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Customers most agreed on the following attributes:
from Columbus, OH on 8/6/2008
Great product in most regards. Easy to put together (though mine came partially assembled incorrectly but was easy enough to fix), bikes go in and out very quickly, bikes are held securely.I have an Accord with a Hidden Hitch. I can not lift the rack to the storage position. It hits my bumper a couple inches before locking at 90 degrees so I have to take it off in order to park in the garage. I will have to cut some additional notches into the arm in order to raise it to 75 degrees or so. Don't know why they couldn't incorporate this option since I know it will void my warranty once I do it. Also, for [$] I think they could throw in the hitch lock for free. The extra [$] is a bit silly. Just throw it in Thule. Still a great product just ensure your hitch extends flush with the back of your vehicle.
from Salem, CT on 7/6/2008
I ride over 100 miles a week and am frequently transporting my bicycles to different locations. I find the Thule 917 to be the highest quality bike rack on the market bar none. It is clearly the best bike rack I have ever owned! I use it for transporting both mountain bikes and road bikes. It is also very easy to set up and use. In addition the T917 is very attractive and takes up little space when storing during the offseason. In fact, I have gotten many compliments from fellow riders in my cycling club since I bought it. My only complaint is that the locking mechanism is not the most secure. For example if someone punctures a tire or cuts the spokes of the bicycle while it is mounted on the T917, it appears as if the the bicycle is pretty easy to steal. Other than that however, the positive aspects of the T917 greatly outweigh this one small flaw. In fact I plan on buying at least one more Thule T917 in the future.
from Washington DC on 6/19/2008
The rack has be easy to use. It feels solid. Although I have a small station wagon, it doesn't overwhelm it even when I've a bike on the back.
from San Jose, CA on 11/17/2006
Excellent rack. I've owned a few hitch racks (Bauer, Roadgear, Hollywood), and this is the best. Super fast mount/dismount of the bikes. Similar to the Sportworks rack (I think Thule bought the Sportworks design) - however one very important difference. The Sportworks rack fully cradled the front wheels, and the Thule doesn't. My buddy has the Sportworks, and I got used to loading/unloading my bike on it. I was reminded of the difference the hard way: I unhooked the front wheel without holding on to the bike, and the bike fell over and put a quarter size ding in the rear tailgate of my truck. Doh! The Sportworks rack you can unhook the wheel and the bike stays upright. My fault, but because of this change in design I'm giving the Thule 4 stars instead of 5. The latch mechanism that allows you to fold the rack up or down is superior to Yakima's similar offering (which won't fold down out of the way - only up). The left/right and fore/aft adjustability of each bike holder beam seems like a smart idea - should help to allow a large range of bike sizes to more easily fit without bumping into each other, although the stationary design of the Sportworks worked fine. Got the hitch locking pin, but not the locks for the tire latches - why bother? Someone could just flip your front wheel quick release (or undue a couple allan bolts on a 20mm axle), and boom - bikes gone... Just invest in a thick cable and good lock...