Swagman XTC2 Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Frame Mount

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.860502

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Kerry F.

8/16/2021

This bike carrier has held up well. Excellent product vs the cost. I just recently had to upgrade to a LARGER CARRIER as my HARDTAIL PLUS mountain bike tires 2.8 were too fat for this carrier.

The Swagman XTC-2 platform bike carrier arrived very quickly from etrailer and in good shape, the actual carrier box is inside another shipper box, which I'm sure helped with its condition. Assembly was relatively quick and painless, even though the instructions could be a little more thorough. Installing the carrier on the back of our Jeep Patriot also was quick, it helps to have an extra ratchet & 3/4" socket laying around for just this purpose.

Installing the bikes takes a little patience and trial and error the first time you try and put them on the carrier. It's easy enough to adjust the wheel holders to fit the wheelbase of your bikes, but for us at least, the challenge was trying to swing the vertical support bar up into position after putting on the first bike (closest to the Jeep). We couldn't angle the bike enough toward the Jeep to have the bar clear the bike. We learned that the easiest way to secure the first bike was to remove the ratcheting frame hooks altogether, put the bike in the carrier, swing up the vertical support bar, put in the pin, and then slide one of the frame hooks down on the bar. The outside bike is much easier because you can set the bike in the carrier at whatever angle you need, not being limited by the back of the vehicle. One thing we did to protect the bike frames was to use some foam pipe insulation as cushion between the frame hook and the frame (see pictures).

Once you get a system for installing the bikes, it is very quick to load/unload them. The rack seems to be well made and doesn't wiggle excessively when traveling. All in all a good product for a good price, would definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a platform bike carrier.
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Ray

7/26/2014

Question, we have two Townie comfort bikes, one male the other female. Our problem is attempting to lock down the female bike. I have attempted to slide the locking arm all the way down to the bottom cross bar without success. If I leave it higher it will pinch the chain guard. How do you get the lock slide down to the cross bar on the bottom of the frame. Other than that it is a GREAT rack. Thanks,Ray

Rachael H.

7/28/2014

For very low step through frames like your women's Townie bike, an adapter bar is the best option to use, even for platform bike racks with the center frame post. I recommend the Swagman # 64005. This bar will connect between the handlebar gooseneck and the seat post, providing a bar that the center frame hook will secure around. This will keep you from pinching the chain guard. It is easily removable, and will only be needed during transport, leaving your the step through frame functional.

Chris H.

11/1/2015

Can you access the hatch with the bikes on the rack?

Kevin K.

11/4/2015

Depending on the pedal position of the bike closest to the rear lift gate, you can open it a few inches to reach in and get something. This of course depends on far under the back of your vehicle your hitch is located.

I own a 2009 VW GTI 4 door. The fact that I have a 4 door GTI may be significant to the 2 door GTI drivers out there because I tend to need to access my rear hatch less frequently since I just put things in the back seat.

I did not want the standard hanging bike rack because my bike got scratched up badly, my brake cables became loose, and my bike pump cage got broken when using a 4 bike hanging rack with my brother and his family. I also do not like the idea of the weight of my bike resting on top of my bike cables in the hanging bike rack cradles. However, if you are frequently putting different types of bikes on your rack like my brother does, a hanging rack may work better for you. The platform racks need to have the wheel holders adjusted for different bikes. Not hard, but it is a little more cumbersome.

I had been using Yakima roof mounted racks for 17 years on 5 different vehicles...until one of the roof clips popped loose on the interstate and my road bike did a wheelie and dented the roof of my GTI. Could not get my Yakima roof clip to lock in place again after that, so I moved to a hitch mount.

I bought the Curt Hitch #11074 and can be seen in the photos. Not really noticeable, but I think it looks better than the Draw-Tite and Hidden Hitch designs.

For platform racks, I looked at several designs with the following criteria in mind.

