# New style of hitch rack. Lightbull Hitch Rack.



## 274898 (Nov 29, 2005)

Here is a new rack. Lightbull Hitch Rack. Looks interesting because it is small, light, and looks like it could be quite stable. I don't work for the company, but just saw an ad on Instagram. Anybody hear any info about this new rack?

TheLightbull.com


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## the-one1 (Aug 2, 2008)

Grabs the bike by the frame/crank and nothing to stop the front wheel from flopping around....nope.


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## bjcccat (Jul 28, 2009)

Until someone invents a force field that holds my bike suspended in air with no contact points, wheel tray/grip type racks remain the apex…


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## FrankS29 (Oct 23, 2019)

Oh, hell no!


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## Silentfoe (May 9, 2008)

A perfect example of a product that was designed for cycling, by someone who doesn't ride a bike. 

If you hate your bike, or truly don't give a .... about it, then this rack is for you.

The guy who designed it could have saved himself 5 years of design time and headaches by simply inviting some cyclist friends over and asking their opinion.

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## 274898 (Nov 29, 2005)

@the-one1
Grabs the bike by the frame/crank and nothing to stop the front wheel from flopping around....nope

That is a good point, but possibly a simple strap or bungee could solve that.


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## 274898 (Nov 29, 2005)

bjcccat said:


> Until someone invents a force field that holds my bike suspended in air with no contact points, wheel tray/grip type racks remain the apex&#8230;


If you have a SUV, you can use a Rockymounts thru-axle mount bolted down. That is what I currently use which great because bike is protected inside the car a little more from theft because it locks, but in muddy conditions you got to wipe the bike down before putting it in which is the main reason for a hitch rack for me.


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## RickBullottaPA (Mar 4, 2015)

LOL. Comparing a 2 bike rack to a 1 bike rack.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Silentfoe said:


> A perfect example of a product that was designed for cycling, by someone who doesn't ride a bike.
> 
> If you hate your bike, or truly don't give a .... about it, then this rack is for you.
> 
> ...


Exactly. Better make sure the spot on your mtb that you're least likely to clean (and which is probably covered with the most/oldest dirt) is absolutely spotless before you put your bike on this rack. Mmmmm, sand and gravel grinding through the carbon bb shell. That sounds awesome.


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## OldMike (Apr 30, 2020)

If you go to the website there's a pic of a velcro strap which goes around the downtube and front tire. Guess that's the solution for front tire movement.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

OldMike said:


> If you go to the website there's a pic of a velcro strap which goes around the downtube and front tire. Guess that's the solution for front tire movement.


I'm less concerned about that than I am about the frame contact this rack relies upon. Even though I don't ride in slop, the underside of my bb still gets plenty dirty (along with just about every mtb I've ever seen) and this rack will destroy a frame in short order with all the rubbing on the bb shell covered in dirt.


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## evasive (Feb 18, 2005)

It probably works fine for its target audience. Which isn’t most people on a MTB forum.


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## RYNOFREERIDE (Feb 26, 2004)

evasive said:


> It probably works fine for its target audience. Which isn't most people on a MTB forum.


Thats what I was going to say. It's light to use and cheap to buy. Plenty of people already hang their frames from racks. The cheap bike crowd that want cheap and easy will probably like it.

For the rest of us, we'd never throw our mountain or road bikes on that thing.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## rockcrusher (Aug 28, 2003)

aliikane said:


> Here is a new rack. Lightbull Hitch Rack. Looks interesting because it is small, light, and looks like it could be quite stable. I don't work for the company, but just saw an ad on Instagram. Anybody hear any info about this new rack?
> 
> TheLightbull.com


You know it is quality when they have a no bike riding model with no helmet riding bike.

Also what if you have down tube cables?


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## Forest Rider (Oct 29, 2018)

Neat idea but needs a platform for the wheels to sit on.
The crank arm holding method is similar to what I've seen on the top of a shuttle van.


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## Jayem (Jul 16, 2005)

I have never been able to place bikes that close, let alone plus or fat bikes with their wider forks. The bikes interfere with each other (seats, handlebars, etc.). Plus, that concentrates load on a very small area of the frame. Hard nope.


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## DtEW (Jun 14, 2004)

This seems like a product that'll give you more bull than promised.


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

If Girvin made a bike rack...


