BackStage

I had an old hitch rack and it was hard to get in and out of the back, and my dogs were scared to jump in, so i had to pick them up each time. With his swing out style, i can get in and out of the back really easily with bikes on and my dogs will jump in without hesitation. it took me a few months to get, they emailed me about the delay, but totally worth it. the rack was supposed to come with two keys, but i could only find one in the box. i emailed them and they sent another out. overall, i like this rack a lot, my bikes fit well in the wheel holders.

I just picked one of the backstages up and it works great. i had an older platform rack from thule, it worked OK, but the folding mechanism was rusty and it made it hard to get into the back of my 4runner. i had never seen any reviews on this, so i was a little skeptical. it holds the bikes great, i have a Trek Madone and a Ibis Ripley and the bikes are solid. swinging it away is pretty simple, the first few times it took a while, but after doing it a few times, it is really easy. all the buttons and pins are a cool blue color, so it is really intuitive to use. the locks work well, but i wish they were built into the rack, i just keep the cable in the car.

I do like the rack, but there are things I wish I knew before purchasing. I believe it's advertised as the trays being 11 or 12 inches away from vehicle. While this is true, that is not the furthest point away. The locking handle is actually 15 inches out and it's made of plastic. Therefore, if you do bump something it will more than likely break the handle. my rack is mounted on my pickup, and the design has the bikes elevated more then my old tray style. Sadly, my tailgate cannot be opened without laying on the rack. It's a little better if I drop the angle down, but it still makes contact. That means to load my dogs up I have to swing the rack to the side so I don't dent or scratch the tailgate. That is a real bummer. The cable lock is alright, but other racks come with more tucked away versions that are more appealing. Also, I will continue to run a cable of my own that attaches to my tow hitch, because all it would take is literally two crescent wrenches to steal the whole rack minus the swing arm. The pull lever to lower the rack seems like another weak point. As the sun eats away at the plastic grip I can see it becoming fragile over time. Other brands have beefier lever designs. This is the only swing away tray style rack on the market at this point, and therefore it still is an awesome item. I just truely believe the larger manufacturers will come out with their own versions, and have the easier job of addressing issues of the first generation.