# 1
Thule Passage Trunk Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - Hanging Style
Great design and very well built.
# 2
Rhino-Rack Road Warrior Rooftop Bike Carrier - Fork Mount
Well.. over all I like Rhino Rack products and I LOVE etrailer.. so this review is more about Rhino Rack's instructions. Thumbs down on this.. I had such difficulty figuring out the very sparse installation instructions that I had to consult my husband...who can put absolutely anything together WITHOUT instructions. Which he pretty much had to do as the ones included with the roof bike rack were confusing and incomplete. Still a good rack though.
This bike carrier has a clean design and it assembled and attached to the roof rack easily. A locking front cover prevents it from being detached from the roof rack and the tray has a cut out in the front for a disc brake if my next bike has one. Once everything is snug, the bike feels solid and there's no slop.
# 3
Saris Freedom Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
I had to put my electric bikes into this rack, backwards, to make them fit. Not ideal, but it works.The receiving 'trays' that are intended to provide support for holding the bikes, by being placed under the bike tires, are forced to be moved to a location that is not directly under the bottom of the bike tires. While it works in this manner, it is not ideal.For the support that attaches to the diagonal bike frame, we had to remove it from the vertical rail of the rack. We reinstalled it, upside down, because that's the only way we could make it fit, or 'grab', the bike frame. Again, we made it work, but it's not ideal. We chose to keep the rack because it was so much less expensive than the Thule rack we considered buying. The bike shop owner didn't agree with us. He observed that we are putting $3000 worth of bikes on the rack and risking that investment. So far, no problems, other than the ill-fitting installation.
With a few adjustments this rack has delivered. Needed to add additional strapping since the provide straps for securing the bikes to center bar were not long enough due to my ebike design (Velotric). My bikes are step through with a thick frame so provided straps won't fit. Simple adjustment with strapping resolved minor issue. Speed of 73 mph on the highway and some bumpy VT roads and this rack performed.
# 4
Yakima FullBack 3 Bike Rack - Trunk Mount - Adjustable Arms
Performed perfectly on a 140 mile round-trip in my 2017 Acura MDX. It took me a few tries to position the anchors inside the top of the hatch, but I got the hang of it and the rack did not shift at all while driving 50-60 mph on the highway.
Excellent quality! Bike rack comes fully assembled. Cam locks hold the upper support and the bike arms in position and are very easy to use.fairly useless included cable lock. Will only work if you always carry 3 bikes. I just used my cable lock and had no problems transporting my bike to the trails.
# 5
Yakima FrontLoader Wheel Mount Bike Carrier - Roof Mount
Overall I am happy with these bike carriers. They mount to the racks over the bed of my Tundra TRD Pro. Installation is simple. I think they could be just a bit sturdier because there is just a bit of wobbling when driving on bumpy roads but I'm not too worried about them coming dislodged. Take note that although they come with a cable lock to attach the bike to the carrier, the key is sold separately.
Very good product. It holds the bike securely on the roof without contacting the frame. It is easy to adjust from my road bike to my 29er mountain bike. Our drives are all relatively short, so I like that I do not need to remove the front wheel to lock in the bike. It's also nice that the SKS locking system allows me to use the same key for this rack that I use for my Yakima roof box and hitch rack. This is my first roof rack and I chose this route for a couple reasons. Some of the roads we travel to get to our trail heads are a bit rough and with a roof rack I don't have to worry about bottoming out a hitch rack hanging off the back of the vehicle. Also, it takes up less room in the garage. Our vehicle is a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee with an additional 4 inches of ground clearance. That makes it a bit of a reach for my 5'4" wife, so we take our two-step along to help her. This is my third time purchasing from etrailer, and each experience has been very good. They are a very customer service oriented company. I really appreciate all the additional information they provide on their products, especially all the videos they produce to aid in reviews, assembly, and use.
# 6
Rhino-Rack MountainTrail Rooftop Bike Carrier - Fork Mount
Love this bike rack! It fits perfectly with my Rhino Rack Cross Bars. I'm very impressed by the lack of wind noise. With the bike mounted on the rack, you can barely hear the wind noise at 60mph. With the sunroof open you can hear wind noise, but as long as the window is closed, you can only slightly hear anything if the radio is off and you are trying to hear it. Amazing! Can't wait to get more use out of it in the future!
