First Impression: Saris SuperClamp EX Hitch Rack

Despite our mutual appreciation for bicycles, David Byrne and I don't have very much in common.  For example, he's had a long and successful music career, whereas my own was short-lived, comprised entirely of my disastrous audition to become Metallica's bass player after the departure of Jason Newsted:

I totally nailed the intro to "Peace Sells," but unfortunately it turns out it's not one of their songs.

Another thing we don't have in common is that David Byrne does not own a car, whereas I do.  Oh sure, I don't really own the car until I finish paying the bank back for it, but for practical purposes I might as well.  Still, for the purposes of clarification, I should probably be sporting this sticker on the rear windshield:

Ironically, the reason I've had a car for most of my adult life is because of bikes.  For many years the car was almost entirely a cycling accessory for me.  I never wanted to have to scrounge for a ride in order to do an out-of-town bike race or go mountain biking, and if I was going away for the weekend I always wanted to be able to bring a bike along with me without disassembling it and stuffing it into the trunk of a rental or pore over the MTA's sometimes bewildering bike policy.  (I have been thrown off a Long Island Railroad train for bringing a bike onto a no-bikes train.)

Sure, New York City is a lousy place to keep a car, but since I've never depended on it for day-to-day travel it's never been terribly onerous.  The main problem is that after over a decade of blogging I have come to understand how brainwashed I've been and how shitty cars are, and in recent years I've really, really come to hate them.  Yet when my previous car succumbed to a rust condition and had to be retired back in 2014 I went and indentured myself all over again, which either makes me a victim of an auto-centric culture or a massive hypocrite, depending on how you look at it.  (I'd say 20% victim and 80% hypocrite, but ultimately it's all subjective.)

But let's set aside the angst for a moment and consider that as a cyclist and driver I do want to be able to take my bicycles places.  Granted, this desire is less pressing for me now than it used to be, for two reasons:

1) I haven't been racing cyclocross, which in the past probably accounted for like 50% of my motor vehicular mileage;

2) In 2012 I moved from Brooklyn to the Bronx, which put me within easy riding distance of good mountain bike trails.

Still, every so often I want to carry a bike over a long distance in order to ride it.  Furthermore, as a confirmed bike weenie, I want to be able to carry all my bikes.  (Not all at the same time, but you know what I mean.)  And bikes are changing.

There was a time when I could easily carry all my bikes with a roof rack.  For a city-dweller, roof racks are convenient for a number of reasons: you can parallel park with them, you can load bikes onto them even if someone else is parked three inches behind your rear bumper, and when you don't have a house with a garage you don't have to worry as much about forgetting that the bikes are up there and driving them into the wall.

Now though axles are getting fatter and wider, and with a 150x15mm front thru-axle on the Jones there's no adapter currently existing that's going to get this thing on my fork mount roof rack (edit: there actually is):

As a plus-sized tire enthusiast I really like the idea of simply hoisting a bike onto a rack, and I'd also like to be able to carry non-sporting bicycles such as our family's WorkCycles if need be, so I've been gradually coming to terms with the fact that it's hitch rack time.  Indeed I mentioned as much in a recent post, and wouldn't you know it, Saris tracked me down and offered to let me try their SuperClamp EX:

 

I'd already ducked into a large retailer of outdoorsy supplies that happens to be adjacent to my regular mountain bike spot and checked out the comparable offerings from Thule and Yakima, so I knew the Saris compared favorably to both in terms of price and features.  (Carries two bikes, comes with both locking hitch pin and bike locks, compatible with 1 1/4" and 2" hitches, accommodates 3" tires...)  Also attractive was the simple single-bar design, since I live in an apartment building and storage space is at a premium.  Of course I also knew about Küat, the Rapha of hitch racks, but the comparable higher-end model was considerably more expensive than the others, whereas the lower-priced one didn't have as many features as the competition.  (You've got to buy locks separately, as well as certain extras if you want to carry a bike with chubby tires such as the Jones.)

Plus, the Saris is made in Wisconsin for added smugness points, though since we're talking about a car rack those smugness points are not redeemable with certain people:

All of this is to say that I responded to Saris's timely offer with an enthusiastic "Fuck yes!"

Of course using a hitch rack requires a receiver, and I recently ordered one from a popular online retailer and had it installed by a mechanic.  Maybe if I had a driveway and a garage I'd have taken a crack at doing it myself, but it's probably a good thing I didn't.  Nevertheless, I look forward to the Hitch Freds telling me why I chose the wrong one.

As for the Saris itself, assembling it was very straightforward thanks to the video, and if you're able to change a lightbulb or erect a beach umbrella you should be able to have this thing together and sticking out the back of your car in about 15 minutes:

Just slide it in (leave the adapter on for a 2" hitch), thread in the pin with a ratchet, and lock it up.  Here's what the pin/lock combo looks like:

Once I'd installed the rack I took it out for a trial run by making a gratuitous trip up to Westchester:

(I apologize for the make and model of my car, but it's what I'm legally mandated to drive owing to my age and demographic.  I look forward to the Car Freds telling me why I chose the wrong one.)

Racking the bike was a ten-second operation, and it probably would have taken half that without the ratcheting wheel straps.  (I'm fairly certain you don't even need the ratcheting wheel straps unless you're carrying a bike over a certain weight or one with fenders, but they were on there already and I figured what the hell.)  Heres' how much space there is between the bike and the car if that sort of thing matters to you:

And with a simple pull of a lever it tilts down allowing you to access your supplies:

In this case I didn't bring any supplies, and instead simply rode in my jorts and t-shirt, which were promptly soaked owing to the fact it was like 90 degrees and humid.

After the ride, removing the rack again was a simple matter of unlocking it and undoing the bolt with the ratchet, and I had it off the car and into the bike room in no time.

In any case, my first impression is quite favorable: easy to set up, easy to load, and best of all my bike was still there when I arrived at my destination.  I'll let you know as soon as the family and I hit the road with multiple bikes.  Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go apply by "One Less Car*" sticker.