# 1
Thule Hitching Post Pro Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches
Easy to order. Arrived in a few days with no charge. Very easy to assemble - put the bikes on for a few hours drive. No problems at all. I'll be back - Thank you!
Great product!
# 2
Swagman XTC2 Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
The Curt trailer hitch came well packaged. Instructions were easy to follow, even for someone not familiar with vehicle frames and car hitches. Installation did require some special tools (long breaker bar/torque wrench, large socket) for proper installation, which can be rented from a better auto parts store or borrowed from a friend. The hitch fit is excellent. The Swagman bike rack is easy to use and seems sturdy. It fits the 2012 Rav 4 very well and folds down out of the way to allow the door to swing open when not in use. Note-it is difficult to tell how far the rack extends out from the rear if the vertical support is not upright, so back up cautiously. I have made numerous short trips and a couple long distance trips with the rack loaded with adult size trail bikes and I have only good things to say. I would purchase both of these items again.
Nice 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!
# 3
Thule Passage Trunk Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - Hanging Style
This bike rack has served me well over the past year. It's super easy to put on and off of my Rav4 and hold my bike very steady while driving.
The product arrived in very quick time. However, one of the locking spring loaded pins refused to pop out to its locked position. After about a half hour of fiddling it finally popped out as it should have. It is installed in a 2014 Rav 4 XLE and fitted well. I have yet to take it for a test run. The side straps are secured to the back glass window and hopefully will be O.K. It did take quite a bit of adjusting to fit the two bikes as they do not have normal cross bars.
# 4
Hollywood Racks SR1 2-Bike Carrier - Spare Tire Mount
This rack is very easy to put on the spare tire. It works fine with most bikes. It does not work with the newer expensive mtn bikes whose frames are really wide. it doesn't sit in the rubber holders correctly. It's great for slim framed bikes.
I used to have a trailer hitch bike rack on a Toyota RAV4. It worked well but was difficult and messy to swing out of the way to open the door and put groceries in the back. The Toyota died and I got a similar Honda CRV. I knew the downside of the trailer hitch so I got a roof rack bike mount. It looked awesome but was VERY difficult to get bikes on after a long ride and in the wind on non-level ground. I had to carry a step stool with me. I still scraped up the side of my car. The final disaster was I forgot the bike was still on top and backed into my covered car port. DOH! So I looked into tire rack mounts. Both Honda and Toyota mount the spare tire off-center. Some of the brands cannot adjust for this and your bike sticks out a couple of feet on the passenger side. Some brands must be mounted to the spare tire itself and cannot have a tire cover. The SR1 rack below has held up great the last year. It was a fraction of the price of the big name bike carriers. I leave it on 24/7/365 and take it through the car wash with no issues. I live in the sunny SW and it has survived the sun and heat. It has not slipped at all when put over the vinyl tire cover. The only issue is you do need to supply a short bungee cord to keep the arms retracted when folded back and not in use.
# 5
Swagman Trailhead Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Tilting
Besides the awesome "Swagman" name, I feel confident towing two bikes off the back of my Rav4 through our upcoming North American Roadtrip. Installation was easy, however I would have liked if the rack folded down more in order to be able to open the back door of a 2005 Rav4 without removing the rack. Other than that, really like the product!
Absolutely satisfied with the products and the timely shipment. The trailer hitch from Curt fits perfectly, and the Swagman bike rack works as expected and is very simple to use. Selected 4 stars as the packaging was not very robust and was significantly damaged when received, however the products were not damaged. I've purchased from eTrailer.com previously with excellent service and would recommend them to others.
# 6
Malone Runway Spare Tire Bike Rack for 3 Bikes - Adjustable Arms
I was excited to get this and eager to just pop it onto my spare tire like it shows in the video. 45 minutes later and I'm resigned to drilling an extra hole where the buttons are in order to tighten the hold over the tire, and chagrined that I had to "rear" my smaller bike frame angled upwards in order to seat it on the red rack receivers. This was because there wasn't enough room vertically on the frame or horizontally on the frame. Not sure how I would have been able to prepare for that, maybe there is some comment about smaller bike frames somewhere? One strap to secure the bikes is not enough in this situation, so things were strapped every which way, including the front tire of the bike so it wouldn't wobble everywhere. The bike and rack made it home for the maiden 60 mile highway trip, but I was not totally confident with it.
For the price, not bad. This bike rack is a simple design, that's easy to use, but doesn't seem very secure. I have used this on an older model Rav4, which means the bike or bikes are going to stick out more on one side of the vehicle. There seems to be a lot of movement when hitting potholes and bumps in the road. If you don't plan on using this rack often, don't want to spend a lot, this may be for you. Sufficient, but not very sturdy.
# 7
Swagman Fork Down Roof Mounted Bike Carrier - Fork Mount
I am very pleased with this bike rack. For the price and sturdiness it works perfectly for my mountain bike. I will probably buy another one for the other side of my roof rack an my Toyota Rav4.
I've been using this rack weekly hauling a TT setup and a heavy mountain bike. I highly recommend this product to anyone seeking affordable dependability! -c
# 8
Saris Freedom Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
Bike rack arrived fast, easy to assemble, looks sturdy. Won't be able to use it for a few weeks, but sure it will be fine.
What our customers are saying:
"Loved the hitch 5-bike bike rack. Came quickly and is as advertised."