If you’ve got a fat bike, then you might be interested in the TomaHawk bike rack from RockyMounts. Because you know that most racks won’t work with 4-5 inch wide tires. But this one does. Not only that, but the TomaHawk will handle your road bike, cruiser, MTB, or fat bike. And that’s without any contact with your frame. Also, you don’t need to remove your front wheel. As luck would have it, RockyMounts was kind enough to send me one for review.
The TomaHawk is made to be flexible. This rack mounts to round or aero bars with ease. With it, you can carry a road bike with 23mm x 700c tires just as well as your 29er with 2.5 inch rubber. And a fat bike with 4 or 5 inch wide tires is no trouble at all. If your bike has 20-29 inch wheels, and weighs 40 pounds or less, it will probably fit. There are a few compromises to be made, but really, the TomaHawk is one tool that does it all.
Mounting the TomaHawk on my round bars took about 30 minutes, with one person. I found the instructions to be simple, yet clear. And the little assembly that was required was handled with the included allen wrenches. Note that there are eight bolts that need to be tightened, so think of the TomaHawk as semi-permanent. I would not want to take it off or put it back on too often. It’s also set up for the driver’s side, which works best for me. If you want to mount it on the passenger side, the instructions explain how to reverse the arm for that. There are two places for lock cores – one where the rack mounts to the crossbar, and one for the arm that holds the bike. These make it both safe and secure.
After the rack was mounted, I grabbed my fat bike, and lifted it on to the roof of my car. A wire “wheel chock” holds it in place while you lower the arm over your front wheel, right at the fork crown. Once it’s snug, use the included straps to lock down the wheels. You’ll find the extra set of straps makes it easy to get around fat tires. Be sure your wheels are centered in the rails too. Double check the arm and straps, and you’re ready to go!
In use, the TomaHawk was no louder than my racks by themselves. I have a fairing, so wind noise is pretty low. Of course, I only went from my house to the trails a 20 minute drive away. A long freeway trip may be different. And I did have a little trouble with the straps. If your wheels are not centered, they are hard to undo with really fat tires. And because my bike is a little short, the rear strap wants to be right at the rear mount. So it ends up being at a bit of an angle. Otherwise, it’s been trouble-free.
It’s hard to beat a rack that will carry so many bike sizes, and for only $159.95 (MSRP). If you switch between bikes, or just need to carry a fat bike, this is a smart choice. The good folks at RockyMounts back it up with a lifetime warranty too. Check out RockyMounts.com for more info.
Brian
I’d like to thank RockyMounts for providing their TomaHawk for this review. It sure beats taking my wheel off, and throwing a dirt and mud-covered bike in the back of my car!
This looks really nice. I so need to get a rack on my car. When I do I will definitely look into this.