# 1
Yakima RidgeBack Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Tilting
Just installed hitch and carrier and it all went smoothly, the videos were terrific on how to install and use.
Only complaint like others have noted is the Yakima logo is a sticker that easily peels off. Other than that, it's strong, sturdy, and easy to load my bikes. I've used it about 6 times over the past year with no problems. I'm very satisfied with my purchase.
# 2
Swagman XTC2 Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
The Curt trailer hitch came well packaged. Instructions were easy to follow, even for someone not familiar with vehicle frames and car hitches. Installation did require some special tools (long breaker bar/torque wrench, large socket) for proper installation, which can be rented from a better auto parts store or borrowed from a friend. The hitch fit is excellent. The Swagman bike rack is easy to use and seems sturdy. It fits the 2012 Rav 4 very well and folds down out of the way to allow the door to swing open when not in use. Note-it is difficult to tell how far the rack extends out from the rear if the vertical support is not upright, so back up cautiously. I have made numerous short trips and a couple long distance trips with the rack loaded with adult size trail bikes and I have only good things to say. I would purchase both of these items again.
Nice product, again the video shows all the features accurately. The illustrations with the included instructions are pretty bad and instructions a little thin, but there's really not much to assembly. A few notes: Be sure to stagger the wheel holders or you will be stuck with one long bike and one short bike... Also there is a top and bottom hold-down hooks be sure to put them on in order. If you don't it will be obvious and easy to correct. One tricky part is is bolting thru the trailer hitch. The 2" square rack insert (can remove part of this insert and use on a smaller 1.25" hitch) has a sliding inner core with a threaded hole for the included bolt/lock washer. You may have to use a small screwdriver or pick to slide the core slightly so that the threaded hold aligns with the holes on the insert/hitch. Not sure but I think if you use a different bolt (like the J-pin 63201) that threads all the way thru the hitch, you would need to slide the core all the way out of the way and not use the threaded hole in the core. I ordered J-pin 63201 so I'll update when I try it out. Oh and if you want the locking J-pin order it at the same time or you will get dinged for an additional $5 shipping if ordered separately (i.e. <$100). I'm using this rack with the Draw-Tite 75235 2" hitch on a 2017 Rav4 Hybrid - works great!
# 3
Malone Runway Spare Tire Bike Rack for 3 Bikes - Adjustable Arms
I was excited to get this and eager to just pop it onto my spare tire like it shows in the video. 45 minutes later and I'm resigned to drilling an extra hole where the buttons are in order to tighten the hold over the tire, and chagrined that I had to "rear" my smaller bike frame angled upwards in order to seat it on the red rack receivers. This was because there wasn't enough room vertically on the frame or horizontally on the frame. Not sure how I would have been able to prepare for that, maybe there is some comment about smaller bike frames somewhere? One strap to secure the bikes is not enough in this situation, so things were strapped every which way, including the front tire of the bike so it wouldn't wobble everywhere. The bike and rack made it home for the maiden 60 mile highway trip, but I was not totally confident with it.
For the price, not bad. This bike rack is a simple design, that's easy to use, but doesn't seem very secure. I have used this on an older model Rav4, which means the bike or bikes are going to stick out more on one side of the vehicle. There seems to be a lot of movement when hitting potholes and bumps in the road. If you don't plan on using this rack often, don't want to spend a lot, this may be for you. Sufficient, but not very sturdy.
# 4
Yakima FullBack 2 Bike Rack - Trunk Mount - Adjustable Arms
After buying a 2017 Toyota RAV 4 I was faced with the dilemma of a new bike rack that fit my car without destroying the spoiler on the back hatch. etrailer made it easy to find the correct rack for my car. This rack works perfectly for this car without doing damage to the spoiler. It is heavy duty and I have had so many comments about what a great bike rack it is from people who knew of my concerns about finding a rack for this car.
Since this rack is delivered completely assembled it was easy to install on my 2018 Rav4. As per the instructions, which are excellent, I set the hub to 4, and the upper strap does not put pressure on the spoiler. I attached the trunk security strap to the bottom of the rack, changed the bottom hook to the anchor position, and closed the trunk, then re-attached the strap to the rack. I haven't used the rack yet to go biking, but it is a solid, easy to use, nice looking rack. I recommend this product.
# 5
Thule Passage Trunk Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - Hanging Style
This bike rack has served me well over the past year. It's super easy to put on and off of my Rav4 and hold my bike very steady while driving.