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## GKelley (Sep 4, 2018)

Not very honest advertising when they're comparing a 4-bike rack toa single bike rack...


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## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

I think it's a two bike rack but really hard to tell.

But it looks like George really enjoyed machining the prototypes.


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## Neseth (Nov 4, 2009)

I think this would be an ok alternative to a Kuat BETA. It'd better cost less than <$250 to compete. 

But for more than that, I still prefer a platform rack.


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## D. Inoobinati (Aug 28, 2020)

evasive said:


> It probably works fine for its target audience. Which isn't most people on a MTB forum.


Correct. People on this forum are medically attached to their bike racks.


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## Silentfoe (May 9, 2008)

evasive said:


> It probably works fine for its target audience. Which isn't most people on a MTB forum.


So this made me think.

Watching vehicles drive around with bike racks and bikes, who are they?

If they have a cheap bike on the rack, 90% of the time, it's a kids bike...and it's almost always the additional bike on the rack.

People who buy cheap bikes, don't typically travel with them and they balk at the price of most racks.

Ergo, if they own a rack, they most likely own a nicer bike.

Racks like the one posted here are for people who truly don't give a .... about their bike, and there is stiff competition in that rack market. In effect, if you aren't the dirt cheapest rack, you won't sell, and all of the expensive racks do the job better.

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## Ogre (Feb 17, 2005)

This is a kickstarter/ indigoogogo project that never went anywhere. There is a FB page with about 200 followers talking up their Indigoogo but doesn't pull up searching indigogo. 

My guess is it was probably priced like an enthusiast rack but with little appeal to bike riders.


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## 274898 (Nov 29, 2005)

Ogre said:


> This is a kickstarter/ indigoogogo project that never went anywhere. There is a FB page with about 200 followers talking up their Indigoogo but doesn't pull up searching indigogo.
> 
> My guess is it was probably priced like an enthusiast rack but with little appeal to bike riders.


From all the negative comments and vague production, guess it is a bust.


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## syadasti (Apr 20, 2004)

Ogre said:


> This is a kickstarter/ indigoogogo project that never went anywhere. There is a FB page with about 200 followers talking up their Indigoogo but doesn't pull up searching indigogo.
> 
> My guess is it was probably priced like an enthusiast rack but with little appeal to bike riders.


It's $450 for a 2 bike setup


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## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

syadasti said:


> It's $450 for a 2 bike setup


Yikes! 
Fail, casual crowd ain't going for that.


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## Pasta4lnch (May 29, 2020)

Yikes indeed...


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

seeing some overly-optimistic ads for this POS over on Failbook the past couple days. they're trying hard.


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## 274898 (Nov 29, 2005)

The more I look at it, the more I like it. Looks solid and lightweight. Minimally contacts the frame. I am not a weekend warrior enthusiast mtb rider (been riding bikes all my life from BMX to MTB) which many of the commenters say are the only people that would consider it. I don't think the fierce backlash to the product is warranted much.


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## Silentfoe (May 9, 2008)

aliikane said:


> The more I look at it, the more I like it. Looks solid and lightweight. Minimally contacts the frame. I am not a weekend warrior enthusiast mtb rider (been riding bikes all my life from BMX to MTB) which many of the commenters say are the only people that would consider it. I don't think the fierce backlash to the product is warranted much.


Hahahahahahahaha.

Doesn't contact the frame "much"? The best racks don't contact the frame, at all.

Please...describe in detail how this rack secures the front wheel. Your answer will tell you why there's backlash.

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## 274898 (Nov 29, 2005)

So, are you going to say truck tailgate pads do not contact the frame? 😂🤣😂 They contact the frame a lot and they are the accepted enduro bro truck transport of choice. I have had my bike transported on buddies' tailgate pads several times and had areas worn on my frame and fork. Also, the bikes can sometimes contact each other from excess movement from leaning and the back ends moving. That is why I never bought a tailgate pad for my truck. 

This rack looks like it has much less contact than a tailgate pad. It is also much smaller for storage and lighter than the 1up style wheel hold rack. There is a strap that holds the front tire from swinging.


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## Neseth (Nov 4, 2009)

aliikane said:


> So, are you going to say truck tailgate pads do not contact the frame? ??? They contact the frame a lot and they are the accepted enduro bro truck transport of choice. I have had my bike transported on buddies' tailgate pads several times and had areas worn on my frame and fork. Also, the bikes can sometimes contact each other from excess movement from leaning and the back ends moving. That is why I never bought a tailgate pad for my truck.
> 
> This rack looks like it has much less contact than a tailgate pad. It is also much smaller for storage and lighter than the 1up style wheel hold rack. There is a strap that holds the front tire from swinging.


