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This platform design has all the added comfort to ensure you will no longer dread lifting your bike up into the frame cradles. Simply rest the bike's wheels in the well, ratchet down the frame hooks, and you're ready to ride!
Features:
Specs:
A built-in adapter allows this bike rack to fit inside a 2" and 1-1/4" hitch receiver. The threaded hitch pin uses anti-rattle technology to secure the rack inside the hitch.
The wheel hoops accommodate wheels up to 2-1/2" wide, and turning knobs are used to adjust the distance between hoops to fit bikes of varying lengths. Rubber straps secure the bike wheels to the wheel hoops.
Bike hooks slide easily down the ratcheting system and click securely in place. The push buttons allow the hooks to slide up the ratcheting system to allow for bike removal.
This cross country model offers convenience and reliability for your traveling needs. With a two-bike capacity, it accommodates most frame sizes using wheel hoops and bike hooks. Constructed with soft-frame coating to protect the bike's finish, the bike hooks securely hold the bike in the wheel hoop cradles. The hooks smoothly slide up and down by using an easily-adjustable push button ratcheting system. The hassle of removing wheels is eliminated with wheel hoops that accommodate wheels up to 2-1/2" wide and adjust to fit different frame lengths. To decrease in size, the upright bar with bike hooks folds down when not in use. A powder-coated finish protects it from corrosion from the elements. This rack fits 2" x 2" and 1-1/4" x 1-1/4" trailer hitches.
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (965 Customer Reviews)
This platform design has all the added comfort to ensure you will no longer dread lifting your bike up into the frame cradles. Simply rest the bike's wheels in the well, ratchet down the frame hooks, and you're ready to ride!
Great product. So easy to install and u se! 438875
Clark d - 10/03/2018I 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
This rack is being used on a VW EOS convertible with a Draw-Tite hitch. Overall my experience is fairly positive given the price. Pros: - Easy to assemble, reasonably light, easy to adjust. The ratcheting hooks work well, and the rubber straps are easy to attach/remove. - When the rack is attached to the hitch but not in use, you can either lock both side arms folded up, or lock the center arm down to either side. The latter feature is useful if you have a convertible where the trunklid opens up from the front to stow the top, as otherwise it would hit the rack. Of course, leaving the rack in this position, you'd better remember it's there, as you're not going to see it in your rear-view mirror when parking and it sticks out a bit from the back of the car. - It's trivially easy to individually remove/reinstall the wheel holders and hooks, so if you only need to transport one bike you can remove the extra set for a cleaner look. - The locking hitch pin & cable (ordered separately) seem to work as advertised, and is a reasonably convenient solution for locking the car/rack/bikes together. - Holds the bikes securely and seems fairly solid (although not as solid as some higher end racks I've seen). Cons: - The welds on the wheel holders are pretty ugly. I have no reason to believe they won't hold, but it doesn't inspire confidence. - There is very little clearance between the pedal of the inboard bike and the trunklid. I would be very worried that this is going to scratch the trunklid. This might be specific to the combo of car/hitch/rack/bike. - I've had to retighten the set screws to eliminate some wiggle. Not sure if this will be a recurring issue. - The rack is mounted on a 1-1/4" hitch, so I had to remove the Allen bolt holding the spacers for a 2" hitch. That bolt was on _really_ tight. I literally bent two cheap hex wrenches before I got out my ratchet wrench and a high quality hex head and got it removed. - The hook locks down on the frame rather than the front wheel. In retrospect, this probably isn't as good as some of the other systems that grab onto only the front wheel (although to be fair, those are somewhat more expensive). 54074
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
