# 1
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.
# 2
Swagman XTC4 Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
Rack is very sturdy and heavy duty. Instructions were terrible. Locking hitch pin would not thread correctly and ended up damaging it. Thankfully the threads on rack were fine and I was able to use the non-locking threaded pin. Would like a replacement locking pin ASAP
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…
# 3
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!
# 4
Yakima RidgeBack Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Tilting
Check out my other review on the hidden hitch for a 2015 BMW 4 Series for the majority of the review, but this thing is great. Easy setup and install, does all the things it's supposed to do. Mounting and removing bikes is a snap with the included clips (big difference from some of the cheaper variants with nylon ratchet straps). Fits very snugly in my 2" receiver, and pretty solid on the highway and over bumpy roads.
First trip with 3 bikes. Nary a wobble. The anti-sway strips appear to make a big difference.
# 5
Curt Bike Rack for 5 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Tilting
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.
We received a damaged box, damaged items, no instructions, the nuts and bolts are completely stripped and not inside a bag. This was obviously used, returned, not checked for quality and sent out. We are extremely upset.
# 6
Swagman XTC2 Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
So far so good. It is exactly what I thought it would be... So far no surprises. I received it and had it installed within 15 minutes. It's installed on the front of a Ford E350 van which is built out as a Coleman RV. I was worried about clearances but as the pictures show that is not a problem at all.
First-time rack buyer / owner / installer. The rack arrived in a timely fashion, maybe a day or 2 ahead of schedule. It was well packaged. I’m LOVING this bike rack. It was easy to put together and to mount on my new Honda Passport. Thus far, no squeaks in my 2” receiver. Hardest part of initial set-up is figuring out the best way to position two bikes. Trial & error and some patience. The directions weren’t clear as to where the 2 left-over screws went. I found the answer in another review and have posted a pic in case others have the same problem (photo with pen pointing at screw). These screws go in the underneath side of both of the folding arms. They appear to keep the wheel wells from sliding off in case in you drive with an empty, un-folded rack, and forgot to tighten down the wheel wells. The folding arm push / pull pins can be difficult at times. I coated the tips with some lube. That and a little jiggling seems to solve that issue. I guess it’s better for the pins to be snug vs popping right out. I added a small Master lock to the hitch pin (in lieu of the provided cotter pin) as a theft deterrent. I read that a 3/16 shackle lock will fit into the bike clamp down arms to also act as a deterrent. I had an old 3/16 lock that did snugly fit and appeared to be locked. HOWEVER, I yanked on the lock and it came open as there isn’t quite enough clearance for the shackle to lock. I discovered that longer 3/16 shackle locks are hard to find. Have attached a photo of the lock that actually fits and works (Ace Hardware). One lock on the upper clamp down arm will secure both arms as the lower arm can’t be removed without removing the upper arm. The clamp down arms appear to be coated to prevent damage to your bike. I’ve tried a simple rag and ultimately settled on pool noodle pieces as a precautionary measure. I CAN NOT open my tailgate (regardless of whether or not the rack is fold up and in the bike carry position). If that’s a concern for you, then spring for the more costly titling version. My back-up camera still functions.
# 7
Kuat NV 2.0 Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Wheel Mount - Metallic Black
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!!
# 8
Kuat NV 2.0 Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Wheel Mount - Gunmetal Gray
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!
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.
# 9
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.
# 10
Kuat NV 2.0 Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Wheel Mount - Gunmetal Gray
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.
# 11
Hollywood Racks Destination Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
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.
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.
Rola Hitch Bike Racks Review - 2015 Mazda CX-9
Speaker 1: Today on our 2015 Mazda CX-9, we're going to be taking a look at our Rola Convoy Three-Bike Platform Rack. That's part number: 59308-3.Now, this is a heavy-duty rack. It's going to accommodate up to three bikes. It does feature a modular design, which means that each of these platforms can be individually removed. So you can have three bikes, two, or even just one bike.And our three-bike configuration, it's got a weight maximum of 55 pounds per bike. So, keep that in mind.
Rola Hitch Bike Racks Review - 2015 Mazda CX-9 59308-2
Speaker 1: Today, on our 2015 Mazda CX-9, we're going to be taking a look at our ROLA Convoy, two-bike platform rack. That's part number 59308-2. This is a two-bike rack, but one of the main features it its modular design, which basically just means that this second platform can be removed if you only want to have one bike. Say you're going on a solo trip and you only need the one, you can remove this second rack and be lighter weight.It also features the tilt-a-way design, so we're going to remove our pin there, tilt it up, and pull back. That's going to give us plenty of room to access our rear hatch to get to our equipment or other supplies. We can raise our rack, just reversing the process.
