The Newest Hitch

Mount Bike Rack

Jeff Wright

Personal introduction!
My name is Jeff Wright and I am presenting to you a new and updated hitch mount
bike rack.

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 Stakeholders

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The modern bike riders! A loving family and an extreme singletrack rider.

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 Stakeholders

• A family wanting ease and convenience to

ride at the local park

• A professionalbiker wanting the security

to go across the country

Many groups of people utilize a bike rack for transporting bikes, whether it be to the
local greenway, or taking to the next race across country, or somewhere in between
the use is there.

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 Research

• Multiple problems with current bike rack designs [1],[2]

• Multiple options are available for the consumer but there is room for
improvement
• During interviews, the major concerns for a bike rack were found to be
 Security
 Balance of a hitch mount bike rack
 Ease of use
 Weight
 Cost
 Storage when not in use

It does not take very long to find stories of or complaints on bike racks. A simple
google search can provide that information. The problems are present, and we can
improve on the design. A few hot topics I found were security, balance or wobble,
ease of use, the cost, and storage when not using the rack.

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 POV Statement

• All stakeholders stated that the racks wobble while driving down the road.
This often leads to a feeling of the bikes not being secure and fear they may
fall off. Research found this is possible and has happened on occasion.

• The ability to access trunk while bikes are loaded is a must

• Ability to carry 4 bikes

• Ability to make adjustments

Wobble, trunk, 4 bikes, adjustment ease.

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 Problem Statement

• Improvedhitch style bike rack. Bicycle racks are

abundant already in the market, but
improvement is still out there. The number one
problem area for hitch style bike racks is how
unsteady that appear to be on the vehicle. Many
wobble back and forth forcing the end user to use
unproven hacks to make them more secure.

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 Requirements
• Anti-wobble

• Wheel and pedal stabilization

• Lockable rack to hitch
• Bike locks to hitch
• Access to trunk with bikes on rack
• Holds 4 bikes

Requirements anti-wobble or side to side movement of bikes and racks. Wheels and
pedals can strike the vehicle causing damage to the bike, rack, and vehicle. Stolen
racks and bikes is a major concern. Accessing trunk while bikes are on vehicle is a
major concern forgetting your purse or wallet and having to remove bikes is a major
inconvenience. Ability to hold four bikes for the family.

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 Criteria
• Lightweight and ease of attaching to vehicle
• Adjustable with no or minimal tools
• Removable Sections
• Cost

• Ease of loading bikes

• Storage when off vehicle

Lightweight and ease of attaching to vehicle. Go hand in hand. The lighter the rack
the easier the process. Many racks have nuts and bolts used for adjustment which
requires the user to keep that tool on hand. Removable sections, being able to go
from 1 bike to four bikes. Cost willing to pay more for a better stand but everyone
wants a good deal. Lifting bikes above your waist is difficult and can cause injury.

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 AHP
Bike Rack AHP

Ease of loading Ease to get on and Storage when off

Lightweight Easily Adjustable Removable Sections Cost Total Percentage
bikes off hitch vehicle

0.33
Lightweight 1.00 0.33 0.20 0.20 3.00 0.17 5.23 0.06

Easily Adjustable 3.00 1.00 5.00 0.25 1.00 1.00 0.25 11.50 0.14

Removable Section 3.00 0.20 1.00 0.33 0.50 0.33 0.25 5.62 0.07

Cost 5.00 4.00 3.00 1.00 3.00 3.00 1.00 20.00 0.24

Ease of loading bikes 5.00 1.00 2.00 0.33 1.00 1.00 0.25 10.58 0.13

Easy to get on and off hitch 0.33 1.00 3.00 0.33 1.00 1.00 0.33 7.00 0.08

Storage when off vehicle 6.00 4.00 4.00 1.00 4.00 3.00 1.00 23.00 0.28

82.93 1.00

Lightweight, removable sections, and Ease of getting on and off hitch. Quickly
became the bottom three criteria. The other areas of the design are just more
practical and the expectation for these areas are not high. Adjustablity and ease of
loading bikes go hand in hand in this situation the more easily the rack is adjustable
to different bike sizes the easier the loading of bikes are. Cost is a major concern for
everyone involved. The consumer is willing to pay a little more for a quality product
but only as much as is necessary. Storage for the rack was actually the biggest
concern one interviewee even stating his car has been damage by a falling rack.

