FAQ Single Trail

The SL and EZ-RFS both share the same great overall rack features which are deep supportive wheel baskets, rope fastening system (RFS) and roll load tilting.
Where the two racks differ is in the rope fastening system and pivot operation.

Rope Fastening System (RFS)

– The RFS on the SL rack has no moving parts uses a V cleat to wedge the rope in place.
To fasten the bike you place the rope over the pedal, pull tension on the rope and wedge it down into the cleat to secure the rope. 
To remove your bike you pull tension back on the rope to un wedge from the cleat and can then slide slack through to remove it off your bike.
6mm rope is used on the SL racks. 
The cleat system is simple and effective.

– The RFS on the EZ-RFS rack uses a self locking cam to hold the rope. 
To fasten the bike you place the rope over the pedal, pull tension on the rope and the cam holds the rope in place when you let go.
To remove your bike you simply lift the cam and easily slide slack through to remove it off your bike.
7mm rope is used on the EZ-RFS racks.
The cam system is extremely simple to use and is softer on the rope providing an extremely long service live. The cam system our original and premium fastening option.

Pivot operation

– The SL rack has a foot operated locking mechanism to hold the rack in place but requires a lockout pin to back up the lock.
To lay the rack down to roll load bikes or gain boot access you need to first remove the lockout pin. The lockout pin can be placed in to one of four roll load holes lower in the pivot. To lay the rack down, you press your foot on the pedal to unlatch the lock and then lay the rack down.
To put the rack back up into the transport position, you can push the rack up until the locking mechanism snaps back into place. You must then place the lockout pin back into the lock hole prior to travel.

-The EZ-RFS rack has a auto locking foot operated pivot.
To lay the rack down to roll load bikes or gain boot access you simply press the foot pedal and lay the rack backwards.
Putting the rack back up for transport is as easy and pushing the rack back up until the locking mechanism snaps back into place.
The EZ-RFS pivot is automatically double locking and doesn’t require a lockout pin. For longer trips you can opt to run a second 1/2″ hitch pin to lockout the pivot completely.

The SL range of racks are our entry level rack.
Available in a SL100 and SL150 for a lightweight and heavyweight option.
This rack has the same great features of our RFS racks but in a more price friendly package.
The SL racks feature integrated anti wobble mechanism, patented SL rope fastening system and roll loading pivot with additional locking pin.
The SL rack is a great choice for a smaller budget or for light to medium use with the family

The EZ-RFS racks are our original and top of the range rack.
The EZ-RFS range of racks are perfect for everything up to full time commercial use.
The EZ-RFS racks feature integrated anti wobble mechanism, patented rope fastening system and auto locking EZload pivot.
The EZ-RFS rack is a great choice for heavy use and when ease of use and boot access is a must.

The RFS range of bike backs are designed to be used in all vehicles with a 50mm hitch. There are a number of additional considerations when checking fitment – including down weight capacity of your towbar and anything mounted to the rear of your vehicle. Use our Check My Fit guide to ensure you get the right rack to suit your vehicle.

Check My Fit Down Weight Calculator

Yes it’s possible to access your car boot with our racks fully loaded. We have a variety of access possibilities depending on the rack model you select. Some racks offer access via a foot pedal pivot and others offer a full swing away.

See our rack comparison chart for more information on the boot accessibility for each rack model.

There are a few important considerations when considering a vertical bike rack. The following is what we believe are the most important to consider when choosing a rack:

• How many bikes – All our range are available in 2 – 6 bike capacity.
• Loading Style – Lift up or roll up loading – For more information view our rack comparison chart.
• Access Requirements – Easy boot access is an important consideration when choosing a rack. Spending large amounts of time undoing bolts or removing racks to get access to cargo can make all the difference to a seamless trail run.
• Bike Sizes – All of our racks can take bikes with wheel sizes from 24” to 29” with a 30kg max weight. There are options available to carry road bikes, 20” BMX and kids bikes.
• Compare all our racks here.
• Once you have chosen a rack – check how it fits your vehicle.

