Curt Premium 5 Bike Rack for 2" Hitches - Tilting

by: Aaron05/15/2021

Very nice design overall but it is geared to larger framed bikes. The limitation is the plastic mounts that the bike frame sits on. They are fairly tall and prevent smaller framed bikes from sliding past. We ride 20" bmx style bikes and 26" dirt jumpers. We had one 20" bike that wouldn't fit on the rack at all. A work around we use is to install a girls bike bar that goes from the seat post to handle bar on the 20 inchers. Most 20" frames will fit in the first 3 spots but we use the girls bar to get the 20" inch frames to the back two spots. The 26" DJ's will not slide onto the back 2 spots either. Making the mounts that the frame sits on a different/smaller shape really would have helped the smaller frames. Thankfully we are able to make it work with the girls bar and can get 5 bikes on. Another slight draw back is the hitch pin, it's threaded. It works pretty good as long as you don't mind threading on the pin each time you use the rack. Not too much of a bother to me until the pin got misplaced/lost. No where local had a replacement, rendering the bike rack unusable until another could be shipped out. 1038461

Wrote the original review after owning the rack for about 1 year. Original comments still apply.

Aaron - 05/16/2022

by: Jim06/27/2021

The rack is sturdy for 3-5 bikes and only for 3-5 uses. The purpose of the screwed in pin (pic attached) is to eliminate rack swing but it got stripped after few bumps on the road and caused the rack to swing front and back. There’s no way I can avoid bumps on the road unless you drive 10 mph on highway. There’s no way a tiny pin can hold 5 bikes weights load including the rack! I’m not the only one that has this issue so this must be a flaw on the rack. So I called Curt manufacturer because it’s still under only ONE year warranty. They did send me a new shank but If your bike rack swings after 3-5 uses, will you use it? I won’t. You might get away to fix the swing by getting a U clamp but … 1076926

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About product: comes as advertised and truly holds 5 bikes. solid quality. has a threaded pin when attaching to the hitch and an extra pin by the joint to reduce wobbling. there's still a bit of swaying, but performed very well on the road. the only disappointment is that no locking mechanism was included to secure the bike rack (minus 1 star). there are 2 points where the rack has to be secured to avoid potential theft. at hitch and at the joint. you'd need a threaded locking pin and a normal locking pin, which gets pricey. i used 2 luggage locks that fit through the pin holes instead. About service: etrailer delivered this fast and without hiccups. great follow-up service to ensure that i am all set. 853463

still holding strong. still very happy.

Chris - 07/31/2021

This bike rack is for 5 bikes, but have not been able to get 5 bikes on it so far. Most can get on is 4 bikes. from all the reviews of this rack and other brands, it was the longest and also had the highest weight capacity. I think if you have like 2 adult bikes and 3 kids bikes, then 5 is possible. We have bikes, 2 cruisers, and 3 regular all more than 24in size. So we use to carry 4 bikes on it, and need to put 1 in the trunk, in van. For the rack it self, it is straight forward to assemble and hook up to van hitch. Also got a Curt 2in hitch installed on van from uhaul. The little pin to tighten the vertical portion of the bike rack lost its threading after like 4 - 5 uses and so it is not useful. They need to redesign so that is it firm and there is no play in it. I called etrailer and they said nothing they can do from their side. I will try local hardware for another screw to see if that will help. The overall order and service from etrailer, was good, i placed order on a Saturday and they also matched another online price and i received my order on Wednesday the following week. To fold down need to unpin, as compared to some other brands that have a 1 pull handle to perform same operation. 864375

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by: Matt03/12/2022

Had this rack for a year and very pleased with it! Depending on the type of bike and frame it can be handy to buy a crossbar attachment to make mounting in certain positions of the rack easier. 1271819

by: MDP03/10/2022

So far this rack is pretty awesome. I am giving it 4 out of 5 because it is a really tight fit for 5 bikes. It's a complex puzzle to get them all to fit and even harder to make it so that the bikes don't rub or damage each other. I really like the narrower section of the bars for fitting the kid bikes. 1270846

