# 1
Thule Passage Trunk Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - Hanging Style
Excellent and prompt customer service! When I first ordered my product it wasn’t in stock— staff were quick to let me know and offered me comparable products. I ended up waiting for my original order and shipping quick and they stayed in touch with ideas! Thule: The instructions could be a little more detailed. I ended up watching YouTube videos to help me instal. Overall it was easy, and this was the first rack I’ve ever installed and I did it by myself! I was surprised to learn the bike rack is in no way secured inside your vehicle, so.. I store it in my garage when it’s on.
Ordered online, it shipped the same day. Received it 3 days later. There is a little assembly, but, pretty simple. It took me less than 15 minutes to install and no tools were needed. It is adjustable to be used on many different auto types, but, the instructions were very clear about how to adjust it to fit my 2011 Ford Edge. I have used it twice so far to transport my bike. There are a couple of items that are inherent in the design, not a flaw, but, you need to be aware of them. First, you can't use rear window wipers. Second, the back-up alarm goes nuts because it registers a bike less than 6 inches behind you (I tolerate it for the few seconds it takes to back out of my driveway or out of a parking lot). Third, there is a little flexibility, it is held on with straps and clamps, not bolts, so, it bounces a little when you go over bumps or make sharp turns, however, it holds the bike fast to the frame and stays on the car. I use mine to transport my bike on short trips around town to bike trails. On a long trip I would suggest checking that the straps remain tight from time to time during the drive.
# 2
Swagman XTC2 Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
First-time rack buyer / owner / installer. The rack arrived in a timely fashion, maybe a day or 2 ahead of schedule. It was well packaged. I’m LOVING this bike rack. It was easy to put together and to mount on my new Honda Passport. Thus far, no squeaks in my 2” receiver. Hardest part of initial set-up is figuring out the best way to position two bikes. Trial & error and some patience. The directions weren’t clear as to where the 2 left-over screws went. I found the answer in another review and have posted a pic in case others have the same problem (photo with pen pointing at screw). These screws go in the underneath side of both of the folding arms. They appear to keep the wheel wells from sliding off in case in you drive with an empty, un-folded rack, and forgot to tighten down the wheel wells. The folding arm push / pull pins can be difficult at times. I coated the tips with some lube. That and a little jiggling seems to solve that issue. I guess it’s better for the pins to be snug vs popping right out. I added a small Master lock to the hitch pin (in lieu of the provided cotter pin) as a theft deterrent. I read that a 3/16 shackle lock will fit into the bike clamp down arms to also act as a deterrent. I had an old 3/16 lock that did snugly fit and appeared to be locked. HOWEVER, I yanked on the lock and it came open as there isn’t quite enough clearance for the shackle to lock. I discovered that longer 3/16 shackle locks are hard to find. Have attached a photo of the lock that actually fits and works (Ace Hardware). One lock on the upper clamp down arm will secure both arms as the lower arm can’t be removed without removing the upper arm. The clamp down arms appear to be coated to prevent damage to your bike. I’ve tried a simple rag and ultimately settled on pool noodle pieces as a precautionary measure. I CAN NOT open my tailgate (regardless of whether or not the rack is fold up and in the bike carry position). If that’s a concern for you, then spring for the more costly titling version. My back-up camera still functions.
The Swagman XTC-2 platform bike carrier arrived very quickly from etrailer and in good shape, the actual carrier box is inside another shipper box, which I'm sure helped with its condition. Assembly was relatively quick and painless, even though the instructions could be a little more thorough. Installing the carrier on the back of our Jeep Patriot also was quick, it helps to have an extra ratchet & 3/4" socket laying around for just this purpose. Installing the bikes takes a little patience and trial and error the first time you try and put them on the carrier. It's easy enough to adjust the wheel holders to fit the wheelbase of your bikes, but for us at least, the challenge was trying to swing the vertical support bar up into position after putting on the first bike (closest to the Jeep). We couldn't angle the bike enough toward the Jeep to have the bar clear the bike. We learned that the easiest way to secure the first bike was to remove the ratcheting frame hooks altogether, put the bike in the carrier, swing up the vertical support bar, put in the pin, and then slide one of the frame hooks down on the bar. The outside bike is much easier because you can set the bike in the carrier at whatever angle you need, not being limited by the back of the vehicle. One thing we did to protect the bike frames was to use some foam pipe insulation as cushion between the frame hook and the frame (see pictures). Once you get a system for installing the bikes, it is very quick to load/unload them. The rack seems to be well made and doesn't wiggle excessively when traveling. All in all a good product for a good price, would definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a platform bike carrier.
