Hitch Bike Rack Review - Inno 3 Bike Rack

[cal3thousand]

INNO 3 Bike Hitch-Mount Rack - Special Buy

 

 

I've been getting into biking more lately as Summer has rolled into full gear, and wanted a way to transport our bikes to new riding terrain. I have been researching Roof and Hitch rack options, both new and used. And decided to pick up this Hitch Mounted Rack at REI during the 20% off Outlet items sale. The rack retailed for $199.99 and was marked down to $159.99 in the outlet. With the 20% discount, tax and free shipping, I paid $140.40 out the door. After owning this rack for a week, I can confidently say that if I had paid the full retail price of $199.99, I would still be happy. And with used racks with similar features going on Craigslist for $100 to $250 or more, I think I scored a great deal. I still plan to install roof rails on my BAMR equipped Edge before winter when it's time transport snowboards and skis, but that's another thread for another week.

 

 

 

 

These racks are usually available in 2 and 4 bike models, but this one was a 'special buy' from REI. I've heard that the 4 bike racks really only hold 3. And to be honest, It's difficult but not impossible to get 3 bikes on here. For 2 bikes, there's plenty of room to spare.

There are a few reasons why I chose a hitch mounted rack over roof options for the Edge:

 

1. First, I don't even have my roof rails yet.
2. Second, my wife will be the main beneficiary of the rack as her main form of transportation is bicycling, and putting a bike on the Edge's roof won't be easy (I'm 5' 9" on a good day), especially with the BAMR.
3. Overhead clearance of garages and carports. I can back my car into my spot with bikes on the hitch, but never on the roof. I don't think my snowboard racks will clear once I install the roof rails. *fingers crossed*

Some reasons I was initially apprehensive about using this hitch rack (I will address these later in the review):

1. Rearview Camera blockage
2. Bike to Bike contact
3. Wobble factor
4. Parking
5. Power Liftgate contact/damage
6. Not much experience with Inno as a brand versus the usual Thule and Yakima

Things I like about this particular rack:

1. Looks - The brushed aluminum look is refreshing after seeing mostly square tubed black powdercoated racks
2. Construction - It has 2 main support arms instead of one in the middle, everything feels sturdy. Welds look strong and the rivets look like they will last
3. Quality - This is a HIGH quality piece of equipment; it feels solid, like it will last a while and the finish is high-end. Nothing feels cheap about it.
4. Ease of use - I feel it is very well designed with some key features that set it apart from the crowd, especially at this price point.

I received the rack in literally a couple days from REI; actually it came on a Friday and I was expecting it the following Monday (an awesome fact since I wanted to use it on the weekend and ordered it on a Tuesday afternoon). The box was very sturdy and everything was well packaged from the factory. Here's a picture of it right out of the box. This rack folds up nice and compact for storage, which is a big plus in my book. I don't have much room in my little apartment, but this rack sits in a corner real easily without being an eye sore.

 

 

 

 

Installation was a breeze! It came with a wrench to tighten the hex bolt hitch pin. I plan on leaving this in my trunk. I'm not sure about other racks, but this one eliminates receiver/hitch wobble by using a threaded pin and washers. The included lock, which goes over the open end of the pin, is a nice bonus. It took a whole 10 minutes to unbox, snap photos and install. Here's what it looks like installed:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rack's designed to fold down to give you access to your hatch. But unlike some other racks, there is no extra pin to lose or have to pull out and reinsert each opening and closing. It has a cool foot pedal to depress which can be operated with hand or foot. I recently saw this feature on a Thule rack on another car, so its not unique. In any case, this feature is definitely one to look at when considering hitch racks.

 

 

 

To open the hatch on the Edge, this rack needs to be tilted only about 5-10 degrees as seen here:

 

 

 

Here's a picture of the rack tilted back to its maximum range:

 

 

 

 

You could theoretically use a hitch extender and never have to tilt it back. But the operation is so easy, I don't see the point. With the power liftgate, I can open my rear hatch loaded with bikes while holding a coffee in my left hand. And it's almost just as easy without the power liftgate.

I was initially concerned that the liftgate would accidentally hit the rack and be damaged, so I turned off the power liftgate function at first. But I got over my fear and turned it back on. I tested it. And if it were to accidentally hit the rack, it will just stop and close itself. The potential point of contact on the rack is a rounded plastic surface that won't easily damage your hatch versus the other powdercoated metal racks. I might add a small piece of foam for extra piece of mind, but I'm not worried. Really happy as that was one of my biggest initial concerns. You can see the plastic area in this photo as well as the lock cable head where it sits retracted.

 

 

Here's a closer shot of the lock cable end and its hidden key slot. The cable inserts into the bar on the inner side:

 

 

 

 

As for driving and parking with the rack on the car, I mostly don't even notice that it is there. Not sure if this is a Pro or Con, but I can't see the rack in any of my mirrors when not loaded with bikes. And although I was unsure of how it would affect the rear camera visibility, I'm not disappointed. The most important parts to see on the camera, the sides and right through the middle, are still visible. You can see right up the middle in this picture; there's a stack of tires there making contrast difficult. Also, the straps and mounts on the rack could have been adjusted for better visibility in this photo:

 

 

 

I haven't driven on the highway with bikes loaded yet, only surface streets. But from my experience so far, I would say that wobble is minimal (if even existent) when bikes are loaded. On surface streets, there's not any wobble that would induce bike to bike contact. I plan on using a small bungie or cable lock to keep the front bike tires from turning etc.

 

One thing to note about using this rack is that the back up sensors are useless with the rack installed. I get nothing but an instant flatline beeeeeeeeeeep! So I have to turn them off every time I start the car with the rack installed. This is a side effect that is seen with towing as well (happens to my buddy while towing in his F-150). No biggie since I mainly rely on the camera and mirrors for parking. I can't speak from experience, but I have to assume that this is a side effect of most, if not all, hitch mounted racks.

 

 

Overall, I would give this rack 5 stars for value, quality and features. And I would easily recommend it to anyone. If you are unfamiliar with the Inno brand, I would recommend that you give them a try. I am certainly happy with this purchase and would try other Inno products now that I am familiar with their product quality.

 

If there is something that I missed in this review, please let me know and I will try my best to accomodate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 27, 2011 by cal3thousand