# 1
Thule Hitching Post Pro Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches
This company does it all in the way a great business should do it. I bought a Thule bike rack from etrailer and it arrived promptly. I was impressed with the amount of information on the we site ranging from product reviews to installation. The videos are also equally well done. This is the place to buy a bike rack - and the price was right due to the free shipping as well. I even got follow up from them about the shipment and as to my experience. Installation was easy and the rack is every bit as good as the reviewers said it was.
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.
# 2
Thule Passage 3 Bike Carrier - Trunk Mount
Product arrived quickly and secure. Instructions made installation a snap! Best of all it fit my Mazda5! Thanks etrailer! I love my new bike rack.
Ford EdgeFits 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.
# 3
Swagman Trailhead Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Tilting
etrailer has the best pre- and post-sales customer service I've ever seen! I started out not knowing anything about hitch-mounted racks. So I wrote to etrailer telling them about my car and type of hitch I was about to have installed. Samuel wrote back with lots of great information tailored specifically to my car. He even included a photo that looked just like my 2017 white VW GTI with a hitch and rack installed. Okay something of a coincidence. But the rest of the assistance I got from the crew at etrailer was just as prophetic. I went into this a novice and came out knowing lots more about hitches and racks and finding the rack best suited to my situation. I have a small car, a class 1 hitch and a heavy mountain bike. I got exactly what I needed. As to the Swagman rack itself, it works fine. If I had a different situation I would probably buy a platform rack as they are easier to load. There's no reason to buy a bike rack anywhere else.
First off, thanks to Jason T. or "Troop". The exemplary customer service he provided is rare these days. Troop made several calls to the various manufacturers to ascertain which bike rack would afford me the most ground clearance as my new VW Golf sits low to the ground and my old bike rack frequently scraped the ground when I went up even a slight up hill grade. His efforts paid off as he found me the best bike rack for my car, the Swagman Trailhead 2 Bike Carrier. It sits up off the ground just high enough that it doesn't scrape on my driveway. It is also sturdy and holds my bikes securely. And, the delivery was amazingly fast. I had my rack in about 2 days! Note to Troop, see my Pittsburgh Pirates Logo on my bumper in the attached pictures? Pirate Fans persevere! The Bucco's will be coming after your Cardinals this year! Thanks again Troop!
# 4
Swagman Upright Bike Rack for 1 Bike - Roof Rack Crossbars - Frame Mount
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.
We have used the Swagman Roof Rack a number of times when we have needed the additional bike carrying capacity. It took a couple attempts to get the initial spacing of the bike rack properly balanced on the van’s roof rack as recommended by the instructions. But it was easy to do and once set was very easy and quick to put on and take off. The rack works great, the bike is easy to put into place and secure. The bike and rack are very stable and quiet and haven’t required any mid-trip adjustments. We always put the cheapest bike on the roof (lol) but do use a bit of duct tape to protect the finish just Incase. We are very satisfied with the rack and consider it quite a deal for the money.
# 5
Swagman Trailhead Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Tilting
Quick and reliable shipping and was able to take to my mechanic to get it installed and it works perfectly with my bike rack!
This is a very solid product! I have used it for over a year now and love it! I have had up to 3 bikes on this without a problem and have traveled over 8 hours in the car one way with absolutely no issues. Many other bike racks like this one that I see on other cars look unstable this is not unstable in anyway. I did have to file some of the paint off of the rack to get it to fit in my 1 and 1/4" hitch but once that was done it has been perfect. I also bought the locking hitch bolt which is awesome too.
# 6
Swagman Chinook Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
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.
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.
