The Biking Hub: Mountain

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North Shore Racks hitch mount rack review

Back in early March, I posted up my first impressions of North Shore Racks’ four-bike receiver-hitch mount rack. I really liked how easy it was to load and unload bikes, and that any bikes loaded onto the rack were held firmly in place while my vehicle was moving down the road. Since that first writeup, I’ve had a bunch of time to use the rack in all conditions and to get a feel for its strengths and its limitations.

Traditional hitch mounted bike racks were designed to attach to the bicycle frame. In recent years, companies like Thule introduced tray-mount systems, which had bikes mounted on trays and held in place in different ways. North Shore Racks are designed to hold bikes with front suspension vertically, and use a simple, patent pending design to keep them in place.

The North Shore Rack is designed to have bikes hang vertically from the front wheel, with the rear wheel resting against a double bar. Then, a j-hook attaches to the rear wheel and is tightened to secure the bike to the rack.

Aside from needing a vehicle that has enough ground clearance and a 2″ receiver rack, there are no special requirements for the rack. And although I had the test model installed by the owner of the company, the racks are easy enough to put together on your own. You need to follow a few pages of well illustrated directions and you’ll be good to go.

North Shore Racks also offers a 3 bike version of the system as a custom order, and a 2 bike, 1.25″ hitch mount is in the works.

2006 MSRP: $499.99 CAD

Manufacturer website: www.northshoreracks.com

The Good

Holds up to four bikes securely. The North Shore Rack holds four mountain bikes with front suspension (this is a must). The bikes are hung by the front wheels and the rear wheels are secured with a j-hook. The rack is designed so that the bikes sit close together but do not, touch allowing your bikes to arrive at their destination without any damage. There’s a little bit of play in the hitch mount, but no more than the other racks on the market.

Online ordering. North Shore Racks has an online purchasing option, which means you’re purchasing direct from the manufacturer and owner. The 3 bike version of the rack can be custom made within a couple of days and the standard 4 bike version is usually in stock and ready for shipping.

Folds away and allows access to your vehicle. When the NSR is not in use, a simple pull on a spring loaded knob allows the rack to swing freely towards the vehicle and lock in place. The rack has another pin that can be removed from one hole and placed in another, allowing the rack to tilt away from the vehicle. The tilt is enough to move the rack so that you can get into the rear of your vehicle. I found that I could still open one rear door on my van without having to use the tilt feature.

Competitive pricing. Compared with other receiver hitch mounted racks, the North Shore Rack is competitively priced (at least in Canada — up here, the Thule T2 retails for $600 CAD). For about $500 CAD plus tax, you get a four bike rack for a reasonable price.

The not so good

Expensive. Although the North Shore Rack is well priced in its category, $500 plus tax is a lot of cash for many people to shell out. Purchasing another rack and adding another rack to my extensive collection of bicycle racks that are collecting dust.

Limited to a certain ‘type’ of bike. This rack is suited for mountain bikes with front suspension only, so you will still need something else for your road bike, kids bike, and bmx. If you’re unsure about whether your bike will fit, contact North Shore Racks and ask.

Locking pin seized. As I wrote earlier, I could get into one of my rear doors without using the tilt. Because of that, I waited two months before using the tilt feature and found that I couldn’t get the pin out. With a couple of gentle hits from a hammer the pin came out. It’s not a big deal but it did happen although, since then, I have waited a week and the pin has been fine.

Limited vehicle options. The North Shore Rack won’t fit on every vehicle out there. Make sure you contact the company before you place your order.

Scoring

First impressions. 9/10. My first impression of the North Shore Rack started and ended in a meeting with the company’s owners, Alison and Malcolm. The installation of the rack is simple and easy. I was shown how to install the rack and the easiest method to load bicycles onto it. The pair also showed me the core features of the rack such as the tilt, the fold back and how to secure the bikes.

Performance. 37/40. I’ve been extremely impressed with the rack’s performance. I had four bikes loaded on the rack and did not notice even notice that it was loaded when I was driving on the highway. When the rack is not in use and folded against my vehicle I don’t notice that it is there either. The rack keeps the bikes secure and safe from shuttle damage. I do use one bungee cord laced through the front wheels to prevent them from spinning while travelling.

Durability. 18/20. I deducted a couple of points for the sticky pins but no major problems.

Pricing. 18/20. $499.99 is a lot of money to spend on a rack but when you consider the safe, secure ride for my bike and my friends’ expensive bikes I think it is worth it.

Wildcard. 10/10. Locally owned and operated by mountain bikers, buying a rack from these guys is a great way to support our community and a small, family business.

Overall. 90/100.

Summary

It’s not often that you can find a system that can carry four mountain bikes with varying frame styles and secure them so they don’t sustain any damage during transportation. And how many times have you had to search for a rack adapter, bungees or straps for extra security or remove the front tire due to the bikes hanging to low to the road.

North Shore Racks started out as a project for some ‘North Shore’ residents who set out to design and manufacture a better way to transport four big freeride bikes. Their project succeeded, and they’ve developed a rack that is easy to install and use.

If you can work around the rack’s limitations, the North Shore Rack is a great hitch mounted rack for mountain bikers, and it works without complaint and without hassle.

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This entry was posted on Monday, April 24th, 2006 at 12:01 am and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.