Racor Pro ABL-1R Aluminum Ceiling Mounted Bike Lift
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Our Price: $47.95
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Product Details
Manufacturer: RacorModel: ABL-1R
Color: Aluminum
Product features:
- Bike and ladder lift for garage ceiling storage
- Mounts to parallel or perpendicular to joists
- Cam lock secures rope with every pull
- Rust and chemical proof
- Designed for ceilings up to 12 feet; 75 pound capacity
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Racor Pro ABL-1R Aluminum Ceiling Mounted Bike Lift
Customer Review: Several QC Problems, and Design Flaws
Summary: 2 Stars
I'm not sure if these have just gotten worse lately, or what, but the latest reviews are telling of what the current product is like. I bought two of these units for my garage.
These arrived in a huge box from Amazon, and were packaged very well, with no visible signs of damage.
I opened the first box, and started going through the instructions (mostly decent, could use some extra steps), and checking the fit of everything, after noting some of the reviews. Everything seemed to fit inside the track during inspection, and the parts seemed of decent quality.
When I started assembly of the first unit, I installed the track. Once this was done, I tried to slide the metal stops with the allen bolts in them, into the track, only to find that they no longer fit when the track is installed (the track must be slightly bowed, and then after assembly, it slightly closes the track). I e-mailed the company to ask if they had modified metal stops, and was told that this was the first time they had heard of the problem, and that they did not have a solution. Instead of prying the track open, I decided to use a sander to sand down the metal stops, because prying on the track only left tool marks on it. I was then able to install everything correctly, and it looked like it was going to be a decent product, until I fished the ~40 foot rope (...does it really need to be that long?) through the pulleys.
I got my bike (~25lb XC mountain bike) setup below the lift, and it took nearly 5 minutes just to get the hooks lined up and holding just the right pressure on the rope, to keep the other from coming off, once I had done the first. I hoisted my bike up in the air, and got it to where I wanted it, and started to release on the rope, to find that the bike was coming back down at full speed. These have a ratcheting system, that is supposed to keep that from happening, even when not using the rope coil bar. I tried it several more times, and just decided to leave my bike on the floor, and give up for the evening.
I had opened both boxes in order to get the metal plates out of both units, so I could do all the sanding at once. I realized that the second unit was missing the eyelet and metal stop. I e-mailed the company, and let them know, and they said that they were currently out of stock, but would ship me one when it came in...okay
The next day, I decided to look at the other unit, to check it over. Upon looking at the ratchet system on this one, I thought, something looks different about this one. I took it out to the one already installed, and sure enough, the two pieces (which are RIVETED together) were installed backwards, which explains why it did not work. There is no way to reverse them, unless you happen to have a rivet the correct size, and a tool to install it.
On top of this, the previous reviews are correct, the two pulleys that have the hooks on them need to be redesigned, because the rope falls off all the time.
From a usage standpoint, I couldn't see how someone that rides their bike 2-3 times a week would like the hassle of using one of these. Someone that rides their bike maybe once a month or something, may find it more useful, but I think I'll just go back to using stud mounted hooks for the wheels, or a floor standing bike rack.
I was pretty ticked at this point, and just got on Amazon and decided to return both of them for a refund. This is one of the worse quality control issues I have seen. One unit with missing parts, another with parts not correctly assembled, poor response from the company on replacement parts...I'll let you decide.
Two stars...I will give them that, because if they fixed the quality issues, and redesigned the lower pulleys, I think this would be a really nice product. But instead of that, I'm left with 5 holes in my ceiling.
Description of Racor Pro ABL-1R Aluminum Ceiling Mounted Bike Lift
Finally an easy way to store your bicycle or ladder on the ceiling. This heavy gauge aluminum bike and ladder lift is simple to install with its single point attachement. Its unique rail design allows it to be mounted along or perpendicular to ceiling joists Easy installation with included hardware. 36.5'' x 3'' x varies, heavy gauge aluminumNothing eats up garage floor space faster than bikes and ladders. This bike and ladder lift hoists those bulky items up to the ceiling and out of the way. A unique rail design means easy mounting either parallel or perpendicular to garage ceiling joists. A smart cam lock locks the pull rope with every pull so you don't have to hold down the whole load between lifts. Designed for ceilings up to 12 foot, the lift has a 75-pound capacity for stable storage of most bikes and ladders. Made from heavy gauge aluminum, the lift won't rust for years of reliable bike and ladder storage. --Brian D. Olson
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