Best 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe Bike Racks

Great product!

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.

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I purchased the Swagman XC 2-Bike Rack about a year ago. I looked at a lot of racks before I made my purchase. I wanted a rack that was simple to mount, secured my bikes, kept them secure on long trips, and looked great. I am so glad I did because I purchased the best bike rack on the market. It's easy to install on my vehicle. The bikes are easy to to mount on the rack and the system that is designed to secure them is nothing less than amazing. I travel with confidence and would recommend the Swagman Bike Rack to anyone looking to purchase a sturdy secure rack. After a year and many trips it looks likes and functions like the first day I got it. Kudos for the Swagman XC 20 Bike Rack...

We bought the bike rack so we could carry our bikes (or our grandsons) on the back of our Rpod travel trailer and it works great. We needed one that would keep the bike handles from scraping the back wall of the trailer and it did it perfectly. Product also works on the hitch of our Tahoe when we're not towing the trailer. Well made and sturdy- love it!

A bought the swagman XTC-2 due to the many good reviews on various sites. Delivery from etrailer was less than two days to my door. The assembly was simple and without problem. I had some concern about the 2" hitch adapter, but the fit was tight with no wobble whatsoever. I just came back from a 200 miles trip with the bikes. The two MBs mounted in the carrier with out any issue on my Tahoe and were held firmly at interstate highways speeds. The XTC-2 held both bikes tightly with very little movement. The foldover feature allows access to the SUV storage area when the rack is empty. You will need to carry a 19 mm wrench to remove the threaded bolt that hold the carrier to the hitch. The carrier did exactly what is was supposed to do at a reasonable price. What more to say.

I went into my local bike shop looking for a rack to carry my bike behind my GMC Yukon. True story: I told the sales clerk what I was looking for and he showed me the two brands they carried. I told him that I had seen a Swagman XTC on a Tahoe and that I was also considering that. He said, "Get yourself the XTC, it is cheaper and better than anything we carry. You won't be disappointed." I ordered it on line the next day and he was right, I am not disappointed at all--it is simple to install and easy to lock down the bike. Highly recommend.

We shopped around at stores and online for about 3 weeks. We wanted a good product to use for traveling and riding in the city. Curts was our best choice. It took some time for the bike rack to come to our home. Nonetheless, the company e-mailed us right away to explain and give us options. We loved that, customer service is soooooo very critical. Now the rack: Its really heavy, it comes in a big box. The bike rack was sort of challenging at first to put together. It took a little over 1 hour to put together and attach to truck. Please tighten up each and every screw "Husbands" lol lol. The direction was somewhat helpful. Maybe, having each piece with a number diagram on paper could help. What really helped was the actual video on the website after all pieces were put together. That was very helpful. Its on you tube as well. The bike rack performs exactly how the video describes it. Gave 4 stars for pulling the pens to let down the rack to enter the trunk of the Tahoe can be difficult. Those pens should have some cushion or foam for better gripping. Overall, 5 stars the quality is excellent along with the craftsmanship and sturdiness of the product. The price is definitely worth it. I received a couple of compliments.

It was obvious that we received a product that was returned by someone else when the box was overly taped shut, a support collar was broken, and most of the pieces were out of their ripped plastic bags. However, it was a great price to hold 5, 26" and/or 27" Trek bikes. I used a piece of the broken collar and went ahead and assembled the rack. Due to the weight of the 5 bikes it did not wobble that much when driving, as one of the bike tires was up against my car. I can only imagine that if we received an untampered product that this review would have been 5 stars. The picture is a little hard to see, but there are 5 Trek bikes on the rack on my 2020 Toyota Seinna.

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This thing is built like a tank! It is of the best fit and funtion I have seen in a bike rack! Solid as can be, fits my bikes perfectly and looks awesome! Plus it folds completely out of the way to access the rear liftgate on my 2022 Rav4!

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Great service from etrailer and the rack arrived as expected. Fairly easy assembly. OK video on Kuat’s site, but didn’t cover the foot pedal. Really glad we got the 2” hitch. It tightened up and we’re impressed with the quality and the stability of the rack. We haven’t done a road test yet, but look forward to putting it to the test. We have a Ford F-150 and it works great. The bikes were fairly easy to load with the batteries out and two people. We do need the strap extenders for our RadMini Step Thru’s. The tires are too big for the ones that come with. Only one set of extenders came with the bike and one adapter for a smaller tire. It’s okay, but since it’s a two bike unit, would have been nice to have both extenders. Otherwise, we are really liking the look and stability.

