# 1
Swagman Truck Bed Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - Fork Mount - 9-mm Skewer
Great bike rack. Great quality and good price.
It looked hardly used and all the parts were there. Good as new.
# 2
Thule Hitching Post Pro Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches
Great product, well worth the price.
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.
# 3
Softride Shuttle Pad Tailgate Pad for Full-Size Trucks - Up to 6 Bikes - 61" Wide
The fit for a 2014 Ram was spot on, no issue with the wide style tailgate top and the access flap for the tailgate handle lined up perfectly. Material is durable and easy to clean, the only thing holding it from a 5 stars is if it had the padded dividers on top to keep the bikes separated. But for the price, the fit and finish was exceptional, great value !!!
The product review/installation video helped me make my selection. I selected the full size pad for 2001 Silverado 1500. Installs easily, fits nicely, flap in pad is positioned for easy access to tailgate latch.
# 4
Curt Bike Rack for 5 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Tilting
It was obvious that we received a product that was returned by someone else when the box was overly taped shut, a support collar was broken, and most of the pieces were out of their ripped plastic bags. However, it was a great price to hold 5, 26" and/or 27" Trek bikes. I used a piece of the broken collar and went ahead and assembled the rack. Due to the weight of the 5 bikes it did not wobble that much when driving, as one of the bike tires was up against my car. I can only imagine that if we received an untampered product that this review would have been 5 stars. The picture is a little hard to see, but there are 5 Trek bikes on the rack on my 2020 Toyota Seinna.
We received a damaged box, damaged items, no instructions, the nuts and bolts are completely stripped and not inside a bag. This was obviously used, returned, not checked for quality and sent out. We are extremely upset.
# 5
Yakima OnRamp Bike Rack for 2 Electric Bikes - 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
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!
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.
# 6
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 !
# 7
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.
# 8
Hollywood Racks Sport Rider SE Bike Rack for 2 Electric Bikes - 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
I've been looking for the last two years for a way to transport our 2 mountain bikes and camping gear behind our Chevy Express 2500 campervan conversion. This bike rack-cargo carrier combo looks lithe but is sturdy. I like that it has a 7" rise so we don't have to worry about the load bottoming out at inclines. I first cleared compatibility with etrailer CS before hitching this baby into a Kuat Pivot 2 swing out hitch adapter. With this setup, I can take our bikes/camp gear/inflatable kayaks in various combinations and still be able to sleep with the barn doors open at the campsite!
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.
# 9
Hollywood Racks Truck Bed Bike Carrier - Fork Mount - Bolt On
The Hollywood Racks Truck Bed Bike Carrier - Fork Mount - Bolt On, is just what I was looking for to be able to build a bike rack for carrying one of my bikes on my motorcycle. It was easy to mount and it holds my bike in place while riding on bumpy dirt roads, city streets, highways and even when I hit some twisty country roads. It's really easy to load and unload my bike when I get to where I want to ride. I use a velcro strap around the quick-release and the fork arm as an added safety as well as a couple tie-downs from my bike handlebars to my motorcycle passenger pegs to help distribute the weight on my rack. If you want to build your own DIY bike rack I totally recommend the Hollywood Racks Truck Bed Bike Carrier - Fork Mount - Bolt On.
Love this product! I built a great bike carrying system for my F-150 using two of these fork clamps. They are easy to install and extremely well made. No more tangled bikes and lots more room in the bed for other stuff! Best way to go for a nice bike rack system. Thanks, Phil T.
