# 1
Thule Hitching Post Pro Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches
The good: I like the way the bikes are held in and the ability to add the upright adapters to the bike frame holders. The straps are quality too. For a jeep with a spare tire, this is the perfect length to clear it. This rack is 5 stars from the bike holders to the base of it. The bad: the 2"receiver adapter and bolt are insufficient. I wish they made this in a solid 2" hitch. The entire setup is held into the receiver by a very short bolt. It only goes about half way into the receiver tube. So your hitch is only "secured" on one side. A hitch pin or bolt should go through the receiver tube completely imo so it can be secured on the other end with a retaining clip or nut. Because this only goes in the one side, the entire weight of the rack plus bikes are held tight to one side of the receiver by the undersized bolt and washer. A few bumps down the road and that bolt loosens. Now instead of distibuting the weight of the rack and bikes on the receiver and post, it's completely up to the bolt to keep you from losing the rack. The bolt threads get damaged too. I took this down a dirt road and nearly lost everything. I had to buy my own bolt with hd fender washers and lock washers to correct this. Thule should've provided this from the start. The current short bolt design where only one side of the receiver secures the rack is unacceptable. This rack is 1 star at best for the connection to the receiver.
I bought this bike rack back in April but wanted to make sure I used it to give the best review. First I want to say I did a lot of research on bike racks and found this one to be the best one to fit my needs. The best price I found was on etrailer.com, at the time it was When I called the customer service to place my order, I spoke to Dan. He was very pleasant on the phone and took the time and listened to what I needed and understood my concerns. I ordered the bike rack and also ordered the Thule Snug Tite Hitch Lock and Anti-Rattle Device and the Thule Cable Lock w/ One Key System Lock. Dan suggested I also get the Thule Bike Adapter Bar, which I never even thought of getting. Delivery was in about two business days, which was really fast and at the time of order they were running a special free delivery over $99. When I went to put it together I noticed I was missing the flat cap screw M6 x 16mm, part number #853-5787-02. I emailed Dan and within 24 hours received an email that the part was sent out and also in the email their was a link to track the order. After I received the part I did notice that the flat cap screw was actually in the 2 inch adaptor sleeve. The instructions were very easy to read, and it took me about 20 minutes to put together. I did have an issue when I positioned the stinger into the cradle, with the 8mm locking nut, it was not staying tight and when I took it off I noticed the threads inside were gone, so I ended up going out to Lowes and buying a new one and its holds perfectly fine. I also had a question about that part because it is not a locking part and was worried someone would try to steal the rack. I contacted etrailer.com to find if they make a locking device for this and they said no but I can contact Thule to double check, I'm still waiting for an answer back from Thule. The weather finally broke and we installed the rack onto my hitch, tightened it and it doesn't rattle. When I finally used the rack and put my bike on, it did sway a little but at 50 mph I was very happy with it. The trailer comes out just enough away from my car that I do not have to fold completely out and I can open my trunk with no issues. I am very happy with my purchase and had a great customer experience with Dan. Would highly recommend ordering from them to anyone.
# 2
Saris SuperClamp EX Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Wheel Mount - Tilting
This bike rack is a tremendous value. Cheaper and just as good as comparable racks that cost twice as much. The rack has performed superbly. One caution: the manufacturer’s packaging is poorly designed, and insufficient to safely ship a 60+ pound bike rack. The steel parts of the rack shifted during transit and broke several molded plastic components. Saris’ customer service folks were excellent, and promptly sent replacements for the components that were broken in transit. The improper packaging was not etrailer’s fault. Saris should reengineer their packaging for this item.
This is great bike rack. It arrived fast and just in time for our trip in mid July. My husband and I put it together quickly, we looked at a [online] video for how to put it together and went by the instructions booklets. It took us under an hour to put it together. It is very simple to load and unload bikes on it and the bikes stayed stable throughout our 600 mile trip and back. So overall, I am very satisfied with this bike rack. Will now see how it holds up with time.
# 3
Yakima RidgeBack Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Tilting
Check out my other review on the hidden hitch for a 2015 BMW 4 Series for the majority of the review, but this thing is great. Easy setup and install, does all the things it's supposed to do. Mounting and removing bikes is a snap with the included clips (big difference from some of the cheaper variants with nylon ratchet straps). Fits very snugly in my 2" receiver, and pretty solid on the highway and over bumpy roads.