# 7
Kuat Beta Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" Trailer Hitches - Tilting
What I love about this hitch: 1. So lightweight that I can install and uninstall it by myself quickly and easily (female, under 5' tall and <100 lbs.) 2. It's STURDY 3. With the Kuat hitch lock, I feel more secure that the rack won't be stolen (sold separately). Universal brands of hitch locks, 1/2", do not fit. It seems to have to be this one 4. Easy to strap the bikes on, and the straps appear strong 5. Our 2 bikes didn't smack into each other on our test run of about 10 miles 6. On same test run, rack didn't move. We were fearful at first, but after a short while forgot it was on the car What I don't like (minor annoyance, not about the rack itself): The silly drawstring burlap bags that are included with Kuat's products for the small accessories!! They are bulky, scratchy, impractical, and I just want to throw them out! :) I couldn't be happier with my purchase...from the price, to the rack itself, to the great service (and easy to navigate/informative website) at etrailer!
I was looking for a light weight bike rack for my 2015 Honda Accord. Your videos stated that the Kuat Beta was light and easy to install. You were right. I opened the box, read the instructions, and had it installed in about 10 minutes. I don't use a rack lock. It is so easy to pop on and off the hitch that I keep the rack in my car trunk.
# 8
Swagman Trailhead Bike Rack for 3 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Tilting
Draw-tite Sportframe Trailer Hitch Receiver Class I - 1-1/4 Swagman Trailhead 3 Bike Rack - Tilting The Draw-tite Sportframe class 1 trailer hitch and Swagman Trailhead 3 bike rack were ordered for a 2017 Honda Fit. The online order and shipping went just as expected. The trailer hitch and bike rack are very heavy duty. I recommend watching the trailer hitch install video before installing, whereas the video is very helpful. The bike rack has triangles that you can rotate to find the best fit for your bicycle's frame. The rubber straps are thick and secure the bicycles when you pull them tight. This bike rack will stay on the vehicle for 6 months each year. The tilt feature and folding arm feature are must haves for a smaller hatchback. I am pleased with this purchase, it appears to be good quality and good value.
My previous bike rack was a hitch mounted Yakima. It was sturdy but not well suited for my low Subaru Impreza. It stuck out too far and hung too low so that I had to inch my way down the driveway or over speed bumps for fear of it bottoming out. A roof rack or a rear window mounted rack was not suitable since I wanted to be able to also carry two kayaks. First, I tried to modify my rack by shortening the part that sticks out of the hitch. I tried to saw off about 6 inches so it wouldn't stick out so far but the steel was much too hard. I ended up ruining several metal-cutting blades on my power saw before I gave up. I looked for other rack options. There weren't many out there. But eventually, I found something that met my needs. I purchased the "Swagman Trailhead 3 Bike Fold Down Bicycle Hitch Rack" in 2013 from eTrailer.com. The part that enters the hitch curves up to increase clearance from the ground. It is sturdy and sticks out far enough so I can still open my trunk hatch without having to lower the main vertical bar on the hitch (though I could if I wanted to). It isn't often I am really excited about a piece of gear but this hitch rack has made me worry-free when I transport my bicycle(s) via car. The only thing I don't like is that it is advertised as being a 3 bike carrier but it only fits 2 hybrid bikes. Maybe it will fit 3 skinny racing bikes but for the average rider, don't expect to fit on more than 2. But my experience is that is the case for all bicycle racks.
# 9
Malone Hanger Trunk Bike Rack for 3 Bikes - Adjustable Arms
The Malone rack adjusts to fit my 2017 Trax really snugly and securely. Once we learned how to configure the bikes for best fit, everything traveled without movement. The only downside is that this system seems designed for narrow road bikes rather than the mountain and hybrid bikes we own. Although the anti-sway cradles are sufficiently wide for mountain tires, the close proximity of the individual bike setups sometimes cause a strap to pull loose during travel, so we keep the bikes cabled to the rack frame. We are able to make it work. For narrower bikes, I would recommend this rack without reservation.
Works great! We keep it set up to one position because it's used on my car only. I'm glad we bought the lock feature because we can just leave the rack on at the trail site. This was a great purchase. I'm impressed that you follow up on your product. I recall your staff was quite helpful in making sure I purchased the correct item for my car and set it up correctly. No recent pictures of the carrier but I do have one of myself as "happy camper" on the Fox River Trail which was doable because of the carrier purchase!!