- Ease of use
- Ability to access the rear hatch
- Extension from bumper

I naturally started with Yakima, but found that their racks seemed overly cumbersome and extended far behind the car. The Thule racks seemed the same, and both brands were over $300. They did offer the ability to tilt the rack up when not in use, but this still blocks my access to the rear hatch.

The Swagman rack has a simple, minimalist design. First is that it is very narrow, only one row of support arms to carry two bikes. Thule and Yakima have two support arms, one for each bike, which causes the rack to extend farther behind the bumper. The Swagman seems plenty beefy to handle two bikes.

The support beams are easy to tilt up and down. Maybe not quite as easy to tilt up as Yakima and Thule, but still pretty easy. But until I watched the eTrailer video before buying this product (WATCH THE VIDEO!), I did not realize that the center upright also folds out of the way if you need access to the rear. This is what sold me. The ratcheting upright supports are easy to use and work as shown in the etrailer video. The rubber straps do their job just fine.

The other manufacturers seem to have an easier method to move the rack out of the way of the rear hatch, but as I mentioned, I have a 4 door GTI, so this was less of a concern for me.

The main selling points were: simple design, easy to use, fit a GTI, upright moves to access hatch, etrailer video, lots of good etrailer customer reviews with pictures, and of course...price.141045

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Joe H.

2/20/2015

This was great. Thanks. I just bought am2015 golf and your comments helped me decide in the same configuration

Easy to assemble. This carrier will be used on a 2012 Nissan Sentra using the Draw Tite 24794 hitch. After the installation on that hitch, there is about 2 inches clearance between the rearmost projection of the rear bumper to the frontmost portion of the wheel carrier of the rack. It is easy to put the bikes into the rack. The trunk lid cannot be opened with the bikes mounted on the rack. The rack seems to be stable and doesn't wobble or bounce much.26666

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Jonp

7/31/2015

I am happy to see that you included a measurement of the width of the tire slots. The newest Mountain bikes that are just coming out are coming out with wider tires. I am looking at a Specialized mountain bike and the tires are 2.3 to 2.5 inches wide. From the pictures posted it appears that this bikes tires should still fit inside the slots?

I looked at a lot of different hitch racks, priced from $100 up to over $500 and for the price the Swagman XTC-2 hit the mark. I've been using it now for a couple of months with absolutely no problems. First trip was 1600 mile round trip from TX to KS and it performed perfectly. Bike is easy off/easy on. Rack is a bit heavy but balanced enough to make it no problem with taking off and on. Etrailer.com was great to work with and rack arrived exactly as stated. 143303

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Brett T.

7/29/2015

After a years use, this rack is still performing like new. No issues to report and would still recommend as a good economical choice.

This Swagman rack does the job it’s designed for well. It’s installed with a Curt hitch and they are solid together. I see many of these racks attached to fellow bike club members. This seems to be a popular choice. I can open my trunk with a bike loaded closest to the car on my 2012 Sonata. I considered the more expensive choices available, but couldn’t justify spending the extra money. I’m pleased. Thanks etrailer. 801329

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Robert

5/23/2021

I love my bike rack. It’s used all the time and is holding up well.

I love this rack! Very sturdy and you can have it a single bike rack if so desired, which I do usually only haul one bike. I was worried the gap between the vehicle and bike would be too close but that worry was short lived. I love the ratcheting top clamp, firmly holds down the bike. Adjustability of the wheel chocks is super, I worried about my 29 inch wheels fitting but again, no worries, fit's perfectly with the adjustable sliding chocks. Simply the best rack I've owned. 390152

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Scott H.

6/7/2018

Super! Love my rack

Nice rack and easy to put together. Feels well built. A bit challenging for loading these kind of bikes on there but it worked. The kind of bikes I am using this rack for are not like the usual ones that are previously posted. I plan on using this for my stretch custom beach cruisers also. I will post more pictures once I load those up. I only had time to do my lowrider bikes today.910985

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Joe

11/12/2021

This is a great bike rack. I have had this for a year now with no problems. I would definitely recommend this bike rack

This I was not as happy with. Service was great. Delivery was great but the product QC was off and there is a design flaw in the product (that is most likely fixed by me spending more money, so thats on me.)

