Dear tarckbear, don’t do U-Haul for a receiver hitch. Find a YouTube video for your vehicle, order the hitch. Get out the impact wrench and be done.
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This does look good… I think I just have to decide whether any of this is worth the cash right now. I think it would be fun to take bikes on trips but I’m not sure that’s the gf’s style yet. gf’s current style is driving the bikes a couple miles on the bike rack to a trail or place with lots of protected lanes. Which is fine, and why I’m rethinking my rack situation, but maybe not permanent if she gets more confident on the bike.
Kurt or whatever from Amazon and the longest wrench you own, with a pipe over the end will give similar results.
Or mix-n-match like I did, Amazon hitch and brap wrench it on.
My main point is U-Haul is expensive and unreliable. Installing the receiver hitches (I have a reese) is pretty easy.
Wiring trailer lights goes from easy to a pain real fast, but still Nevar Uhaul.
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I use uhaul to fill the propane on my camper sometimes when I can’t figure out how to plan ahead and it’s a huge hour long adventure in patience and frustration every time.
that’s me!
Curt hitches are good and are what we sell in the showroom here. Look up the model # on their website and then buy through Amazon to get closer to wholesale pricing. I think it knocked the price on mine down from $250 to $150.
They are easy enough to install yourself most of the time. Might require some finagling, but IIRC you work on your own motorcycle (?) so you oughta be able to handle it. Mine was a hassle due to Wisconsin rust and a bent bumper that intruded a bit too much, but nothing your average mechanically inclined person can’t handle.
Note that you may need a hitch extension due to the spare tire. Probably not but maybe. That’s more of an issue with yuge offroading tires.
Shameless plug, this is basically the same rack as the MonoRail, just on a swing away base. It’s the only integrated swing away rack on the market, which saves a few hundred bucks compared to a Thule, Yakima, or Kuat where you have to buy the pivot separately.
https://rockymounts.com/products/backstage-swing-away-platform-hitch-rack
The one I designed (the WestSlope) is very definitely the best $250 rack out there, but it maxes out at 3" tire width. Not sure if that matters. I think the MonoRail is the best all-around rack we make considering the tire width thing and a few other small design elements that had to be cut for the price point on the WestSlope.
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Still working on the REDACTED friendly rack?
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Shhhh 
Aiming for it to be out Spring 2020… I guess I can say that. It’s far enough along that nobody will be able to get the jump on me unless theirs was already in development.
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Honestly wanting to buy a hitch rack but I’m waiting, patiently.
Aww yeah this is what we come to tarck for
I’ve installed a hitch before, no big deal there. I saw that Backstage. It looks super sweet but it might be more money than is worth spending on this project. I didn’t realize that the swing-away was an add-on for all the other brands though… Guess I should check craigslist to see if there are any cheap ones.
Is a swing-away rack something I could consider a life-time investment sort of thing? Do these things break every ten years? If I can tell myself it’s the last rack I’ll ever buy then it will be easier to convince myself.
That depends a lot on how well you treat it. Most people leave them on their car 100% of the time, and 10ish years is reasonable for a steel rack in that case. The only thing that would last longer is a 1Up, which is pretty much 100% aluminum, but they are $$$$$, and many adjustments require a wrench which can be user-hostile if you need to adjust the wheel size regularly.
Canadians, New Englanders, and Upper Midwesterners can destroy a rack in 5 years or sometimes less. My roommates are from Madison and have a Saris Superclamp which looks 4x its actual age. We get a lot of complaints but there’s really nothing that can be done. Everything we make is ED coated and powdercoated for max rust prevention. Any rack from a major manufacturer will have the same problem.
If you live in a generally dry place, take the rack off your car outside of cycling season, and don’t run it through the car wash (these are rack destroyers), expecting the thing to last a lifetime is not unreasonable.
All the major manufacturers also stock replacement parts… just in case.
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a bear is born…That all seems reasonable. I’d probably leave a spare tire rack on all the time and destroy it. A nice hitch rack would probably live in the garage 99% of the time for better or worse. Will have to mull this over
(also if there is a bro discount on rockymounts let us know lol)
On the topic of racks, anyone have a 1up? I like how versatile mine is and made in USA and all but only fits one bike and I don’t wanna buy the add on.
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Rocky Mounts just ended a 20% off sale. I think I bought my monorail when they were running one of those sales, but through Backcountry on ebay when ebay was also running a monthly promotion. Shit was $303 with stacked deals. Not sure how often Rocky does the 20% thing.
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I think I may list my 1UP locally and see what happens.
I’ve always wanted a 1up for my van but the T2 comes in so handy with hauling trailers and now a tandem.
This is a bit niche, but:
hit me with all your cable actuated steering setup and maintenance tips.
My Supermarche is turning 1 year old soon, and I have not really done much to keep the steering working, besides the occasional tightening of the cable adjusters when the front wheel gets a little floppy. So, if you’ve worked on this kind of steering, or have seen other applications of the principles behind it, tell me something I don’t know.
Can someone talk to me about 12 speed
Should I just wait for Shimano?