ÂÂ
BIKERUMOR.com 2009 SEA OTTER CLASSIC COVERAGE: Thule showed off their new Helium lightweight hitch mount bike racks in both 2- and 3-bike versions.
Made of aluminum, they’re considerably lighter than comparable models made of steel, but also more expensive.  They range from $329 to $379.  Weight is only 22lbs for the 2-bike carrier, though, and you get a lot of nifty features built in.
From left to right:
- Foot lever to lower the rack away from car for access to trunk or liftgate.
- Integrated lock cable pulls out of body and left arm (shown engaged in top pic)
- Arms fold down flush with body when bikes aren’t being transported.
- knob on hitch piece twists to expand the a silver shim into receiver to keep the rack steady.