The product arrived in very quick time. However, one of the locking spring loaded pins refused to pop out to its locked position. After about a half hour of fiddling it finally popped out as it should have. It is installed in a 2014 Rav 4 XLE and fitted well. I have yet to take it for a test run. The side straps are secured to the back glass window and hopefully will be O.K. It did take quite a bit of adjusting to fit the two bikes as they do not have normal cross bars.
# 6
Swagman Trailhead Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Tilting
Besides the awesome "Swagman" name, I feel confident towing two bikes off the back of my Rav4 through our upcoming North American Roadtrip. Installation was easy, however I would have liked if the rack folded down more in order to be able to open the back door of a 2005 Rav4 without removing the rack. Other than that, really like the product!
Absolutely satisfied with the products and the timely shipment. The trailer hitch from Curt fits perfectly, and the Swagman bike rack works as expected and is very simple to use. Selected 4 stars as the packaging was not very robust and was significantly damaged when received, however the products were not damaged. I've purchased from eTrailer.com previously with excellent service and would recommend them to others.
# 7
Swagman Upright Bike Rack for 1 Bike - Roof Rack Crossbars - Frame Mount
Bought two. Easy to put together and install. Holds bikes tight.
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.
# 8
Yakima FullBack 3 Bike Rack - Trunk Mount - Adjustable Arms
I am really enjoying this bike rack. It was easy to setup and an awesome upgrade from my 20 year old bike rack.
On-line fit-up instructions specific to my vehicle, a RAV4, did the trick for me. Installed easily out of the box with no tools required. Very sturdy carrier, and we look forward to taking our bikes along with us on the next trip to the beach.
# 9
Hollywood Racks SR1 2-Bike Carrier - Spare Tire Mount
This rack is very easy to put on the spare tire. It works fine with most bikes. It does not work with the newer expensive mtn bikes whose frames are really wide. it doesn't sit in the rubber holders correctly. It's great for slim framed bikes.
I used to have a trailer hitch bike rack on a Toyota RAV4. It worked well but was difficult and messy to swing out of the way to open the door and put groceries in the back. The Toyota died and I got a similar Honda CRV. I knew the downside of the trailer hitch so I got a roof rack bike mount. It looked awesome but was VERY difficult to get bikes on after a long ride and in the wind on non-level ground. I had to carry a step stool with me. I still scraped up the side of my car. The final disaster was I forgot the bike was still on top and backed into my covered car port. DOH! So I looked into tire rack mounts. Both Honda and Toyota mount the spare tire off-center. Some of the brands cannot adjust for this and your bike sticks out a couple of feet on the passenger side. Some brands must be mounted to the spare tire itself and cannot have a tire cover. The SR1 rack below has held up great the last year. It was a fraction of the price of the big name bike carriers. I leave it on 24/7/365 and take it through the car wash with no issues. I live in the sunny SW and it has survived the sun and heat. It has not slipped at all when put over the vinyl tire cover. The only issue is you do need to supply a short bungee cord to keep the arms retracted when folded back and not in use.
# 10
Thule Hitching Post Pro Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches
Easy to order. Arrived in a few days with no charge. Very easy to assemble - put the bikes on for a few hours drive. No problems at all. I'll be back - Thank you!
Great product!
# 11
Yakima SpareRide 2 Bike Rack - Spare Tire Mount - Folding Arms
Perfect ordering process, carrier arrived exactly when projected. My installation was flawless after watching several videos for the product. I had no surprises and everything fit as expected. Our bicycles will mount better on the carrier once I receive tubetop crossbar adapters that will allow the bikes to remain level on the carrier. I just ordered those. I can't ask for any better service/support from etrailer.com You folks rock!!
Great bike rack. I had tried several for my Rav4, but none were quite right. This rack is solid, fits nicely on my spare tire. I am now able to access my trunk with my bike rack in place! Relatively easy installation, though had some trouble unscrewing one piece.
# 12
Thule Spare Me 2 Bike Rack - Spare Tire Mount - Folding Dual Arms
My wife and I received our bike rack just in time to take a 900 mile roundtrip to SC to go camping with our family. I am not mechanically inclined but with a little help from my wife we figured out pretty quickly how to get the rack attached to our 2007 Toyota RAV IV. We had no problem carrying our two bikes there and back. We did need the adapter bar for the lady's bike in order to carry it along with my road bike. Now if it will just stop raining!