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Very easy to install and holds my 29er very securely.

Planning on bringing bikes while camping. I mounted 2 of the Swagman bike racks to my new Sportrack on my pop-up camper. The bikes fit perfectly. The racks seem sturdy enough. Not heavy duty, but for my needs they should be fine. Assembly was relatively fast and easy.

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Swagman xtc4 Bike Rack is very well made, easy to install & easy to load Bikes.

So far I’ve just assembled it and took a quick test drive around the block. My initial thought is this thing is perfect. It’s super sturdy and easy to use. My only gripe and it’s not fault of the rack, but it’s heavy…

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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.

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Positive: The product is well thought out and works for a wide range of automotive vehicles. It comes with interesting dampers that i think work. Instructions seem to be translated from another language, but are quite good, accompanying pictures make installation straightforward. A test drive over speed bumps shows that the rack will support the bike for all travel needs. It can be disassembled , collapsed and stored in the trunk. Downside: The rack is made for the classic triangular shaped frame: horizontal cross bar, "male" bike. For bikes without the horizontal bar, mounting is a little less satisfactory. Such a bike can only be mounted on the outside mounts. Cannot use the damper on one side. Picture shows the mounting. as to a design solution, maybe brackets could be replaced with smaller profile, some adjustability? however, as it is, vibration control is good and adjustability with smaller profile would have vibration concerns.

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The product is exactly what I expected. It is a little heavy but no more than I was expecting.

Works well for transporting two 29" wheeled mountain bikes. However, after one year it's starting to rust in several areas (see attached photos), and the front wheel arms are becoming increasingly difficult to raise and lower. Finally the locking cable is extremely rusty as you can see in the attached photo. I'm not sure how durable this rack will be long term.

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This two bike rack has been great for the occasional bike ride outside of our home area. I like the sturdy construction, but beware that it is a little heavier than it looks (I’m retired and a bit older so maybe not as strong). Easy to fit into the factory trailer hitch on our 5 passenger SUV and no problem securing the bikes for transport. My only complaint is, the stick on Yakima Graphic started coming apart the day we got it. Sorry, no free advertising for Yakima.

I used this product twice to go back and forth on a 700 mile trip (1400 miles total). My initial impression was that it was sturdy because it was larger than most 2 bike carriers I've seen. The strapping system is convenient and the locking system worked great. The only flaw so far is that one of the locking mechanisms actually broke off. After closer inspection, I realized that the parts are plastic. I'm not sure what actually caused it to break other than the force of hitting a pothole causing the bike to bounce on the rack. Those types of forces should be expected with normal driving however and I expected the locking mechanism to hold up. I was fairly disappointed that it happened given the asking price and the reviews I read prior to my purchase. Other than the locking mechanism on the actual bike rack, I wouldn't put to much faith in the red handled locking pin that inserts into the trailer hitch and insertion bar portion of the bike rack. It is understood that the pin does not go all the way through the insertion bar as the locking mechanism is inside and prevents further advancement. Yakima could probably improve this aspect of the product. I will be contacting Yakima to see if they will replace the broken part. One thing I did notice was that the broken bracket is screwed in and can be removed/replaced fairly easily. I have included pics of the broken bracket and working bracket for comparison. Hope this helps in your decision!

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Excellent rack, a year later still in great condition. No movement at hitch when driving like other racks. Love the extra bar to work on bike in parking lot. Cracked a part on the rack when backing up accidentally hit it, I called the company and they immediately sent out new part no questions asked and rack is like new. Easy to access the drop and raise bar even with bikes on .A note that with larger mountain bikes only three really fit on the four rack without adjusting handle bars. Thanks to etrailer for stocking a great product and providing excellent post purchase service

My Kuat NV 2. Bike Rack is the best bike rack I have ever owned. It is excellent for electric bikes. Very easy to load bikes and holds bikes very securely.

Goes together quickly, appears that it will fit my needs in terms of being cross-compatible on a variety of vehicles. Fit on a Subaru Outback factory crossbar and transported bike locally with no issues when I got it out to set up and test (not quite warm enough to ride much yet where I live). Instructions are not super, but the assembly is pretty straightforward so that is not a problem. At the price point, if this rack indeed holds up to swapping onto multiple vehicles and lasts me a few years, I'll be thrilled with the purchase.

