Racor Pro PLB-2R Two-Bike Gravity Freestanding Bike Stand
by Racor
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List Price: Our Price: $44.34 You Save: $53.61 (55%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $42.48 (click here) Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Racor Pro PLB-2R Two-Bike Gravity Freestanding Bike Stand
Customer Review: Just what I wanted!
Summary: 4 Stars
I've been wanting a bike rack like this for years. I've tried products that seemed similar, and they just didn't work for me. This one's exactly what I was looking for.APPEARANCE
The rack arrived with no scratches. This was a surprise, given that two of the sections that make up the vertical post were loose in the manufacturer's box, and the box was a bit battered.
The rack itself looks great in my garage.
STABILITY
When positioned against (or near) a wall, the rack sways mildly when a bike is removed or replaced. The base is big enough and the overall design is such that removing the bottom bike (gently) doesn't seem to cause the whole thing to fall over--as long as the wall is there for backup. The manufacturer recommends anchoring the rack to the wall and includes hardware for this purpose.
ASSEMBLY
The central post is delivered in three sections: The base is the curved "T" that you can see in the picture on the Amazon site. The other two sections form the vertical tube.
These main sections fit very tightly together. As far as I'm concerned, this makes the whole thing more internally stable. To assemble the central post, I relied on a many squirts from my trusty can of WD-40, some wiggling, gravity, and patience. Without all that, I would've been stuck (and the sections would've been too).
The four arms that hold the two bikes attach into slots on either side of the vertical tube. I used a small block of wood to knock the arms in and out of the slots (I don't have a mallet, and it seemed like a hammer would dent/scratch the finish). Each bike is held by resting the top tube in cradles (at the end of each arm). The cradles easily rotate as needed to adapt to the angle of the top tube. Nice touch.
It definitely took some effort to put this rack together. However, I'm pleased with the results so far. It really frees up space! Taking it apart will be an interesting challenge some day.
Is it worth the price? Well... Even with the Amazon price, it seems a bit more expensive than other garage-quality bike racks. However, over the years I've spent more in total on other racks that didn't work out for me at all. This one is just what I wanted!
Customer Review: Follow one piece of advice and it'll be perfect!
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a nice, simple, way to house two bikes. It says it does not need to be attached to the wall, but I would advise against this. Living in earthquake country, it wasn't even an option to let gravity hold the item against the wall. Without a doubt, put this up with attachment into a stud. Another reviewer suggested that if one buys this item, do not use the 3 inch wood screw they provide, but, rather, go purchase a 4 inch wood screw. Very sound advice, which I followed. It is easy to assemble, and with the longer screw, very sturdy, highly unlikely to fall over even in a big earthquake.
This said, putting the arms on is easy if you have bikes with mens frames. One of the bikes we put on this is a womans frame (or 'step through' if you like), from the 20's, so it's angle is extreme. It took some doing to adjust the arms correctly to hold this nice old bike, but with more modern womens frames, it won't be such a hassle.
One more thing, these bikes are ridden, so they are taken on and off the arms of the stand often. The protective layer on the arms will wear off, and quickly, lending to scratching your paint job on the bike. We foresaw this and wrapped the part of the arm that actually holds the bike with some plumbing tubing. It doesn't look bad and we are now unworried about scratching our bicycles.
Overall, the stand works well and has freed up some space in our little apartment. With a few adjustments, we are very pleased with the purchase. You may find these adjustments are not needed in your case, but we thought you might like a 'head's up' about them. Certainly get a longer screw, I wouldn't trust anything like this to stand on it's own, especially if the earth starts to shake!
Customer Review: Great and inexpensive for those with some imagination.
Summary: 4 Stars
Please see my notes on the photo of my bike stand with my two white bicycles (among the customer images). This is a great bike stand within reasonable expectations. It arrived quickly in an intact box with complete and organized parts. The steel components are sturdy and heavy duty and because the manufacturer wanted to minimize assembly hassles, the stand is put together without the need for tools.
I didn't want to use an anchor on the wall and frankly didn't need to, the stand seemed stable on its own but was a little shaky due to the pieces not being firmly attached together. One could easily modify this by padding the attachments with plumber's tape, etc, if this bothers them. In my case I didn't want the stand to be constantly rubbing on the wall with every vibration, so I attached a big strip of heavy duty velcro tape on the top part of the post and the wall. This stopped all vibrations completely and I can sleep better knowing that if my pets play around the stand, it won't move around. Taking bikes on and off the wall doesn't cause any instability either.
I agree with others that this stand should ideally be anchored to the wall using the hole in the top post (screw and anchor included), so take this into consideration before you purchase this stand. Also make sure that your floor does not slope excessively in relation to the wall and cause an abnormal angle that the "gravity" stand cannot accommodate.
Highly recommended if you don't want to spend too much and are looking for a stable bike stand where it's easy to store bikes.
Customer Review: Good Bike Rack Not freestanding
Summary: 4 Stars
This a great product. It suits our needs perfectly and I have to say that I read most of the reviews on it before I bought it. I found half and half with if it would freestanding or not in the reviews I took a leap and it in fact is not. It is very shaky without screwing it to the wall. I could screw it to the wall so it was not that huge for me. HOWEVER it is very space saving and has given me my porch back! I can easily put it on the wall by the sliding door and get in and out without touching or coming close to it. The Bikes are closer to the wall than when I parked them there. It is sturdy (again when mounted to the wall) and I have no worries about it moving or tipping over when my Two year old bumps into it. The Bikes are sturdy and the hanger bars are somewhat padded might need to improve that but it is decent for the price. We did have to have two people to mount it because it is in pieces and the pieces did not hold together as well as I had hoped. So one person had to push it tight in place while the other mounted it. The bikes are relatively easy to get off. I can not get the top bike off but then I am 5' 3 and do not have alot of upper body strength. I like that the bars are also adjustable so that my bike which has a slanted middle bar sits level. I would buy it again for the price. It is well designed. It is on a hard floor surface and I did not test it on carpet first so maybe it would be Freestanding that way? All in all great product but if you absolutely can not mount to your wall don't take the chance. If you can mount it then it is an awesome buy!Customer Review: Does what it's supposed to do...
Summary: 4 Stars
Two Bikes + Racor Stand = More real estate
Don't think about it to much. It's as simple a design as the very bicycles its supporting.
One thing I would change would be the hook and arm design. While the backbone itself has provisions for securing it to a wall, the bicycles themselves are secured by gravity, only. So in earthquake country, like where I live, a strap to go around the top tube, fastening it to the hook is much safer. Similar to that of the Hollywood bicycle racks for cars. They use a strong rubber strap to hold the bike down; very safe. I would also rotate the hole, which has a teardrop shape, where the arms attach to the backbone, 90 degrees so when it shakes the arms can't simply "hop" out of the socket.
Since I've had the rack there's been several quakes, including what felt like a rolling 4.0 by the time it got to where I am, just outside of downtown Los Angeles, and the rack was solid.
It's a solid product for an excellent price, which has served it's purpose dutifully. I looked at various options, and this was by far the most convenient and practical. I live in a 2nd floor condo, so no garage. So having this rack was a BIG deal. It's esthetically pleasing and has a small footprint. I'm very pleased.
I think I've had this thing for like 6 months, since like Jan 2010...I can't remember, which is a credit to the rack; assembled it, hung the bikes, put problem out of mind...can't ask for more.
-jose