Most Popular Hitch Bike Racks for 2016 Subaru Forester

I was sent additional mounting materials that don't correspond with my hitch or my bike rack. See the photo below. Are these materials for my Swagman STC2 Bike Rack Item #S64670?

Out of the box impression of material and workmanship was pretty average. Was surprised to see that the carrier has specific disclaimers for use with carbon frames. This should be up front in the description given the prevalence of this material in bikes today. Assembly was simple. Conversion between hitch types is likely to be a pain though - long Allen bolt to remove for 1 1/4" hitch receiver. My wife will "love" that part I'm sure. We'll see how it carries and handles bikes soon.

Bought this bike rack for my daughter. Excellent product. Easy to assemble and easy to use. She loves it.

Order this bike rack for use on a 2014 Subaru Forester with a factory 1 1/4" trailer hitch. The rack appears to be solid and capable of holding two front suspension mountain bikes. One bike is a 15" men's bike and the other is a 19" men's bike. The rack went together easily and fit into the hitch with no problems. We ordered an anti-rattle locking hitch pin with a cable to lock the bikes and the rack to the car, but the locking hitch pin was too big to thread through the rack. etrailer sent another locking hitch pin in a very easy return process. The new one worked perfectly. We did find that when putting the bikes on the rack, we had to take off the ratchet arms and then slide them back down the center post. We used old socks on the pedals of the bikes to avoid any damage to the car or bikes, and old washcloths between the ratchet arms and the bikes as well since other people reported damage to their bikes' finishes. We also used velcro straps to secure the wheels to the wheel hoops for extra security. All in all the rack seems to be a great product.

This is my first hitch mounted rack. I was very excited and hopeful that this rack was of compatible quality to that of Thule or yakima, albeit with a more reasonable price tag. However I think that it came up short. Likes Sturdy. This thing is built like a tank and would certainly have no issues dealing with some very heavy bikes! Attractive. I like that it is simple, not flashy and when no bikes are loaded it's completely out of the way. Fit. I have a drawtight hitch mounted Ted to my 2016 Subaru Forester and the clearances are perfect! When folder up there is about 1.5 inches between the rack and the bumper. Nice and tight. Function. I like how it folds up. Dislikes. Very heavy. Pretty sure this is 100% steel with very minimal use of aluminum, if at all. This also has me very concerned that after a couple years it will look like rusted junk. Width. I just bought a trek fuel with plus tires and the trays will not actually go wide enough by about 2 inches. As a result the bike always has one tire not fully seated in the tray. Luckily the tray has a strap so it is secure, but this is definitely a compromise. Fit and finish. Some small rust spots. I had to add grease to the main pivot to help with a very tight movement of the rack folding up, some of the joints also needed to be tightened and the key/lock mechanism clearly was not deburred inside and I spent a long time trying to unlock my bike from the rack. Adding bike lube to the mechanism and working it for a few minutes made it a smoother operation. All said, if I had to do it again I would pay the extra money for a mainstream bike rack brand. But I use this every week in the summer. If you're an occasional user this would probably be fine.

The instructions for assembly could use some better images and instructions. I did have to unassembled and reassemble once to make sure I got it right. If you've ever assembled IKEA furniture, this should be familiar and no big deal. We used the carrier to drive to a bike trail 20 minutes away and the rack performed well. I like how it does not block the back-up camera on our 2016 Subaru Forester. The locks are a great piece of mind when you have to make a stop along the way and you don't have to worry about you gear.

Rack arrived today. I will not lie, it is heavy and therefore cumbersome to assemble. Despite that, I was able to assemble and install it in just under one hour. I did this on my own, another person would have cut this time in half. The rack checks all the boxes of wants and needs. That same weight noted before makes it rock solid. The anti-rattle feature to tighten the hitch is wonderful. Handle/pedal to change from upright position to bike holding rack to tilt away from my Subaru 2010 Forester was incredibly simple and smooth. I was all set to buy the Thule T2 Pro XT 2 and a friend told me about this Kuat NV 2.0. I am so happy. I knew it was more expensive, but free shipping and price was discounted at checkout when I purchased it from etrailer.com. Great surprise. This rack is well thought out, has superb quality features, and I am convinced that I made the best choice. All things aside, it also really looks nice.

Fantastic bike rack. Switch it between a Honda Ridgeline and a Subaru Outback Wilderness and it works perfectly. Accidentally lost the locking pin that secures the rack to the trailer hitch and when I inquired with Kurt about ordering a replacement lock keyed to match the locking cables on the rack and the Kuat rep sent one to me for free. (I removed the rack and left the lock sitting on my car bumper. Later that day I drove off and lost the lock on the highway).

Put this together in about 30 min and looooooooove how easy it is to load 4 bikes!! Two adult bikes(one road) two kids! Incredibly sturdy while driving along the winding mountain roads! If the $1000 racks are easier/better I'd like to know just how much to justify the price!! Super happy with this purchase and the staff at etrailer!

Good rack. Although, it was much heavier then I thought. I was looking for something to put on my wife's car 2-3 times a week, so I can ride home. It's a bit much for daily use, but is very sturdy and great for the long haul.

Good product for the $. Easy set up..works well and as advertised.

Seems like a good rack for the price, especially when compared to others with the same weight rating. It was very easy to assemble, just a few bolts and that's it. I put two 62lb e-bikes on it (Ride1Up Turris) and it has minimal wobble and movement as expected. The straps that come on the center cradles were too short to go around our bike's frame and battery so I had to purchase a separate set of long straps from Saris for an additional $20. So be aware if you have an e-bike with a fat frame where you plan to use the cradle on, you might have to spend another $20 on a pair of long straps. While I waited for the straps I just used a velcro-strap and it worked fine. So far I am content with this rack overall and hope it lasts many years.. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because I had to purchase additional straps to make it work.