Most Popular Swagman for 1998 Subaru Forester

Out of the box impression of material and workmanship was pretty average. Was surprised to see that the carrier has specific disclaimers for use with carbon frames. This should be up front in the description given the prevalence of this material in bikes today. Assembly was simple. Conversion between hitch types is likely to be a pain though - long Allen bolt to remove for 1 1/4" hitch receiver. My wife will "love" that part I'm sure. We'll see how it carries and handles bikes soon.

Carrier arrived intact although a third middle nylon strap around box might help, as the outer box seam had split during shipment. Carrier was easy to assemble and seems sturdy and well designed. Mounted easily on my Subaru Forester. After tightening hitch bolt, rack seemed secure and stable. Have not traveled yet with bikes but it looks like we will be very happy together.

Order this bike rack for use on a 2014 Subaru Forester with a factory 1 1/4" trailer hitch. The rack appears to be solid and capable of holding two front suspension mountain bikes. One bike is a 15" men's bike and the other is a 19" men's bike. The rack went together easily and fit into the hitch with no problems. We ordered an anti-rattle locking hitch pin with a cable to lock the bikes and the rack to the car, but the locking hitch pin was too big to thread through the rack. etrailer sent another locking hitch pin in a very easy return process. The new one worked perfectly. We did find that when putting the bikes on the rack, we had to take off the ratchet arms and then slide them back down the center post. We used old socks on the pedals of the bikes to avoid any damage to the car or bikes, and old washcloths between the ratchet arms and the bikes as well since other people reported damage to their bikes' finishes. We also used velcro straps to secure the wheels to the wheel hoops for extra security. All in all the rack seems to be a great product.

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For now I'm giving this 4 stars, though it could well deserve a 5. Ordering, delivery of the bike rack was smooth and easy. It took me 45 minutes to assemble and install the rack by myself (I am only semi-handy, good at following directions and using basic tools, but not capable of major modifications on my own). I found the instructions clear and the process straight forward. All the parts fit smoothly and didn't require extra greasing or adjusting. The metal is treated and high quality, so with reasonable care (i.e., not leaving out in the rain continuously), it seems it will last a long time. I love the clean, simple, minimalistic design. No need for additional bungees or straps to keep bike parts from wandering or spinning. The rack seems adaptable to a variety of bike sizes and combinations with minimal effort, though it likely will take a little testing to find the best positions for your particular bike combos. It is relatively easy to get on and off, and very easy to move the center post for access to the back hatch. Further bonus - it works fine with my canoe strapped to the roof. Possible cons (too soon to know for sure): Unfortunately, it's been raining nonstop, so I have only briefly road tested the rack. It does bounce and move around in the receiver a bit more than I'd like, so I may have an additional set screw hole drilled into my receiver to help stabilize it, but I'm going to wait and see. The bike travels very smoothly on the highway in the test runs I've made and doesn't affect the handling of the car (Subaru Forester). I do live down a gravel road with a gravel driveway, and the bike wobbles noticeably at slow speeds and on the gravel road. Also, security. I'm not usually in a situation where I need to worry about securing my bike or rack with a lock, but I can see that this could be a concern. For short trips, you can easily fold up the rack and place it inside the vehicle. I think you could lock the bike to the rack. But if you need to leave the rack with or without bikes attached outside the vehicle, then yes it could be a security issue, as the pin isn't made for locking.

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Product is pretty easy to mount with the included hardware. I haven't had a chance to use it yet so I will update my review at that time...

Great customer service. Fast shipping. Quality products.

Everything was delivered and worked as advertised. Good job

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.

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Put this together in about 30 min and looooooooove how easy it is to load 4 bikes!! Two adult bikes(one road) two kids! Incredibly sturdy while driving along the winding mountain roads! If the $1000 racks are easier/better I'd like to know just how much to justify the price!! Super happy with this purchase and the staff at etrailer!

Good rack. Although, it was much heavier then I thought. I was looking for something to put on my wife's car 2-3 times a week, so I can ride home. It's a bit much for daily use, but is very sturdy and great for the long haul.