# 1
Yakima RidgeBack Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Tilting
Just installed hitch and carrier and it all went smoothly, the videos were terrific on how to install and use.
Only complaint like others have noted is the Yakima logo is a sticker that easily peels off. Other than that, it's strong, sturdy, and easy to load my bikes. I've used it about 6 times over the past year with no problems. I'm very satisfied with my purchase.
# 2
Swagman Chinook Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
Just put the Swagman Chinook on my 2016 RAV4. For a reasonable price, the quality seems very good. Assembly is easy, and it is much lighter weight than another brand I returned. The rear hatch opens with the bikes and rack tilted back. Since I most often use a single hybrid bike but occasionally like to also bring my mountain bike, I can set the Chinook up for one or two bikes, leaving three large pieces at home if I only need one bike. A platform bike rack like this keeps the bike wheels away from the car exhaust, and from scraping ground when going up driveways.
One year later I'm still delighted with this bike rack. I love that it is so versatile, allowing me to open the RAV4 back hatch using the tilt feature. The bicycle rides so securely and without wiggle at all. I also feel confident in the security of the locking features. This was one of the best purchases I've ever made! My only frustration is that I cannot use this bike rack when I am towing my new camper, which has zero to do with the product. Sad face.
# 3
Saris Freedom Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
I love this bike rack. I leave the bracket installed behind the spare tire on our 2008 Rav4. Then it takes less than 5 minutes to attach the rack to the bracket, and less than that to load 2 bikes. The rack is snug against the tire, and doesn't wobble the way a trailer-mounted rack does. The bikes are supported at the wheels and the crossbar, eliminating the swinging and swaying that a top mount would have. Best of all, I can open the Rav4's rear door while the bikes are loaded (although I don't want to that that often because of the added weight on the hinges). The biggest downside is that new Rav4s don't have the exterior spare tire, so this rack wouldn't work. I guess we'll going to hang on to the 2008 for a while in order to enjoy the bike rack.
# 4
Yakima FullBack 3 Bike Rack - Trunk Mount - Adjustable Arms
I am really enjoying this bike rack. It was easy to setup and an awesome upgrade from my 20 year old bike rack.
On-line fit-up instructions specific to my vehicle, a RAV4, did the trick for me. Installed easily out of the box with no tools required. Very sturdy carrier, and we look forward to taking our bikes along with us on the next trip to the beach.
# 5
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
# 6
Surco Spare Tire 3-Bike Carrier
I bought this to replace the exact same rack I've had for about 7 years. The first Surco OSI Spare Tire Bike Rack became corroded after a time. I live in the northeast and left it on the car all year, so it's life expectancy could have been longer, but it was a "task" to remove it. It's definitely a hardy rack, but in reality it's a pain in the butt to use. It's the nature of the design. Also, it is designed to hold 3 bikes, but not without some cosmetic damage (at the very least) to the bikes. The only reason I bought it again is because it's the only feasible and reasonably priced bike rack for my 2003 Toyota RAV, which I've had for 13 years. I'm not going to replace the car right now, so I didn't have much of a choice. I only gave it 3 stars because I really don't like it, but it is a solid bike rack.
Works great on my old 2003 RAV4. Easy to install. Great service
# 7
Swagman XC2 Bike Rack for 2 bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
His product is so well thought out! I’m so happy I found a bike rack that works with two beach cruisers including one with a baby seat!
Easy to mount bikes onto rack. Good quality, reasonable price.
# 8
Yakima SpareRide 2 Bike Rack - Spare Tire Mount - Folding Arms
Great bike rack. I had tried several for my Rav4, but none were quite right. This rack is solid, fits nicely on my spare tire. I am now able to access my trunk with my bike rack in place! Relatively easy installation, though had some trouble unscrewing one piece.
Arrived promptly from etrailer in just a few days. very easy to install on my 2008 Toyota Rav4. the rack is very sturdy and high quality. i put my 29er mountain bike and my road bike on it with no problems. i used to have a roof rack bike carrier and this is much better.
# 9
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.
# 10
Yakima FullBack 2 Bike Rack - Trunk Mount - Adjustable Arms
After buying a 2017 Toyota RAV 4 I was faced with the dilemma of a new bike rack that fit my car without destroying the spoiler on the back hatch. etrailer made it easy to find the correct rack for my car. This rack works perfectly for this car without doing damage to the spoiler. It is heavy duty and I have had so many comments about what a great bike rack it is from people who knew of my concerns about finding a rack for this car.
Since this rack is delivered completely assembled it was easy to install on my 2018 Rav4. As per the instructions, which are excellent, I set the hub to 4, and the upper strap does not put pressure on the spoiler. I attached the trunk security strap to the bottom of the rack, changed the bottom hook to the anchor position, and closed the trunk, then re-attached the strap to the rack. I haven't used the rack yet to go biking, but it is a solid, easy to use, nice looking rack. I recommend this product.