I have used a lot of bike racks and this is the one I keep on my 4Runner. It just works. It is the easiest to take on and off, which is important for me because between me, my wife and kids I have 4 bikes that need to be rearranged often. We also use a roof box, kayak racks and a SUP rack so I am always taking things off and on. The front straps loop over the bar and tightens with an allen key, the back is a couple wing nuts. Since there are 2 straps up front the rack is very stable when a bike is on it. I like that it comes with locks and the skewer is super easy to adjust, clamp and unclamp. If it is cold, dark and damp at 6am and I am tired, late for a ride and still waking up this is the rack I go for because it is easy. There are a couple things to be aware of though... You will need to put a drop of oil in the skewer every 6 months or so to keep it opening and closing smoothly. Otherwise is can stick. Sometimes if the skewer is turned just right there will be a bit of whistle because of a hole in the clamping mechanism. If I turn it to a different angle the whistle stops. And after going through the car wash with the rack on my roof a dozen times or so the black paint began to have a bit of a rainbow sheen. Not sure if it is the bike rack or the soap my car wash uses.
# 7
Swagman Trailhead Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Tilting
etrailer has the best pre- and post-sales customer service I've ever seen! I started out not knowing anything about hitch-mounted racks. So I wrote to etrailer telling them about my car and type of hitch I was about to have installed. Samuel wrote back with lots of great information tailored specifically to my car. He even included a photo that looked just like my 2017 white VW GTI with a hitch and rack installed. Okay something of a coincidence. But the rest of the assistance I got from the crew at etrailer was just as prophetic. I went into this a novice and came out knowing lots more about hitches and racks and finding the rack best suited to my situation. I have a small car, a class 1 hitch and a heavy mountain bike. I got exactly what I needed. As to the Swagman rack itself, it works fine. If I had a different situation I would probably buy a platform rack as they are easier to load. There's no reason to buy a bike rack anywhere else.
First off, thanks to Jason T. or "Troop". The exemplary customer service he provided is rare these days. Troop made several calls to the various manufacturers to ascertain which bike rack would afford me the most ground clearance as my new VW Golf sits low to the ground and my old bike rack frequently scraped the ground when I went up even a slight up hill grade. His efforts paid off as he found me the best bike rack for my car, the Swagman Trailhead 2 Bike Carrier. It sits up off the ground just high enough that it doesn't scrape on my driveway. It is also sturdy and holds my bikes securely. And, the delivery was amazingly fast. I had my rack in about 2 days! Note to Troop, see my Pittsburgh Pirates Logo on my bumper in the attached pictures? Pirate Fans persevere! The Bucco's will be coming after your Cardinals this year! Thanks again Troop!
# 8
Yakima ForkLift Roof Mounted Bike Carrier - Fork Mount
Good product. However, the one I ordered was supposed to fit the aero cross bars on 2018 Subaru roof racks and it doesn't. In fact the fit is very sloppy and looks unsafe. Sending mine back if they can't find a clamp that fullly contacts all surfaces.
Yep - exactly what I ordered. Instructions included are very thorough. The bike carrier arrived with some box damage but was in perfect condition. Includes everything but the locking cylinder for the skewer (for obvious reasons). I appreciate the clear instructions on how to assemble it all together. Haven't put it on my Yakima rack yet but I know it's straightforward. Can't wait to put the carrier into service!
# 9
Kuat Trio Roof Bike Rack - Fork Mount - Clamp On - Aluminum - Black and Polished Chrome
Installed all products after having watched videos and read through pdf instructions. The Yakima JetStream roof rack system is outstanding (with one exception) - instructions and videos facilitated the installation. The Yakima system is the only one I could find for my car (Mercedes E450 Coupe), as the car's panorama roof glass extends to the edges near the fixed mounts. The Yakima system is quiet, thanks to the ability to modify the crossbar pitch angles, and has a high-quality appearance that complements my car. And it is rock solid. The Kuat Trio bike tray is an outstanding low-cost, simple solution - well-designed and well-executed and installs to the Yakima JetStream bars flawlessly. I would recommend that Kuat include a 12mm x 100mm thru-axle in the Trio kit, as I had to purchase that part separately. Only disappointment is in the Yakima Landing Pad Covers that ship with the Landing Pad 22 (LP 22) kit. The covers do not snap tightly into place, and appear as if they were designed for a different Landing Pad. In summary, my Yakima/Kuat bicycle roof rack system exceeds expectations (except for the LP 22 Covers), operates flawlessly, looks great, and stores easily. It has given me high confidence in Yakima, in Kuat and in etrailer.com. Well done.
Great rack easy to install, light weight and well made.
# 10
Swagman Upright Bike Rack for 1 Bike - Roof Rack Crossbars - Frame Mount
Planning on bringing bikes while camping. I mounted 2 of the Swagman bike racks to my new Sportrack on my pop-up camper. The bikes fit perfectly. The racks seem sturdy enough. Not heavy duty, but for my needs they should be fine. Assembly was relatively fast and easy.
