# 1
Swagman XTC2 Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
The bike carrier was easy to set up and has functioned flawlessly. For such a good price, I was surprised at the high quality of parts. The customer service from etrailer.com has been excellent. I use this carrier along with a Draw-Tite receiver hitch on my 2012 Ford Focus.
Just what I was looking for at a reasonable price with free delivery. Fit receiver on my 2012 ford focus perfectly and holds bikes tightly in place . Even though i just bought this bike rack and only used it once, I love it. No more trunk bike racks that are hard to use and usually messes up your paint on vehicle. Thank you Swagman
# 2
Swagman XC2 Bike Rack for 2 bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
This is a very high quality bike rack but I'm marking this a 2/5 because I'm very disappointed for one major reason: the threaded hitch pin/anti-rattle bolt does NOT prevent rattle. The bolt itself easily slides right through the hole and does not require tightening, and therefore the entire rack rattles. I'm desperately trying to find a solution and I'm very dissatisfied. I'm driving a 2012 Ford Focus Titanium and I'm using the Draw-Tite Trailer Hitch (http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Ford/Focus/2012/24872.html?vehicleid=2012306671).
Very easy to put together. Highly functional and easy to stow. I haven't had my bike on the rack yet so I can't comment on how the bike does on the rack. I worked off of the online PDF for the installation. The paper version, it was difficult to see which washers went where, using the digital version allowed me to magnify it to get the detail I needed.
# 3
Kuat Beta Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" Hitches - Tilting
Great, sturdy rack for two bikes. Excellent service from etrailer, with very fast delivery.
Well designed and of good construction. Fits easily in trunk of small vehicle when not in use.
# 4
Thule Hitching Post Pro Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches
The Thule Product is great, but the Receiver L Bracket sticks out too far from the back of the Ford Focus. Need to buy a new L Bracket or have the one that came with this rack fabricated? The receiver under the Ford Focus is almost to the back of the car (bumper). If you look at the picture above you can see how far out this rack sticks. I want the rack to be a couple inches off the back of the car, not 8 - 10 inches off the back of the car. The bikes are way too far back behind Ford Focus. Please let me know if Thule makes a shorter L Bracket? Thanks!
Not good for 4 bikes. Hard to put all on at same time. Bikes scratch and rub together when driving. One of the clamps broke after few uses. The adapter for different size hitch is difficult to use because of small screw.
# 5
Swagman Trailhead Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Tilting
The perfect bike rack for my 2002 Ford Focus. Quality construction and good looks. Easy to set up and take down. Etrailer's great prices, fast shipping and excellent customer service makes it the place to go.
Received the product quickly. Haven't installed it to the vehicle yet, but from the provided document it should not be too difficult.
# 6
Swagman Chinook Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
I ordered the Swagman Chinook 2 Bike Platform Rack on line from etrailer and so far have been very satisfied. The bike rack was delivered in less than a week. Unpacking the rack and assembly was fairly straightforward. I have read some reviews that complained the assembly instructions were a bit vague. I didn't have a problem but can see where others without a mechanical background get confused. The rack is very sturdy, but there is some side to side play in the tilt mechanism. I'm not sure this can be avoided with a rack that folds down. Installing the Curt trunk stabilizing strap takes most of the sway out of the rack. Installation is fairly easy and quick. It takes me 6 - 7 minutes to install the back on my hitch, and to install the bike and be ready to drive away. That seems reasonable to me. So far I've only loaded 1 bike. I've included pictures of my installation on a 2014 Mercedes Benz E350 sedan. Clearance between the bikes, the rack and the car are good. With the bike loaded in the inside, most forward position, I have 6" clearance between the pedal and the bumper. With the bike removed, the center support folded flat and the rack folded up in the storage position, I have 4" clearance between the closest part of the bike rack (the fold down hinge assembly) and the back bumper of the car. I am able to open the trunk of the car without removing the bikes or using the tilt feature, but I do have to remove the stabilizing strap first. Overall, I'm very pleased with the bike rack and think it will serve me much better than my old strap on rack. Since the weather has been cool since getting the bike carrier, I haven't taken any long trips to give it a real workout.