It was going to cost $50 to rent bikes for the week in Florida, per bike, that's $150 for the week, which i was going to spend so we could ride bikes for the week. After doing some research, i decided to just buy a rack, and take our own bikes. I got this rack for like $$$. I couldn't be happier. Now i have this rack to take our bikes anywhere we want to go!! We had such a great trip and got to take our own bikes and didn't have to worry about renting some. This rack is very solid and was great for the 15 hour drive each way from Illinois to Florida and back. I only took 3 bikes on this 5 bike rack, but I believe could have easily put on 2 more. I do have 2 more small children that didn't take this trip with us, but will be traveling with me in the future, which is why i got the 5 bike rack. It is really convenient how the kids bikes fit on the narrower part. I purchased the SR0901 locking pin to go with this after researching and finding the review that said it would work. [link] it worked perfectly and gave me piece of mind my rack was secured. i also purchased this cable, RKY3850 and just used a lock i had at home to secure the bikes to the rack. I would say this rack would be better if it had the lock and cable already in it, like some of the more expensive racks. It would also be better if the tilting points were simple handles like some of the more expensive racks. The pin and clips can be a bit of a pain and take some getting used to, but they aren't that hard to work. It would just be more convenient to have handles to tilt the rack to get into the trunk, etc. The convenience of having the handles and built in cable and lock is definitely not worth an extra $150-$200 more in price in my opinion. There is also a screw handle that you have to tighten up to get the rack solid and not wiggle, you will see on the video reviews. I found that after a few hours of travel, this screw began to wiggle loose, and needed tightened. I simply checked this, and re-tightened every time we stopped for gas. not a huge issue, but i definitely think this is a design flaw. it didn't need re-tightened every time we stopped, but it usually did, about 75% of the time. Lastly, the kids bikes did not fit on very good, so i had to purchase 2 of these bike adapter bars. I bought them on [site] All in all, i think i made a very solid and affordable purchase. instead of just throwing away $150 to a rental place, now i have this rack to use anytime we want to go out of town. It is certainly not the most expensive rack and doesn't have all the fancy features that the more expensive ones do, but for me and my family, it is perfect. We are not avid bike riders and won't use it every single weekend. If you are looking for one to use every weekend, you may want a more expensive fancier Thule or such. If you are looking for one that you may use a few times per summer, etc, this is a great choice. The rack is also very solid and feels very nice. It is not flimsy. It certainly doesn't feel cheap. Curt has really made a nice product here. It looks really nice as well. It looks pretty fancy and expensive. If would definitely recommend this Curt bike rack and make this purchase again. 362578

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by: Jeff03/23/2021

Everything still works as it should a year later. I'm not sure I like how hard the bike guides are that the bikes sit on. They can be awkward when placing bikes and make loading some bikes very difficult based on the frame design. I would buy this again for the quality, but not sure about the design. 992423

2 years later and weve broken one of the straps and the pin that screws against the main support arm to stop it from wiggling has stripped out. The rack can still function without it, but theres a lot more wiggle to the rack full of bikes. Our rack came with an extra strap so thats no big deal but the fact that the rack has so much movement without the ability to tighten it up anymore makes me worried about bumps at higher speed.

Jeff - 03/24/2022

Very solid product. Well constructed. Doesn't bounce around and rubber bike straps hold bikes in place very well. I'm very confident when using that nothing is going to break or come apart. Comes mostly assembled, so that's nice. Only reason for marking product down comes from the fact that it's a bit overly complicated. Still very manageable, but more complicated than it has to be. Don't expect to keep the rack on your SUV and drive around with it when not bike riding as there are three pins to remove and replace just to tilt it down to open your back hatch. Again, it's easy enough to manage, but just enough of a pain. I showed my wife the three-step procedure and she said "oh heck no!" Plan on packing a pliers with you to more easily pull lynch pins (there are several). Also plan on purchasing a socket wrench with a 3/4" socket to more easily get the main pin screwed on (using a crescent or fixed wrench will take you forever). Also, there is a really good chance that this bike rack will NOT hold kid bikes 20" and smaller. My middle kids' bike (24") barely fits. Not sure if a smaller bike would fit if you purchased an additional seat stem to handlebar adapter. 647699

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Solid product. Actually fitting 5 bikes on is not realistic unless you want to damage the paint/handlebars on the bikes, or you've got some smaller kids bikes. Does not fit women's bikes with angled cross bars, at least not mine. There isn't enough space between the two bars to fit on the rack. I just ended up buying one of those crossbar adapters and it works well with that. I would buy again 1176976

This bike rack is made for standard bikes. You can stagger the bikes to allow for 5 to fit. The use of bike adapter bars will also help.