# 10
Yakima FullBack 3 Bike Rack - Trunk Mount - Adjustable Arms
Performed perfectly on a 140 mile round-trip in my 2017 Acura MDX. It took me a few tries to position the anchors inside the top of the hatch, but I got the hang of it and the rack did not shift at all while driving 50-60 mph on the highway.
Excellent quality! Bike rack comes fully assembled. Cam locks hold the upper support and the bike arms in position and are very easy to use.fairly useless included cable lock. Will only work if you always carry 3 bikes. I just used my cable lock and had no problems transporting my bike to the trails.
# 11
Swagman Fork Down Roof Mounted Bike Carrier - Fork Mount
Works great on 2010 Mazda 5 with factory racks. I purchased two and it took about 40 minutes to install both: 30 minutes for the 1st one and less than 10 minutes for the 2nd one. Inexpensive and stable. Would definitely recommend and will probably purchase a third one.
Yakima FrontLoader Roof Bike Rack Review - 2013 Mazda 5
Today on our 2013 Mazda5 we're going to be test fitting the Yakima FrontLoader, a wheel mount roof bike rack, part number Y02103. With our Yakima Control Towers Roof Rack System already installed on the 5, we'll begin our test fit by placing our bike rack directly onto our crossbars. Here at the front, the two outside portions of our clamp will be located in front of our crossbar, while the center portion of our clamp will be located behind. We'll then tighten the black t-handle located on the front to secure the clamp around our bar. With this secure, we can move to the rear. Here we'll loosen the black t-handle, remove the t-bolt from the lower portion of the clamp, bring that portion around the underside of our crossbar, reinsert the t-bolt into the appropriate slot, and tighten down the t-handle. With both front and rear secure, we're now ready to load up our bike. We'll begin by undoing our rear wheel strap, and also extending the larger portion of our front wheel clamp.
Yakima ForkLift Roof Mounted Bike Rack Review - 2013 Mazda 5
Today on our 2013 Mazda5 we're going to be test fitting the Yakima ForkLift, a fork mount roof bike rack, part number Y02098. With our Yakima Control Towers Roof Rack System already installed on the 5, we'll begin our test fit by placing our bike rack directly onto our crossbars. Here at the front we're going to remove the skewer, slide back the black cover, and loosen the black t-bolt. This will allow us to separate our clamp. We'll then bring the lower portion of our clamp around the underside of our load bar, reinsert the t-bolt in the appropriate slot, and tighten down the black t-handle to secure it. We'll then slide our black cover forward and reinsert our skewer. Here at the rear we're going to loosen the black t-handle and separate our clamp by removing the t-bolt.
Thule Big Mouth Roof Bike Rack Review - 2013 Mazda 5
Today on our 2013 Mazda 5 were going to be test fitting the Thule Big Mouth, a frame clamp roof bike rack, with part number TH599XTR. With our Thule Podium roof rack system already installed on the 5, well begin our test fit by placing our bike rack directly onto our load bars. Here at the front well separate the T-bolts from the lower section of our clamp, bring them around our front crossbar, reinsert the T-bolt, and then tighten the black wing nuts located on top to secure both front clamps around our load bar. With the front secure, well move to the rear. Here were going to completely remove one of the wing nuts from our clamp, bring one of the threaded portions of our clamp down on both sides of our load bar, reinsert the plate on the bottom, then thread on our wing nut. Well then tighten down both wing nuts to secure our rear clamp. With our rack secured to our vehicle, were now ready to load up our bike. Well begin by undoing our wheel straps and pulling down on the large black lever located on our frame clamp. Well then grab our bike, place it onto the bike rack.
Thule Sprint Fork Mount Bike Rack Review - 2013 Mazda 5
Today on our 2013 Mazda 5, were going to be test fitting the Thule Sprint. This is a roof mount, fork clamp bike rack part #TH528. Weve got the Thule Rapid Podium Roof Rack System already installed on the Mazda here. Well begin our test fit by placing our bike rack directly up onto our load bars. Well bring the black rubber coated metal straps around the underside for both of our clamps. Then we want to fit it into the foot of our carrier there.
