Niche Marketing

Thule 954 Ridgeline 4-Bike Hitch Mount Rack 1.25 and 2-Inch Receiver Description:

Full Featured Hitch has all the bases covered

• Size: 4 Bikes
• Color: One Color
• Brand: Thule
• Model: 954
• Released on: 2007-08-04
• Dimensions: 9.50″ h x 16.00″ w x 37.00″ l, 42.50 pounds

Features

• Stinger Swinger hitch converts quickly from 2″ to 1-1/4″ out of the box
• Hitch Switch quick-release lever for fast storage of bike carrier arms
• Cradles lock down bikes while allowing complete adjustment along the bike arm
• Integrated locking cable stores conveniently in carrier
• Carries up to 4 bikes

Customer Reviews:

Buy the Roadway
Buy the Roadway, it’s the exact same rack sans the hitchlock, No Sway Cages, and the built-in securty lock. These extras are not worth the money so buy the basic rack. Here’s the deal:
1. Sure, you can secure the hitch pin (mediocre anyway). But, you can remove the upright by loosening two nuts and removing the two bolts.
2. The No Sway cages appear to work. But, you’ll need to strap the front wheel down or it will bound around. So, use a synch strap through the wheels and the hitch, and no more sway! Even with the No Sway cages, you’ll have to do this.
3. The integrated lock is kind of nice. But, it’s not really long enough to go through the front wheel. So, if you want to secure your front wheel, you’ll need another cable lock anyway. So, just buy a cable lock that can go through the wheels, frame, and hitch and your golden.
Save your money.

What an awesome rack!
I would rate this bike rack as my best purchase of the year.
It is very quick and easy to install.
The quick releases work extremely well. I just leave the rack on my station wagon most of the time, taking it only off if I have to put very bulky items into the trunk. So now I can just throw my bike on the car on short notice, without any hassle – which led to a 200% increase in the amount of exercise I get
I had a rack before that didn’t fold down, and I very quickly learned that this is a feature that you simply can’t live without (unless your garage is huge), so I returned it after a week of having to take the rack off the car every evening and got the Ridgeline instead.
I have not transported 4 bikes on it yet, but have loaded it up with 3 bikes regularly. I could imagine 4 bikes being a bit of a hassle to figure out how to arrange them without handlebar conflicts. But the 3 always worked out well. I have used the rack with one bike on it on long drives, which included both interstate and bumpy dirt road use, and had no trouble whatsoever with the bike coming loose. I even had the car parked with the bike on the rack during near-Tornado-level winds, and found absolutely no evidence of the bike having banged against the rack or the car.
So, in summary: Love it, couldn’t imagine life without it anymore!

Great Rack
Excellent product.

I’ve only put two bikes on it since I got it. I did try to put them close together, but it looked like it was going to be more work than it was worth. I’m sure I’ll have to work through a 3 or 4 bike jigsaw puzzle some day.

I definitely couldn’t get my daughters little Schwinn Mesa on the rack because of the thickness and distance of the rack arms, but I’m guessing that is an issue with probably all bike racks.

The tilt away feature I could not live without. It tilts just enough on my F150 so the tailgate comes all the way down. And I like that I can tilt the rack arms down (when the rack isn’t in use) with the pull of a lever also.

I leave the rack on my pickup and throw the bike on it in minutes. My exercise has increased quite a bit from the ease of using the Ridgeline.

The receiver bolt attaches with a supplied wrench. It would be nice if this was tooless, but even still, I had the rack off within a couple of minutes to wash the truck the other day.

If this rack is in your ballpark for spending, go for it.