While out and about NW Portland last week, I spotted an unfamiliar rack design mounted to the Fat Tire Farm van. Made by a company called Recon Racks, the rack appeared to be ideal for shuttling riders with an impressive 6 bike capacity.
A quick search revealed the racks are created by a small company out of Bellingham, Washington. In addition to what looks to be a simple and quick way to secure your ride, there are also options for adding trail building tool holders, (to keep muddy tools out of the car) as well as a built in receiver hitch for additional storage options.
Bikes are suspended by a wheel basket that secures the front wheel, with the rear secured by a 5/16″ heavy duty bungee cord and ball system. The rack looks to be well thought out and a solid option for carrying a lot of bikes without having to add a second rack.
The racks are available in models ranging from 2-6 bike capacity. (we did spot a rack on the site holding 8, but don’t see one listed in the store.) The 6 bike model is built extra stout in order to handle the load, a modification that is available for any of the other models on request.
It doesn’t appear to be road bike friendly,* but the wheel basket will hold 26″, 27.5″ and 29″ wheels securely. A 24″ wheel will also fit with some room, and there is an option to add a smaller wheel basket that will hold 20″ wheels.
*UPDATE: according to Cody at Recon Racks, the racks can accommodate road bikes without issues, though road bikes and commuter bikes with full fenders can be a challenge. The current wheel trays don’t work with fat bikes yet either, but plus tires up to 3.0s will fit, though it is a tight fit. They are also testing new iterations of the wheel tray (as well as other components of the rack) to improve the design.
Recon Racks start at $725.00.
Check it out at Recon-Racks.com