Swagman Upright Roof Mounted Bike Rack Review - 2013 Mazda 5
Today on our 2013 Mazda 5, we're going to be test fitting the Swagman Upright roof bike rack. It's part number S64720. With our Thule Rapid Podium roof rack system already installed on our 5, we'll begin our test fit by placing our bike rack directly onto our load bars here. At the front, we're going to bring one of our U bolts around the underside of our load bar, up through our carrier, and we'll thread on 2 wing nuts loosely for now just to hold it in place. We'll then take a second U bolt on the other side here on the head of our carrier, and thread 2 wing nuts onto it as well. We'll then tighten down all 4 of our wing nuts to secure the front of our rack to our vehicle. With the front secure, we can move to the rear.
Swagman Fork Down Roof Bike Rack Review - 2013 Mazda 5
Today on our 2013 mazda 5 we're going to be testing the Swagman Fork Down Roof Mounted Bike Rack, part number S64710. With our thule rapid podium roof rack system already installed on the Mazda, we'll begin our test fit by placing our bike rack up unto our load bars. Here at the front we'll bring one of the u-bolts around the underside of our load bar, we'll fit it up through the head of her carrier and then we'll thread 2 wingnuts on it, just a hole in place temporarily for now. We'll then take a second you u-bolt, and 2 more wingnuts and fit those into the other side of our carrier here in the front. We'll then tighten down all 4 of our wingnuts to secure the front portion of our rack here. Alright, with the front nice and tight we can move to the rear, here instead of coming around the under and up through, we'll take our u-bolt, we're going to place it down through the rack, as we do this we'll want to make sure that we've got a threaded portion coming out in front of and behind our load bar.
SportRack Roof Mounted Bike Rack Review - 2013 Mazda 5
Today on our 2013 Mazda5 we're going to be testing the SportRack Roof Mounted Bike Rack. It's part number SR4622. We've got our Thule Rapid Podium Roof Rack system already installed on our Mazda. We'll begin our test fit by placing the bike rack directly upon to our load bars. Here at the front we'll bring one of the black rubber-coated metal U-bolts around the underside of our load bar and thread two of our wing nuts down on it just to hold it in place. We'll then take our second black rubber-coated metal U-bolt, bring it around the underside, and thread two wing nuts on it as well.Adjust it so it sits evenly and then we'll tighten down all four of our wing nuts.
RockyMounts TieRod Stretch Roof Bike Rack Review - 2013 Mazda 5
Today on our 2013 Mazda 5, we're going to be test fitting the RockyMounts Tierod Stretch, a roof-mounted bike rack, part number RKY1011. With our Thule Rapid Podium roof rack system already installed on our Mazda, we'll begin our test fit by placing our bike rack onto our load bars. As we do this, we'll want to bring the black rubber-coated metal straps around the underside. We'll then remove the black cover here on the top, and fit our 2 straps into the head of the carrier here. We'll then need to tighten up this bolt. To do that, of course, we use an Allen key. All right.
Kuat TRIO Roof Bike Rack Review - 2013 Mazda 5
Today on our 2013 Mazda 5, we're going to be test-fitting the Kuat Trio, a roof-mounted bike rack, part number RU01. We've got our Thule Rapid Podium roof rack system already installed on the Mazda, so we'll begin our test fit by simply placing our bike rack on top of our load bars. We'll bring one of the black rubber-coated metal u-bolts around the underside of our load bar. Fit it up into the head of our carrier. We'll then thread on two of our cylinder nuts; you want to be sure that the threaded end is pointing down and not the hex end. With both of those threaded, we'll take our second u-bolt and we'll just repeat that same process. We'll now take our provided allen tool and tighten those down to secure our rack to our vehicle.
What our customers are saying:
"I got my hitch in three days. My husband put it on in less than an hour, he says it fit like a glove, no problems. We we're told by the dealer there wasn't a hitch for my Mazdda 6, I got it for a bike rack. Great service. Thanks"