RockyMounts’ SplitRail is the Boulder, Colorado company’s latest hitch-mounted rack. RockyMounts is known for their colorful and aerodynamic roof racks, but can they hold their own versus the established players in the hitch-mount rack world?
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Two SplitRails are available, one for 1.25-inch receivers that handle two bikes, and another for 2-inch receivers that come stocked to haul two bikes but can be upgraded to carry three, or four. The trays work with 20-inch wheel kids’ bikes all the way up to 29ers. Even plus size tires are fair game, but full-on fat bikes are not.
The rack does all the usual hitch rack tricks of folding up closer to the vehicle and tilting down loaded or unloaded for access to the vehicle's rear hatch.
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Hitch racks have some huge benefits: they allow super fast and simple bike loading and unloading, require no stretching overhead to reach the roof, are more aerodynamic for better gas mileage, are out of the path of bugs, and can be removed when not needed. Downsides include bikes getting dirty from road spray, and the sad chance of a rear-end collision ruining your bike and your day (or more likely your week).
Building the SplitRail up
When I picked up the SplitRail, the kind folks at RockyMounts offered to build one for me. Seeing as most consumers will likely get this rack in a box, I chose to build it myself. Opening the Tetris-approved package, it was a bit hard to believe a full-size hitch rack would be the end result, but luckily, the instructions were spot on, and everything went together quite painlessly. Even the included tools were surprisingly decent quality.
RockyMounts SplitRail specs
- Lightweight chromoly and aluminum construction
- 44lb assembled weight makes it the lightest expandable hitch rack available (2" only)
- SplitRail Single Bike Add On expands 2" model to carry 3 or 4 bikes
- Fits bikes with 20–29" wheels and new "Plus" size tires. 48" max wheelbase
- 4" of side-to-side tray adjustment for simple and easy loading and unloading of bicycles
- Integrated cable lock secures bikes to rack, locking hitch-pin secures rack to car
- Includes wall mount storage hook
SplitRail in use
Minor quirks
One final unique quality
RockyMounts SplitRail pricing
You can read more at BikeRadar.com
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