Let me tell you how the normal pin works, and how this works. The normal "pin" is just a bolt on one side with a lock washer and washer on it. You insert the bike rack in your hitch, and then tighten the bolt into the Passenger side nut of the rack. So your hitch is attached on one side with this bolt going through the pinhole on your hitch and screwed into the nut of the rack inserted in the hitch.
The stl2 is that same bolt, but longer with a mushroom head (let your imaginations fly). It still screws into the hitch, but goes out the other side of the hitch, and a lock goes onto the end of the bolt, locking against the aforementioned mushroom head.
There is a LOT of bolt showing even after you put the lock on this thing. So if somebody wants to cut the bolt and steal your rack, they will. But we all know locks are for the "honest" people anyways.
This thing costs 45-50 bucks! Ridiculous. Thule should be ashamed of themselves. It should cost at most 30. And they'd still be making 25 bucks off the thing.
I do like the fact that even if the bolt unscrews itself, the rest of the pin goes through my entire hitch. Nice piece of mind when I drive 3+ hours with my bike on the back of my rig.
Cheers!

I used to have a truck, which is the quickest loading bike rack ever. But this is damn close. Here's some things I've noticed:
It's a heavy rack (I bet it weighs close to 45 lbs.), but it translates into sturdiness on the vehicle. Your bike will sway a tiny bit, but if the rack were completely stiff, you'd start getting little fractures.
The rack is ridiculously easy to load bikes into. My back is a XXL, so I had to adjust side to side on the rack, but after that, the bike goes on and is exactly where I want it to be.
The rack folds up close enough to my 4runner that I don't worry about it driving around town, but not so close that it hits my vehicle's rear hatch.
I find myself riding more because of the ease of loading and unloading my bike. I live a few miles from my usual rides, but in the shorter days, loading my bike up and driving means I'll get a little bit more dirt time, less asphalt time (drive home in the dark, right?).
Thule's QC sucks- I wish Yakima's rack were this well-designed (Thule's engineering may suck too- they bought this rack design from somebody else). All of the stickers on my rack, including the ones to help with side-to-side alignment on the crossbars were put on by somebody who simply didn't care. They're not even close to being level with the rack. Also, the weld on the hitch-nut on the inside of the hitch is not the greatest I've seen. I can see a pin-hole of light through it. They couldn't even get the Thule sticker right- It's got a ton of air under the sticker. I couldn't care less, but seriously- how do you screw that up so royally?
Thule charges way too much for their rack. The Yakima comes with the hitchpin lock, and a cable lock, for only a little more than the thule t2 alone. Good deal. That being said, I still bought the Thule, and the STL2 lock (hitchpin lock), instead of the Yakima, since my bike is so large and I needed to adjust it side to side.
If my bike didn't limit my rack to the Thule, I would have bought the 2009 Yakima holdup. It's a way cheaper rack if you buy it online, and I feel like it's probably just as good.
Have Backcountry.com price match another online retailer. Backcountry charges MSRP, which of course is a bend-over. However, Backcountry pricematches, and I'd rather do business with backcountry.com than any of my local shops. They're that easy to deal with!

Got this bag a coupla years ago, and have been beating it up since. I've taken it to Tahoe 50+ days, and it still looks brand new. It's taken 2 trips to Jackson Hole with a layover each time and gorilla baggage handlers, and it's great. It's a good size, not huge. I can easily fit my gigantor boots in the bottom, and the top holds my helmet, goggles, jacket, two pairs of gloves, and some base layers. The way the bottom hinges out you can stand in the bottom of the bag while you're putting your boots on next to your car too. Shoulder strap is comfy, handles are nice, bag is great. Pick one up.

I've had Smith Goggles forever- perfect. I currently own Smith Spoilers for Mt. Biking, which are also awesome. Recently I had to send the spoilers back for warranty- I sent the frames and one pair of lenses. No case, no extra lenses, nothing. I got back new frames, three new sets of lenses, a new case, and all within a week. In short, Smith is a fricking amazing company to buy from.
On to the Witnesses. I just bought a pair of the black with Copper Polarized lenses. They're a large lens, good for guys with big heads and faces like myself. Both of my brothers own these glasses, but in different configurations. They just plain work. They have great coverage top to bottom, side to side, the lens quality is excellent, and I have the stellar warranty that was mentioned earlier. The copper lenses are different than any I've had before. I've used yellow, clear, violet, gray and brown. The copper polarized cuts down on more light than the brown and the gray, but gives a more bright brown hue to colors. It took a little getting used to, but the definition on the lens is awesome. With my gray polarized lenses, I used to take my glasses off to see details. With the copper polarized, I put these glasses on and see better details. In short- buy them. Try something new and get the copper...

These are the best glasses I have ever worn. Period. I tried to find these starting a month ago, when I saw them on the Smith website. I walked into a local shop Sunday, tried them on, and bought them immediately. They fit guys with a little larger bridge on the nose, and a wider, bigger face. Don't let the Medium to Large fit thing scare you away. They fit big. The optics are incredible, they come with three lenses, and the lifetime warranty is awesome. I think Smith is all I use for my optics anymore. If you love their goggles, you'll love their sunglasses. Especially these. Even with the price, I'm thinking of picking up another pair. EXCELLENT.