We were sent the Curt Active Link Bicycle Rack for our review and it arrived to our destination before we did, which was fast. The bicycle carrier packaging was sturdy and it was inside of another cardboard box, which was intact. The internal box with the bike rack had a part of the bicycle rack break through a portion of the carton, but there was no damage at all to the internal parts of the bike carrier. Also sent for review was a “Bike Beam” adapter bar for a step through woman’s bicycle to allow it to hang from the carrier rack and that packaging was adequate as it was shipped separately. We unpacked and laid out the product parts and found that all the necessary parts were present for a complete installation, and again, we were happy to see that it even included the Active Link Shank. We were a little concerned it would not be included as the LCI Curt website product store lists the shank as a standalone product to purchase, just as in our review of the cargo carrier basket. Therefore, this is a great feature that someone wanting to order this system will be able to purchase it all in one easy step. Installation of the bicycle rack was very easy as it just lifts and slips in to the receiving slot of the Active Link receiver, which is the same Active Link receiver used for the cargo carrier that we previously installed and reviewed. The Active Link receiver requires a torque wrench to secure the bolt to the hitch and locking pins. We do suggest that the locking pins have a grooved end to reduce the risk of the clip from inadvertently coming off the pin. The bicycles we used to test hang on the bicycle rack were courtesy of Jim and Kandy Gill, as our bicycles we left at home this trip. Both of these electric bikes required a “Bike Beam” to hang them from the rubber mounts, one beam used is the Curt brand bike beam and the other owned by the Gills and made for a good compare and contrast. The Curt Bike Beam was easy to install but, once properly placed on the bicycle, remained loose and has the potential to allow more movement of the bike on the carrier. The other bike beam utilized consisted of an interior tension spring, which, once secured to the bike, did not allow for up and down movement of the bike and held it into place more securely. There were some very nice features to this bike rack, such as the ability to remove a pin, press down a lever, and allow the rack to tilt down to allow access to the rear of an utility vehicle hatch door that lifts to open or close. For us, this feature did not work with a Jeep Wrangler, which has a swing out door and then a lift up rear window. Last year we did purchase a swing away hitch bracket for use with our current bicycle rack to be able to access the rear interior of our Jeep without removing our bikes and rack. We are interested in finding out if the Active Link receiver will fit our swing away receiver, thus combining the two systems to make it work for our application. Another nice feature of this bike rack is the ability to turn the bike rack from a four-bike carrier to a two-bike carrier by simply pulling a locking pin and swinging up and over two of the holders. This feature also allows for easier installation of the first two bikes if four bikes are carried. The bikes are held suspended above the ground by two articulating rubber cradles and then secured to these rubber pieces by Velcro strapping, one strap for each of the eight cradles (if all bike slots are in use). It was noticed that the length of the straps were plenty long, however, the hook loop tape section was not long enough down the entire length and so it only secured about one to two inches and left approximately eight inches of loose fabric with nothing to secure it to prevent it being blown around by the winds in travel. Once the two electric bikes were placed securely to the hanging bike rack, it was very apparent that there was nothing to pad the bicycles between each other and that the bouncing and movement on the highway would allow the bike frames to swing and bang in to each other. There was a rubber/plastic type of material on the outside frame tube to protect the innermost bike from damage if banging into the upright frame, but this material was not staying in place and was popping out of the retaining holes. If the bottom rubber part was pressed in to reseat it properly in to the retention holes, then the middle part of the rubber padding popped out of place along the tube above. This is a minor inconvenience, which we could remedy by using an adhesive all along the padding thus ensuring it would not fall off during transport of bicycles. The maximum weight rate rating for this four-unit bike rack is 180 pounds and may not be suitable for those persons wanting to transport four electric bikes. From the shank in the receiver, to the furthest point on the carrier arms is nearly 40 inches. This is quite a distance for the furthest bike and we can imagine the amount of movement would be quite significant and we would be afraid of potential swinging damage to the outermost bicycle. Our current bike rack is a tray style. The tires are sitting in a hoop type of tray and brackets are pressed down on the bike beams securing the bikes from moving and hitting each other. We do not have a camera that we could have watched the bikes while we were driving and we did not take the Gills electric bikes on the road to test them. Security of this bike rack, and any bikes carried on it, is an issue for us as we travel for long distances and are on the road several months at a time. It is important for us to be able to lock the bike rack to the vehicle and to be able to lock the bikes securely to the bike rack. The bike rack is only as secure as the bolt torque through the shank of the receiver as it does not come with any keyed locking pins. It will take a little bit of thought to figure out how to keep someone from simply unbolting the Active Link hitch pin and lifting off the bike rack with any bikes that are on it. The bikes can be locked by using a cable lock through parts of the bike and through a metal handle on the vertical support tube. Overall, we like the bike rack, but we are not sure that it will suit our needs for transporting our bicycles safely and securely. We’re still undecided if we’ll gift this bike rack to another or take it home first to see if it will work with our swing away bracket. However, we will have to figure out a way to get this rack and any bikes we carry on it locked down to reduce the chance of theft. This Curt Active Link Bike Rack and Curt Bike Beam were provided to us at no cost for an honest and unbiased review of the product and we thank the Lippert team for selecting us to test this product. A special thanks to Jim and Kandy Gill for allowing us the use of their beautiful electric bikes to test the Curt Active Link Bike Rack.

Posted by Lucy Seijas at 2023-05-27 23:26:21 UTC