To run the forums, host the website, and travel, I charge a universal service fee for my reviews. This review was sponsored by Thule and ElectriCity Bikes. My goal is to be transparent and unbiased, this video and written review are not meant to be an endorsement of Thule products.
There are a lot of bicycle racks to chose from out there, so it is no surprise some attempt to go the distance to best the competition. Lucky for us as consumers, we reap the benefits, and such is the case with the Thule EasyFold XT 2 bicycle rack. This is the 2nd generation of the rack and packs a ton of features, so let’s start going over those now. The rack is strong and sturdy thanks to intelligent use of steel, light-weight aluminum alloy, and plastic. It is about 33.25” from the back of the hitch to the receiver and weighs about 42.5lbs. This overall weight is important because this is actually a rack you can fold up and carry around or push around like luggage since it has wheels (more on that later). At the tail end, you will find not only reflectors and an optional brake light plug in, but one of my favorite features, a license plate frame holder. This is great because I have actually been pulled over before with other bike racks as some municipalities will count it against you if the viewing of your license plate is obstructed, so I am really glad they put this into consideration here. The rack is more aero dynamic being placed back here, rather than a top rack. Also, there are some accessories you can get for it too like a door-swing so you can get the rack out of the way to reach the rear of your vehicle, or a bag for the rack itself when it is folded up for storage or transport. Included is this cool little accessory, a carbon fiber tube protector, with this you can wrap the section of the bike where it might strike another loaded bike frame and keep them from making contact and leaving scratches or scuffs. This is such a capable rack as well as more ebike rated than others. That is thanks to its 130lb weight capacity, ability to fit up to 4.7” fat-tires, and having an adapter piece to fit both 1.25” and 2” hitches on your car. The EasyFold XT 2 retails for about $750, which is quite a bit more than other racks, so let’s dig deeper and see how it compares.
Security and locking of the rack and bikes are made a priority here, and that is something I think is great. Ebikes can be quite expensive, so it is nice to have security as a consideration since it will really protect your investment. Overall, there are 3 locking cores in total. You get 1 on the short arm, 1 on the long arm, and a 3rd lock on the hitch knob so nobody can walk away with your nice bike rack too. Out of the box, it comes with two keys and it looks like the locking cores can even be ‘keyed-to-like’ with other Thule products, meaning you can get matching keys and potentially only need to carry around 1 key for all your Thule products.
Loading and unloading on the EasyFold XT2, is, as the name states, quite easy. You get a ramp that makes loading the bike on and off a breeze. The ramp is quite light and flexible, yet I am assuming it can hold 65lbs pretty easily as it worked with the ebikes we tested just fine. If you have an ebike with walk mode, you are in even more luck as this makes getting bikes up the ramp super easy! The ramp has a flexible tongue that allows you to mount it and remove it and is also foldable for storage. The ramp itself stores in a center pocket that you reach by tilting the rack forward with the large plastic button on the outside. Once tilted forward, you can stow the ramp by finding the arrow on the folded ramp and aligning it with the arrow on the pocket. Once snapped into place, you can tilt the rack back to its standard position. Once the bike is on the rack, you can secure the tires by using these ratchet straps. If unloading, once the straps are undone, they conveniently can be tucked away down in the center where they wont flap around while not in use. Other than the straps, securing the bike is done through these locking arms. These are really interesting as they mount to a larger bar rail, but they can be mounted anywhere on that bar rail leaving you with quite a number of configurations, unlike other racks where you only have 1 option that usually cuts into the fender if you have fenders on the bike. I love that these are super versatile and are engineered so that they cannot be over tightened, making sure you get the best grip on the bike possible. However, they can take some time to get positioned perfectly to your setup and can be a little finicky at first. As with any rack, once the bikes are loaded, you should spend some time with careful consideration as to how to configure your pedals, handlebars, and seat post when having two bikes close together.
A big win here is the folding and storage capabilities. As mentioned before, the ramp can be folded down and stowed in the center. The straps can be tucked away to prevent flapping around, and the grabber arms can be removed. In addition to all of this, the entire rack folds into itself starting with the platforms and the rest begins to fold into itself. Once folded, it is easy to carry thanks to that lightweight 42.5lbs. But carrying it around is only one form of transport since it has these nice wheels on the bottom. This way you can cart it around like luggage! This makes carrying it around very easy, this is also a great rack if you need to switch it from one car to another. When all folded up too, its very compact and can fit in the back of your car nicely. Although I am not as big of a fan of carrying around large metal parts in my car as I would hate to have it slide into me during an accident.
In conclusion, the EasyFold XT 2 is a feature rich electric bike rated rack that is well thought out and portable. It really is a fantastic accessory for anyone looking for an ebike rack. However, let’s go over some of the tradeoffs. Thule’s main competitor, Küat, has a quad rack option, while the Thule only as a triple rack option. Also, the Küat comes with a repair stand for your bike, whereas the Thule doesn’t. Probably the biggest tradeoff though is the price. $750 is a lot for a rack, but that cost could be worth it considering it is a pretty secure investment in your already expensive ebike purchase. Combine that with Thule’s wonderful reputation and their limited lifetime warranty, and you have a rack that just might check all your boxes. A big thanks to Thule for letting me check out this cool new rack!
Pros:
- The EasyFold XT 2 is a feature rich electric bike rated rack that is well thought out and portable
- Rack is strong and sturdy thanks to intelligent use of steel, light-weight aluminum alloy, and plastic
- Weighs about 42.5lbs, this overall weight is important because this is actually a rack you can fold up and carry around or push around like luggage since it has wheels
- The rear has reflectors on each end and an optional brake light plug in, a great safety feature I really appreciate
- Has a rear license plate frame, this is great because I have actually been pulled over before with other bike racks as some municipalities will count it against you if the viewing of your license plate is obstructed
- Available accessories like a door-swing so you can get the rack out of the way to reach the rear of your vehicle, or a bag for the rack itself when it is folded up for storage or transport
- Included is a carbon fiber tube protector, with this you can wrap the section of the bike where it might strike another loaded bike frame and keep them from making contact and leaving scratches or scuffs
- Ebike rated from its 130lb weight capacity, ability to fit up to 4.7” fat-tires, and having an adapter piece to fit both 1.25” and 2” hitches on your car
- Locks with 3 cores, 1 on the short arm, 1 on the long arm, and 1 on the hitch knob to protect the rack itself
- Ramps make loading and unloading easy, are flexible, strong, removable, foldable, and have their own storage space
- Locking arms that mount to a larger bar rail, they can be mounted anywhere on that bar rail leaving you with quite a number of configurations, unlike other racks where you only have 1 option that usually cuts into the fender if you have fenders on the bike
- It is easy to carry thanks to that lightweight 42.5lbs, carrying it around is only one form of transport since it has these nice wheels on the bottom, this way you can cart it around like luggage! This makes carrying it around very easy, this is also a great rack if you need to switch it from one car to another
- If your ebike has a walk mode, getting it up and down the ramps takes ease a step further than is already here
Cons:
- Thule’s main competitor, Küat, has a quad rack option, while the Thule only as a triple rack option
- The Küat also comes with a repair stand for your bike, whereas the Thule does not have that option
- The cost is a bit of a con, $750 is a lot for a rack, but that cost could be worth it considering it is a pretty secure investment in your already expensive ebike purchase
- Folding it up is a fantastic feature, but I would still be worried about having it sitting in the back of my car, I would hate to have a big hunk of metal slide around and potentially bash me during a car accident
Resources:
- Official Site: https://www.thule.com/en-us/us
- Amazon Store: https://amzn.to/2X3o6iR
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