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I purchased two of these racks, along with another rack that is meant to hold bikes with both tires still installed. I am extremely happy with all three of them. This rack specifically is very sturdy. Installation was sort of a pain, but that was mostly due to me installing it on the top of my 2004 GMC Yukon XL...it is so high that it was a little hard to install. But now that it's installed, it's actually very simple to take the bikes on and off. I've made one round trip with these racks, so I've put the bikes up there and removed them twice. Both trips (about 100 miles each way) they bikes were super sturdy and I had no concerns about them falling off or anything like that. I would definitely recommend this rack if you're looking for a fork down roof mounted bike carrier. In fact, I will very likely get another one when we add another bike to the family. I think I'll be able to fit four racks on the top of my Yukon easily. One last note - I was initially concerned about the height of my vehicle when bikes were on top of them. I brushed a couple of tree limbs when pulling into my camping spot, but it was no big deal. I think the total height of my load was about 10 feet, which was lower than the camper that I was pulling.

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EVERY BRAND HAS ITS PROS AND CONS. THE PROS ON THIS RACK IS THE HIGH QUALITY OF MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION AND THE INNOVATIVE FEATURES. THE RACK IS EASY TO USE AND EASY TO INSTALL. I ESPECIALLY LIKE THE INTEGRATED BIKE STAND. IT IS EASY TO USE, UNOBTRUSIVE, AND COMES IN VERY HANDY WHEN YOU WANT TO MAKE A TWEEK ON YOUR BIKE WHILE AT THE TRAIL HEAD OR IN THE PARKING LOT. I KNOW THERE MUST BE A NEGATIVE TO THIS RACK, BUT AFTER A YEAR OF USE I HAVEN’T FOUND IT YET. IT IS A BIT PRICEY, AND IF YOU DON’T CARE ABOUT DURABILITY, QUALITY OF CONSTRUCTION, OR ADDED FEATURES, THEN A LESS EXPENSIVE BRAND MAY WORK FOR YOU AND YOU WILL SAVE A FEW BUCKS. ALSO, IT IS A BIT HEAVIER THAN SOME OTHER RACKS, BUT I AM IN MY 70’S AND I CAN HANDLE IT FINE.

Fantastic bike rack!! After getting fed up with loading my bike up repeatedly in the back of my 2003 GMC Sierra pickup (with a hard top cover) I decided to purchase this kuat rack. I wish I would’ve sooner. Assembly was easy and straight forward however I would use a magnetic parts bowl if I had it to do over. Kuat doesn’t included any extra nuts so I had to contact them to get another after I dropped and lost one (they were very polite and shipped one right away.) As far as function goes this rack is really easy to use. Just slide it into the receiver and put the lock pin it. Just like in the video you then tighten the knob at the back to secure the hitch so there is no movement. Load your bikes up and secure them and you’re ready to go. I did utilize the retractable cable locks after my ride when stopping to eat and they are very easy to use. No worries at all about a stolen bike. And the tilting feature is great too. It does allows you to access your truck bed with the tailgate down just as in the video. As an added bonus this rack fits perfect in my standard size truck bed even with the hard top cover closed (my truck is too long to fit in the garage with the rack folded up installed in the hitch.) Michael H. was outstanding providing schematic drawings with the dimensions so I would know this before my purchase (they’re on the Q&A page.) The free shipping was very fast so that made the purchase even better. I will definitely be a repeat customer as eTrailer is the one of the best companies out there with great customer service and timely communication. Great job!!

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Used it twice so far, it meets my expectations based on other reviews. It's easy to load the bikes (8 minutes or so for 4 bikes) and to move up or down. Glad I bought this "lighter" platform rack rather than the swagman because while it's not hard to get into the hitch, neither is it "light". Anything heavier would definitely be a pain. Hopefully straps etc are durable over the long haul. No problem getting 2 adult and 2 kids bikes on. Glad I went with a platform rack over a bar. My sister has the bar rack and says it's impossible to get 4 bikes on.

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Sturdy, affordable and good ground clearance. Easily fits large size mountain bikes. Quick assembly and not that heavy at all. Folds up nicely. Only used it twice so far but very happy with this product.