-- Jenny N - 10/14/2021

I am lining up with other reviewers on this site who say how remarkable the customer service is. etrailer.com provided exceptional service and assistance to me as I wound my way through researching the options for a bike rack that could accommodate 5 bicycles. Delivery was great, too - within several days, the bike rack was on my doorstep. There are a couple of more sophisticated options, and I am the person who dislikes purchasing anything twice - I typically run toward the most expensive. However, this rack is not only functional but also well-built, handsome and incredibly well-priced. Assembly was a breeze, particularly for someone who is disinclined to read instructions. In less than 15 minutes, the rack was sitting pretty on the back of my SUV. I have yet to load the bicycles and take a trip, but it should easily accommodate our eclectic mix of adult and children's bikes. 774440

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by: Gretchen M06/28/2019

This product has brought us joy in biking as a family of 6. It can take awhile to get all the bikes loaded but the price was much lower than the Thule brand and to me it’s an ok trade off. Plus we can even open the trunk of the car with all the bikes on if we really need to...with two people. Best part was the customer service of e-trailer. 664225

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We have a 2007 Toyota Sienna. I haven't installed bikes on the rack yet, but it appears to be of good quality. I like that the arms pivot down, and the rack pivots down so we can get the hatch open. I also like the multiple straps and that the bike holders rotate at different angles for different sized bikes. I also like the reflectors at the end. I don't like that the main arm seems wobbly. There's a plastic sleeve at the bottom to help it fit more tightly, but it still moves, a lot. Maybe after it's fully weighed down with bikes, it will be fine. 831392

After a year, its been working out great as our first bike rack for our 3 boys mountain bikes. Its designed for 5 bikes, but honestly, I dont think 2 more adult bikes would fit on it. Maybe after some reconfiguration. The rack still wobbles at the hitch even when bikes are added. If youre concerned about security, this may not be the rack for you because it doesnt have any built-in locking mechanism. Youll need to use a separate cable lock. All in all, its been a good rack for us.

Kevin - 07/12/2021

This is a nice bike rack. How it narrows half way out was perfect for the kids smaller 20" bikes. There is a little "tetris-ing" needed to snug the bikes on. But once you figure out how best to fit your bikes then you're good to go. Of course it best fits standard "open" bike frames, and not some of the oddly shaped bike frames. I do like how the triangle pieces can rotate on the bars for a better fit. We use it for two 26" bikes, two 24" bikes, and one 20" bike. The tilt down feature is wonderful to access the back of your vehicle. Just be aware it's a two person job to tilt it down when fully loaded, as it gets heavy. Not a fan of the threaded pin, as I'd prefer a locking pin, but it holds nicely. We love it and will get more use out of it. Took it from UT, to the Hiawatha bike trail (a must for any bikers)! 1145761

Rack worked very nicely for our 5 adult bikes. It was built very solid and we did not experience any issues on our first long road trip. I would HIGHLY recommend this rack and HIGHLY recommend getting it from etrailer. Quick customer service response and shipping times. 857445

The bike rack is still amazing! We use constantly and it only gets easier and easier to use every time. Still highly recommend

Christian - 08/08/2021

We are excited to use our new bike rack. Attached it to our hitch with no problems and was able to get 5 bikes on. Great customer service from etrailer. We tried ordering this product through three other places and all were on back order and couldn’t get it to us in time for our trip. etrailer guaranteed their product was in stock and even price-matched it for me. I was able to track my product through the entire process from order placement to delivery. Thank you etrailer! 854882