# 11
Swagman Upright Bike Rack for 1 Bike - Roof Rack Crossbars - Frame Mount
Bought two. Easy to put together and install. Holds bikes tight.
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.
# 12
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!
# 13
Thule Hitching Post Pro Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches
This is not as good as I thought it would be. I bought a really great 2 inch hitch from etrailer for my daughters 2008 toyota RAV 4. The 1 1/4 inch to 2 inch adapter is cheaply made. Ialot of space around it inside the 2 inch notch. I estimate easily 1/8 inch of space on the sides after the bolt is installed in the hitch assembly. It allows the bike rack to move fore and aft. Not good and not desirable. The plastic bike mounts slide on the tube allowing the bike to move back while driving at highway speed. We purchased the hitch lock assembly and I am not impressed. It doesn’t fir tight against the hitch frame and rattles the entire time. Thumbs down.
This product has stood up very, very well. It is difficult to get four bikes on any rack but we have managed to do it a few times with wiggling here and there. I should note these are all adult-sized bikes, too, not little kid bikes. We have driven from SE Michigan to Madeline Island in Wisconsin and back with this hitch and had no problems whatsoever. That was a 12-hour trip each way. We also drove across the state of MI to the Muskegon area recently with all four bikes on the rack. Before any big trip, we check to make sure nothing is loose. So far, it has worked out really well for us. The best way to get them on is to kind of tilt them and wobble them back and forth, slowly rotating the frames back onto the rack. We are very happy with the product. It's true we cannot open the back of our RAV4 with the rack up but we've discovered it's not such a big deal to lower part of the rack (with built-in pin) if we really need to access the back of the car. We do take the rack off during winter as there doesn't seem much point in having it on during that season.
# 14
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.
# 15
Swagman Trailhead Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Tilting
Product is easy to set up, other than one bolt everything is assembled. Heavy duty construction, very satisfied !
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!
Yakima FrontLoader Roof Bike Rack Review - 2008 Toyota RAV4
Today on our 2008 Toyota RAV4, were going to be test fitting the Yakima Frontloader roof-mounted bike carrier, part number Y02103. Our RAV4 is already equipped with a factory roof rack, so were going to mount the Frontloader directly to the factory crossbars. Well pick the bike carrier up and set it up on top of our crossbars. Well fit the clamp at the head of the bike rack around our front crossbar and use the hand knob to tighten it down. Then well move to the rear of the bike carrier. Well fit that clamp around our rear crossbar and use the t-bolt and wing nut to tighten it down.
Yakima ForkLift Roof Mounted Bike Rack Review - 2008 Toyota RAV4
Today we have with us a 2008 Toyota RAV4 and were going to be test fitting the Yakima Forklift Roof-Mounted bike carrier, part number Y02098. Our RAV4 is equipped with a full factory roof rack, so were going to attach our forklift directly to the factory crossbars. Well pick up the carrier and lay it up on top of our crossbars. Well fit the front clamp around the front crossbar. Well use the T-bolt and wing nut to tighten down the front clamp. Once weve done that, we can slide our cover back into place and re-install our skewer.
Swagman Fork Down Roof Bike Rack Review - 2008 Toyota RAV4
Today on our 2008 Toyota RAV4, were going to be test fitting the Swagman Fork Down Roof-mounted bike carrier, part number S64710. Our RAV4 is fully equipped with a full factory roof rack, so were going to mount the fork down directly to the factory crossbars. Well go ahead and set it up on top of our roof rack. Well position the head of the carrier over our front crossbar. Well push our u-bolts up from the bottom and secure it at the top with a pair of wing nuts on both the driver and passenger side of the carrier. With the head of the carrier secured, well move back to the rear.
RockyMounts TieRod Roof Bike Rack Review - 2008 Toyota RAV4
Today on our 2008 Toyota RAV4 were going to be test fitting the RockyMounts TieRod roof-mounted bike carrier, part number RKY1014. Our RAV4 today is already equipped with a full factory rack, so were going to mount our RockyMounts Tierod directly to the factory crossbars. Well set the bike rack up on top of the crossbars. Well fit the straps at the head of the bike rack, around our front crossbar and re-secure them to the head. Then well use an Allen key to tighten them down. With the straps tightened, we can go ahead and reinstall our cover.
What our customers are saying:
"great experience!!! I've been looking for a hitch. With the experience I just had with the bike rack, I;kk definitely come back and order the hitch when I have a little more $$$. delivery was quick! the product was awesome!!! Frank"