ALL ABOUT DIRTY POSSUM DIRTY POSSUM 5 BIKE RACK

Weight: 36.3kg | RRP: $1300 | Warranty: 10 years From: dirtypossum.com.au

Born from the needs of a number of mates in manufacturing, design and fabrication, Dirty Possum uses a welded fixed hoop design for their vertical bike racks. Their racks are built in Brisbane, and they also make stands, swing arms, speciality base bars and they do custom work for riders who have specific needs for their racks. Dirty Possum also make frame protection and much more.

HOW DO I GET A DIRTY POSSUM RACK?

Dirty Possum are sold via a dealer network, and their stockists are listed on their website. As the hoops are welded in place on the top bar it’s a quick build of about 30 minutes with a few basic spanners on hand to fit up the upright, top bar and base bar. The pedal straps come fitted.

FITTING UP THE DIRTY POSSUM RACK

The rack comes with an anti-sway U-bolt and a threaded, lockable hitch pin. It’s a few things to get the spanner out for for fitting and

removal, but once everything is tightened up its a very solid fitting. You can run the rack inwards a little to keep everything closer to your vehicle, and there are options to mount the base bar higher or lower for different wheelbase needs. There’s no plate holder but Dirty Possum’s light and plate board is incredible value.

LOADING AND UNLOADING

The Dirty Possum rack loads best from the left hand side, and you can lower it down to the stop on the base hinge to make it a bit easier – as long as your mates help you lift it back up when it’s full of bikes. The bungee cord for the wheel hoop is easy to attach, and then there’s a strap to hold the pedal into the wheel cradle. Dirty Possum have updated their base bar with a defined cradle, so you can lash across the wheel before then attaching to the pedal. This suits rougher shuttles or more security on longer trips. You can still go straight to the pedal if you prefer, for faster loading and unloading.

Unloading is a simple affair, quickly undoing the lower strap and then reaching for the top bungee before lifting the bike down. You do need to brace for lowering the rack. Each wheel hoop can take 30kg for a total of 150kg for the rack, and it will carry 24-29” wheels. It doesn’t go flat but you can get a swingarm if you need unobstructed rear access.

ON THE ROAD

The Dirty Possum rack is straightforward to fit, load and get going. Using the new tie down system you can tell how stable the bikes are just via a glance in the rear view mirror. If you prefer to have a little more give in the system, you can opt to lash just to the pedal. Similarly, the rack does come with two sway straps that you can attach to the top bar down to the D-shackles on your hitch. These are a good addition for rough roads and fully loaded shuttles – just to be sure. As with many racks with a pivot there can be a tiny bit of movement, so the straps are a good inclusion for big loads and rough shuttles.

OUR TAKE

The Dirty Possum rack is a straight forward design made without shortcuts and backed up with a 10 year warranty. With fully welded hoops there’s not much to go wrong up top, but no scope for easy customisation or damage repair once you have it at home. Dirty Possum are happy to work with you to customise the rack before sending it out if needed, and you could always send the top bar back. The updated base bar and tie down system is a simple update but a smart one, giving riders the options for bombproof or really bombproof security. This rack presents great value with a high load rating and long warranty, and with the option for custom work it could be the perfect fit for many.