I agree with all the other reviews I read about the bike rack (arrived at my house in a timely manner, well packaged [the boxed rack in a bigger box and still packaged in a bigger box]. PS, the grand kids had fun playing in the boxes while I put the rack together. That was the easy part. It took some planning how and where to place the two bicycles on the rack so they fit together. First, my panniers had to be removed. They do not fit. My wife's bicycle has it's shifting cable and break cables on the top of the frame and the stabilizing bar pushes down onto them so there is only one place I can put her bicycle to keep them from being crushed into her bike frame without adding a pipe insulation to cushion them. So with her bicycle in place, I have to place mine to the side to balance the rack which puts my tire beyond the side of the vehicle, but within reason. Lastly, I can not open the door to the cap on the back of the pickup without removing her bicycle or modifying the bicycle every time I put it on the rack. OVERALL, the rack does what I want it to do. easy on and easy off and secure without adding extra tie downs to keep the bicycles from swinging on long trips. The rack is well made, and light so I will be able to use it on my Toyota Yaras (when I get a 1 1/4 inch hitch) and I will be able to use the trunk ;-) 88334
Rodrick - 08/13/2014We got the XTC2 to replace an old school rack. It was easy to put together and feels sturdy and well made. We will be using it on a 2016 Civic, 1999 4x4 Tacoma and a Casita Trailer. Looking forward to using it when the weather warms up. 442032
Paul E - 10/12/2018After assembly and fitting to my Jeep Grand Cherokee with 2" receiver hitch, the fit is tight via the bolt adjustment in horizontal plane, and very sloppy vertically. It wobbles in the vertical plane very badly, and will have to be modified before use. I was really hoping this bike rack would work like the video, but sadly, this is not the case. Once I figure out how to eliminate the slop in vertical plane, I will give it a try. The same thing applies to the fit in my Mercedes Sprinter based 24 ft RV-very disappointing! 671699
I LOVE this bike rack! It was easy to assemble and is made of top quality materials. The adjustable top hooks are perfect for securing my women's frame mountain bike. E trailer received and shipped my order within 24 hours! I received my bike rack within three business days and e trailer reached out to me the same day my shipment arrived to ensure I was a satisfied customer! 114125
We really think the bike rack is a big improvement over our previous one since you don’t have to lift the bikes so high. My only complaint is how much wiggle room the rack has inside the hitch receiver on the car 650626
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. 137937
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.
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Rachael H - 7/28/2014I 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. 442622
I ordered on a Sunday evening and my rack arrived Tuesday afternoon. Assembly was minor and required only 3 to 5 minutes. I used the rack 2 days later to bring home a new bike from a dealer 30 miles away. Tie-In for the bike was fast and secure.The rack is finished nicer and is somewhat sturdier than the pictures convey. Over-all "bang-for-the-buck" from etrailer and Swagman is excellent. I highly recommend both the XTC-2 and etrailer. 89183
Donald W - 07/16/2014Nice product, again the video shows all the features accurately. The illustrations with the included instructions are pretty bad and instructions a little thin, but there's really not much to assembly. A few notes: Be sure to stagger the wheel holders or you will be stuck with one long bike and one short bike... Also there is a top and bottom hold-down hooks be sure to put them on in order. If you don't it will be obvious and easy to correct. One tricky part is is bolting thru the trailer hitch. The 2" square rack insert (can remove part of this insert and use on a smaller 1.25" hitch) has a sliding inner core with a threaded hole for the included bolt/lock washer. You may have to use a small screwdriver or pick to slide the core slightly so that the threaded hold aligns with the holes on the insert/hitch. Not sure but I think if you use a different bolt (like the J-pin 63201) that threads all the way thru the hitch, you would need to slide the core all the way out of the way and not use the threaded hole in the core. I ordered J-pin 63201 so I'll update when I try it out. Oh and if you want the locking J-pin order it at the same time or you will get dinged for an additional $5 shipping if ordered separately (i.e. <$100). I'm using this rack with the Draw-Tite 75235 2" hitch on a 2017 Rav4 Hybrid - works great! 514772
Andy - 05/31/2019The 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
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. 384366
I installed the bike rack today, here are the photos. 47298
As Joe stated he did not need an adapter bar, but depending on the configuration of the alternative bike frame, an adapter bar may be needed. This is depending on where the ratcheting bike hook will make contact with the frame. If this point of contact is very low, or has a severe slope to it, a bike adapter bar might be needed to both protect the finish of the bike, and provide a more stable attachment point for bike hook.
