Review of Hollywood Sport Rider SE4 (HR1400) bike rack

May 22, 2020 by Piotr

We spent too much time in the last 2 weeks doing research online about a good platform bike rack to carry up to 4 bikes. There were really two contenders: Thule T2 Pro XT (plus extension) and Hollywood Sport Rider SE4 (HR1400Z). There are a lot of similar racks to Thule T2: Kuat NV 2.0, 1Up Super Heavy Duty, etc. In the end, we decided that the price won’t be a deciding factor… and then ended up buying the cheapest one.

We decided to purchase the Hollywood rack.

The online reviews, including YouTube videos, are however incomplete. They miss the biggest disadvantages of the two racks.

Hollywood Sport Rider SE4 (HR1400Z)

This rack comes with tradeoffs.

• It works with bikes with fenders & front racks.
• It tilts-away really well, allowing access to trunk and providing ample space to actually access the trunk.
• It is solid. Heavy, but solid. There is no wobble after using the anti-wobble lever that’s built in.
• 3 bikes fit in comfortably (after some shuffling), I haven’t tried 4, but they should fit well too.
• It is configurable to 2 or 4 bikes, and attaching the 2-bike extension takes only 45 seconds or so (put it in, put the pin, tighten up). This is great if you don’t always carry 3 or 4 bikes.
• Instead of adding the 2 bike extension, you can add a hitch cargo carrier (HR1485) — which can carry 90lbs as an add-on, or 220lbs when installed directly on the hitch (not as an extension). This allows you to carry 2 bikes + other stuff.
• Each clamp has its own individual lock, allowing you to lock each bike without using the additional provided cable.
• It comes with a cable to connect all bikes to the car.

Now to the cons:

• It is a pain in the butt to configure it for the first time. You need to think about how bikes are stacked and decide how you want to configure wheel holders. Changing the configuration is annoying and difficult. If you will be carrying different bikes each time, this rack is not for you (you can do it, but it’s annoying).
• The center post may collide with crankset, and then you need even more adjustments.
• You need to remember what’s the order of the bikes you are installing, to repeat it in the future, or you will be up for reconfiguration.
• It comes with 4 keys. They are flimsy. The FIRST time I tried to remove the rack, I broke the key. (but the support is amazing: they sent me two new keys)
• Installing the third bike is a bit challenging.
• Tilting is a two person job, and there is no handle, but it tilts!
• It won’t work (without addition) with bikes with awkward frame shapes (e.g. women bikes).
• The ratchet hooks don’t always won’t to slide up. Sometimes they get stuck and it takes a lot of patience to unstuck them.

Many youtube videos tell you how amazing this rack is. But they very rarely show the actual installation of the bike, especially the third one. We’ve looked, and we couldn’t find one.

Thule T2 Pro XT

It is an absolutely fantastic rack. The ease of use is just amazing.

• It’s SOLID. It feels like a tank.
• The bikes are SUPER easy to install. They hold on to the wheel.
• The rear wheel attachment clips are really nice and fast to use.
• The tilting system is amazing. It has a handle that is in front of the rack (outside of the vehicle) that you can use to change the tilt.
• If you are carrying different bikes each time, or simply don’t want to think about bikes that you load, it’s for you. It’s really easy.
• Bicycle locks look pretty nice.

However, things that are other omitted:

• Once you attach an extension (to extend to 4 bikes), you can’t remove it. It will now always be a 4 bike rack.
• It doesn’t work with bikes with front fenders or front bike rack. Some people will tell you that you can hold the wheel in front of the rack. Don’t. When you do that, there is nothing actually holding the arm on to your front tire, and it is possible that it will slide down. As to front bike rack, I have seen it work with a front bike rack on some bicycles (without suspension), but it’s not guaranteed.

Since I carry a front rack on one of my bikes, we decided that we are not going to get the Thule.

Regarding the price: twice a year REI has a sale on which Thule racks are 20% off.

Netiher of the two racks have a license plate holder. Neither comes with extra stop lights that you can plug in to 4 or 7-pin connectors (this is standard in some European racks). And there are no official accessories for this (installing one requires altering the rack).