# 3
Saris Bones 2 Bike Rack - Trunk Mount - Adjustable Arms
While getting a bike rack for a sports car isn't ideal, I really wanted to transfer my bike with my own car instead of borrowing my friend's pickup truck. After hours of trying to find a bike rack that would be good for my 07 Mustang, I decided to give this one a try and I gotta say, it has been pretty good so far. It fits very well over the factory spoiler. One of my biggest concerns I was worried about when ordering a rack for my Mustang was ruining the paint, but the feet on the legs haven't left one scratch. I have used this to transfer my bike at freeway speeds (up to 80 mph) on car rides that typically last an hour and my bike was perfectly secure throughout each ride. For extra security, I wrapped both bike wheels with a ratchet strap so the wheels and pedals wouldn't shift in transit. So far, I am very pleased with this bike rack for the price and quality. I would highly recommend this if you want a rack that is affordable and durable.
Seemingly well-constructed and supported bike rack. It fits my 2018 Toyota Camry SE just fine and I haven't had any issues with sway or even feeling my bike while driving. I've only carried one bike on it and have used it a limited number of times, so I cannot speak on durability and longevity. Although you shouldn't open your trunk while the rack is attached, I have been able to do so with no issue (without the bike attached).
# 4
Kuat Sherpa 2.0 Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" Hitches - Wheel Mount - Black
All in all pretty good. The arms that grab the front wheel have loosened a little bit and move side to side. They have never failed, just feel a little wobbly. The hitch receptacle is also hard to tighten but might be due to the receptacle it self. Used rack on a long trip and the bikes moved slightly side to side, but nothing serious.
Car: 2017 Honda CR-V This is a great rack! There's not a lot to the assembly, other than getting the first two long bolts in, those were tricky. Once those were in there, aligned properly, the rest of the assembly was pretty easy. Attaching the rack to the hitch receiver was the easiest part of the whole thing! The rack is really nicely portable, and will easily store in our apartment during the off season. It takes less than a minute to get it loaded into the hitch receiver. The cable lock is a little bit flimsy, but should hopefully deter casual thievery. What I would have loved to have seen were locks in the retaining arms as well, so those couldn't be messed with by strangers. Otherwise, this rack is really great, and I would highly recommend it.
# 5
Thule Passage 3 Bike Carrier - Trunk Mount
Fits perfectly on our Lexus CT200h. Only on the old LS400, the side straps have to be fastened to the wheel arch edge, since the upper trunklid gap is to narrow for inserting the strap hooks. Mounting of two bikes is (with some routine) quickly done, and they stay safe even for longer and faster routes. For transporting three (mountain) bikes, though, the design doesn't seem big and robust enough. Nevertheless, the price-benefit-fun ratios are way better than reasonable.
The side / bottom straps are seriously lacking. It has those straps you would find on a backpack, making it difficult to securely tighten down because of the angle. I'd usually have to pre-tighten them to a certain length, then forcefully shove the whole rack until it clipped onto my car. They really just need to be ratchet straps. Even then, one of the side straps came off while driving after hitting a small pothole and the whole thing dangled to one side - Luckily I was in a parking lot. I've also never been able to fit 3 regular bikes, only 2. It's really only a capacity of 3 if you have 2-3 slim bikes. The rubber is so wide that it makes it nearly impossible to slide certain bikes on. If you have a step thru bike with one of those crossbar adapters, I wouldn't even bother with trying this. Unfortunately I don't use this anymore since I'd be constantly worrying the whole thing will come off whenever I drive.