# 10
Swagman Chinook Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
Truly grooving on my wife's new Swagman Chinook bike rack. She wanted to be able to transport her nice road bike easily without throwing it in the back of her car, and since a roof rack is out of the question, this Swagman model fit the bill perfectly. It arrived quickly on the anticipated date. Kudos to etrailer.com for the email updates to keep me informed of my purchase. Within one hour, it was installed on my wife's 2014 Mazda3 hatchback. The Swagman is heavy and solid, which is reassuring as it makes me feel confident that it will keep the bikes secure. It also makes me feel like I got my money's worth. A ratchet wrench and Phillip's head screwdriver were the only tools required for the easy install. I did my research before purchasing the Chinook model as I was also eyeballing a very similar Thule rack that was slightly more expensive. I spoke with an etrailer.com expert who gave me the lowdown on both models. Ultimately, the Swagman won out because it has a smaller 'footprint' while extended or folded up ... and also can tilt away from the car for easy access to the hatchback area. Very convenient! FYI: Mazda doesn't make a trailer hitch for the Mazda3 as it's a small car with a small engine and has no business towing anything. Thankfully, the Curt company makes an aftermarket frame and trailer hitch that fits the Mazda3 hatchback perfectly with no drilling. Stupidly, I purchased it from another online company thinking I was getting a good deal. Turns out etrailer.com had it for less with FREE shipping. Oh well ... live and learn. Now I know that etrailer.com is one-stop shopping for bike racks AND trailer hitches. (Full disclosure: I had the garage down the street install the frame as it's easier with a lift) Only snafu: the shipment contained an extra set of keys that I assumed was for the hitch bolt lock (there was also a set of keys on the bolt itself). I spent 15 minutes using those keys trying to figure out how to remove the lock from the bolt to install it on the hitch. The keys just wouldn't turn in the lock. I called etrailer.com and Kevin told me to try the other set of keys ... and they worked. So an extra set of keys came with it that did absolutely nothing ... weird! Obviously, I can't speak to the longevity and durability of the Swagman Chinook 2 Bike Platform Rack as I just installed it. What I can speak to is the sturdiness of it, the ease of the installation and my complete satisfaction with the good folks at etrailer.com.
I ordered the Swagman Chinook 2 Bike Platform Rack on line from etrailer and so far have been very satisfied. The bike rack was delivered in less than a week. Unpacking the rack and assembly was fairly straightforward. I have read some reviews that complained the assembly instructions were a bit vague. I didn't have a problem but can see where others without a mechanical background get confused. The rack is very sturdy, but there is some side to side play in the tilt mechanism. I'm not sure this can be avoided with a rack that folds down. Installing the Curt trunk stabilizing strap takes most of the sway out of the rack. Installation is fairly easy and quick. It takes me 6 - 7 minutes to install the back on my hitch, and to install the bike and be ready to drive away. That seems reasonable to me. So far I've only loaded 1 bike. I've included pictures of my installation on a 2014 Mercedes Benz E350 sedan. Clearance between the bikes, the rack and the car are good. With the bike loaded in the inside, most forward position, I have 6" clearance between the pedal and the bumper. With the bike removed, the center support folded flat and the rack folded up in the storage position, I have 4" clearance between the closest part of the bike rack (the fold down hinge assembly) and the back bumper of the car. I am able to open the trunk of the car without removing the bikes or using the tilt feature, but I do have to remove the stabilizing strap first. Overall, I'm very pleased with the bike rack and think it will serve me much better than my old strap on rack. Since the weather has been cool since getting the bike carrier, I haven't taken any long trips to give it a real workout.
# 11
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.
# 12
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.
We have used the Swagman Roof Rack a number of times when we have needed the additional bike carrying capacity. It took a couple attempts to get the initial spacing of the bike rack properly balanced on the van’s roof rack as recommended by the instructions. But it was easy to do and once set was very easy and quick to put on and take off. The rack works great, the bike is easy to put into place and secure. The bike and rack are very stable and quiet and haven’t required any mid-trip adjustments. We always put the cheapest bike on the roof (lol) but do use a bit of duct tape to protect the finish just Incase. We are very satisfied with the rack and consider it quite a deal for the money.
# 13
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.
