etrailer | Thule Hitch Bike Racks Review - 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class
Click for more info and reviews of this Thule Hitch Bike Racks: https://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Bike-Racks/Thule/TH44VR.html Check out some similar Hitch Bike Racks options: https://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Hitch_Bike_Racks-sf-Platform_Rack.aspx Search for other popular Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class parts and accessories: https://www.etrailer.com/vehicle/2019/Mercedes-Benz/GLC-Class https://www.etrailer.com Don’t forget to subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/user/etrailertv Full transcript: https://www.etrailer.com/tv-install-thule-helium-2-bike-platform-rack-2019-mercedes-benz-glc-class-th44vr.aspx Rob: Hey everybody. It's Rob here at etrailer.com. Today we're going to be taking a look at the Thule Helium platform-style rack on our 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300. Now our Thule Helium is going to allow us to take two bikes to and from the trail. Now, our customer did have a different style rack that actually mounts to the back glass, holds the handlebars in place, but it kind of limits how many bikes you can take with you. So having a hitch-mounted bike rack is going to be a lot more versatile option because we're going to be able to carry more than one bike with us. And I personally would rather have a hitch-mounted bike rack, then a roof-mounted bike rack. Mainly because I don't like the idea of lifting my bike up above my head, trying to get it on the roof of my Mercedes, just too many opportunities to potentially scratch it. And again, I'm a little bit on the shorter side, so I really don't want to have to reach all the way up, lifting my bike up.This way, it's a lot easier to access. It's a lot easier to transport. And since we have a carbon bike here, the nice thing about this platform rack is we're not going to have any frame contact. So it's going to make sure our bike is secure and our car's not going to be messed with in any way.We're going to have two arms, they're going to hold the tires in place and we can go ahead and pull those off so we can take a closer look at the rack. There is a little lever right here. Let me just reach in and grab the lever and that'll allow us to move the arm out of the way. But as soon as you let go of that lever, it's going to get into a locked position and you can hear the clicking action.What I like about this design is it gives you a really wide option when it comes to how you Mount your bikes. Because a lot of times we get in that area where the handlebars are kind of hitting each other. Maybe the pedals are, maybe even the seat's getting in the way. The tray here allows us, we can put one bike pretty far to one side, tighten both arms down, and then we can do the opposite thing with the other bike, move it over this way, which really help eliminate the handlebars and everything coming in contact with each other. So we do have a big variety of options of how we can mount them up.We're going to move the arms out of the way and we're going to pull our bike off so we can take a closer look. One of the big benefits, other than the fact that there's no frame contact on our bike, of having a platform style rack is that most of them do tilt away. So if we needed to get into the back hatch, we're not going to have to unload our bikes or pull the bike rack off. We can come to the very back of the mast and right underneath there's another lever, if we pull that lever it's going to allow the bike rack to tilt away. Then we can come to the side, open our hatch, and get wherever we need.There's not a whole lot of room, but there is enough room that you can get in here, grab what you need or put in what you need and then we can close the hatch up. And then putting the rack back into the upright position, we just grab, lift it up, and when we hear that click knowing that it's locked back into place.So with the bike removed, we can take a closer look at the trays. The trays are going to have this small indention in the very center. And this is going to be really good for road bikes, make sure it holds that tire nice and tight. And at the same time, the outer edges are going to be better for maybe a mountain bike with a slightly larger tire. Now the trays are going to be made out of aluminum, they're not painted, so they are going to be rust-proof and it is going to help out because whenever we do want to take our bike rack out or put it in, it is going to be lightweight compared to a steel bike rack.And on the end of each tray, they do include a cable lock. So we can make sure that our bikes are nice and secure and they are key to like, so we're not going to have to worry about having a whole bunch of extra keys and figuring out which one is for which tray.Being able to carry two bikes with you is really nice. But as you can see, we are adding a little bit to the back of a Mercedes, so I'd like to give you a few measurements.If I measure from the very back of the bumper to the very end of the rack, it's going t