# 6
Swagman XC2 Bike Rack for 2 bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
I own a 2005 Jeep Wrangler X with 31x10.5x15 oversized tires and wheels. I installed B6196001 HighRock 4x4 Oversize Tire Carrier by Bestop to carry larger spare tire. I needed a bike carrier that would carry our two crusier bikes and clear my spare tire. After measuring, I ordered: -> S64650 - Swagman 2-bike carrier -> 80300 - 7" Hitch Adapter 2" to 1-1/4" Trailer Hitch Receiver -> RM-061 - Roadmaster Quiet Hitch for 2" Trailer Hitches Our order arrived very quickly, etrailer.com upgraded the shipping. All these products arrived well packaged and without damage. In 15 minutes I had every thing assembled, installed on my Jeep and bikes loaded. The bike carrier is very well constructed, finish is excellent and easy to adjust. When adjusting wheel loops and loading bikes, make sure you pay attention to bike pedal position. I chose this extension because I did not want to use the adapter that comes with the bike carrier, I wanted as few parts as possible to keep rattles to a minimum and gives me more options for towing. The anti-rattle bolt/pin firmly secures the bike carrier to the extension and the Roadmaster Quiet Hitch keeps the extension adapter from rattling in the receiver. Road tested approximately 25 miles over rough city roads ( including railroad tracks ), county roads and highway. Bikes traveled very well without any rattles. I can remove my complete setup quickly, fold and put in rear of Jeep if desired. I am very well pleased with my purchase. Note to etrailer: Please consider offering Roadmaster Quiet Hitch in black to match receiver and accessories. Paul In the Land of Oz . . . Just South of the Yellow Brick Road!
I like the overall design of this rack, but unfortunately after hauling a couple bikes around for a while the point where the crossbar connects has apparently rounded off so the rack swings back and forth. I've used rope to tie the ends of the rack to the car to stop this from getting worse, but it's inconvenient. Note: the hitch connection itself is good and solid, but the point where the crossbar connects to the bar coming from the hitch has gotten loose and there's no way that I can see to tighten it.
# 7
Saris SuperClamp EX Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Wheel Mount
At the age of 70, I needed a “friendlier” mounting and bike access rack. A platform rack seemed to be the solution. I had one caveat. My Subaru Forester had a 1and 1/4” receiver (with a non-standard 3/4” length mounting hole). My Volvo had a tuck away 2” receiver. After some research I gravitated toward Thule only to find out they had no solution for my above conundrum. In fact their customer service offered no interest in solving my problem which others also must have had. More research…enter Saris! An American made company with an innovative solution. I quickly received my SuperClamp EX-2 from ETrailer along with excellent customer service support. The ease of constructing the unit for use and the obvious structural integrity was immediately apparent. My wife couldn’t believe how easy it was to use and to stow away on my garage wall after use. Thank you Saris and ETrailer for a wonderful product and experience. I guess American made is still alive and well. I highly recommend this product and the associated companies.
Purchased this bike rack last year and am very pleased with the stability of the rack. The straps and clamps secure the bike well to the rack. Some things that I learned: When attaching the rack onto your hitch, it helps to put a piece of tape on the rack (hitchtite) once you have lined up the holes. This will make it easier to find the exact location of the holes the next time that you want to use the rack. Finding the exact location allows you to smoothly hand tighten the bolt to the end of the hitch. At that point, just use a socket wrench to finish the tightening. When putting the bike on the rack, I loosely secure the clamps to the tires at first. This allows me to rotate the tires to find the right location in the wheel well for the straps to go around the spokes. I next secure the bike with the straps and then fininsh securing the clamps to the tires.
# 8
Yakima HangOut 2 Bike Rack - Trunk Mount - Adjustable Arms
Works great for my 2019 Jeep Renegade. I adjusted it to be open a little more, so I could use my rear wiper. It also keep pressure off the rear spoiler.
When I started the search for a bike rack, I was so disappointed and upset to hear that I would need to install a hitch and spend even more money to buy another bike rack for my 2016 jeep renegade. I ordered this bike rack with a little hope but got a huge surprise! Not only is it super convenient and easy to install but I can fully use my trunk and not spend a ton of money!
# 9
Thule Hitching Post Pro Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches
The good: I like the way the bikes are held in and the ability to add the upright adapters to the bike frame holders. The straps are quality too. For a jeep with a spare tire, this is the perfect length to clear it. This rack is 5 stars from the bike holders to the base of it. The bad: the 2"receiver adapter and bolt are insufficient. I wish they made this in a solid 2" hitch. The entire setup is held into the receiver by a very short bolt. It only goes about half way into the receiver tube. So your hitch is only "secured" on one side. A hitch pin or bolt should go through the receiver tube completely imo so it can be secured on the other end with a retaining clip or nut. Because this only goes in the one side, the entire weight of the rack plus bikes are held tight to one side of the receiver by the undersized bolt and washer. A few bumps down the road and that bolt loosens. Now instead of distibuting the weight of the rack and bikes on the receiver and post, it's completely up to the bolt to keep you from losing the rack. The bolt threads get damaged too. I took this down a dirt road and nearly lost everything. I had to buy my own bolt with hd fender washers and lock washers to correct this. Thule should've provided this from the start. The current short bolt design where only one side of the receiver secures the rack is unacceptable. This rack is 1 star at best for the connection to the receiver.
