Most Popular Class 1 for 2015 Subaru XV Crosstrek

First off I got tired of putting my bike in the back end of my 2014 Subaru XV Crosstrek! So, birthday present to myself. I bought the Curt 1 1/4" class 1 receiver hitch from Etrailer of course (posted install). Then I ordered the Swagman Chinook platform bike carrier! Best bike rack purchase ever! I did a lot of online comparisons, always been a Thule fan? But hands down the Swagman Chinook was the best bang for the buck @ $$$ and change from Etrailer! It took me @ 15 minutes to put together straight out of the box, and waited til yesterday to put it on my car. As you can see from photos attached it works awsome! Now it's going to be a lot easier to travel to the BMX races!

Works for my fat tire bike. Once it's set up, it's easy to install and remove. I had to cut out some of the plastic cladding on the underside of my bumper on my 2014 Subaru Outback. Good value. I've had no issues.

I haven't taken this down the road yet, but it appears to be well thought out and made. It went together easyily and the instructions were easy to follow. It had a nice tight fit in the receiver. The only complaint I have is that the piece that slides into the receiver was a little too long for mine. (About 1/4 inch) I have a drawtite model 24886. I had to put a notch in the bottom of the piece that slides into the receiver because there is a spot weld inside my receiver that it hits, otherwise and the bolt hole would not line up. Other than that, so far I am happy with it.

I installed this rack onto a Curt trailer hitch which is mounted onto a 2017 Honda Fit. I have been using it intermittently for several months, probably about 5 times with one bike and twice with two bikes. I give some pros and cons below and then elaborate. Pros: easy to assemble, easy to mount and dismount bikes, easy to lock and unlock, how to put the rack into different positions is intuitive Cons: inconvenient to put the rack into different positions, inconvenient to mount the rack onto the hitch, rack protrudes about 15 inches from bumper when in flipped up position (seems very vulnerable to someone backing into it in a parking lot, very inelegant looking I say the repositioning is intuitive because there is really only one way you could possibly place the pins for each position. But removing and replacing two pins is much less convenient than turning a knob or a lever, like some racks do. Also many racks fold and flip in such a way as to look very unobtrusive when in non-use mode. This one looks like kind of a monstrosity. That does not really bother me but it might bother some owners. The part that does bother me is how far it protrudes from the car. I back into parking spaces whenever possible to avoid someone bumping into the rack and damaging it (which happened to a friend). My number one suggestion for Curt is related to mounting the rack onto the hitch. Make it easier to tell when the holes are lined up so that the bolt/pin will fit and thread. As it is now, if you insert the rack as far as it can go it is way too far in. Ideally, it would be exactly lined up. Failing that, maybe some kind of click or other feedback to know at least that you are in the neighborhood. It would also be great to have an attaching device that is easier to fasten and unfasten than is the bolt/pin. Tip for mounting the rack onto the hitch: I assumed that it would be awkward to hold, what is it 46 pounds?, while trying to line up the rack probe with the receiver. If you have a garage with exposed collar ties, my solution could work well for you. I looped a cargo strap over a collar tie. Then I hooked both hooks of a bungie onto that loop. The idea is that you hook one of the bike frame holders of the rack onto the bungie, suspending the rack a few inches off the garage floor. This takes most of the weight of the rack so that you can just pull up or down and forward until you line up with the receiver. Tip for mounting bikes. Don't put the little screw into the post that prevents you from completely removing the bike frame holders. Remove both holders. Position the first bike, slide the holder into place, position the second bike, slide the holder into place. I found this makes it much easier, because you avoid parts of the bike hitting the holder as you are trying to get the wheels into place. The trick is that if you are mounting only one bike, don't forget to put the second holder back on - or maybe just stick it inside the car right away.