# 14
Kuat NV 2.0 Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Wheel Mount - Metallic Black
I have had my Kuat NV 2.0 4-Bike Platform Rack - 2" Hitches - Tilting - Metallic Black for a month now. Amazing engineering. Solid rack. I have four or five old (cheaper) racks and this is the best rack I have ever seen by far. Extremely happy with this. I will reserve comment on whether or not a bike rack should cost $xx.xx but it’s a great rack. Possible improvements: 1) The rack is just too heavy. With the amazing engineers that worked on this, knocking 10 lbs off the rack would be easy. I know it is one of the lighter ones available but it is still too heavy. The center rail is all steel and the heaviest part. The outer part of the swing arms are steel (inner part is aluminum). The arms have really nice bushings on the hinges. The whole thing is amazing, well-built, and well-engineered. IDEA 1: lightweight the center rail by using U-lube instead of square tube. Or just make holes through the top and bottom of he square rail. IDEA 2) The Aluminum platforms are amazing. But use less Al and more plastic. The ones for the back tire add significant weight. 2) Someone came up with a great idea for dealing with one aspect of the weight problem. One problem is that at 54 lbs. when you put it in the receiver it’s hard to align the hitch pin hole by yourself. So I kludged up a stop using a ring clamp and some plastic tubing. I was going to tap a hole in the center rail for a stop screw but then I could not adjust the depth for different vehicles. So I went with the ring clamp. When installing it (see photo) I noticed that someone already had a great idea and tapped a hole to add a stop. I assume there is an adjustable clip that is secured by the recessed screw. But I did not receive the clip. I just have a beautifully designed tapped hole and recessed screw with no way to use it. Probably an easy answer to this one but i didn't get a clip and didn't see this referenced in the instructions at all. 3) Back tire surface. It almost doesn’t matter where you ride the mountain bike, somewhere along the trial there is sandy, gravely surface that gets on your tires. I have gone in five ‘dirt’ trails and covered my tires with smooth mud thinking that I wasn’t going to hit sand. Then when I get back to the parking lot the mud collects the sandy gravel—either in the gravel parking lot or at the edge of the asphalt lot. Then I put the bike on the beautiful smooth aluminum carrier and scratch it. There should be an improvement to resurface the area where the back tire goes. It looks like there has been some weak attempt to provide a plastic coat but it doesn’t work. I am going to buy some rubberized truck-bed liner or spray rubberized spray rust proofer to refinish this. 4) Last possible improvement. The only people that should be buying this bike rack are people with high end mountain bikes. The reason for the platform carrier is to accommodate the odd frame geometry of mountain bikes and to protect the full suspension from dangling and getting air in the cylinders. If you have a full carbon road bike then just hang it on the back of your car with a $200 bike rack. And no one is going to carry $120 steel Walmart BLO’s with a $xx.xx platform carrier. They are going to strap them to the roof of their minivan. So you could even make this carry less weight capacity to make it lighter. And just tell people to put the 60 lb bike (like ebikes) closest to vehicle and lighter bikes in the back. EVERYONE has a lighter bike… either aluminum, carbon, or just a kids bike. This rack can carry 250 lbs of bikes (4 x 60+). The market for carrying 250lbs of bikes is nearly zero. delivery was perfect. Assembly was easy with two people; probably could do it with one. As you can tell, it is a real stretch to find anything wrong with this. But my minor comments are above.
This product arrived quickly, in good condition, and all steps were well-communicated by etrailers.com. This product seems pretty well-made and I added a Kuat Pivot to assist with swinging our 4 bikes out of the way. Very well thought out products overall and we look forward to using it for years to come with our travels. Wish we knew that that Nv 2.0 and nv 2.0 add-on each came with a child bike adapter. I had separately ordered 2 from Kuat for my kids and had to eat the shipping costs on the whole return.
# 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
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.
# 17
Thule T2 Pro XTR Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Wheel Mount
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.
The quality of the rack is very sturdy and well built. I needed a rack that has a 12” spacing between wheels do to the baskets on each bike, and this rack delivered that. The issues I have with this rack are: I have a GMC Yukon suv and with the rack mounted I have to lift my two Lecritc 2.0 e-bikes, at 60 pounds each up over 24” to get it mounted. It sure could use ramps, which I know it did not come with. The clamp hold down does not work with fenders on a bike. It does not clamp very well on the cross bar (male and female) type do to the width and the angle of the cross bars. When clamping in front of the front fender makes the bike very unstable, and will require additional strapping and tie downs to secure the bikes. It claims it is for e-bikes, but only if it has no fenders. Nice rack, just not for me.
