TESTED: EziGrip E-Rack 2

Words and photos: Nick Waygood

In an ever-developing market of rear-mounted bike racks, EziGrip is less known outside of their hometown in Auckland, New Zealand. Having manufactured bike racks since the early 90s, EziGrip have continued to fulfill the needs of a rapidly growing cycling community who’s main desire is to not remove the front wheel in an effort to shove their prized possession into the boot of their car.

The EziGrip E-Rack 2 stays competitive with the top brands in the current market, supporting cyclists with 50mm towball fittings on their vehicle. High-quality materials can support 2 bikes, equaling 60 kilograms, with one of the best features being how small the EziGrip E-Rack folds up for storage – no more bulky and inconveniently sized bike racks taking up space in the garage.

With the dictionary definition of what an e-mountain bike being constantly developed and changed through each season, EziGrip have constructed a bike rack that is capable of supporting 2 bikes up to 30 kilograms each, or long travel 29-inch Enduro bikes with excessively long wheelbases up to 1400mm.

Initial Impressions

Though the EziGrip may not have the immediate brand recognition, the E-Rack makes up for it in build quality. A mainframe built from aluminium tubes gives the bike rack the ability to hold 60 kilograms worth of bikes, with ratchet straps and rubber guards securing both wheels, and protecting them from scratches. A lockable clamp then holds the bike in place via the top tube, with thick rubber protecting those expensive carbon frames.

On the towball, the EziGrip features an anti-swivel plate, which tensions the rack to the towball, avoiding all horizontal swinging of the rack when loaded up with 50+ kilograms worth of e-bikes.

The rear brake and indicator units bolt in to the rear bike rack, with cable routing underneath the rack keeping cables secured and neat. We opted for several cable ties to ensure the cables didn’t drop and drag as we drove up the steep fireroads above Canberra.

Like most towball and hitch mounted racks on the market, the EziGrip range folds back from the rear of the car, and while still maintaining the 60 kilogram load rating, allowed us to easily access the boot of the car to unload our gear. The rack then clicks back into place, and a plastic tab is used to avoid any accidental release of the lever mechanism.

The EziGrip then stands out from the crowd with how it’s stored – the bike rack arms that were secured with a clamp are lifted to a vertical position, and the licence-plate holder is removed to halve the physical size of the rack, making it easy to store in a small nook in the garage. An additional rubber strap then holds the two arms together.

Out of the box, the EziGrip does require some assembly with the middle tower, car light units, and of course installation of our licence plate to the holder. All the tools required to install were provided by EziGrip, with bolt washers also supplied to avoid any loosening through our testing.

In Use

As a bike rack capable of holding heavy bikes, the EziGrip performs exceptionally. We didn’t identify any horizontal swing as we carried out the test drive to the trailhead, and the bikes stayed locked and secured to the rack. Having the car light units and licence-plate holder also kept us from worry of breaking national road laws.

EziGrip have made the optional extra of a ramp, allowing you to easily wheel heavy e-bikes up onto the E-Rack without pulling a shoulder muscle. Though we didn’t have one for the test, it was easy to wheel the bike up onto the wheel slots and secure the bike to the rack. We’ve always found this style of rear mounted bike rack easy and effective when securing a bike for transport to the trail head.

We found the EziGrip E-Rack 2 bike does the job that’s required of a towball mounted rack. The rack has all the functions that you’d expect out of similar products on the market, and when tested with nearly 40 kilograms worth of bikes, the rack maintained its rigidity and we were able to shuttle all day with no concern.

Having the tower in the middle of the rack keeps the bikes separated by 250mm, ensuring no pedals were rubbing on frames and plenty of space for the handlebars. Most racks have 200mm so the extra real estate is appreciated.

Our Take

EziGrip have built a sturdy rack in the E-Rack 2. The huge load limit of 60kgs means it’s plenty safe to run two 25kg e-bikes on the one rack, with no fear of having bikes fall off at highway speeds. With the rack being loaded with features, EziGrip is able to keep up with competitive brands at a competitive price.

As e-bikes continue to increase in popularity, the support from brands is required to keep up. Having a heavy bike, often with a long wheelbase, requires a sturdy rack for transport, of which the EziGrip E-Rack ticks all the right boxes.

But it’s not all about the e-bikes, with support for enduro bikes that sport a wheelbase up to 1400mm fitting on this rack with ease. The wheel straps can also be moved along the rack arms to support kid’s bikes.

As this cycling continues to boom, there are more and more families and groups of 4 (or more!) cyclists who require a product able to transport many bikes at a time. This of course is proved difficult with a 2-bike rack that cannot have an additional 2 bike add-on; however EziGrip does have an extensive range with support for 4 bikes.

With a number of brands on the market upping their prices to the 4-digit range, EziGrip have provided a cheaper rack that still keeps up with the sturdiness that we need when moving our prized possessions with no reduction in quality.

RRP: $7899AUD

From: Bikecorp

Hits:

– Value for money

– High weight limit

– Ease of storage

Misses:

– Top-tube clamps may cause scratches when dirty

– No support for a 4-bike carrier

– Licence plate holder may not support smaller plates