The rack itself is fantastic. Not too heavy, easy to attach to hitch, and very easy setup. The only real downside is if your bicycles don't have a standard frame, you'll need to buy the Yakima Tube Top Bike Adapter Bars (~$50 each) in order to be able to mount them on the rack. I will say that smaller bikes (for my 9 year old) can be a challenge to mount with larger bikes as you'll need to finagle the handle bars and such to get them to line up but once you do it a few times you figure it out.
# 4
Swagman XTC2 Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
First-time rack buyer / owner / installer. The rack arrived in a timely fashion, maybe a day or 2 ahead of schedule. It was well packaged. I’m LOVING this bike rack. It was easy to put together and to mount on my new Honda Passport. Thus far, no squeaks in my 2” receiver. Hardest part of initial set-up is figuring out the best way to position two bikes. Trial & error and some patience. The directions weren’t clear as to where the 2 left-over screws went. I found the answer in another review and have posted a pic in case others have the same problem (photo with pen pointing at screw). These screws go in the underneath side of both of the folding arms. They appear to keep the wheel wells from sliding off in case in you drive with an empty, un-folded rack, and forgot to tighten down the wheel wells. The folding arm push / pull pins can be difficult at times. I coated the tips with some lube. That and a little jiggling seems to solve that issue. I guess it’s better for the pins to be snug vs popping right out. I added a small Master lock to the hitch pin (in lieu of the provided cotter pin) as a theft deterrent. I read that a 3/16 shackle lock will fit into the bike clamp down arms to also act as a deterrent. I had an old 3/16 lock that did snugly fit and appeared to be locked. HOWEVER, I yanked on the lock and it came open as there isn’t quite enough clearance for the shackle to lock. I discovered that longer 3/16 shackle locks are hard to find. Have attached a photo of the lock that actually fits and works (Ace Hardware). One lock on the upper clamp down arm will secure both arms as the lower arm can’t be removed without removing the upper arm. The clamp down arms appear to be coated to prevent damage to your bike. I’ve tried a simple rag and ultimately settled on pool noodle pieces as a precautionary measure. I CAN NOT open my tailgate (regardless of whether or not the rack is fold up and in the bike carry position). If that’s a concern for you, then spring for the more costly titling version. My back-up camera still functions.
The Swagman XTC-2 platform bike carrier arrived very quickly from etrailer and in good shape, the actual carrier box is inside another shipper box, which I'm sure helped with its condition. Assembly was relatively quick and painless, even though the instructions could be a little more thorough. Installing the carrier on the back of our Jeep Patriot also was quick, it helps to have an extra ratchet & 3/4" socket laying around for just this purpose. Installing the bikes takes a little patience and trial and error the first time you try and put them on the carrier. It's easy enough to adjust the wheel holders to fit the wheelbase of your bikes, but for us at least, the challenge was trying to swing the vertical support bar up into position after putting on the first bike (closest to the Jeep). We couldn't angle the bike enough toward the Jeep to have the bar clear the bike. We learned that the easiest way to secure the first bike was to remove the ratcheting frame hooks altogether, put the bike in the carrier, swing up the vertical support bar, put in the pin, and then slide one of the frame hooks down on the bar. The outside bike is much easier because you can set the bike in the carrier at whatever angle you need, not being limited by the back of the vehicle. One thing we did to protect the bike frames was to use some foam pipe insulation as cushion between the frame hook and the frame (see pictures). Once you get a system for installing the bikes, it is very quick to load/unload them. The rack seems to be well made and doesn't wiggle excessively when traveling. All in all a good product for a good price, would definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a platform bike carrier.
# 5
SportRack Ridge Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Swing Away
Unit doesn't fit a Jeep Rubicon with a spare tire. I tried 4 times and contacted etrailer.com that the unit doesn't work as sold and they offered to sell me a 7 3/4 extension and reduce the load capacity 50%. The length of the 2" hitch needs to be 3" longer for a standard Rubicon to get past the spare. You not going to want to take your spare tire off for the hitch to work. It defeats the purpose. Customer service was excellent, however the product is a flawed design. Can't recommend this hitch. Its also heavy.