GREAT SERVICE
# 13
Swagman Fork Down Roof Mounted Bike Carrier - Fork Mount
I am very pleased with this bike rack. For the price and sturdiness it works perfectly for my mountain bike. I will probably buy another one for the other side of my roof rack an my Toyota Rav4.
I've been using this rack weekly hauling a TT setup and a heavy mountain bike. I highly recommend this product to anyone seeking affordable dependability! -c
# 14
Swagman Chinook Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
Just put the Swagman Chinook on my 2016 RAV4. For a reasonable price, the quality seems very good. Assembly is easy, and it is much lighter weight than another brand I returned. The rear hatch opens with the bikes and rack tilted back. Since I most often use a single hybrid bike but occasionally like to also bring my mountain bike, I can set the Chinook up for one or two bikes, leaving three large pieces at home if I only need one bike. A platform bike rack like this keeps the bike wheels away from the car exhaust, and from scraping ground when going up driveways.
One year later I'm still delighted with this bike rack. I love that it is so versatile, allowing me to open the RAV4 back hatch using the tilt feature. The bicycle rides so securely and without wiggle at all. I also feel confident in the security of the locking features. This was one of the best purchases I've ever made! My only frustration is that I cannot use this bike rack when I am towing my new camper, which has zero to do with the product. Sad face.
# 15
Surco Spare Tire 3-Bike Carrier
I bought this to replace the exact same rack I've had for about 7 years. The first Surco OSI Spare Tire Bike Rack became corroded after a time. I live in the northeast and left it on the car all year, so it's life expectancy could have been longer, but it was a "task" to remove it. It's definitely a hardy rack, but in reality it's a pain in the butt to use. It's the nature of the design. Also, it is designed to hold 3 bikes, but not without some cosmetic damage (at the very least) to the bikes. The only reason I bought it again is because it's the only feasible and reasonably priced bike rack for my 2003 Toyota RAV, which I've had for 13 years. I'm not going to replace the car right now, so I didn't have much of a choice. I only gave it 3 stars because I really don't like it, but it is a solid bike rack.
Works great on my old 2003 RAV4. Easy to install. Great service
Thule Vertex Hitch Bike Racks Review - 2007 Toyota Rav4
Today on our 2007 Toyota RAV4, we are going to be test fitting the Thule Vertex four bike rack for inch and a quarter and two inch hitches, part number TH9029. We'll begin our test fit by inserting the shank of the rack into the hitch on our vehicle. You want to watch for the hitch pin holes to line up. With those in line, we'll take the threaded anti rattle hitch bolt and thread that into place. We'll get this hand tight and then we'll finish it off with our wrench. Tightening this down will help take any extra play out of the shank in the rack which helps to eliminate movement overall as you are going down the road. The closest part of the rack to the vehicle is going to be the back of the arm to the tire cover, that's going to measure about 5 inches.
Thule Roof Bike Racks Review - 2007 Toyota RAV4
Today, on our 2007 Toyota RAV4, we're going to be test fitting the Thule Paceline Roof Mounted Bike Rack. Part number TH527. We'll begin our test fit by resting the rack on top of our vehicle. We're test fitting this today on the vehicle's factory roof rack system. I'll stand here in the door jamb, just to have a little bit more height. We're going to start by removing the T-bolt here, out from under the strap. That's going to allow us to move this around. We'll get it underneath there.
Yakima StickUp Hitch Bike Racks Review - 2007 Toyota RAV4
Today on our 2007 Toyota Rav4 were going to be test-fitting the Yakima Stickup. This is a two-bike platform-style rack and it fits inch-and-a-quarter and two-inch hitches. The part number is Y02420. Well begin our test-fit by inserting the shank of the rack into the hitch on the Rav4. Youll want to watch for the hitch pinholes to line up. Once you have those in line well take the threaded anti-rattle hitch pin and thread that into place.Well go ahead and get it hand-tied and then we can finish it off with our wrench. Tightening this down will help to take the play out of the shank in the rack which helps to eliminate movement overall as youre going down the road.
