# 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.
Hitch pin broke before I got it. Looks like a poor design for the locking pin, they might want to consider a different design. I got a 3/8 shear pin from Home Depot to replace and it works great. Bike rack is great!
# 2
Swagman Trailhead Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Tilting
etrailer has the best pre- and post-sales customer service I've ever seen! I started out not knowing anything about hitch-mounted racks. So I wrote to etrailer telling them about my car and type of hitch I was about to have installed. Samuel wrote back with lots of great information tailored specifically to my car. He even included a photo that looked just like my 2017 white VW GTI with a hitch and rack installed. Okay something of a coincidence. But the rest of the assistance I got from the crew at etrailer was just as prophetic. I went into this a novice and came out knowing lots more about hitches and racks and finding the rack best suited to my situation. I have a small car, a class 1 hitch and a heavy mountain bike. I got exactly what I needed. As to the Swagman rack itself, it works fine. If I had a different situation I would probably buy a platform rack as they are easier to load. There's no reason to buy a bike rack anywhere else.
First off, thanks to Jason T. or "Troop". The exemplary customer service he provided is rare these days. Troop made several calls to the various manufacturers to ascertain which bike rack would afford me the most ground clearance as my new VW Golf sits low to the ground and my old bike rack frequently scraped the ground when I went up even a slight up hill grade. His efforts paid off as he found me the best bike rack for my car, the Swagman Trailhead 2 Bike Carrier. It sits up off the ground just high enough that it doesn't scrape on my driveway. It is also sturdy and holds my bikes securely. And, the delivery was amazingly fast. I had my rack in about 2 days! Note to Troop, see my Pittsburgh Pirates Logo on my bumper in the attached pictures? Pirate Fans persevere! The Bucco's will be coming after your Cardinals this year! Thanks again Troop!
# 3
Kuat Sherpa 2.0 Bike Rack for 2 Bikes - 1-1/4" Hitches - Wheel Mount - Gray
I’ve had the Kuat Sherpa for about a year now and could not be more happy with this bike rack. When not in use I keep it safely in the garage- it only takes a few minutes to install it to my Honda Civic and safely secure two bikes using its exquisitely engineered and designed system. I’ve used this for 900+ mile trips with no issues whatsoever - the perfect bike rack!
After doing extensive research before buying my first ever bike rack, I chose the Kuat Sherpa 2.0 platform rack. I considered trunk mounted, hanging and platform racks before settling on a platform rack. I like the stability, the ease of loading and unloading and very importantly, the absence of contact with the frame of my bike. My bike has a beautiful paint job that I want to preserve. I looked at lots of racks online and at a bike shop and opted for the Kuat Sherpa 2.0 because of the excellent engineering, including the design of the packaging that becomes a work bench for assembling the rack, the relatively light weight (32 pounds), the inclusion of a hitch lock and a bike lock, the stability of the platform, even with a 1.25" connection and a class I hitch, and the ease of operation. Additionally, the overall appearance of the rack suggests high quality. Time will tell how well it ages but I'm pretty confident that I'll be pleased with it. I was very fortunate to find a used, like new Kuat via Etrailer at a meaningful discount that still qualified for the manufacturer's warranty! Thank you Etrailer! A tip to pass along that was shared with me, U-Haul is an excellent source for buying and installing hitches to accommodate bike racks - very attractive pricing, high quality installation and a super unlimited lifetime warranty. Can't wait for Spring and the chance to transport my bike to inviting riding venues!! PS The hitch and bike rack work very well with my 2011 Honda Accord Coupe, EXL V6 model that remains in excellent condition.
Thule T1 1-Bike Platform Rack Review - 2020 Nissan Altima
Hey everybody, Ryan here at etrailer. Today on our 2020 Nissan Altima, we're gonna be checking out the Thule T1 platform style bike rack. First impressions of the rack on the back of the Nissan, I think it's a pretty good fit actually. You know, it looks good. Really simple and easy to use. Thule makes really good products, so it should last quite some time.
Thule Hitch Bike Racks Review - 2019 Nissan Altima
Rob: Hey everybody, it's Rob here at etrailer.com, and today we're going to be taking a look at the Thule Helium Pro two bike hanging style rack on our 2019 Nissan Altima. And our rack is going to be great for mountain bikes, women's bikes, kid bikes, a lot of bikes out there. However, since it is a hanging style rack, it's not really recommended that you use it for a carbon style frame bike, because that is going to put all the stress on the frame and it can weaken it over time. But our rack is going to hold your bike in three different points to make sure it's secure when you are going down the road. We'll have two supports on the cross tube, and then we're going to have one on the vertical support, and that's going to act as an anti-sway, preventing the bike from moving too much back and forth and making that bike to bike contact.Now removing them is extremely easy. You just got these little levers, push that button in, we can loosen up the strap.