Solid rack for half the price of the name brands. Don’t waste your money! Thanks to the extensive reviews on etrailer and a free shipping promotion I took a chance and ordered this along with the three of their crossbars, anti rattle hitch pin and cable lock. All for well less than the name brand rack alone. Shipping was painful. Etrailer said it was in stock but then due to a delay with the manufacturer it took 35 days from order to arrival. I wasn’t in a hurry so I waited patiently, and etrailer reps emailed often to lmk they hadn’t forgotten. I thought some kind of reward for my extreme patience was in order- discount, gift card, free bag of chips- but they politely declined. Oh well. In the end it arrived when they (eventually) said it would, all in one box, in great shape. The rack was super easy to assemble. You’ll need a ratchet or two and you’ll need to crank those bolts to assemble- they don’t just “insert.” But otherwise it’s only a few steps; I had mine hanging on my truck in probably 15 minutes. Swings away and locks smoothly and requires no effort to do so. Everything feels quite sturdy and well made. No rattle on initial test drive either. This will be a once in a while rack at best for our family of four. We have two SUVs so I needed a rack that could get out of the way of the rear hatch WITH bikes on it. This will do that. And now I don’t need to stuff four dirty bikes into the back of my truck, getting them all tangled and scratched!
# 6
Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE Bike Rack for 2 Electric Bikes - 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
This bike rack works great for our 2 Lectric 2.0 e-bikes. We mount it on our 2019 Honda Ridgeline. It folds up nicely when it’s on the truck and we are using our bikes. The locking mechanisms work well also. I contacted support for a smaller hook arm to clamp B over the bike frame. They knew exactly what I needed and shipped it - no problem.
I've been using this bike rack alongside a trailer hitch I got here for my small car (chevy bolt ev) and it was exactly what I was looking to get to haul around my fat tire mountain bike bike. Sometimes I throw two bikes on there (either an e-bike, slightly heavier at 60 lbs, or a 2nd mountain bike) and it's perfect.
# 7
Hollywood Racks Destination Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
Used it twice so far, it meets my expectations based on other reviews. It's easy to load the bikes (8 minutes or so for 4 bikes) and to move up or down. Glad I bought this "lighter" platform rack rather than the swagman because while it's not hard to get into the hitch, neither is it "light". Anything heavier would definitely be a pain. Hopefully straps etc are durable over the long haul. No problem getting 2 adult and 2 kids bikes on. Glad I went with a platform rack over a bar. My sister has the bar rack and says it's impossible to get 4 bikes on.
Ok so I I was going to buy a safari rack which ended up being about $100 more once you tacked on taxes and shipping from another website. This was on sale and had really good reviews. I bought this and have used it long enough to leave an honest review. It’s a really good rack, quality built, and If anything should break on the rack etrailer has all the replacement parts for very cheap prices. I have used this racks for shuttle duties and held 4 big enduros bikes several times. You don’t need to use the extra red straps sent with the rack for the bikes to be very secure. As someone stated before in the reviews long wheelbase bikes like size L or XL frame enduro or DH bikes might only be able to strap one wheel and frame attachment (the one wheel will be too long to get a good strap on), but all you need to do is drill a hole and move the clamp outboard about 2” and you’ll be good as gold. This rack is awesome and was a heck of a deal. Would recommend and buy again if I ever needed 2 racks? Also not to mention (not that I really care), but the rack was packaged really nice and didn’t come all damaged from shipping, it was really nicely formed foam that was glued in place and not just some hack job some guy tossed in a box. 10/10 !
# 8
Kuat Dirtbag Phat 9 Fat Bike Rack - Fork Mount - Bolt On - 9 mm Quick-Release Skewer
I bought this for my fat tire HIMIWAY ZEBRA E-BIKE to mount to the rails in my 2018 Toyota Tundra. The mount was sturdy. After looking all over the internet this was the best I could find. The issue I had with it is that the bike weighs 88lbs and it was difficult to get the front fork on the mount. But the bigger issue was the weight of the bike on the mount added allot of stress to the Tundra rail system to the point where it was flexing the front of the truck bed. I did not want to risk the potential damage to the truck through bumps and long hauls . I would definitely recommend this if you have a regular fat tire bike as it’s not as heavy and won’t stress the bed.