Truly grooving on my wife's new Swagman Chinook bike rack. She wanted to be able to transport her nice road bike easily without throwing it in the back of her car, and since a roof rack is out of the question, this Swagman model fit the bill perfectly. It arrived quickly on the anticipated date. Kudos to etrailer.com for the email updates to keep me informed of my purchase. Within one hour, it was installed on my wife's 2014 Mazda3 hatchback. The Swagman is heavy and solid, which is reassuring as it makes me feel confident that it will keep the bikes secure. It also makes me feel like I got my money's worth. A ratchet wrench and Phillip's head screwdriver were the only tools required for the easy install. I did my research before purchasing the Chinook model as I was also eyeballing a very similar Thule rack that was slightly more expensive. I spoke with an etrailer.com expert who gave me the lowdown on both models. Ultimately, the Swagman won out because it has a smaller 'footprint' while extended or folded up ... and also can tilt away from the car for easy access to the hatchback area. Very convenient! FYI: Mazda doesn't make a trailer hitch for the Mazda3 as it's a small car with a small engine and has no business towing anything. Thankfully, the Curt company makes an aftermarket frame and trailer hitch that fits the Mazda3 hatchback perfectly with no drilling. Stupidly, I purchased it from another online company thinking I was getting a good deal. Turns out etrailer.com had it for less with FREE shipping. Oh well ... live and learn. Now I know that etrailer.com is one-stop shopping for bike racks AND trailer hitches. (Full disclosure: I had the garage down the street install the frame as it's easier with a lift) Only snafu: the shipment contained an extra set of keys that I assumed was for the hitch bolt lock (there was also a set of keys on the bolt itself). I spent 15 minutes using those keys trying to figure out how to remove the lock from the bolt to install it on the hitch. The keys just wouldn't turn in the lock. I called etrailer.com and Kevin told me to try the other set of keys ... and they worked. So an extra set of keys came with it that did absolutely nothing ... weird! Obviously, I can't speak to the longevity and durability of the Swagman Chinook 2 Bike Platform Rack as I just installed it. What I can speak to is the sturdiness of it, the ease of the installation and my complete satisfaction with the good folks at etrailer.com.
# 7
Swagman Trailhead Bike Rack for 3 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Tilting
Received the product quickly. Haven't installed it to the vehicle yet, but from the provided document it should not be too difficult.
The perfect bike rack for my 2002 Ford Focus. Quality construction and good looks. Easy to set up and take down. Etrailer's great prices, fast shipping and excellent customer service makes it the place to go.
Swagman Hitch Bike Racks Review - 2012 Ford Focus
Today on our 2012 Ford Focus, we're going to be taking a look at the Swagman XC2 bike rack, part number S64650. We already have a bike on the rack. Let's take a closer look and show off some of the features. Now how this bike is actually attached to the rack, we're going to have one point of contact. That's going to be with the bike's frame at the top, with this frame hook. It is padded so your bike will not get scratched once you put this on. To hold the wheels in place, we have these wheel cradles here which are adjustable to the length of the arms to accommodate different sized bikes. Let's go ahead and take the bike off and set it aside.
Thule Hitch Bike Racks Review - 2012 Ford Focus
Today on our 2012 Ford Focus we're going to be taking a look at the Thule Vertex 4 Bike Rack, part number TH9029XT. As you can see we already have a bike installed on the rack, let's go ahead and take a closer look and show off some of the features. This first one I would like to show off is it has a integrated cable lock here at the top of the mast. You just pull it out, wrap it around you bikes and it will attach at this spot here at the front and you can lock it into place for additional security for your bikes. Now the bike actually attaches to the rack itself, we're going to have 3 points of contact with the bike's frame. We're going to have 2 straps up at the top here and one off to the side. That's going to serve as an anti-sway strap to keep the bike from moving too far back and forth, possibly hitting the bikes in front of it and damaging them both. Let's go ahead and take the bike off and set it aside. With the bike rack in this position, I'm going to give you some quick measurements here.