Yakima FrontLoader Roof Bike Racks Review - 2007 Toyota RAV4
Today on our 2007 Toyota RAV4, we're going to be test fitting the Yakima Front Loader. This is a Wheel Mounted Roof Bike Rack part number Y02103. We'll start by setting the rack on top of our vehicle. This rack requires quite a bit of height on the installers part, so I went ahead and setup a ladder here. You'll definitely need the height when you're putting the bike on. That's kind of, the more important part where you're going to need the height. What you'll do, you'll fix the front bracket up snug to the crossbar and then twist the T-handle, which is going to pull the back jaw forward on to it. Once it snugs up there, you can go ahead and tighten it down. With the front secure, we'll secure the back portion. I'm going to slide the, or pull the longer of the 2 hoops, up into position for when we load the bike and that just gets it out of the way of our bracket here. You'll notice this one's got the lower bracket with the T-bolt and the wing nut on top. We'll slide this forward around our crossbar, fix the T-bolt through and you're going to twist it so that it lines up in the slot so it won't come out.
Yakima ForkLift Roof Bike Racks Review - 2007 Toyota RAV4
Today on our 2007 Toyota RAV4, we're going to be test fitting the Yakima Forklift, Roof Mounted Bike Rack, part number Y02098. We'll begin our test fit by placing the rack on top of our vehicle. For our test fit today, we'll be using the RAV4 factory roof rack system. We'll start by securing the front part of the rack, what you'll need to do is line the T-bolt up so that it slides out of the slot, bring the bracket underneath of the crossbar and then line the T-bolt back up. You're going to need to try and get that T-bolt twisted sideways so that it secures in there. It's a little difficult just 'cause you don't have a lot of clearance. There we go. We're going to remove our skewer and it's important to keep in mind that this is cross threaded or reversed threaded, excuse me, so you want to make sure you're twisting it the opposite of what you normally would that we don't just end up tightening it down. Like I'm doing right now.
Thule Sprint Roof Bike Racks Review - 2007 Toyota RAV4
Today on our 2007 Toyota Rav4 we're going to be test fitting the Thule Sprint. This is a roof mounted bike rack part number TH528. We'll begin our test fit by resting our bike rack on top of the roof rack on the vehicle. We're doing our test fit today on the factory mounted roof rack. I'm going to stand on the door jam here just so I have some more height. What we're going to do, we're going to take the steel rubber coated strap, slide that underneath of the bar.
Thule Helium Aero Hitch Bike Racks Review - 2007 Toyota RAV4
Today on our 2007 Toyota RAV4, we're going to be test fitting the Thule Helium Aero 2-Bike Rack 4-1/4" and 2" hitches part number TH9042. We'll begin our test fit by inserting the shank of the rack into the hitch on our vehicle. You'll notice it has the self locking hitch pin here. We'll pull that out to the side. Once we slide it in, it'll self lock into the hitch pinhole. You'll then tighten down the anti rattle device here. This is going to help take out any play of the shank of the rack, which helps to remove, or excuse me, eliminate movement overall as you're going down the road. With that tightened down, we'll grab a couple of measurements. The closest part of the rack to the vehicle, it's going to be the back of the mast to the tire cover, that's going to measure about 8-1/4". Overall, we've added about 16-1/2" to the rear of our RAV4. The ground clearance is going to be about 11". This rack does offer a Tilt-Away feature.
Kuat TRIO Roof Bike Racks Review - 2007 Toyota RAV4
Today on our 2007 Toyota Rav4 we're going to be test fitting the Kuat Trio in black, part number TR02. This is also available in gunmetal gray and orange, part number RU01. This is a roof-mounted bike rack. So we'll go ahead and begin our test fit by placing the rack on top of our vehicle. We're using the Rav4's factory roof-mounted rack system today to test fit this on. So we'll want to position the pad here over top of the bars. And it comes with the two U-bolts and four cylinder nuts.
Swagman Upright Roof Bike Racks Review - 2007 Toyota RAV4
Today on our 2007 Toyota Rav4, we're going to be test fitting the Swagman Upright roof-mounted bike rack, part number S64720.Well begin our test fit by placing the rack on top of the vehicle. For our test fit today, we'll be using the Rav4's factory roof rack system. With it up here, the big bracket is going to set on top of the front crossbar.The rack comes with two U-bolts with four wing nuts. We'll take our one U-bolt, thread it underneath here, and place it through the holes. You'll line the holes up, then take your wing nut and get it started back on there so you can tighten it down. I'm just going to get it snug for now, and we can get the other U-bolt on here.
What our customers are saying:
"Everyone that bought before me was right! I got my rack in time for my next days off and putting it together was fast too. And I'm a grandma!! Thank you for being fast and honest! You beat anyone in my town hands down!"