For the past few years I have been transporting my trials bike by taking off the front wheel and cramming the bike and wheel into the trunk of my Toyota Corolla with the seats folded down. To take my mountain bike anywhere, or to take a bike ride with the family, we’d stuff the bikes into the bed of our F-150. Inevitably, the bikes fall onto each other, though amazingly, never resulted in broken spokes, derailleurs, or brake lever.
My Echo trials bike stuffed in the back of my Corolla 
Me and my Echo Mark V trials bike in my Corolla
I’ve been meaning to get a rack for a while now to transport bikes much more easily, but procrastination had frustrated those intentions. Today I finally made the plunge.
Two Vehicles, One Bike Rack
We have two vehicles that vary widely in their capabilities (Ford F-150 vs. Toyota Corolla), but I really did not want to buy two different bike racks. Also, I really don’t like the trunk mounted bike racks that could be used on the Corolla. The plan was to put a trailer hitch on the Corolla and try to find a hitch-mounted bike rack that could be used with either vehicle. Of course, this presented its own set of challenges.
The F-150 has a pretty sturdy tow package, as you would imagine, with a Class 3 hitch and 2-inch receiver. On the other hand, the Corolla can only be outfitted with a wimpy Class 1 hitch with 1.25 inch receiver, which has a maximum tongue weight of 200 lbs. There are bike racks that can fit either receiver size, and trailer hitch adapters to go either direction from 1.25 to 2 inch or 2 inch to 1.25 inch. The catch, though, is that using a 1.25 inch to 2 inch adapter on the Corolla’s Class 1 hitch cuts the rated tongue weight in half to 100 lbs. With a 50 lb bike rack, that leaves 50 lbs for the bikes and can put the trailer hitch at its limits with more than one bike. On the other hand, the 2 inch to 1.25 inch adapter does not necessarily reduce the tongue weight rating of the trailer hitch.
Which Bike Rack to Choose?
Today I spent a little time on the internet researching different bike racks, reading reviews such as this one. As discussed above, I was looking for a trailer hitch mounted bike rack that could be used on both of my vehicles. I also wanted a platform bike rack that could accommodate bikes with different frame styles and sizes (e.g., trials vs. mountain bike / adult vs. kids, etc.), different wheel diameters (24-inch, 26-inch, and more), and various tire widths. It needed to hold at least 2 bikes (a third bike could always go into the truck bed). And it needed to be lockable, preferably with an integrated locking solution.
I finally selected the Thule T2 Pro XT 2 Bike Rack, which is available in both 1.25-inch and 2-inch receiver styles – I bought the 1.25-inch version. Unfortunately, it only holds two bikes. A (very expensive) add-on, sold separately, integrates with the rack to add the ability to carry two more bikes. Unfortunately, this add-on is only compatible with the 2-inch version. Oh well.
In addition, I also bought a Curt Class 1 trailer hitch (CURT 11265) for the Corolla, and a 2-inch to 1.25 inch adapter (CURT 45770) for the F-150. Amazingly, all three items were available on Amazon.com.
Waiting (Impatiently)
Now that these are finally on order, I can’t wait for them to arrive! I am not very mechanically inclined, so I’m hoping the trailer hitch for the Toyota Corolla is easy to install. And hopefully the entire scheme for swapping the bike rack between vehicles works as I’d hoped. Otherwise, someone will be a very unhappy camper.
There will be more to follow I’m sure. If I’m not too impatient, maybe I’ll actually make a video of the installation process and test of the bike rack in action with some different bikes…