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Design Alternatives

• This design secured the bikes in a

vertical position.
• Rack would have a hinge that
allowed rack to fold away from
vehicle to allow access to trunk.
• Bikes would be secured by a
ratcheting lockable hook

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Design Alternatives

• This design held bikes

perpendicular to the vehicle
• Bikes were secured using a c
channel that the bike crank would
slide into
• Stand would also utilizie a “jack
stand” type system for storage
when not in use.

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 Decision Matrix

Design Matrix
Criteria Design A Design B Design C
Weight Score Total Score Total Score Total
Lightweight 0.06 2 0.12 2 0.12 4 0.24
Easily Adjustable 0.14 4 0.56 3 0.42 2 0.28
Removable Section 0.07 0 0 0 0 0 0
Cost 0.24 2 0.48 2 0.48 4 0.96
Ease of Loading Bikes 0.13 5 0.65 3 0.39 2 0.26
Ease fo getting off hitch 0.08 2 0.16 2 0.16 4 0.32
Storage when off vehicle 0.28 5 1.4 5 1.4 2 0.56
3.37 2.97 2.62

Design A came out on top. Its ease of adjustability and storage were the major
deciding factors for the matrix. Although the matrix is not the end all be all. Going
into the Matrix I though B would be a better product but the difficult in loading bikes
was its downfall. Design C the storage was its downfall.

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Design

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 How it works

• Rack holds bikes in a parallel direction to the vehicle

• Hitch attachment would have a lockable pin option
• Another option that is not pictured is support post coming from
outside edges down to the safety chain connection point to increase
stability
• Rack would fold down to allow for access to trunk as well as the
ability to roll bikes onto platform
• Ratcheting hooks to secure bike to rack with optional locking option

Rack direction, locking pin, support post, rack folding, and ratcheting hook explained.

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 How the design solves requirements
• Anti-wobble
 The design of the rack should allow for a more balanced load.
 Stabilizing bars to give side to side stabilization

• Wheel and pedal stabilization

 The c channel

• Security
 Ability to lock rack to hitch
 Ability to lock bike to rack

• Trunk access
 Hinge to allow rack to fold down

• 4 bikes
 4 channels

Requirements solved, wooble, stabilization, security (locks), Folding for trunk access,
4 bike ability.

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 How the design solve criteria
• Lightweight design
 6000 series Aluminum
• Adjustability
 Full length C channel
• Removable Sections
 Ongoing problem
• Cost
 Estimated at 500-700 USD
• Ease of loading bikes
 Bikes able to roll on platform
• Ease of getting on and off hitch
 Ongoing issue
• Storage when off vehicle
 Wall mounts readily available in market

6000 series aluminum offering strength and weight benefits. Adjustability achieved by
use of full-length channel for bike. Removable section ongoing design problem,
drastic increase in weight and wobble effect. Cost estimated based on cost of
aluminum further research would be required. Roll on design makes for loading bikes
simplistic and will decrease chance of bike and vehicle damage. Ease of getting a bike
on and off hitch. The best solution is increased research into light weight materials.
Storage when off vehicle mounts are readily available on the market.

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 Summary

• Engineering is more then just engineering

• CAD software limitation and learning curve
• Presentation

Engineering is not just let me make something it is an entire process. I assumed it was
just here, make this product. I also learned that an engineer is limited a lot by the
capabilities of the software they use. At the same time more advanced software
requires a substantial amount of understanding and practice with the software. And
who knew I would have to make a presentation. I figured I design it and on to the
next project.

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 References
• [1]"The 5 Most Common Bike Rack Complaints & How To Avoid Them - Biker
Guyd", Biker Guyd, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://bikerguyd.com/the-5-most-
common-bike-rack-complaints-how-to-avoid-them/. [Accessed: 14- Feb- 2021].

• [2]"Bike Racks for Cars: Pros and Cons | Backroads", Backroads.com, 2021. [Online].
Available: https://www.backroads.com/pro-tips/biking/bike-racks-for-cars-pros-and-
cons. [Accessed: 14- Feb- 2021].

• [3]"Mountain Biking Tips: How To Tabletop, Whip & Scrub | evo", Evo.com, 2021.
[Online]. Available: https://www.evo.com/academy/bike/how-to-jump-with-style-
tabletop-scrub-whip. [Accessed: 14- Feb- 2021].

• [4]"'We're a bit nervous': Families swarming the streets on two wheels to escape
lockdown boredom", Abc.net.au, 2021. [Online]. Available:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-18/families-bike-riding-cycling-escape-covid-
coronavirus-lockdown/12155716. [Accessed: 14- Feb- 2021].

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