Summer Starts Here - Save up to 70%
# 1
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.
As always with products I buy from e-Trailer, this item is exactly as advertised and works perfectly. Easy assembly, I bought 2 but only installed one until I check the fit with my rooftop carrier.
# 2
Curt 2 Bike Platform Rack - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Frame Mount - Tilting
Bike rack has been great. We've taken it on several road trips. It makes taking the bikes somewhere close to the house an option now. Before this we had one of the strap on racks that take 15 minutes to get the rack and bikes onto the car, the thought of going anywhere with the bikes was really annoying. This thing takes 2 minutes to get on or off, so taking the bikes somewhere is a breeze.
I installed this rack onto a Curt trailer hitch which is mounted onto a 2017 Honda Fit. I have been using it intermittently for several months, probably about 5 times with one bike and twice with two bikes. I give some pros and cons below and then elaborate. Pros: easy to assemble, easy to mount and dismount bikes, easy to lock and unlock, how to put the rack into different positions is intuitive Cons: inconvenient to put the rack into different positions, inconvenient to mount the rack onto the hitch, rack protrudes about 15 inches from bumper when in flipped up position (seems very vulnerable to someone backing into it in a parking lot, very inelegant looking I say the repositioning is intuitive because there is really only one way you could possibly place the pins for each position. But removing and replacing two pins is much less convenient than turning a knob or a lever, like some racks do. Also many racks fold and flip in such a way as to look very unobtrusive when in non-use mode. This one looks like kind of a monstrosity. That does not really bother me but it might bother some owners. The part that does bother me is how far it protrudes from the car. I back into parking spaces whenever possible to avoid someone bumping into the rack and damaging it (which happened to a friend). My number one suggestion for Curt is related to mounting the rack onto the hitch. Make it easier to tell when the holes are lined up so that the bolt/pin will fit and thread. As it is now, if you insert the rack as far as it can go it is way too far in. Ideally, it would be exactly lined up. Failing that, maybe some kind of click or other feedback to know at least that you are in the neighborhood. It would also be great to have an attaching device that is easier to fasten and unfasten than is the bolt/pin. Tip for mounting the rack onto the hitch: I assumed that it would be awkward to hold, what is it 46 pounds?, while trying to line up the rack probe with the receiver. If you have a garage with exposed collar ties, my solution could work well for you. I looped a cargo strap over a collar tie. Then I hooked both hooks of a bungie onto that loop. The idea is that you hook one of the bike frame holders of the rack onto the bungie, suspending the rack a few inches off the garage floor. This takes most of the weight of the rack so that you can just pull up or down and forward until you line up with the receiver. Tip for mounting bikes. Don't put the little screw into the post that prevents you from completely removing the bike frame holders. Remove both holders. Position the first bike, slide the holder into place, position the second bike, slide the holder into place. I found this makes it much easier, because you avoid parts of the bike hitting the holder as you are trying to get the wheels into place. The trick is that if you are mounting only one bike, don't forget to put the second holder back on - or maybe just stick it inside the car right away.
# 3
Rola Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Tilting
Decent 4-bike rack for the price. Stable side-to-side with the screw-in hitch pin (2 inch receiver version). Gets some fore-aft rocking over bumps at speed (inherent to the tilting design). Bikes need bungee cords to keep them from swinging (typical for this style of rack). I used this with two bikes, and really struggle to see how four full-size bikes could be added. Maybe if seats were removed? I added bumpers and some padding for the vertical post, and will probably relocate the retainer pin lanyard so the rack can be completely collapsed for storage. A few design improvements for 5 star rating would be: 1 - Add some bumpers for the fully lowered position, 2 -Add some padding on the vertical post for bike contact or accidental vehicle hatch lifting when in the raised position, 3 - Mount the retainer pin lanyard to one of the through-bolts or move the lanyard hole - collapsing this rack chews up the retaining lanyard. etrailer.com service was great - well packaged, and quickly shipped!
Excellent service and fast shipping by etrailer. Bike rack itself was easy to put together and install. It came in with a few scratches. It works well with large bikes. Slight problems started with the smaller bikes. The rack's arms are wide enough to accommodate the bikes, but the slides are not designed for smaller frames. If you have smaller bikes you might have to purchase the bike frame adapter bar for each bike. It's not a huge problem for us since the kids are growing up fast and soon they will have to graduate to the large frame bikes. In the mean time I will have to use extra straps to hold them together.
What our customers are saying:
"Sent out an e-mail to you earlier this week asking which hitch woudld be the best choice for installing on a 2000 Venture van for hauling a bike rack with two bikes. You suggested the one that would be easiest to install..received in a matter of days..installation went great ..very well thought out instructions. Everything went smooothly and the hitch is up nice and snug..doesn't stick out..looks great."