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So, one year in, this works well for the price. I have successfully hauled around 5 bikes a couple times now including a couple vacations. Bikes got there securely despite 4+ hours of driving at interstate speeds, including one harrowing stretch on bumpy roads with 70 mph speed limits (wow Texas, seriously?) where the car got significant amounts of "air" at random intervals. Getting the bikes on and off is still a major pain. I had to buy the adapter for 3 womens/children's bikes. My own full size mountain bike barely fits on, too, the pitch between the bars seems a bit challenging and requires me to contort the bike dramatically to get it on and off. If you are trying to actually get 5 bikes on here, figuring out the bike handle tetris game is not easy. Will take you a bit. It still takes me ~15 min to load 5 bikes up every time. On short trips I sometimes skip the tiedown through all the bike wheels and it's fine, although I wouldn't do it for long trips. My biggest regret here is not buying one where the rack will pivot out to allow access to the rear minivan hitch with the bikes attached -- this means this is the last thing to pack in the car and the first thing you unpack, every time on vacation. It requires planning and forethought. The rack does fold down nicely which we used extensively on vacation once the bikes were unpacked, just don't drive around that way. On my Honda minivan the bottom of this sags a bit when fully loaded with bikes, to the extent I scrape hard every time exiting my slightly inclined driveway. We found a few other low spots along our way, from restaurants to other businesses, that resulted in similar cringe-inducing moments. We drove it on the beach quite a bit, after a healthy wash with the pressure washer there is some mild rusting where the handles rotate, but the rack is otherwise in good shape.

Bought several bike racks and trailer hitches from etrailer. They followed up to make sure all was good. I would highly recommend buying from them. Good people and they care about the customer!

The product is exactly what I expected. It is a little heavy but no more than I was expecting.

I just installed this on Friday and we used it for a short trip to the bike shop. So far, it is not bad. I had to laugh; Yakima applied their logo upside-down! I read the directions at least 3x to be sure I didn't have them reversed...I did it right. The directions also show a logo on both, upper & lower rack. I guess they wanted to save some $$ ? Assembly was easy with just three steps. The hitch has a lock to lock it to the car, which is great, but the cover won't stay on. It takes 2 hands, one to hold the lock in place and the other to try to put the cover over the lock. It just pops off the second you release pressure. I will try again in warmer weather, then tape it on so hopefully it will mold to the lock and eventually stay put without the tape. I am not convinced of the stability of the bikes, really. Going over bumps they do shake. For safety, we are going to add straps from the luggage rack and through the bikes, just in case. I really like the cable locks to secure the bikes to the rack. With our old rack there really wasn't a way to lock the bikes to the rack, and I always worried when we were traveling and stopped for food.

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I truly appreciate the follow up. To make it plain and simple, my family is incredibly excited to own this product. Your team did an incredible job walking through the right product as I could not find a custom hitch for my BMW X6 cross over SUV and you guys nailed it! From the hitch, to the bumper I had to get replaced, it works like a charm! I have been and will continue to recommend your company and staff! Top notch professionals if you ask me!

I love the bike rack itself, I only have 1 problem the first lock that fastens down with the key does not work. It’s really hard to grab and spin, my father worked on it for quite some time and was frustrated. I was wondering can you send me a regular twist down handle like the other 3? I don’t need the key lock, or send me a new one with the key lock since this one is defective? Other than that its great, we just got it on my vehicle last night but I cannot use the very first bike clamp. My sister in law is asking how I like it because she wants to get one too, no worries I will tell her its awesome, I understands there are flaws and I know you will hook me up with a new clamp. I will post a great review once I get my new clamp.

I did a lot of research and decided this was the rack for me. I was totally correct. First, it has all the most important features but only weighs about 14 lbs. I was concerned as a senior lady with arthritis issues. I can use it well and it performed perfectly with an adapter bar for my Electra Townie. I have had compliments from several seasoned riders and a bike shop owner here at the beach who said it was great quality and I got a great price. Also purchased a locking trailer hitch pin with bike cable from etrailer. All over satisfaction with products and etrailer who provided enough videos to help me.

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This product is exactly what I wanted. The 2" post fits in the reciever perfectly, and no wiggle. I did tighten the mounting screw, but didn't have to change the hardware I have already (locks). There are two more screws to reduce the wiggles at each pivot point, and there was little to begin with. I tend to test way beyond the breaking point, and did some aggressive driving with every bump across town to the first ride. All good and I won't worry while driving with the bike attached moving forward. Only thing I wish it had was a locking mechanism, but I used a wire cable and lock. The other comparable ones with a lock were 2X the price. I can use the additional lock if I have other plans than just a trail. Service has been outstanding and I will look for any future purchases of this kind to be through etrailer.

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