I bought this bike rack back in April but wanted to make sure I used it to give the best review. First I want to say I did a lot of research on bike racks and found this one to be the best one to fit my needs. The best price I found was on etrailer.com, at the time it was When I called the customer service to place my order, I spoke to Dan. He was very pleasant on the phone and took the time and listened to what I needed and understood my concerns. I ordered the bike rack and also ordered the Thule Snug Tite Hitch Lock and Anti-Rattle Device and the Thule Cable Lock w/ One Key System Lock. Dan suggested I also get the Thule Bike Adapter Bar, which I never even thought of getting. Delivery was in about two business days, which was really fast and at the time of order they were running a special free delivery over $99. When I went to put it together I noticed I was missing the flat cap screw M6 x 16mm, part number #853-5787-02. I emailed Dan and within 24 hours received an email that the part was sent out and also in the email their was a link to track the order. After I received the part I did notice that the flat cap screw was actually in the 2 inch adaptor sleeve. The instructions were very easy to read, and it took me about 20 minutes to put together. I did have an issue when I positioned the stinger into the cradle, with the 8mm locking nut, it was not staying tight and when I took it off I noticed the threads inside were gone, so I ended up going out to Lowes and buying a new one and its holds perfectly fine. I also had a question about that part because it is not a locking part and was worried someone would try to steal the rack. I contacted etrailer.com to find if they make a locking device for this and they said no but I can contact Thule to double check, I'm still waiting for an answer back from Thule. The weather finally broke and we installed the rack onto my hitch, tightened it and it doesn't rattle. When I finally used the rack and put my bike on, it did sway a little but at 50 mph I was very happy with it. The trailer comes out just enough away from my car that I do not have to fold completely out and I can open my trunk with no issues. I am very happy with my purchase and had a great customer experience with Dan. Would highly recommend ordering from them to anyone.
# 10
Inno Tire Hold II Roof Bike Rack - Wheel Mount - Clamp On - Aluminum
So close! This rack is great, with a few caveats... First, it's almost too small for an XL (21" frame, 29" tires) mountain bike. I had to completely remove the adjustable wheel holder thingy on the rear arm (brace? lever? support?) to be able to properly fit my bike. Not a deal breaker, but not really working as intended, I think. Second, the front mounting bracket is... middling. It doesn't have a lever like the rear, and so tightness is purely dependent on how hard you can twist the little knob. Also, there's only one in the front, unlike the double setup in the rear. The brackets, themselves, aren't designed particularly well. I'm not sure what crossbars they were using as a baseline, but the angles just don't make sense. (at least to me...what do I know) What I do know, is that they don't grip the factory Outback crossbars very well, and I found myself constantly adjusting and tightening them to where I wouldn't get any sliding left to right on the crossbar. (I did finally get it to where I was satisfied, but it took some doing, and I imagine it would be like that every time if you wanted to take the rack off occasionally.) TL,DR: Does the rack do what I need it to do? Yes. Is the fitment a bit frustrating? Kinda. Are there other similar options out there? Not many, and none that I could find at this price point. Would I recommend, or buy again? Yes and Yes.
The bike rack worked well until the ratcheting teeth on the track became worn. Now I can't tighten the tire hold levers. I contacted customer service in March, and they said they would contact me when the replacement part came in. It's now November, and I'm still without a working bike rack. Definitely inhibited my mountain biking this summer, which was a huge bummer.
# 11
Saris Freedom Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
I had to put my electric bikes into this rack, backwards, to make them fit. Not ideal, but it works.The receiving 'trays' that are intended to provide support for holding the bikes, by being placed under the bike tires, are forced to be moved to a location that is not directly under the bottom of the bike tires. While it works in this manner, it is not ideal.For the support that attaches to the diagonal bike frame, we had to remove it from the vertical rail of the rack. We reinstalled it, upside down, because that's the only way we could make it fit, or 'grab', the bike frame. Again, we made it work, but it's not ideal. We chose to keep the rack because it was so much less expensive than the Thule rack we considered buying. The bike shop owner didn't agree with us. He observed that we are putting $3000 worth of bikes on the rack and risking that investment. So far, no problems, other than the ill-fitting installation.
