Bike racks that mount on your vehicle's trailer hitch may be handy, but they can certainly make it difficult to access the rear hatch – particularly when they're loaded with bikes. While some such racks do fold down or swing to one side, Saris' new Glide takes a different approach. As its name implies, it just kinda "glides" back out of the way.
The Glide incorporates a four-bar linkage system that was originally developed by one of the company's engineers for use in a custom full-suspension mountain bike. To use it, you simply push a button in its handle to release it, then push the bikes back to get at the hatch, and pull them back in once you're done.
Tipping the scales at approximately 35 lb (16 kg), the Glide is claimed to be about half the weight of other hatch-access hitch racks on the market. Depending on the Glide model, it can carry either four or five bikes – each one of which weighing up to 35 lb.
The EX models also have an integrated locking system, which both keeps the bikes from being stolen off the rack, and keeps the rack from being pinched off the vehicle.
If you're interested in getting a Glide rack, it's currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign. A pledge of US$250 will get you a 4-bike Glide EX, with the 5-bike EX going for $275. Assuming they reach production, their planned retail prices are $500 and $550, respectively.
Source: Kickstarter