# 18
Saris SuperClamp EX Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Wheel Mount
At the age of 70, I needed a “friendlier” mounting and bike access rack. A platform rack seemed to be the solution. I had one caveat. My Subaru Forester had a 1and 1/4” receiver (with a non-standard 3/4” length mounting hole). My Volvo had a tuck away 2” receiver. After some research I gravitated toward Thule only to find out they had no solution for my above conundrum. In fact their customer service offered no interest in solving my problem which others also must have had. More research…enter Saris! An American made company with an innovative solution. I quickly received my SuperClamp EX-2 from ETrailer along with excellent customer service support. The ease of constructing the unit for use and the obvious structural integrity was immediately apparent. My wife couldn’t believe how easy it was to use and to stow away on my garage wall after use. Thank you Saris and ETrailer for a wonderful product and experience. I guess American made is still alive and well. I highly recommend this product and the associated companies.
Purchased this bike rack last year and am very pleased with the stability of the rack. The straps and clamps secure the bike well to the rack. Some things that I learned: When attaching the rack onto your hitch, it helps to put a piece of tape on the rack (hitchtite) once you have lined up the holes. This will make it easier to find the exact location of the holes the next time that you want to use the rack. Finding the exact location allows you to smoothly hand tighten the bolt to the end of the hitch. At that point, just use a socket wrench to finish the tightening. When putting the bike on the rack, I loosely secure the clamps to the tires at first. This allows me to rotate the tires to find the right location in the wheel well for the straps to go around the spokes. I next secure the bike with the straps and then fininsh securing the clamps to the tires.
# 19
Thule GateMate Pro Tailgate Pad for Full-Size Trucks - Up to 8 Bikes - 60" Wide
etrailer has been great in the past and I will order from them again. This experience was mediocre because they advertised free 3 day shipping through a google search for this product. After paying I was notified that it would take longer. I needed the gate mate for a weekend trip and could have gotten it through [online vendor] for the same price, quicker. Not a big deal, just be aware.
Great material, inside smooth will not scratch the tailgate. Easy install. I ordered for full size, truck however if I had to do it again I would choose smaller width. I have rails mounted to the inside of bed for a bed cover. The gate mate really fits snug, having to slam the gate to lock. Depending style of bike the down tube may not snug tight. Yes I would buy again. Good price.
# 20
Kuat NV 2.0 Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Wheel Mount - Metallic Black
EVERY BRAND HAS ITS PROS AND CONS. THE PROS ON THIS RACK IS THE HIGH QUALITY OF MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION AND THE INNOVATIVE FEATURES. THE RACK IS EASY TO USE AND EASY TO INSTALL. I ESPECIALLY LIKE THE INTEGRATED BIKE STAND. IT IS EASY TO USE, UNOBTRUSIVE, AND COMES IN VERY HANDY WHEN YOU WANT TO MAKE A TWEEK ON YOUR BIKE WHILE AT THE TRAIL HEAD OR IN THE PARKING LOT. I KNOW THERE MUST BE A NEGATIVE TO THIS RACK, BUT AFTER A YEAR OF USE I HAVEN’T FOUND IT YET. IT IS A BIT PRICEY, AND IF YOU DON’T CARE ABOUT DURABILITY, QUALITY OF CONSTRUCTION, OR ADDED FEATURES, THEN A LESS EXPENSIVE BRAND MAY WORK FOR YOU AND YOU WILL SAVE A FEW BUCKS. ALSO, IT IS A BIT HEAVIER THAN SOME OTHER RACKS, BUT I AM IN MY 70’S AND I CAN HANDLE IT FINE.
This is rack’s construction is a rock, heavy hitch tube and the scissor extension swing is solid due to the ball barring lock feature in the mounting tube. The ease of mounting bikes with tire saddles, installing and construction quality excellent. Purchased the wide tire kit adds flexibility to my use of road to fatter tire bikes. Being able to install the bike service bracket is a breeze for airing up, lubing. Use it on my Hylander to my truck camper
Yakima StickUp 2 Hitch Bike Rack Review - 2014 Ram 2500
Today on our 2014 Ram 2500 Heavy Duty, were going to be test fitting the Yakima StickUp. This is a platform style tilting two bike rack designed for use with 1-1/4 and 2 inch hitches, part number Y02420. To begin our test fit, well slide the shank of the bike rack into the receiver tube of our hitch. Because our truck has a 2-1/2 inch receiver tube, we will be adding a 2-1/2 inch to 2 inch reducer bushing, part number 58102. You can check our website for details on that. Well now line up our pin holes, thread in our anti-rattle bolt and tighten it down with a wrench.