Thule Hitch Bike Racks Review - 2012 Ford Focus th912xtr
Today on our 2012 Ford Focus we're going to be taking a look at the Thule Roadway 2 Bike Rack, part number TH912XTR. As you can see we already have a bike on the rack. Let's go ahead and take a closer look and show off some of the features. How 00:00:14 the bike is attached to the rack we're going to have 3 points of contact with the bike's frame. We're going to have 2 straps up at the top here and 1 off to the side and that's going to serve as an anti-sway strap to keep the bike from moving too far back and forth, possibly hitting the vehicle or the bikes in front of it and damaging them both. Let's go ahead and take it off and set it aside. With the bike rack in this position I'm going to go ahead and give you a couple of quick measurements here.
Saris Axis Tilting 2 Bike Rack Review - 2012 Ford Focus
Today on our 2012 Ford Focus, we'll be test fitting the Saris Axis 2 Rack for 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches, part number SA832. Let's get started by sliding the shank of the bike rack over the receiver. We'll line up the pin holes, thread in the anti-rattle bolt, and tighten it up with a quick turn of the wrench. You'll see, once installed, we have a ground clearance of about 9". The closest point from the back of the car to the rack is about 6-1/2", and the overall dimensions added to the back of our Focus is about 17". One of the great features of the Saris Axis is that by pulling the yellow T handle at the bottom of the mast, the rack tilts back, giving you full access to your hatch. Now with the mast back in position, we will extend our cradle arms. We will do this by loosening the thumb screw. Once loose, push the cradle in towards the mast.
Saris Axis 3 Bike Rack Review - 2012 Ford Focus
Today on our 2012 Ford Focus we will be test fitting the Saris Axis 3-bike rack for 1 1/4 and 2-inch hitches, part #SA843B. Let's get started by sliding the shank of the bike rack onto the receiver. Next we'll line up our pin holes and thread in the anti-rattle bolt, tighten it with a quick turn of the wrench. Be sure to add your lock to the other side of your bolt. With the bike rack now in place you'll see you have a ground clearance of about 9 inches, the closest point from the back of the Focus to the rack is about 6 inches and the overall length added to the back of our car is about 16 inches. As you can see here, by pulling the yellow T handle at the bottom of the mast, the rack tilts back. You can see here there's plenty of room to access your hatch.
Rhode Gear Highway Hitch Bike Rack Review - 2012 Ford Focus
Today on 2012 Ford Focus were going to do a test fit of part number RG8015220 from Rhode Gear. This is our highway 2 bike carrier. Some things to know about this bike rack it will work of 1-" receiver hitches both class I and class II. This will also work with 2" receiver hitches with the provided spacer. On this test fit we'll be using a class I receiver hitch. We'll start and test fit by installing into the hitch, we tighten it down the anti-rattle bolt and put the safe pin on the other side.
SportRack EZ Hitch Bike Rack Review - 2012 Ford Focus
Today our 2012 Ford Focus were going to do a test fit of part number A30901 from Sportrack. This is Sportrack 2 bicycle carrier. Few things to know about this bike rack that will work with 1-" receiver hitches both class I and class II. This will also work with 2" receiver hitches with the included spacer. And this application will be using a class one receiver hitch. Now, we'll start off by installing the bike rack into the hitch and then we'll tighten it down with the anti-rattle bolt and put the safety pin on the other side.
Thule Doubletrack Hitch Bike Rack Review - 2012 Ford Focus
All right, today on 2012 Ford Focus were going to do a test fit of part number TH990XT from Thule, the double track platform style 2 bike carrier. A couple notes about this bicycle rack that will work with 1-" receiver hitches both class I and class II. This also work with 2" receiver hitches with the included spacer.On this test fit, we'll be trying it out on class I receiver hitch. We'll start off our test fit by installing the bike rack into the hitch. You will tighten it down the anti-rattle bolt then install the lock on the other side. Now go ahead and get some clearance and measurements from the fender wheel to the back catch of the vehicle were looking at 7-".
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