Thule Doubletrack Hitch Bike Rack Review - 2019 Nissan Altima
Hey everybody, it's Rob here at etrailer.com, today we're going to be taking a look at the Thule DoubleTrack two bike platform-style rack, on our 2019 Nissan Altima. Now our DoubleTrack is going to be a really nice entry-level platform style rack, and a platform-style rack is going to be like what we have here. It's going to have wheel trays. They're going to be holding the bike, and the bike's going to be sitting on a platform. But we're also going to have another additional support to help hold the bike when we are transporting it. We're going to have this frame hook in the middle, so it's really going to hold our bike securely.
Swagman Hitch Bike Racks Review - 2016 Nissan Altima
Today on this 2016 Nissan Altima, we're going to be test fitting the Swagman XC2 bike platform rack, part number S64650. We already have a bike installed on the rack. Let's go ahead and take a closer look and show off some of the features. Now how this is actually attached to the rack, we're going to have one point of contact with the bike's frame. That's going to be this padded hook up here at the top which is adjustable. We also have two adjustable wheel straps or wheel cradles I should say, that'll also hold it in place.
Thule Hitch Bike Racks Review - 2016 Nissan Altima
Today on this 2016 Nissan Ultima, we're going to be test fitting the Thule Roadway 2-Bike Rack, part number TH912XTR. We already have a bike installed on the rack. Let's go ahead and take a closer look and show off some of the features. How this bike attach to the rack, we're going to have 3 points of contact with the bike's frame. We're going to have 2 strap up at the top here and 1 off to the side here, and that's going to serve as an anti-sway strap to keep the bike from moving too far back and forth, to keep it from hitting the vehicle or damaging the bikes in front of it. Let's go ahead and take the bike off and set it aside. Now, with the bike rack in this position, I'm going to go ahead and give you some measurements now. Measuring from the bumper, which is the furthest point out, to this edge here, we've added about 26-1/2 inches.
Saris Axis Hitch Bike Racks Review - 2015 Nissan Altima
Today on our 2015 Nissan Ultima we will be test fitting the Saris Axis tilting 2-bike rack. That's part number SA832. This can be used for either 1-1/4" or 2" hitches. We've got an 1-1/4" here today with our 1-1/4" hitch. We can go ahead and begin by inserting our shank into our receiver until our pinholes line up. That looks pretty good.
Saris Freedom SuperClamp Hitch Bike Racks Review - 2015 Nissan Altima
Today on our 2015 Nissan Ultima, we'll be test fitting the Saris Freedom Super Clamp platform style 2 bike rack, that's part number SA4025. This can be used for either 1 1/4 or 2 inch hitches. We've got an 1 1/4 hitch here today. We can go ahead and begin by inserting our shank into our receiver until our pin holes line up. That feels pretty good. We'll go ahead and take our included anti rattle bolt and lock and thread that through.
Swagman Hitch Bike Racks Review - 2015 Nissan Altima
Today, on our 2015 Nissan Altima, we will be testing the Swagman Trailhead Tilting 4 Bike Rack. That's part number S63380. This can be used for either inch and a quarter or two inch hitches. We've got an inch and a quarter here today. We can go ahead and begin by inserting our shank into our receiver. We'll line up our pin holes. We'll take our included anti-rattle bolt, thread that through.
Thule Vertex 4 Hitch Bike Rack Review - 2013 Nissan Altima
Today on our 2013 Nissan Altima well be test fitting the Thule Vertex 4-Bike Carrier, part number th9029. Well begin our test fit by sliding the shank of the bike rack into the opening of the hitch, threading in our anti-rattle bolt and tightening it with a wrench. Now with the bike rack secured to our Altima well go over a few clearance measurements to see how the two fit together. We have about 10 1/2 inches of ground clearance at the rear. The closest part of the bike rack to the closest part of our Altima is at the rear bumper about 1 inches away. With the cradle arms folded down weve added about 10 inches to the overall length of our Altima.
Thule Hitching Post Pro Hitch Bike Rack Review - 2013 Nissan Altima
Today, on our 2013 Nissan Altima, well be test fitting the Thule Hitching Post Pro, part number TH934XTR. Well begin our test fit by sliding the shank of the bike rack into the opening of the hitch, threading in our anti-rattle bolt and tightening it down with a wrench. Now, with the bike rack secured to our Altima, well go over a few clearance of measurements to see how the two fit together. We have about 10-1/2 inches of ground clearance at the rear. The closest part of the bike rack to the closest part of our vehicle at the rear bumper is about five inches away. Weve added about 14 inches to the overall length of our vehicle with the cradle arms folded down.
Thule Helium Aero Hitch Bike Rack Review - 2013 Nissan Altima
Today on our 2013 Nissan Altima well be test fitting the Thule Helium Aero 3-Bike Carrier, part number th9043. Well begin our test fit by sliding the shank of the bike rack into the opening of the hitch. Well line up the pin holes allowing the integrated hitch pin to fall into place and well then turn the black knob to engage the anti-rattle device. Now with the bike rack secured to the vehicle well go over a few clearance measurements to see how the two fit together. We have about 14 inches of ground clearance at the rear, and weve added about 17 inches to the overall length of our vehicle. We can now pull the gray lever at the top of the mast to swing the cradle arms out, and with the cradle arms out weve added about 31 inches to the overall length of our Altima.