He said nothing of the sort, you literally inserted words into his mouth, then argued against them. All he said was that the best racks don't contact the frame at all. Truck pads aren't even racks, let alone the "best racks." The best racks only make contact with the tires.

The only way this $400 lightbull rack is sellable is in markets where people live in small condominiums or apartments, and you need the lightest and smallest rack possible. Perhaps to elderly or small people that can't pick up other racks in that price range.


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

aliikane said:


> I have had my bike transported on buddies' tailgate pads several times and had areas worn on my frame and fork. Also, the bikes can sometimes contact each other from excess movement from leaning and the back ends moving.


Oh the humanity!!!!!


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## 274898 (Nov 29, 2005)

Neseth said:


> He said nothing of the sort, you literally inserted words into his mouth, then argued against them. All he said was that the best racks don't contact the frame at all. Truck pads aren't even racks, let alone the "best racks." The best racks only make contact with the tires.
> 
> The only way this $400 lightbull rack is sellable is in markets where people live in small condominiums or apartments, and you need the lightest and smallest rack possible. Perhaps to elderly or small people that can't pick up other racks in that price range.


That is why I referred to it as a question and just as comparison. No need to get so punchy. I am really starting to think everyone hating on the rack works for competitive rack companies because the hate really seems way, way overblown. 😂


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## 274898 (Nov 29, 2005)

slapheadmofo said:


> Oh the humanity!!!!!


The majority of people on this thread are hating on the rack because of the contact points on the frame (BB and cranks) and the possibility of rubbing and causing wear marks or scratches. So, it is a point to bring up why tailgate pads are so popular and this rack is such a horrible rack. I don't think the hate is warranted.


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## Pasta4lnch (May 29, 2020)

aliikane said:


> The majority of people on this thread are hating on the rack because of the contact points on the frame (BB and cranks) and the possibility of rubbing and causing wear marks or scratches. So, it is a point to bring up why tailgate pads are so popular and this rack is such a horrible rack. I don't think the hate is warranted.


for what it's worth, I stopped using my tailgate pad because it started to wear the paint off my fork and just the look of my bike bouncing around can't be good for the frame...


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

aliikane said:


> The majority of people on this thread are hating on the rack because of the contact points on the frame (BB and cranks) and the possibility of rubbing and causing wear marks or scratches. So, it is a point to bring up why tailgate pads are so popular and this rack is such a horrible rack. I don't think the hate is warranted.


Have you compared the cost of this thing to the cost of the popular tailgate pads? Tailgate pads are popular because they're cheap and they're great for lazy ppl who don't care about their stuff.

When I pay hundreds of dollars for a rack, I expect my rack not to touch painted surfaces of my bike or my vehicle. This thing not only touches a painted surface of the bike, it puts most of the bike's weight onto the DIRTIEST painted surface of the bike. It's not a possibility that this rack will mess up your frame. It's a guarantee.


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## jochribs (Nov 12, 2009)

aliikane said:


> I am really starting to think everyone hating on the rack works for competitive rack companies because the hate really seems way, way overblown. 😂


Conversely, it wouldn't be a bridge too far for us to think you might have some sort of dog in this fight or stake in this odd rack idea.


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## 274898 (Nov 29, 2005)

jochribs said:


> Conversely, it wouldn't be a bridge too far for us to think you might have some sort of dog in this fight or stake in this odd rack idea.


I would not have started a thread asking if anybody knew anything about this rack if I owned one or had a stake in the product. Nobody commented with any real info about the rack and just hated on it. Quite low.


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## jochribs (Nov 12, 2009)

aliikane said:


> I would not have started a thread asking if anybody knew anything about this rack if I owned one or had a stake in the product. Nobody commented with any real info about the rack and just hated on it. Quite low.


So apparently, you're quite fond of it. And you were hoping for some fruitful banter in awe and desire of such product... and it didn't go as planned?

If you don't have any stake in it, why do you care so much about people picking it apart? Do you feel that it somehow represents you because you chose to present it here?