Click for more info and reviews of this Thule Hitch Bike Racks: https://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Bike-Racks/Thule/TH44VR.html Check out some similar Hitch Bike Racks options: https://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Hitch_Bike_Racks-sf-Platform_Rack.aspx Search for other popular Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class parts and accessories: https://www.etrailer.com/vehicle/2019/Mercedes-Benz/GLC-Class https://www.etrailer.com Don’t forget to subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/user/etrailertv Full transcript: https://www.etrailer.com/tv-install-thule-helium-2-bike-platform-rack-2019-mercedes-benz-glc-class-th44vr.aspx Rob: Hey everybody. It's Rob here at etrailer.com. Today we're going to be taking a look at the Thule Helium platform-style rack on our 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300. Now our Thule Helium is going to allow us to take two bikes to and from the trail. Now, our customer did have a different style rack that actually mounts to the back glass, holds the handlebars in place, but it kind of limits how many bikes you can take with you. So having a hitch-mounted bike rack is going to be a lot more versatile option because we're going to be able to carry more than one bike with us. And I personally would rather have a hitch-mounted bike rack, then a roof-mounted bike rack. Mainly because I don't like the idea of lifting my bike up above my head, trying to get it on the roof of my Mercedes, just too many opportunities to potentially scratch it. And again, I'm a little bit on the shorter side, so I really don't want to have to reach all the way up, lifting my bike up.This way, it's a lot easier to access. It's a lot easier to transport. And since we have a carbon bike here, the nice thing about this platform rack is we're not going to have any frame contact. So it's going to make sure our bike is secure and our car's not going to be messed with in any way.We're going to have two arms, they're going to hold the tires in place and we can go ahead and pull those off so we can take a closer look at the rack. There is a little lever right here. Let me just reach in and grab the lever and that'll allow us to move the arm out of the way. But as soon as you let go of that lever, it's going to get into a locked position and you can hear the clicking action.What I like about this design is it gives you a really wide option when it comes to how you Mount your bikes. Because a lot of times we get in that area where the handlebars are kind of hitting each other. Maybe the pedals are, maybe even the seat's getting in the way. The tray here allows us, we can put one bike pretty far to one side, tighten both arms down, and then we can do the opposite thing with the other bike, move it over this way, which really help eliminate the handlebars and everything coming in contact with each other. So we do have a big variety of options of how we can mount them up.We're going to move the arms out of the way and we're going to pull our bike off so we can take a closer look. One of the big benefits, other than the fact that there's no frame contact on our bike, of having a platform style rack is that most of them do tilt away. So if we needed to get into the back hatch, we're not going to have to unload our bikes or pull the bike rack off. We can come to the very back of the mast and right underneath there's another lever, if we pull that lever it's going to allow the bike rack to tilt away. Then we can come to the side, open our hatch, and get wherever we need.There's not a whole lot of room, but there is enough room that you can get in here, grab what you need or put in what you need and then we can close the hatch up. And then putting the rack back into the upright position, we just grab, lift it up, and when we hear that click knowing that it's locked back into place.So with the bike removed, we can take a closer look at the trays. The trays are going to have this small indention in the very center. And this is going to be really good for road bikes, make sure it holds that tire nice and tight. And at the same time, the outer edges are going to be better for maybe a mountain bike with a slightly larger tire. Now the trays are going to be made out of aluminum, they're not painted, so they are going to be rust-proof and it is going to help out because whenever we do want to take our bike rack out or put it in, it is going to be lightweight compared to a steel bike rack.And on the end of each tray, they do include a cable lock. So we can make sure that our bikes are nice and secure and they are key to like, so we're not going to have to worry about having a whole bunch of extra keys and figuring out which one is for which tray.Being able to carry two bikes with you is really nice. But as you can see, we are adding a little bit to the back of a Mercedes, so I'd like to give you a few measurements.If I measure from the very back of the bumper to the very end of the rack, it's going t