# 1
Swagman XC2 Bike Rack for 2 bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
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.
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!
# 2
Swagman Tailwhip Tailgate Pad for Full-Size Trucks - Up to 5 Bikes - 61" Wide
This product fits over the tailgate of our full size pick up. We bought this product because we wanted to take our bikes with us on our camping trips. We had a receiver bike rack but needed some way to carry our bikes securely while pulling our travel trailer. We also wanted to be able to carry our grandkids bikes. We have secured at least 5 bikes with the Swagman Tailwhip Tailgate Pad and Bike Rack. The only problem we had was that the velcro tie downs didn't fasten as tight as we would have liked. We have used additional bungie cords to keep the bikes in place. That is the reason this review did not get a 5 star. We are very happy with this product.
Product was delivered sooner than expected and is of good quality. Fits 2016 Tundra perfectly. Placement took less than 5 mins, and removal takes about 10 seconds. Mine came with a click strap on the flap where the handle/camera are, which is used to fold flap back over tailgate leaving the camera available for use but securing the flap on backside of tailgate. The video does not show that but to me is a great feature.
# 3
Softride Shuttle Pad Tailgate Pad for Full-Size Trucks - Up to 6 Bikes - 61" Wide
The product review/installation video helped me make my selection. I selected the full size pad for 2001 Silverado 1500. Installs easily, fits nicely, flap in pad is positioned for easy access to tailgate latch.
The fit for a 2014 Ram was spot on, no issue with the wide style tailgate top and the access flap for the tailgate handle lined up perfectly. Material is durable and easy to clean, the only thing holding it from a 5 stars is if it had the padded dividers on top to keep the bikes separated. But for the price, the fit and finish was exceptional, great value !!!
# 4
Softride Shuttle Pad Tailgate Pad for Mid-Size Trucks - Up to 6 Bikes - 54" Wide
Order process was easy & information was great. The order processed quickly & came on time. It looks & works greats. It was easy to put on & took only a few minutes to install. I have 2 expensive bikes & one is an extra large frame. It fits great. The only thing I had to add when transporting was a strap around the tires on my tailgate as a precaution & to prevent any movement. It would be fine without it & the product works exactly as I expected. I put in on a 2000 Toyota Tundra. Very Happy! Exactly what I have been looking for & the price was just right. Thank You!!!
Received this tailgate cover very promptly, two days ahead of scheduled delivery date, and just in time to use yesterday. Cover was dry easy to install ( no directions required) and fit my tailgate well. I particularly liked the included Velcro tie downs and access pocket, which allows you to utilize your tailgate release. As you can see from the attached photo, it easily accommodated 4 additional bikes w/ front wheels still attached, and allowed me to transport 7 total bikes of varying design. Our 4 hr drive showed no indication of movement and the cover stayed in place securely. Great product!
# 5
Hollywood Racks Truck Bed Bike Carrier - Fork Mount - Bolt On
The Hollywood Racks Truck Bed Bike Carrier - Fork Mount - Bolt On, is just what I was looking for to be able to build a bike rack for carrying one of my bikes on my motorcycle. It was easy to mount and it holds my bike in place while riding on bumpy dirt roads, city streets, highways and even when I hit some twisty country roads. It's really easy to load and unload my bike when I get to where I want to ride. I use a velcro strap around the quick-release and the fork arm as an added safety as well as a couple tie-downs from my bike handlebars to my motorcycle passenger pegs to help distribute the weight on my rack. If you want to build your own DIY bike rack I totally recommend the Hollywood Racks Truck Bed Bike Carrier - Fork Mount - Bolt On.
Love this product! I built a great bike carrying system for my F-150 using two of these fork clamps. They are easy to install and extremely well made. No more tangled bikes and lots more room in the bed for other stuff! Best way to go for a nice bike rack system. Thanks, Phil T.
# 6
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.
# 7
Inno Velo Gripper Bike Rack for Truck Beds - Clamp On
Using the Grippers for carrying 2 ebikes, weighing 55 & 75 lbs. I know this is above the rated bike weights but so far they have performed well. My short bed keeps the 75# bike pretty well locked in front to back so that may help.
1 year ago, ordered 2 pair Inno Velo clamp on bike rakes for pickup. One pair received damaged/used. eTrailer credited 50%. Rated average for 2 reasons. First, I couldn't get them to work securely with my tonneau cover without modifications (plastic spacer blocks to clear tonneau rail) and I can't close the tonneau cover over them when not transporting bikes. Second, while not recommended for ebikes, they kinda worked but are not strong enough for the weight of the bikes especially when needing to extend to full length. I like the idea but just doesn't meet my needs. Otherwise, they should work just fine under different applications. Best use is to install and left installed. In my circumstance, removal & reinstallation was a pain.
# 8
Thule GateMate Pro Tailgate Pad for Full-Size Trucks - Up to 8 Bikes - 60" Wide
etrailer has been great in the past and I will order from them again. This experience was mediocre because they advertised free 3 day shipping through a google search for this product. After paying I was notified that it would take longer. I needed the gate mate for a weekend trip and could have gotten it through [online vendor] for the same price, quicker. Not a big deal, just be aware.
Always impressed with etrailer. They have an abundance of knowledge and are extremely responsive. Highly recommend!
# 9
Kuat Dirtbag Bike Rack - Fork Mount - Bolt On - 15 mm Thru-Axle Skewer
Cheap alternative compared to having to buy a 9mm thru axle mount for the utili-track in my Nissan Frontier AND THEN having to buy an adapter for that! For under $10 I bought some parts from a local hardware store and made this mount fit the track. It's sturdy, and high quality.
# 10
Kuat Dirtbag Bike Rack - Fork Mount - Bolt On - 9 mm Quick-Release Skewer
These simple fork mounts worked great to convert my hitch mounted cargo carrier into a bike rack for my Jeep Wrangler. These lack the locking feature I like about my Yakima roof mounted bike rack since they just use your existing skewer to hold the bike. It's a minor inconvenience to remove the skewer from your wheel. Quality is good, shipping was fast and the etrailer.com price could not be beat. This option saved me hundreds of dollars over a hitch mounted multi bike rack.
Installed bracket in pickup bed the same day it arrived and used it to pick up our two Trek bikes with quick release. Solid! Even the Trek technician was impressed. Said he’d recommend this product to others. Drove 100 miles home in stiff wind. Bikes were locked in solid.
# 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 :)
What our customers are saying:
"The hitch and bike rack for my Kia Sportage arrived in three days! This is my second Hidden Hitch and like the first, this fit perfectly and was installed in under 20 minutes. Great products and service! I'll recommend them to my friends. Thanks"