Swagman Fork Down Roof Bike Rack Review - 2014 Ram 2500
Today on our 2014 Ram 2500, well be test fitting the Swagman Fork Down Roof Mounted Bike Rack, part number S64710. Now Ill be using the tall step ladder just to make the installation process much easier. With the Thule rapid traverse roof rack system on our truck, well begin our test fit by placing the bike rack up on to the vehicles load bars. Starting at the front, were going to take the silver U-bolts to go around the underside of the front bar up to the predrilled holes at the head of the carrier. Well then take our black wing nuts and thread down on to the silver U-bolts, and well keep the wing nuts loose. Well move to the rear and this ti me take the silver U-bolts to go down through the predrilled holes of the bike rack. Well then take the black plate and insert one end of the U-bolt into the hole of the black plate and install our wing nut, well then swing the bracket around, inserting the second part of the U-bolt into the hole of the wing nut, and then tightening it down.
RockyMounts TieRod Stretch Roof Bike Rack Review - 2014 Ram 2500
Today on our 2014 Ram 2500, we'll be test-fitting the RockyMounts TieRod Stretch roof mounted bike rack, part number RKY1011. I'll be using a tall ladder so I can make the hardware of the bike rack easily accessible. With the Thule Rapid Traverse roof rack system on our vehicle, we'll begin our test fit by placing the bike rack up onto the vehicle's crossbars. We need to start off by by bringing the two black rubber-coated steel straps around the front bar. We'll need to the remove the black cover to position the straps and to the connection point of the head of the carrier. Then move to the rear, remove one of the Allen bolts and position the rear bracket around the underside of the rear bar and then reinstall the Allen bolt. We'll keep it loose at this time.
Yakima FrontLoader Roof Bike Rack Review - 2014 Ram 2500
Today on our 2014 Ram 2500 Crew Cab. We're going to be test fitting the Yakima Front loader. A wheel mount roof bike rack with part number Y02103. Our Yakima Q Tower roof rack system already installed on the Ram. We'll begin our test fit by placing our bike rack directly onto our crossbars. At the front we'll be sure to that our clamp goes around our bar. We'll have two legs in front, and one leg in the rear.
Yakima ForkLift Roof Mounted Bike Rack Review - 2014 Ram 2500
Today on our 2014 Ram 2500 Crew Cab, were going to be test fitting the Yakima Forklift, a fork mount roof bike rack with part number Y02098. With our Yakima Q-towers roof rack system already installed on the Ram, well begin our test fit by placing our bike rack directly on to our cross bars. Here at the front, well remove the securer, it is reversed thread, slide back the black cover and loosen the black T-handle. Well then remove the T-bolt from the lower portion of our clamp, bring our clamp around our crossbar, reinsert the T-bolt and tighten down that black T-handle. With our front secure, well slide the black plastic cover forward and replace our securer. We can now move to the rear. This time well loosen the black T-handle, remove the T-bolt from the slot, bring our clamp around our bar, reinsert our T-bolt, and tighten down the black T-handle to secure it.
Thule Sprint Fork Mount Bike Rack Review - 2014 Ram 2500
Today on our 2014 RAM 2500 Crew Cab, we're going to be test fitting the Thule Sprint, a fork-mount roof bike rack with part number TH528. With our Thule rapid traverse roof rack system already installed on the RAM, we begin our test fit by placing our bike rack directly onto our load bars. When we do this, we want to be sure the black rubber-coated metal straps go around the underside of our load bars. Here at the front, we're going to fit the strap into the head of the carrier. We'll then turn the black lever to tighten our strap. With the front secure, we'll move to the rear. We're going to fit this strap into the foot of the carrier and turn the black lever to secure it in place. With our rack secure, we're now ready to load our bike. We'll begin by undoing our rear wheel strap and loosening our front skewer.
Thule Gate Mate Tailgate Pad and Bike Rack Review - 2014 Ram 2500
Today on our 2014 Ram 2500, well be test fitting the Thule Gate Mate tailgate pad and bike rack for full size trucks, part number TH824. Well begin our test fit by first draping the gate mate over the truck bed tailgate. Youre going to make sure that the opening with the envelope shaped flap is facing the outside. This flap will give you access to the tailgate handle. Once thats down, we can then take one of the straps and lower the tailgate down to about a 45 degree angle. Well thread the strap up through the bottom of the tailgate and the base of the truck bed. Well then reach around to the inside of the truck bed and pull the strap up.