RFS Racks – Refer to our installation video on YouTube.

Super RFS – Follow EZ RFS Video & Refer to Additional Instructions.

SL Racks – Refer to Instructions.

You can buy our full range of bike racks online – visit our online shop.

You can also visit one of our dealers. Visit our stockist page to find your nearest dealer.

We are keen on working with local retailers, if you are interested in becoming a retailer, head over to our registration page or get in touch on 0499 313 880.

We have always backed the products we’ve designed, manufactured, and sold, and we want our customers to be confident that they are purchasing a quality Australian product and will be supported for the life of it’s use.

The Single Trail for Life is a limited lifetime warranty on the structure of each Single Trail rack and swing arm to the original purchaser, this includes the rope in our rope fastening systems.

Read more about our limited lifetime warranty here.

We manufacture our racks in house and have all spare parts available for our racks.

In the event of accidental damage we provide significant discounts on parts to ensure your rack is usable again, get in touch with sales@single-trail.com to request spare parts.

Yes, our racks need to be modified slightly to protect your road bike.

Read more about our rack modifications for road bikes here.

All our racks have the option to transport 20” bikes, there are two options available:

1. When purchasing your rack, add the 20” option to modify your rack to expand the bike size carry capacity to 20” to 29” bikes.
2. Purchase the 20” rear wheel bracket – to allow you to carry a single 20” bike on any of our standard racks.

Note: When using either option to carry a 20” bike you will need a 20” Padding Kit for each front wheel basket.

For more information view our rack modifications page for 20″ bikes.

All dimension drawings are taken from the hitch pin. You can use this information to check if you will be able to drive into your garage with the rack on the vehicle.

When storing the rack in the garage stand, use the dimensions of the rack and the hitch pin location of the garage stand when sitting against a wall:

• • 120mm off the wall
  • 175mm off the ground

All of the Single Trail racks can take 30kg bikes in each basket and a total weight not exceeding 150kg. That means a 4 bike rack can take four (4) 30kg E-Bikes and a 6 bike rack can take six (6) 25kg E-Bikes or a combination of 30kg E-Bikes and lighter bikes.

All of our racks require a 50mm hitch mount. These can be installed at the rear or draw bar of many caravans and trailers. To ensure the rack will work with your set up we suggest using the  down weight calculator.

Mounting racks on caravans are unique setups and need to be tailored to each use case.

When choosing to mount a bike rack to the back of your trailer it is important to check the suitability of the rear bar or chassis that the rack is to be mounted to. Racks see higher forces when mounted to the back of trailers and the mountings for the rack need to be strong enough to stand up to these large forces.

When mounting a rack to the back of the trailer you need to ensure you still have the correct tow ball weight for you trailer. Incorrect tow ball weight can lead to instability when towing.

As the racks see larger forces on the back of trailers they can move more from factors like mounting type, rear bar strength and chassis design. We recommend a minimum of 150mm of clearance between the back of the trailer and the wheel baskets or mast of the rack to prevent any contact. This is only a recommended clearance and may need to be increased depending method the rack is being mounted.

For 2 – 3 bikes we recommend the SL100, EZ-RFS and Super-RFS range of racks.
For 4 – 6 bikes we recommend the SL150, EZ-RFS and Super-RFS range or racks.

If you have more question about mounting a rack to your trailer you can get in touch with the Single Trail team via our contact page.

The RFS Rack range is supplied with a 1/2 Inch Hitch Pin, this is so the anti-wobble mechanism has enough throw to work within the tongue tube. 

DO NOT DRILL OUT THE HOLE

1/2 Inch Locking Hitch pins are available in our accessories.

Note: Hitch pins are not required to be tight in your hitch, they are a safety mechanism only.  The anti-wobble mechanism will take up any slack in your hitch.