I have been using two of these for a year now to hold down two e-bikes on a flat rack. These are wide enough to use on ebikes with wide forks.
# 9
Yakima OnRamp Bike Rack for 2 Electric Bikes - 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
etrailer: prompt delivery, fair price! Rack: It does fit my (2) Gazelle T10 eBikes. 1) I found I had to adjust every setting to get bikes to fit. Until you learn there are many adjustments, it does not seem like the center/vertical clamps will reach both seat posts. 2) The ramp is barely usable; my wheels are max it will fit and you must have at least 12ft of clearance on each side of car to get bike lined up with ramp. 3) My bikes have a "walk" feature, this is not usable as its too awkward to hold the walk button down and move around the rack. I found its easier to abandon the ramp and load front then rear wheel. I will rig up a wheel stop, on ends of each wheel holder so bike will not roll off while I strap it in. 4) Rack did NOT come with a lock for hitch pin; this is very disappointing as they say in manual this is an optional item. Every rack I have seen at least has a clip that would otherwise hold the hitch pin in if somehow the bolt loosened up. 5) The rack weight is the lightest I have found. 6) You must load the first bike (closest to car) from car passenger side. This will avoid you bike pedals hitting the vertical bar. That means you must load the 2nd bike manually as there is no way to get the pedals past the vertical bar. I will get used to this, I hope. 7) The rack is a few inches above the receiver (part that goes into hitch) so if you have a low hitch this might be an issue with ground clearance. With both bikes mounted up, it seems very stable and hopefully will be secure in travel.
This is a great product and works beautifully! The only issue was some sloppily made plastic turn knobs that were cross threaded on arrival. However, Yakima immediately shipped out replacements. It carries two large E bikes easily. They fasten solidly and are easy to load and unload!
# 10
Yakima HangOver Bike Rack for 6 Mountain Bikes - 2" Hitches - Tilting
I would strongly recommend NOT dealing with this company. My bike rack arrived very late and after delivery I realized it was not compatible with my bikes. I was looking for a six bike rack that could hold my family's bikes (2 adult + 4 small children's bikes) and this rack is very specific for ADULT MOUNTAIN BIKES ONLY. I did not realize this and called the customer service to initiate a return after having a hitch put onto my car. I was told I could not return. I was out over $1k and ended up giving this rack away on my local free cycle as it was NO value to me and took up space in my garage. I am not a bike expert just a mom with 4 small kiddos looking for ways to enable them to play outdoors, I would have appreciated a better product explanation up front so I understood this would not be a fit for my needs. I would have benefitted from better customer service. Suggest passing on this product/company.
Perfect rack! Easy to put together, bikes are easy to load up. I own a bike tour company and get compliments from my guests all the time about this rack. Getting ready to order another one next month.
# 11
Kuat NV 2.0 Base Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Wheel Mount - Matte Black
I've taken this rack all over New England on the front of my Dodge Ram 3500 pick up truck with a truck camper. I had no idea it was possible to love a bike rack so much. After one drive I didn't ever worry about it again. So nice that it locks up when I am camping or taking a quick stop for food on the road. So glad I bought it from etrailer. They totally help me pick the perfect rack for my challenging set up.
Still very new, but what an awesome bike rack! Assembly was a snap and the rack is rock-solid when you secure it to the hitch receiver. etrailer was amazing too - excellent communication, price and fast, free delivery. Overall I am extremely happy with the rack and service!
# 12
Inno Tire Hold Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Tilting
Here's what I love about it: It's super easy and secure to put the bikes on and off. Here's what I don't love: It's heavy and difficult to put on and off the car. It's large enough that when it's in the upright position, it blocks my tail lights, so I can't just leave it on the car always. Overall I do like the product, but I am willing to spend more to replace it with a different model which holds 2 bikes and expands to 4, so it will be easier/lighter to mount to the vehicle, and more reasonable to keep on all the time.
Excellent bike rack! Well packaged and very functional. However, the there is not a lock on the hitch pin. The pin threads in and then you insert a clip on the other side to secure it to the pigtail on the truck or RV. Anyone could come along and pull the clip, loosen the pin and run off with the rack and whatever bikes are on it. So, that would be the only detraction.