I'd say that if you were looking for feedback about this rack and whether it was a good idea to buy, you definitely go that. Might not have been in the form you would have chosen from the outset, but you got it nonetheless. And the criticisms are sound, at least.


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## DtEW (Jun 14, 2004)

aliikane said:


> I would not have started a thread asking if anybody knew anything about this rack if I owned one or had a stake in the product. Nobody commented with any real info about the rack and just hated on it. Quite low.


It's funny how easily you accused others of insincerity and ulterior motives, yet in the same breath pretend to be utterly unaware of the simplest means of disguised promotion, and how your role in this thread fits that to a T.

"Just asking some questions about this cool and interesting thing that I'm going to provide a bunch of promotional info about... and defend it at every turn! And misrepresent even legit criticism as somehow empty... then attack the critics' integrity!"


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## Dan Zulu (Jul 5, 2008)

I see a retired engineer who was proud of his idea and did what he thought was best. I hope that he takes some satisfaction in his project even though it missed the mark for his intended audience.


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## cdalemaniac (Jun 18, 2007)

I don’t like the idea of that rack. As others have noted, contacting a dirty frame always causes issues. My first rack was a tailgate mounted one, and even though I used rags to protect the paint, it rubbed through the paint on the contact points rather rapidly. This was on the bottom of the toptube that doesn’t see that much dirt. That’s the reason why I switched to a hitch mounted rack that only grabs the wheels which I have been using going on almost 20 years years now with no issues whatsoever…..


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## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

Though I doubt mountain bikes are the target consumers for this rack, even my road bikes pick up a lot of grit on the bottom bracket and especially when I ride on granite dust paths. But, most of my road bikes have cables that pass across the bottom bracket; I'd be concerned that putting all the weight on that spot would eventually crack the plastic guide. I'm not sure how they would sit on that rack, 100% on the plastic or partially resting on the paint. Probably partially on the paint which would mean a smaller area would be vibrating against the rack.

The only benefit of this rack that I see is that it is lightweight for a hitch rack, which seems to have been the designer's main goal. I have no problem with the weight of my 1up plus it is almost always on my car. I think the target consumer for this rack is the very casual rider and I think the price point misses for this group; it's probably more than they paid for their bike. They are more likely to buy a trunk rack, even lighter weight and much cheaper.


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## 274898 (Nov 29, 2005)

jochribs said:


> So apparently, you're quite fond of it. And you were hoping for some fruitful banter in awe and desire of such product... and it didn't go as planned?
> 
> If you don't have any stake in it, why do you care so much about people picking it apart? Do you feel that it somehow represents you because you chose to present it here?
> 
> I'd say that if you were looking for feedback about this rack and whether it was a good idea to buy, you definitely go that. Might not have been in the form you would have chosen from the outset, but you got it nonetheless. And the criticisms are sound, at least.


Not at all was I seeking awe and only happy talk boasting about the product. I started the thread for people who had real information or experience with the product, not people that have absolutely no information or experience with the product and just troll hate. Big difference between people with experience/information of the product posting constructive criticisms of the product and throwing stones.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

aliikane said:


> Not at all. I started the thread for people who had information or experience with the product not people that have absolutely no information or experience with the product. Big difference between people with constructive criticisms of the product with experience or information about the product and troll hate.


You honestly expected people to have actual experience with a product that doesn't appear you can even buy?

Kinda dumb, tbh.

Folks posted impressions based on their experience with a wide range of racks. I'll bet that the folks on mtbr have more experience with more racks than the 4 developers listed on the website of this product.


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

Harold said:


> You honestly expected people to have actual experience with a product that doesn't appear you can even buy?


  

Thing is klugey AF and appears to be mainly intended to live on a shelf.


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

aliikane said:


> Not at all was I seeking awe and only happy talk boasting about the product. I started the thread for people who had real information or experience with the product, not people that have absolutely no information or experience with the product and just troll hate. Big difference between people with experience/information of the product posting constructive criticisms of the product and throwing stones.


I know it's really hard to fathom that some people are intelligent enough to look at something and determine issues with it without ever having owned or used the product.

I mean it's pretty basic. It's a horrible design for the cost.


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## 274898 (Nov 29, 2005)

Harold said:


> You honestly expected people to have actual experience with a product that doesn't appear you can even buy?
> 
> Kinda dumb, tbh.
> 
> Folks posted impressions based on their experience with a wide range of racks. I'll bet that the folks on mtbr have more experience with more racks than the 4 developers listed on the website of this product.