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It is well designed, nice paint jobs, seems like high quality parts. It is pretty difficult to thread all the bikes onto this rack. The cables tend to get snagged on the monuments that are supposed to support the bikes. Once you get them on, they are secure, and it rides really nicely. The features to hold the rack tightly to your hitch receiver are awesome too. It's alos just about impossible to get little kids bikes to work - there simply isn't enough room to thread it through the frame of the bike. Overall I'm happy with it, not sure how it should/could accomodate tiny frames of kids bikes. 1140347

by: Sonny10/11/2021

I love the product. It's a solid built. I feel safe strapping my bikes to this bike rack, but have not need to put more than three bikes on this. I would recommend it. Good value. I have it on my 2016 Acura MDX. 1176714

by: Ron M07/06/2020

I have to honest I have not used it yet. But by checking it out closely and mounting it on my truck for how it actually fits, it's as good as I can get for a reasonable price. Would definitely recommend to someone looking for a well built bike rack. 828859

Good product. Little tight for 5 bikes but seems to well made

Ron M - 07/07/2021

Just received from e-trailer... best price I could find, and excellent, professional, and quick service. Rack seems very sturdy and already used it for short trip with great results. Hard to find a 5 bike rack, and this was very reasonably priced compared to others. 1202181

I received the bike rack and was pleased at how easy it was to set up and install. I drove around for a day with it on the truck before loading it up with 4 bikes and heading out for a weeks vacation. I have not tried the tilting feature yet but am pleased so far with this product. Right after my purchase I received a thank you email from George at etrailer. 852395

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Needed a 5-bike rack, loved the price of this product. My wife and 3 daughters all have challenging bike frame shapes...it was a struggle the first time figuring out how to get them on. The first 2 bikes that go on are the adult bikes, then the 2 bikerack bars narrow for the last 3 bikes to go on, which is a feature I think is good for kids bikes. I will have to get at least one bike adapter bar to make my wife's bike hang level (due to it's odd frame shape). The triangular mounting pieces on the rack bars are sometimes tricky to get through the corner of a tight, small bike frame, but I was able to get 4 bikes on (haven't tried 5, because my youngest has not learned how to ride yet). The triangular plastic pieces rotate and also slide along the rack bars for even more flexibility of positioning. I like the tilt feature, works great. I like the rubber straps included, they work great. No regrets with this purchase, at this pricepoint it's all and more than I expected as far as quality and ease-of-use. 547636

Still love it! I got an adapter bar for the wife bike and that makes it much easier to load them all. Worth the investment, which is more affordable than most fancy brands.

Jay W - 07/29/2019

by: Gary07/15/2021

Works well for the trips we have taken with the family. I only use this on road trips/vacations and I do not leave it on for any length of time. It's not bad to navigate a tailgate around but not idea. I would prefer one that swings to the side vs having to drop down a loaded rack if I was using it more often. That said this is priced very well for what it is and if you need to move some bikes on family road trip its the way to go. By the way it also worked as a great beach chair holder on short trips to and from the beach so we didnt put the sandy chairs in the SUV! 1094357

by: John07/16/2021

It does the job and seems sturdy. However, I have a couple of complaints. The main one is that the pin which attaches the Bike Rack to the vehicle is threaded. It worked perfectly the first time. Every time since, it is impossible to get the bolt in. Even using a socket wrench, it takes me 15 minutes because of all of the resistance. We keep the rack in a dry place (i.e., no rust) when it is not in use so I'm not sure why it is so difficult to use. Second, because the bars come very close together it makes it more difficult to get adult bikes on and off the rack. 1095399

Free shipping got this to me in about 6 days, which was awesome. The status mails provided information about who and when the part was picked, processed, and shipped. A UPS tracking number was provided so I could monitor the shipment. Minimal assembly, easy installation, and I can't wait to try it out. I also ordered a trailer hitch for a Honda Odyssey minivan. The hitch arrived quickly and was easy to install. I've had a great experience with etrailer.com. A friend recommended them to me and I'm really impressed. The same day the packages were delivered I received an email from them asking if everything arrived okay and I was satisfied. I haven't often seen that sort of interest in after-purchase follow-up from other companies. I'll definitely use them again. 1095818