Assembly was easy to follow however there was one big problem. The bar coming from the hitch to the rack. The metal mechanisim inside the square tube is cocked (image included) and thus lines up the threads for mounting at an angle and is a perfect setup for cross threading during installation. I managed with some work to get the pieces together (provided hex wrench + vice grips + torque bar). That said I can most likely never disassemble the product again for those threads are going to be toast and unsuable again.

Mounting the rack to hitch was easy.

Adjusting the setup for bike was easy.

Design flaw and place I should spend more money is that once the bike is on the car I can no longer open the hatch to my car. Even if I pull the clamp bar off the rack closests to the hatch. Considering the cost of the rack I can live with this. It just means I cannot drive around with the rack always on the car and I will be pulling it off and only using it when I ride. Never time however I will be spending more to get a rack that either swings away from a hatch or has some sort of a pivot release to gain access into the car.

For the money I spent this is going to work, considering the cost of some of the big name platform racks this is literally a small fraction of their price. So I cannot complain too much but that cross thread issue is not a good one.973986

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by: Phillip05/05/2018

The Swagman XTC-2 2 bike rack has worked out GREAT on our 2009 Smart ForTwo! Of all the bike racks we have purchased in the past, this one is the best. It can accomodate any type of bike from a standard diamond frame to a recumbent. It is easy to place a women's bike on there too with the sliding stabilizer hooks that hold the bikes down. The straps on the tire mounts along with the fasteners keep the bikes from any movement. Thumbs up!! BTW, the hitch also came from etrailer.com!504744

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Phillip W.

5/5/2019

This has been the best bike rack purchased yet! I like the way it is adjustable to any size bike and that it folds up when not in use on the car. No complaints here!

It was a toss up between this and the cheaper XT. I got this one cuz they said the wheel brackets are better and it was only a little more. I'm glad I got the XTC. Can't compare to the XT since I never saw one. But I like the XTC a lot. Easy to put it together and it fits the 1.25" hitch tight and nothing moves when you drive. I had no idea Sunday when I was driving around with my mountain bike that it was even there. Quality is good. Just HEFT the thing in your hands...it is pretty heavy duty. I appreciate the attention to detail on this. Holds the bike TIGHT. I would drive across the country with this with two bikes no qualms whatsoever. 58352

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Faty J.

5/16/2014

Could not be happier! Love the hitch and Swagman. That Swagman is most secure bike rack in the industry. I have travelled thousands of worry free miles with it. Love the dual hitch feature so it fits both size receiver hitches. I would sorely miss it if someone made me give it up. I am thoroughly impressed with long term quality. Thing still looks and operates as new. Very happy.

This bike rack worked perfectly! Very easy installation and set-up. We have a CRV and were taking the front tires off of each mine and my husband's mountain bikes in order to transport them in the vehicle. Now we don't need to remove any tires and the bikes are sturdy and secure on this rack. We have the 29.5 plus sized tires and they fit just fine. Took it on a 3.5 hour trip on interstates and highways and experienced no issues. Great product, highly recommended. 396030

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Burgess

6/19/2018

Great! Still love it!

Shipping from etrailer was fast....as usual.
Assembly and installation took less than 30 minutes including detwrini g best way to mount bikes.
The rack itself appears well constructed and holds the bikes securely.
I did add a piece of "noodle foam" as additional protection for the paint based on concerns expressed in other reviews.
I'll be ordering additional wheel straps shortly since my 2 year old Lab just ate one off the rack while writing this review......terrible 2s' I guess


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Victoria B.

9/27/2019

I also have a lovable Lab and feel your pain. The replacement straps for this bike rack are part # P308 and are sold in quantities of 1.

Helpful Links

Accessories-and-Parts/Swagman/P308.html

Above average when you want a sturdy built bike rack. Much simpler to use then the hanging type of rack1282612

Gary

4/7/2023

This bike rack is the best in my opinion. Easy to use,very stable in transport.