RockyMounts Hitch Bike Racks Review - 2015 Mazda CX-9
Speaker 1: Today on our 2015 Mazda CX-9, we're gonna be taking a look at our Rocky Mounts BackStage two bike platform rack. That's part number RKY10002. One of the most impressive features of this bike rack is it's ability to swing away. In order to access that feature, we're gonna start with this here. It's got a long threaded bolt to keep our rack in place. Once we get that unscrewed, we will lift up on our pins here.
Swagman Hitch Bike Racks Review - 2015 mazda cx-9
Today on our 2015 Mazda CX9, we're going to be doing a test fit of the Swagman Trailhead. This is going to be our hanging style four bike rack, part number S63380. As you can see, we've already got our bike up here and mounted to the back of our rack on the back of our vehicle, so you can get a better understanding of how it's going to correspond with yours. The first thing we're going to do is get a couple measurements. Our closest distance will be that first one from the T handle and thumb screw here on the back to the back side of the bumper. That distance looks like it's going to be about 5 inches, about 4 7/8 inches.
Thule Hitch Bike Racks Review - 2015 Mazda CX-9
Today on our 2015 Mazda CX9, we're going to be doing a test fit of the Thule Vertex Hanging Style 4-bike Rack. As you can see, we've already got our bike up here so you can see what it's going to look like once you have it fully assembled and in place on the back of your vehicle. We'll start off by getting a few measurements. Our closet distance will be our first measurement. That's going to be from the back side of our bumper or closest point to the back side of the rack here. It looks like that distance is going to be about 1 7/8 inches.
Kuat Hitch Bike Racks Review - 2015 Mazda CX-9
Today on our 2015 Mazda CX-9, we're going to be doing a test fit of the Kuat Transfer. This is going to be your platform-style 3 bike rack, part number TS03G. As you can see, we've already got our bike mounted up, so you can see what it's going to look like once you have it on the back of your Mazda. We'll start off by getting a few measurements. Our closest distance is going to be our first measurement. That's going to be from the front of the rack to the back side of the bumper.
Thule Hitch Bike Racks Review - 2015 Mazda CX-9 TH9031XT
Today on our 2015 Mazda CX9. We're going to be doing a test fit of the Thule Vertex Hang Style for a bike rack. As you can see we've already have our bike mounted up and attached to our rack. It's going to be part number TH9031XT. Nice thing about this rack is it's going to allow us to swing out and away from the vehicle, which we'll show you in a moment. Let's go ahead and start off by getting a few measurements. Our closest measurements going to be the first one.
Yakima FullTilt Hitch Bike Racks Review - 2015 Mazda CX-9
Today on our 2015 Mazda CX-9 we're going to be doing a test fit of the Yakima Full Tilt. Now this is going to be your hanging style 4-bike rack, part number Y02462. As you can see, we're already got our bike up on our cradle arms so you can get a better idea of what it's going to look like on the back of your Mazda. Now, first things first, we're going to go ahead and get a few measurements, starting off with our closest distance. That's going to be from the front side of the rack here to the back side of the bumper at our closest contact point if it we're to come in too far. It's going to be about 4 inches. The overall distance that we've added to the back of the vehicle, from the rear of the bumper to the back of the cradle arms, is going to be about 37-1/2 inches, and our ground clearance from the bottom side of the fin is going to be about 9-1/2 inches.
Curt Hitch Bike Racks Review - 2015 Mazda CX-9
Today on our 2015 Mazda CX-9, we're going to be doing a test fit of the CURT Premium 4. This is going to be our hanging style 4-bike rack, part number C18064. As you can see, we've already got our bike up on our rack and strapped down to our cradle arm so you can get a better idea of what it's going to look like on the back of your Mazda. We'll start off by getting a few measurements. Our closest distance will be the first measurement, from the front side of the rack to the back side of the bumper. It looks like it's going to be about 3 inches from the backside to these tabs and the T handle here on the front. Overall distance that we've added to the vehicle is going to be from the back bumper to the rear of the cradle arms, at about 33 inches. Our ground clearance from the bottom side of the shank, about 11 inches. Now that we've gotten those measurements out of the way, let's go ahead and talk about how our bike is secured to the rack.
Softride Element-Parallelogram Hitch Bike Racks Review - 2015 Mazda CX-9
Today on our 2015 Mazda CX9, we're going to be doing a test fit of the Soft Ride Element Parallelogram. This is going to be a hanging style 4 bike rack. Part number SR26248. As you can see we already have our bike up on our cradle arms so you can see what it's going to look like once you have it fully assembled and in place on your vehicle. We'll start off by getting a few measurements. Our closest distance will be from the closest point here on the backside of our rack to our bumper.
What our customers are saying:
"I ordered a trailer hitch and a bike rack carrier the order was shipped with in three days. To put the hitch on only took about 30 mins. only had to drill two 1/2 holes. fit like a glove."