Thule Big Mouth Roof Bike Rack Review - 2014 Ram 2500
Today on our 2014 Ram 2500, well be test fitting the Thule Big Mouth Roof Mounted Bike Rack, part number TH599XTR. Now you may need a step stool or a small ladder to be able to get the bike rack into position. Or you can step on the foot plate on the inside of the cab. With the Thule traverse roof rack system installed on our pick up, well begin our test fit by placing the bike rack up on to the vehicles load bars. With the bike rack up on to the bars, well go ahead and start at the front. Well need to position the L-brackets on the front and underside of the front load bar.
Swagman Upright Roof Mounted Bike Rack Review - 2014 Ram 2500
Today on our 2014 Ram 2500 Crew Cab we're going to be test fitting the Swagman Upright Roof Bike Rack part number S64720. With our Yakima Q-Towers Roof Rack System already installed on the Ram we'll begin our test fit by placing our bike rack directly onto our crossbars. Here at the front we're going to bring two of the U-bolts around the underside of our crossbar, through the head of our rack, and hold them in place with two wingnuts on each one. We'll then tighten down all four of our wingnuts and secure the front of our rack to our crossbar. Here at the rear we'll put the U-bolt down through the rack being sure that the threaded portion comes out on both sides of the crossbar. We'll then put on the black plate and two of the wingnuts. We'll tighten down both of the wingnuts to secure the rear.
Swagman Pick-Up Truck Bed Bike Rack Review - 2014 Ram 2500
Today on our 2014 Ram 2500, we'll be test fitting the Swagman Pickup Truck Bed Mounted Two Bike Rack, part number S64702. We'll begin our test fit by placing one end of the bike rack onto the drivers side bed rail, just to give us an idea of how wide we need to make the bike rack. Now the other end of the bike rack doesn't reach the passenger side bed rail, so we'll need to push in the silver button and telescope the bike rack outward. You'll need it make it a little bit wider than the width of the bed. With the one end of the bike rack on the drivers side, we'll take the other end at the passenger side and insert the other end at an angle on the passenger side bed rail. We'll then push the pad up onto the bed rail making sure the bike rack is perpendicular to the bed rails of our pickup. Now that's nice and snug, we're ready to load up our bike. We'll need to double check to make our skewer is loose and the forks of our bike can slide down onto it.
SportRack Roof Mounted Bike Rack Review - 2014 Ram 2500
Today on our 2014 Ram 2500 we'll be test fitting the Sport Rack Roof Mounted Bike Rack part number Sr4622. Now I'm going to be using a tall step ladder just to make the installation a little bit easier. With a Thule Rapid Traverse Roof Rack System on our truck we'll begin our test fit by placing the bike rack up onto the vehicle's load bars. We'll start at the front and take the rubber coated black U-bolts around the underside of the front bar and insert them up through the pre-drilled holes at the head of the carrier. We'll then thread on our black wingnuts leaving them loose. We'll now move to the rear and we'll need to take the black spacer to go in between the top part of the rear bar and the bottom part of the bike rack. We'll then take the black bolts to go down through the pre-drilled holes of the bike rack as well as the black spacer.
Kuat TRIO Roof Bike Rack Review - 2014 Ram 2500
Today, on our 2014 Ram 2500, we'll be test fitting the Kuat Trio Roof Mounted Bike Rack, part # Ru01. With the Thule Rapid Traverse Roof Rack System on our vehicle, we'll begin our test fit by placing the bike rack up onto the vehicle's cross bars. Now, I'm going to be using a tall step-ladder just to make sure I can easily install the hardware. I'm going to start at the front and take the rubber coated U-bolts around the underside of the front bar up to the pre-drilled holes at the head of the carrier. We'll the take the cylinder nuts to thread down onto the U-bolts, keeping them loose. We'll then move to the rear. Remove one of the black wing nuts and position the rear bracket around the underside of the rear bar. After reinstalling the black wing nut, we'll tighten it all the way down.
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