I haven't actually used this yet but I know I won't remember to come back here after I do. I like the customer service at etrailer and for that I give it the stars.1664351

by: Vicki05/24/2017

I purchased the Swagman two-bike carrier, the long version, for carrying my recumbent bicycle. In the majority, the carrier works well, but I have an issue that makes the carrier almost unusable and a pain in the neck.

I do like that my Tour Easy long wheelbase recumbent bike fits, although I have to use a small wheel to keep it from sticking out too far on the sides. I used a shim at the hitch attachment to try to help with movement. I also purchased straps to attach to the car to help prevent sway. I do feel that my bike is safe when mounted on the rack. The bike will not fit inside my current vehicle and the rack is the only way I can carry it. This rack is good value for the money. It was easy to set the rack up to fit the bike and I feel confident that the bike is safe.

I did put some reflective tape on the rack as people who walked close to my car barked their shins on it and I heard a man comment that the thing should be folded up, which is not possible. I believe the tape helped and I haven't hit my shins.

The issue I have that is quite problematic is that the pins that have to be removed and replaced in order to stand the center support upright and lay it back down are not durable or are even defective. Before I could use the rack, I had to get one replaced. etrailer was not able to provide the replacement part, but did help me contact the manufacturer.

The second time I used the rack I almost could not remove one of the pins. The button was stuck and I could not sink it back in to remove it. Finally, after about 45 minutes, I was able to remove it. It is tethered to the rack and I left it hanging. Fortunately, I had another pin that fit and was able to use the rack.

I have no idea why these pins are an issue. I have never had a problem with them on other devices, even the ones that the buttons can be a little hard to push in. I hope that a pin failure doesn't happen at a critical time. I have tried to think of an alternative to the pins but have not come up with anything yet that I would feel safe entrusting my bike to. I am going to look into pins that do not have a button to see if that would be easier to use. In the photo, you can see the three pins. They have all given me fits, but it is the center one that is critical to use of the rack.

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I have a 2015 GTI and have been challenged to haul my 29er and additionally a kids 24" bike. I was looking for a rack that was form fitting not extend too far beyond the car to keep the weight closer to the car to assist the Class 1 trailer hitch i mounted.

I ended up going with the Curt C1142 Class 1 trailer hitch for the GTI and the Swagman XTC-2 bike rack. I think it was good solution for price, quality and fit for my requirements. The Rack is not heavy at all. It's very quick to put on and i leave my 29er closer to the car with the outer rails fixed for it. The other rails i put the smaller bikes further on the rack since they would be lighter. There is little movement when driving. On longer distances or with two bikes use the Curt trailer Strap and that helps in movement.

The clearance is what i was really worried about. I needed a rack that would promptly start rising upon exiting the hitch pin. The Swagman rack does just that. It immediately ramps upward to 3" at its peak giving me more clearance to avoid the virgina roadkill. I do wish that etrailer would give the profiles of the bike racks as that would been way easier than countless hours spent on the internet looking at other's pictures for a best fit for my car.

My other choice was the Kuat Transfer 2. it also has a rapid rise giving 6" maximum. However, it also extends about 12" in the back of the car which i was worried the longer run of the rack was going to have clearance issues on some driveways. In the end, the Swagman was $100 less than the Kuat transfer and i think for my purpose it's a better fit for this little car.



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The Swagman XTC 2 bike platform carrier was mounted on a 2010 Subaru Outback equipped with a 2" receiver. I will also use the bike carrier on a 2008 Saturn Vue. Ordering from etrailer was straight forward, shipping was fast with continuous texts from etrailer as to shipping status. Impressive. The bike rack works perfect for my wife's extended wheel base-pedal forward Townie bike and my Giant Sequoia trail bike. Bike positioning is important, but not difficult. Retaining hooks ratchet into place easily, and rubber straps secure the wheels. The anti-rattle receiver mount with threaded locking hitch pin works well. No slop there. The only concern we have is the flexing of the receiver bar. With no bikes on board and the carrier arms in the vertical positing, you can watch the minor 'dancing' of the vertical members. Put 2 bikes on the carrier and you can see a little more wobble of the bikes. I suspect the receiver arm of the carrier needs to be sturdier to eliminate this movement. When you read the warranty, you will notice Swagman will void the warranty if the bikes are carried on a 5th wheel trailer or on a vehicle that is taken off road. That tells me they know the receiver arm needs beefing up. Oh well, it works for my interstate transport. I would recommend this carrier for normal day to day transport of 2 bikes. 150284