Dumb? I read a lot of posts of information and questions answered from the companies themselves or from people that have insider information. It happens a lot on the mtbr forums. Quite common and not dumb at all.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

aliikane said:


> Dumb? I read a lot of posts of information and questions answered from the companies themselves or from people that have insider information. It happens a lot on the mtbr forums. Quite common and not dumb at all.


Has that company presented itself on mtbr?


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## 274898 (Nov 29, 2005)

Harold said:


> Has that company presented itself on mtbr?


How much do you get paid to troll? Asking for a friend.


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## dysfunction (Aug 15, 2009)

Is this actually an advertisement? 

I'm now confused. Something was posted, people gave their opinions, and now that's just b-a-d.

Seems like an ad.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

aliikane said:


> How much do you get paid to troll? Asking for a friend.


If you think this is trolling, then you need to broaden your horizons.

Myself and others have provided honest assessments of this rack based on our experiences with other racks.


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## 274898 (Nov 29, 2005)

TwoTone said:


> I know it's really hard to fathom that some people are intelligent enough to look at something and determine issues with it without ever having owned or used the product.
> 
> I mean it's pretty basic. It's a horrible design for the cost.


Deeply sorry for not being as intelligent as you or others on the thread. I will keep my low level comments that are way below your intelligence to myself and not post anymore.

This thread is like Chinese water torture. The same comments getting repeated over and over by different people. I didn't get the memo.


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## DtEW (Jun 14, 2004)

aliikane said:


> This thread is like Chinese water torture. The same comments getting repeated over and over by different people. I didn't get the memo.


The word for that is "consensus", or at least the phrase"overwhelming agreement".


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## 274898 (Nov 29, 2005)

dysfunction said:


> Is this actually an advertisement?
> 
> I'm now confused. Something was posted, people gave their opinions, and now that's just b-a-d.
> 
> Seems like an ad.


*"Gang stalking"* trolls are bad for the internet.


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## dysfunction (Aug 15, 2009)

aliikane said:


> Gang stalking trolls are bad for the internet.


So, anyone who disagrees with you, or even questions you, is a troll.

Got it. Spray tan by chance?


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

dysfunction said:


> So, anyone who disagrees with you, or even questions you, is a troll.


There's a lot of that going around lately.
Right DtEW? 😉


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

aliikane said:


> *"Gang stalking"*


I think we've found a large part of issue here.

Do you think you're a "Targeted Individual"?
Have you been diagnosed?









United States of Paranoia: They See Gangs of Stalkers (Published 2016)


An online community known as “targeted individuals” says its members are being surveilled by groups of stalkers as part of a sprawling conspiracy. But psychiatrists beg to differ.




www.nytimes.com


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## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

What I want to know is that "actress" purposely over-acting at the one minute mark or is she that bad?


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## 274898 (Nov 29, 2005)

[QUOTE


slapheadmofo said:


> I think we've found a large part of issue here.
> 
> Do you think you're a "Targeted Individual"?
> Have you been diagnosed?
> ...


I'm pretty sure suggesting someone is mentally ill and should seek mentally ill evaluations is against the forum rules.


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

aliikane said:


> [QUOTE
> I'm pretty sure suggesting someone is mentally ill and should seek mentally ill evaluations is against the forum rules.


As much as suggesting that someone see a doctor when they've described having obvious symptoms of serious illness or injury.

Belief in gang-stalking is a paranoid delusion, and if you weren't actually just kidding about it, you seriously should seek professional help.


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## 274898 (Nov 29, 2005)

slapheadmofo said:


> As much as suggesting that someone see a doctor when they've described having obvious symptoms of serious illness or injury.
> 
> Belief in gang-stalking is a paranoid delusion, and if you weren't actually just kidding about it, you seriously should seek professional help.


You are stepping way out of bounds of the forum suggesting that I have some serious illness and paranoid delusion. Sorry, I am reporting you. You should be banned from the forum.


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## slapheadmofo (Jun 9, 2006)

aliikane said:


> You are stepping way out of bounds of the forum. Sorry, I am reporting you. You should be banned from the forum.


It is no more out of bounds than suggesting someone who is exhibiting cancer symptoms consult a doctor.


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## rton20s (Aug 27, 2010)




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## driver bob (Oct 12, 2005)

/CLOSED.


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