# 1
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
For the price, it's a good-quality, sturdy bike rack. I have used it about 5-7 times with no issues. I only used it for one adult and two kids' bikes, but I am sure it can handle four bikes as advertised. It's great that the rack folds upwards when it's not required.
# 2
Kuat NV 2.0 Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Wheel Mount - Gunmetal Gray
This bike rack has worked well for our family of 4. It allows us to safely and securely carry all 4 bikes through the mountains of Colorado with our Hallmark Milner truck camper. Strong and durable rack that barely moves when driving. etrailer's customer service was outstanding. The rack was initially delayed and after one phone call to check status a warehouse manager quickly solved a minor issue and got the rack shipped. etrailer was fantastic in managing this transaction with extremely limited staffing. etrailer is the first place I check for anything recreation as I've never had anything but stellar service.
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
# 3
Kuat NV 2.0 Base Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Wheel Mount - Matte Black
This rack definitely has some pros and cons (as do most racks). A minor frustration is that despite ordering the rack and add-on at the same time, the keys don’t match so if locking three or more bikes you need two different keys (this has only really irritated me when it was raining). As other reviewers have mentioned, this thing is heavy. Neither my wife nor kids can lift it to put it on or get it off the car by themselves. The downside is that given the size of the rack it is not real convenient to just leave it on the car. When the rack is in the up position, it is impossible to get in the back so it is necessary to lower the rack each time you want to get in. The other downside is that the rack significantly cuts down on visibility when backing up. All that being said, the rack is rock solid and the bikes are very secure. The rack is great for extended trips. When loaded and tipped down, it is great to be able to open and access the back. The spacing of the bikes is great and I don’t have to spend 15 minutes figuring out how to slide four bikes in just the right spot to make them all fit as I did with my old rack. Best of all the bikes are only sustaining damage on the trail, not on the back of the car! Despite some minor annoyances, I highly recommend this rack. As for assembly, my 13 year old put it together by himself in about 20 minutes (I promised him i would include that fact).
We needed to move up from our Saris Bones 3 rack now that our youngest is on a big girl bike. We initially went for a budget platform rack which was (not surprisingly) subjected to a recall. After an incredible amount of research, I opted for the Kuat NV 2.0 Base. I took advantage of the etrailer price pledge program and was very satisfied with the etrailer staff who were very easy to deal with both on the phone and online. Following my order, etrailer inadvertently sent me the incorrect base model. The sent me the 1.25 inch instead of 2.0 inch model and as the shipping label covered the hitch size I only discovered this after opening and unpacking it (thereby having to repack and re-ship it). This inconvenience notwithstanding, etrailer was very apologetic, paid for the return shipping and sent out the correct 2.0 inch model. Unpacking and assembly was easy (the second time...and I learned the valuable lesson of taking photos of the unpacking in the event you need to repack it). You certainly get what you pay for with Kuat! The fit and finish are first rate and the rack's design, in my opinion, makes it the most intuitive, cleanest and best looking rack out there. I was considering the RockyMounts Split Rail 2+2 (similar design and athletics and a bit lighter) but I am so glad I went with Kuat. I mounted it on my 06 Pilot today in less than 5 minutes with my wife's help (though it can be accomplished solo), locked the pin and tightened the anti-rattle mechanism for a rock solid mount. All bikes fit on it like a dream (my 29er, wife's mountain bike and 2 kids mountain bikes...have not tried by road bike yet but I don't anticipate any issues). Very impressed with the rack and my etrailer experience.
# 4
Hollywood Racks Road Runner Bike Rack for 5 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Tilting
So, one year in, this works well for the price. I have successfully hauled around 5 bikes a couple times now including a couple vacations. Bikes got there securely despite 4+ hours of driving at interstate speeds, including one harrowing stretch on bumpy roads with 70 mph speed limits (wow Texas, seriously?) where the car got significant amounts of "air" at random intervals. Getting the bikes on and off is still a major pain. I had to buy the adapter for 3 womens/children's bikes. My own full size mountain bike barely fits on, too, the pitch between the bars seems a bit challenging and requires me to contort the bike dramatically to get it on and off. If you are trying to actually get 5 bikes on here, figuring out the bike handle tetris game is not easy. Will take you a bit. It still takes me ~15 min to load 5 bikes up every time. On short trips I sometimes skip the tiedown through all the bike wheels and it's fine, although I wouldn't do it for long trips. My biggest regret here is not buying one where the rack will pivot out to allow access to the rear minivan hitch with the bikes attached -- this means this is the last thing to pack in the car and the first thing you unpack, every time on vacation. It requires planning and forethought. The rack does fold down nicely which we used extensively on vacation once the bikes were unpacked, just don't drive around that way. On my Honda minivan the bottom of this sags a bit when fully loaded with bikes, to the extent I scrape hard every time exiting my slightly inclined driveway. We found a few other low spots along our way, from restaurants to other businesses, that resulted in similar cringe-inducing moments. We drove it on the beach quite a bit, after a healthy wash with the pressure washer there is some mild rusting where the handles rotate, but the rack is otherwise in good shape.
Bought several bike racks and trailer hitches from etrailer. They followed up to make sure all was good. I would highly recommend buying from them. Good people and they care about the customer!
What our customers are saying:
"Loved the hitch 5-bike bike rack. Came quickly and is as advertised."