security. It stores inside the upright support arm of the bike rack when not in use, and comes with two keys. The patented flip chain rotates to fit inch and a quarter and two inch hitches and switches in seconds by removing the pin and clip. The silver powder coat finish protects against rust and corrosion. It has a weight capacity of 80 pounds and comes with a five-year limited warranty.
Now that we've gone over some features and specs of the Rola bike carrier, we'll go ahead and show you how to install it. The vehicle we are using for demonstration purposes is equipped with a class three hitch, so we will make sure that the flip chain is on the two-inch side. Now before we begin our installation, we will first need to put the anti-sway block with spring inside the hollow shank of the carrier. We'll slide the shank over the carrier into the opening of the hitch, line up our pinholes, thread our anti-rattle bolt through the pinholes, and tighten with a wrench. Now that the bick carrier is installed, we're ready to show you how to load the bike.
We'll swing out the cradle arms by pulling the silver pin at the top right-hand side of the mast, and the red lever at the top of the mast to swing the cradle arms out, we'll then put it back in place, securing the dual arms. We'll make sure that the cradle straps are undone, we'll set the bike into the frame cradles, and secure it with the straps. Now we'll go ahead and show you how it looks driving down the road. That completes today's overview of the Rola TX-103 Three Bike Carrier, part number 59403.
Martin G.
9/17/2020
I purchased the Rola TX-103 3-bike rack on April 30th. I cannot get the anti-sway cradles to line up with our mountain bikes. They just don't sit in the correct position regardless if I have 1 bike or 3 on the rack. Because of that, I am sure that I have stretched the cables too far on the 5 times we have used the rack to be sure that the bikes are secured. , All 3 of the cables are now destroyed! Does this tack NOT accommodate mountain bikes? Do I just not use the anti-sway cradles? any help? Also, the security cable hangs up each time I try to either pull if from the tube or replace it in the tube????