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This rack rocks " but not in a good way

Jordan Curet
Aspen Times Weekly
Jordan Curet The Aspen Times
ALL | The Aspen Times

My first hint should have been the lack of instructions.

But the three pieces of pseudo-assembled bike rack looked fairly straightforward. I had ordered them online and they had come in a box. Feeling emboldened by the purchase and ready to load up my friends’ bikes, I got to work.

But several hours later, sitting in my driveway with the rack still in pieces, I called my friend Katie for help.



I hate when one of those “girl” stereotypes holds water. Katie and I stared at the thing saying, “that just can’t be right.” I had all the pieces of the “Rage, a PowerSport Product” rack in the only logical assembly, but I didn’t trust this $80 device to hold my bike, much less hold itself together.

I finally realized that this contraption required the owner to contribute a few parts, mostly an extra hitch pin. How was I supposed to know that? Shouldn’t there have been a warning, like “batteries not included”?




With everything in place, after a quick trip to the Miners Building for a pin, we nervously loaded up our bikes in Aspen and headed for the Rim Trail in Snowmass Village. The rack was wobbly and listed to the side on sharp curves. So as we wound over Owl Creek, the bikes would dip out of sight on every right turn. My eyes were glued to the rearview mirror, praying the bikes would pop back up whenever we straightened out.

So far the bikes have stayed on the rack. And a local bike mechanic has assured me that I assembled the rack correctly. But it’s just not a quality piece of workmanship.

All I wanted was a four-bike rack to tote on the back of my car, but I guess I should expect no less from an online purchase, which failed to mention “some assembly required.”