Loved our Saris rack that went on the trunk but love having the bike rack on a hitch even more! Now we can take the bikes AND put the top to the convertible up and down as we please :)
# 12
Hollywood Racks Express 3 Bike Carrier - Fixed Arms - Trunk Mount
Installation was straightforward. The rack sits high up on my 2016 Subaru Forester so lifting bikes onto the rack requires effort. Getting 3 mountain bikes on the rack was a bit tricky. When loaded rack was secure and stable.
Seems like a sturdy, reliable product so far. Components are solid and well put together. Fits great and carries well on my 2014 Corolla. Excellent value considering the price tag on other racks out there. And the prompt delivery was great!
# 13
Rhino-Rack Road Warrior Rooftop Bike Carrier - Fork Mount
This bike carrier has a clean design and it assembled and attached to the roof rack easily. A locking front cover prevents it from being detached from the roof rack and the tray has a cut out in the front for a disc brake if my next bike has one. Once everything is snug, the bike feels solid and there's no slop.
I'm not too sure how to rate this but I'm not happy with it. Everything that happened is no fault of etrailer. I've made many purchases from etrailer, they're a great distributor. The bike rack appears to be great. The problem seems to be that they changed the design. To start, UPS damaged the box in shipping and then tried to tape the package they sent me. After walking through the parts in the box with an etrailer rep on the phone, it seemed that no parts were missing. So I proceeded to connect everything up based on the instructions. As I put it together I noticed the mounting bracket in the rear doesn't have anything to remove the slop. The rear is literally resting on a slider, which means that it would rattle when driving around. Just for kicks I took it for a drive with my bike on top. It rattled like crazy! So I looked at the installation videos on etrailer and then youtube. Every one of them showed an extra rear mounting bracket with knobs to tighten. These were not listed in the install manual so I suspect Rhino thought they could cut cost by eliminating them. I contacted etrailer to see if they had any. They didn't. So I returned it. Sadly, I still had to pay a $25 restocking fee. I'm not sure why etrailer charged me. It's not like I bought the wrong thing and didn't want it. It's actually a really nice bike carrier. Just a flaw in the design that etrailer should catch when they test it out in their videos. If anything, I've helped them out with this. Hopefully etrailer will test out what I sent them, then reach out to Rhino about this new design flaw. Again, I like etrailer as a service but I wish they had caught this before selling to me (and others). I strongly suggest that you don't buy this until the bracket issue gets resolved. Also, take a look at the last pic of the Inno XA391 on the etrailer site. They resolve the rear bracket rattle by putting in a thumb screw.
# 14
RockyMounts MonoRail Solo Bike Rack for 1 Bike - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Wheel Mount
I just finished installing this rack on my 2017 Subaru Outback. I've been researching platform racks for about 2 months now, and the most important things to me (other than a reasonable price) were no frame contact, ease of getting the bike on and off the rack, not too heavy for me to take it off the car, and enough clearance in the back for me to close my garage door. This rack is perfect for me. And I like that it's expandable to two bikes if I want to do that down the line. It came very well packaged. I am a single gal and not handy AT ALL, but I was able to do the installation with no problem. I did put my bike on the rack and took a short test ride, it was very stable. Very solid well made product!
Feels solid, minimal wobbling. Easy to get bike on and off, and to access the trunk with the bike on. Like that it can be expanded to hold 2 bikes, and the relatively low cost. Used with a Curt hitch from this site on a 2017 Miata.
# 15
Saris Bones 3 Bike Rack - Trunk Mount - Adjustable Arms
WOW... Outstanding product, well-engineered, quality materials, easy to install, works as advertised, and a perfect fit to my 2016 KIA Forte5. Not cheap... but, you get what you pay for... can't imagine a better bike rack out there. Great bike rack!
Faster and cheaper than other online retailers
What our customers are saying:
"The bike rack went together with ease. Everything was in the box, no missing parts. It was very stable on my first trip with it.Works well with womens bikes also. Delivery was prompt with no mishaps. Good job"