We have used the Swagman Roof Rack a number of times when we have needed the additional bike carrying capacity. It took a couple attempts to get the initial spacing of the bike rack properly balanced on the van’s roof rack as recommended by the instructions. But it was easy to do and once set was very easy and quick to put on and take off. The rack works great, the bike is easy to put into place and secure. The bike and rack are very stable and quiet and haven’t required any mid-trip adjustments. We always put the cheapest bike on the roof (lol) but do use a bit of duct tape to protect the finish just Incase. We are very satisfied with the rack and consider it quite a deal for the money.
# 11
Swagman Chinook Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
Truly grooving on my wife's new Swagman Chinook bike rack. She wanted to be able to transport her nice road bike easily without throwing it in the back of her car, and since a roof rack is out of the question, this Swagman model fit the bill perfectly. It arrived quickly on the anticipated date. Kudos to etrailer.com for the email updates to keep me informed of my purchase. Within one hour, it was installed on my wife's 2014 Mazda3 hatchback. The Swagman is heavy and solid, which is reassuring as it makes me feel confident that it will keep the bikes secure. It also makes me feel like I got my money's worth. A ratchet wrench and Phillip's head screwdriver were the only tools required for the easy install. I did my research before purchasing the Chinook model as I was also eyeballing a very similar Thule rack that was slightly more expensive. I spoke with an etrailer.com expert who gave me the lowdown on both models. Ultimately, the Swagman won out because it has a smaller 'footprint' while extended or folded up ... and also can tilt away from the car for easy access to the hatchback area. Very convenient! FYI: Mazda doesn't make a trailer hitch for the Mazda3 as it's a small car with a small engine and has no business towing anything. Thankfully, the Curt company makes an aftermarket frame and trailer hitch that fits the Mazda3 hatchback perfectly with no drilling. Stupidly, I purchased it from another online company thinking I was getting a good deal. Turns out etrailer.com had it for less with FREE shipping. Oh well ... live and learn. Now I know that etrailer.com is one-stop shopping for bike racks AND trailer hitches. (Full disclosure: I had the garage down the street install the frame as it's easier with a lift) Only snafu: the shipment contained an extra set of keys that I assumed was for the hitch bolt lock (there was also a set of keys on the bolt itself). I spent 15 minutes using those keys trying to figure out how to remove the lock from the bolt to install it on the hitch. The keys just wouldn't turn in the lock. I called etrailer.com and Kevin told me to try the other set of keys ... and they worked. So an extra set of keys came with it that did absolutely nothing ... weird! Obviously, I can't speak to the longevity and durability of the Swagman Chinook 2 Bike Platform Rack as I just installed it. What I can speak to is the sturdiness of it, the ease of the installation and my complete satisfaction with the good folks at etrailer.com.
I ordered the Swagman Chinook 2 Bike Platform Rack on line from etrailer and so far have been very satisfied. The bike rack was delivered in less than a week. Unpacking the rack and assembly was fairly straightforward. I have read some reviews that complained the assembly instructions were a bit vague. I didn't have a problem but can see where others without a mechanical background get confused. The rack is very sturdy, but there is some side to side play in the tilt mechanism. I'm not sure this can be avoided with a rack that folds down. Installing the Curt trunk stabilizing strap takes most of the sway out of the rack. Installation is fairly easy and quick. It takes me 6 - 7 minutes to install the back on my hitch, and to install the bike and be ready to drive away. That seems reasonable to me. So far I've only loaded 1 bike. I've included pictures of my installation on a 2014 Mercedes Benz E350 sedan. Clearance between the bikes, the rack and the car are good. With the bike loaded in the inside, most forward position, I have 6" clearance between the pedal and the bumper. With the bike removed, the center support folded flat and the rack folded up in the storage position, I have 4" clearance between the closest part of the bike rack (the fold down hinge assembly) and the back bumper of the car. I am able to open the trunk of the car without removing the bikes or using the tilt feature, but I do have to remove the stabilizing strap first. Overall, I'm very pleased with the bike rack and think it will serve me much better than my old strap on rack. Since the weather has been cool since getting the bike carrier, I haven't taken any long trips to give it a real workout.
# 12
Thule T2 Classic Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" Hitches - Wheel Mount
I have to get a trailer hitch extension in order for the bike rack to fold up when not in use. Definitely will go through etrailer for this item.
Great product. We just got a new convertible and I could not use the roof mount or trunk mount. Using the bikes was important. Taking care of the bikes is important too. This bike rack is really the best I have ever had. It is extremely easy to use. I like that it has built in locks. I can use the hard top convertible on the VW Eos if I only have one bike positioned outward. It also works with no bikes installed. I could not be happier with this product and the incredible price, fast shipping and overall value from etrailer.com.
What our customers are saying:
"Everyone that bought before me was right! I got my rack in time for my next days off and putting it together was fast too. And I'm a grandma!! Thank you for being fast and honest! You beat anyone in my town hands down!"