-- Rachael H - 9/22/2014This bike rack is sturdy and pretty easy to use, once you get accustomed to it. I had trouble initially with removing the spacer from the arm that goes into the trailer hitch. I mangled an Allen wrench and injured my hand trying to take off the Allen bolt that holds the spacer on. I had to take the whole rack to a bike shop to get them to remove the spacer, which they did in a matter of seconds. Once that was done, getting the rack loaded onto the trailer hitch was pretty simple. I had to make a lot of adjustments with the set screws (the instructions did not include inserting the washers for those screws, and the rack is really wobbly without the washers) but once I figured out how everything is supposed to go together, the rack worked beautifully. I love being able to open and close the hatch on my CRV while the rack is attached to the car. Awesome feature. And the bikes were quite stable on our initial trek with them. One thing I would suggest is buying locks for the ratcheting hooks that go over the top bars on the bikes. I think those locks should just be included with the rack. They are not essential for using the rack, but they make the journey a lot more secure. I would highly recommend this rack to people but if you are a single woman trying to put this together without a decent set of Allen wrenches, I strongly suggest adding a set to your toolbox. The one that is included in the kit works great on the set screws, but if you have to remove the spacer bar you are on your own. 218180
Angela - 08/17/2016It’s functional but not great The biggest problem is a design flaw related to the paint on the attachment rod that attaches to the hitch They put on a gummy tacky paint like coating that peels ever so slightly. It catches when I try and mount it on the hitch making it extremely difficult to slide it in correctly. It catches and then it trying to slide it so I can alighn the safety bolt becomes extremely difficult. I’ve tried to remove it with sandpaper and even a metal file. It’s next to impossible to remove. So every time I put it on the car it takes another 10 minutes of agony. Hope the maker is reading this because otherwise I’d give it 3.5 stars. Simply not putting any coating on the hitch mount (duh!) would earn you a star and a half. If you were doing any product testing this would be obvious to see. If they are going for a best in category rating they could also make the sliding wheel rest carriages sleeves more durable. It’s currently made of plastic. If they made it out of stronger metal instead with a wider diameter piston like screw to sinch it down this would easily be strong enough to accommodate heavier eBikes’s. The steel frame is strong and well designed (copied I suspect). The weakest link are the plastic sleeves. Make them with metal with a well designed sinch and this would be 4 stars Last improvement idea would be a some sort Of shock absorber so when I roll over a bump it’s not magnified by the springy steel frame. That would put this at a full 5 stars Overall it’s functional. It’s got one serious design flaw I identified that would be easy to remedy. Don’t paint the hitch mount. If you could make the platform sleeves stronger you could market this as an outstanding ebike carrier. It’s basic structure is better then the more expensive Thule and Yakima hitch mount racks because it’s more compact and folds. I hate bulky things. This improvement idea is unnecessary for regular roadbikes and even mountain bikes. But ebikes are heavier. Those are my thoughts hope this is useful 480454
This rack is easy to use and sturdy. I’m suddenly older (??) and lifting and wrangling my bikes isn’t so easy. I can get them on and off this rack without anyone’s help, though it can take me a while. Younger people would have no trouble. 936356
Excellent product! No need for an additional piece to accommodate my ladies bike. I can easily open my hatchback without removing the rack. 932787
932485
A year after installation the rack is used frequently and is dependable. As intended when purchased, it is lightweight and easy to install and remove. It mounts solid to the hitch with no sway or rattling noticed. The only negative is that the hold-down clamps require significant effort and finger strength to to release. 923544
Terrific service!! 923097
This product was very easy to assemble, even for me who is not a handyman type of person. It is very well made and easy to use. I am very happy with my purchase. The customer service from the time of my order to delivery was exceptional. I was constantly aware of the status of my order after it was placed until it was delivered. 922993
I originally ordered another bike rack but it was out of stock. I was notified by the company. I then decided to make another choice. I contacted Tyra F by phone. She made all of the corrections to my order and checked to be sure the fit to my car would be perfect. The new bike rack is exactly what I wanted and the fitment is exactly right. The bike rack is well made and easy to use as well as store when not needed. Thanks 922439
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