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I did a lot of research and this is probably the best hitch rack for under $200. The ratcheting frame hook and cross-car folding tube ensures a sturdy setup. Built quality was excellent and shipping was very fast.38672

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Tony P.

4/15/2014

is there one that is thief proof? i dont want to walk back to my car after a nice ride and my rack is gone. thanks

Patrick B.

4/15/2014

There are many bike racks available with locking systems that will deter theft, but remember that nothing is theft-proof. Swagman offers an optional locking pin for their racks, you could use the XTC-2 bike rack, part # S64670 and add the lock, part # S64029. I have added a link to all the bike racks we have that include a lock for the bikes themselves as well as a lock that secures the rack to the hitch.

Helpful Links

dept-pg-Hitch_Bike_Racks-gw-Bike_and_Hitch_Lock.aspx

This is a very good, quality made, sturdy bike rack that I bought along with my Curt #13147 Hitch and S64029 Locking Anti-Rattle Hitch Pin.

I am very satisfied with all. Easy assembly of the rack.

My mens bike has a Small size frame and the center bar is almost as low as a Ladies bike and its very easy to mount the bike to this rack. The only thing I added is a cable lock to deter theft. 24032

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I bought this bike rack to transport our two bikes. We have Trek Pure's. Once male, one female. The rack went together nicely. It fit very snug in the 2" receiver hitch and tightened down very well with the included hardware. Once assembled, I did have to add and remove the bikes several times to get them the way I wanted them so both frame locks would lock properly. My OCD probably kicked in a little demanding perfection. With everything locked in place, the bikes are very solidly in place within the rack. They don't move whatsoever. After loading the bikes, we took the car around the block. There was some bounce, but that's to be expected. All hardware remained tight after our test ride. I'm confident this bike rack is solid. We will definitely get our monies worth from this purchase.178613

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First off E trailer is the best sight going to buy your racks, the prices are as good and better than other sights. The customer help I received from this sight was second to none, they know in some case what you need better than you do. I also had to return the first order as my bikes didn't work well on a hanging rack and the Cristy gave me customer service that was second to none. She is top notch at what she does for etrailer and I would recommend you ask for her! I would absolutely buy from this web sight again. The vehicle that this rack is used is a 2006 Toyota Corolla. I would like to thank E trailer for the help in getting my first bike rack and helping to make a ten year old little girl very happy on weekends ! 25340

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by: John S. 07/21/2016

This bike rack works exactly as described. Goes on and off the car hitch easily. Bikes attach securely. The only small feature I wish it had were a bolt that has a hole for a padlock at the end. I wonder if someone might remove rack to steal both bikes. 274368

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I have only used the rack once so far, but it seems to work great! One downfall is that I have 33/12.5" tires on my Jeep and the rack does not extend out far enough past the spare to be able to fit 2 bikes. I will have to get a hitch extension to fit 2 bikes (see photo), but not a huge deal!856171

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Very well made. Easy to use. No rattles. Very tight, solid construction. Quality materials. Excellent design. Just installed but I am confident this was exactly the right bike carrier for my needs. It is being used on a 2002 Saab SE. The hitch installed is Draw-Tite's 36280 which is not recommended when there is a "rear air dam" which this car has. It took about 20 minutes using a Dremel tool to alter the air dam and install the S64670 carrier. From the images supplied you can see the modification is fairly minor and appearance is minimally affected. This is a great bike carrier and I am very pleased I am able to use it with my Saab.53801

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