After some serious research and development, Ezi-Grip is back with a new and revised offering to the two-pronged bike rack market. All the new MP and MC series racks are made up of three interchangeable parts: the towball hitch, the upright and the rack itself. The idea is that you don’t have to buy a whole new rack as your needs change; instead you just replace the piece that suits your new bike, your new car or the newest member of your family.
MP stands for modular prong, and this is the lynchpin of Ezi-Grip’s new system. The “U” shaped rack is a departure from traditional two-pronged racks, and after six months of use this appears to be for good reason. With the optional protective foam on the upright, it’s all but impossible to damage your frame. Even if you slam your bike as far on to the rack as possible, the swooping, foam-covered prongs protect your frame from all bits of exposed metal. The foam has proved to be extremely durable and so far shows little wear and tear. At the other end of the rack the prongs swoop up to stop bikes working their way backwards on long drives. Shorter people may find it a bit of a mission lifting heavier bikes over the kink and off the rack.
The rack tested came with four-metre-long bungee cords. These were so confusing to use that I promptly reverted to the pink tie-downs from my previous rack. Ezi-Grip has since shortened the bungees to make it less of a puzzle.
The three parts of the rack are fastened together with large bolts that are designed to be undone by hand. If you’re worried about security, you can fasten everything together using cable locks through the D-loops that exist for this purpose. When there are no bikes on the rack it’s a breeze to remove by hand and throw in the boot.
This Ezi-Grip rack is now a permanent fixture on my car. The four-metre bungee cords, however, are in my garage securing my gardening tools to the wall. CALEB SMITH