# 13
Thule T2 Pro XTR Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Wheel Mount
T2 Pro bike rack was delivered in a very timely manner. The rack was as described, extremely easy to assemble and is super user friendly! Exactly what I was looking for so my wife can use it by herself. Thanks
Great product, great company to do business with. etrailer is the best. Friendly, helpful and they made sure the bike rack was shipped immediately and it was delivered on time.
# 14
RockyMounts BackStage Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Wheel Mount
We love our RockyMounts BackStage Bike Rack. The fact that it can hold our two e-bikes and swings out for rear door access makes it perfect for vanlife. Service and communication from etrailer is outstanading!
etrailer.com asked me for a review about 1 week after it arrived. A better review would be in about 6-12 months after delivery to allow me time to use and experience the rack. Disclosure: my review is just for the assembly and install. Assembly is not easy. I needed to go to the internet and look at photos. The instructions lack detail. So only 4 stars for assembly instructions. It seems like a good design. The included locks seem cheap - like why bother including. The hitch pin design seems to tighten down the rack so there should be minimal rattle and movement. The rack sits up relatively high, so it would be safer to lift heavier e-bikes with two people or use some type of field engineered ramp. Wish it was made in the US and I wish the country of original was fully disclosed in the etrailer.com description. Perhaps it is disclosed but I learned it was from china after it was delivered.
# 15
Yakima HoldUp Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Wheel Mount
Works well for transporting two 29" wheeled mountain bikes. However, after one year it's starting to rust in several areas (see attached photos), and the front wheel arms are becoming increasingly difficult to raise and lower. Finally the locking cable is extremely rusty as you can see in the attached photo. I'm not sure how durable this rack will be long term.
We have had this bike rack for one year and use it every week-end. My wife has a Trek e-bike (52 lbs) and I have a regular Trek hybrid (23 lbs). The rack is very sturdy and I have no issues driving at highway speeds, there is no movement of the bikes. Very easy to load and unload.
# 16
Thule T2 Pro XTR Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Wheel Mount
Fast delivery and great product! I would recommend that you look up videos on how to assemble. The instructions that come with it are basically useless. With the help of a friend assembly was easy. So far the rack has worked perfectly. It is large and heavy so it could require two people to put in on and take it off of the tow hitch. All in all I am very satisfied!
Sturdy. Easy to put together. Second Thule rack and I trust it will secure my bikes.
# 17
Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE2 Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
I love this bike rack! It came quickly and it was super easy to put together. I am a 66 year old female, and if I can do it, anyone can do it! It has everything that was advertised. It has the built in locks, which is awesome, and all the moving parts are easy to use. My bike does not move going down the road and that is a big plus for me! I did rap a bungee cord around my bike frame and the frame hook bar for my piece of mind, but it is not necessary. I highly recommend this bike rack.
Even though the rack is an import, I was well pleased with the ease of assembly and the quality of the racks manufacturing. I would recommend that you purchase one if you are in need of a 2-bike rack assembly. I also purchased the 3-wheeled trike rack and assembled it. I'm totally satisfied with both my purchases at this time
# 18
Curt 4 Bike Platform Rack - 2" Hitches - Frame Mount - Tilting
Besides taking too long to get since being ordered in July, it is a great Curt 4 bike product......Installed it today and it works great. Curt products are made from a strong quality! My Curt hitch was installed over the Summer, ordered from etrailer and it works great also...Very happy of the outcome. Thanks.....
Great bike rack and outstanding customer service. Easy installation, sturdy bike rack and when I encountered a defective support arm, customer service had a replacement part shipped to me in less than one week. Great value and great support. You cannot get better than that.
# 19
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.
# 20
Hollywood Racks Destination Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
The Destination bike rack works perfectly on my 2020 Pacifica and I have clearance going over speed bumps! I recently upgraded my bike to a Trek step through which hung too low on my old Thule rack no matter how the cross bar adapter was adjusted. Problem solved!
I realy like how it holds my bikes securly in place. I also like that (without the bikes) I can open and close the hatch on my 2014 Hyundia Santa Fe. I have a 2" receiver on my car. We went away for a long weekend from CT to VT and had no issues with it holding my bikes. Would definetly recomend.
What our customers are saying:
"I ordered a trailer hitch and a bike rack carrier the order was shipped with in three days. To put the hitch on only took about 30 mins. only had to drill two 1/2 holes. fit like a glove."