Thule Helium Aero Hitch Bike Rack Review - 2013 Nissan Altima TH9042
Today, on our 2013 Nissan Altima, well be test fitting the Thule Helium Aero Hitch Mounted Two-Bike Carrier, part number TH9042. Well begin our test fit by sliding the shank of the bike rack into the opening of the hitch. Well allow the integrated hitch pin fall into place and well turn the black knob to engage the anti-rattle device. Now, with our Helium Aero secured to our Altima, well go over a few clearance of measurements to see how the two fit together. We have about 14-1/2 inches of ground clearance. With the cradle arms folded down, weve added about 14 inches to the overall length of our vehicle.
Thule Doubletrack Hitch Bike Rack Review - 2013 Nissan Altima
Today, on our 2013 Nissan Altima, well be test fitting the Thule Doubletrack Platform Style Two-Bike Carrier, part number TH990XT. Well begin our test fit by sliding the shank of the bike rack into the opening of the hitch. Well thread in our anti-rattle bolt and secure it with a wrench. Now, that the bike rack is secured to our Altima, well go over a few clearance of measurements to see how the two fit together. We have about 8 inches of ground clearance at the rear. The closest part of the carrier to the closest part of our vehicle is about 1-1/2 inches away.
Thule Apex 4 Hitch Bike Rack Review - 2013 Nissan Altima
Today, on our 2013 Nissan Altima, well be test fitting the Thule Apex Four-Bike Carrier, part number TH90250. Well begin our test fit by sliding the shank of the bike rack into the opening of the hitch and allowing the unscrewed hitch pin to fall into place. We can turn the black knob to engage the anti-rattle device. With our bike rack secured to our Altima, well go over a few clearance of measurements to see how the two fit together. We have about 11 inches of ground clearance at the rear. With the cradle arm folded down, weve added about 10 inches to the overall length of our vehicle.
Prorack 4 Hitch Bike Rack Review - 2013 Nissan Altima
Today, on our 2013 Nissan Altima, well be test fitting the Prorack Hitch Mounted Hanging Four-Bike Carrier, part number PR8062404. Well begin our test fit by sliding the shank of the bike rack into the opening of the hitch, well thread in our anti-rattle bolt and tighten it down with a wrench. Now, that the bike rack is secured to our Altima, well go over a few clearance of measurements to see how the two fit together. We have about 8 inches of ground clearance. Weve added about 28-1/2 inches to the overall length of our Altima. You can access the trunk with the mast in the bike rack in its upright position, or to load larger luggage, you can pull this over pin at the base of the carrier to tilt down the mast.
Kuat Beta Hitch Bike Rack Review - 2013 Nissan Altima
Today on our 2013 Nissan Altima we'll be test fitting the Kuat Beta Hitch Mounted Aluminum Two Bike Carrier, part number b202-114. We'll begin our test fit by sliding the shank of the bike rack into the opening of the hitch, lining up the pin holes and installing our hitch pin and lock.We'll then turn the black T-handle on the back of the shank to engage the anti-rattle device. Now with the Kuat Beta secured to our Altima we'll go over a few clearance measurements to see how the two fit together. We have about 11 inches of ground clearance at the rear of the bike rack. Closest part of the carrier to the closest part of the vehicle is here at the rear bumper about 3-1/2 inches away.With the cradle arms folded down we've added about 10 inches to the overall length of our vehicle. We can now pull the silver pin at the top of the mast to swing the cradle arms out.
Thule Apex 4 Hitch Bike Rack Review - 2012 Nissan Altima
Today on our 2012 Nissan Ultima we'll be test fitting the Thule Apex four bike carrier, part number TH9025. Now to begin our test fit we'll go ahead and slide the bike rack shank into the inch and a quarter hitch and allow the integrated locking hitch pin to fall into the hitch hole. With that in place we'll move to the anti-rattle knob where we'll tighten the knob down securing our bike rack to the vehicle. Now with the bike rack secured we'll give you a couple of measurements. Our ground clearance measures 9 inches. From the closet point, here at the anti-rattle knob, to the back of the vehicle measures one inch.
Yakima DoubleDown Ace Hitch Bike Rack Review - 2012 Nissan Altima
Today on our 2012 Nissan Altima well be test fitting the Yakima Doubledown Ace four bike carrier for inch and a quarter and two inch hitches, part number Y02451. A quick note about this bike rack, when using in an inch and a quarter Class I hitch you are limited to two bikes. To begin our test fit weve already gone ahead and removed the two inch adapter from the bike rack shank, so well slide the shank into the inch and a quarter hitch, line up the hitch pin hole and install the attached hitch pin. We can then move to the back of the shank where well tighten the knob down, securing our bike rack to the vehicle. At this point well go ahead and give you a few measurements. Our ground clearance here at the bike rack measures seven and a half inches, and from the closest point of the bike rack here at the mast to the back of the vehicle measures three inches.
Thule Vertex 4 Hitch Bike Rack Review - 2012 Nissan Altima
Today on our 2012 Nissan Altima well be test fitting the Thule Vertex four bike carrier for inch and a quarter and two inch hitches, part number TH9029. To begin our test fit weve already gone ahead and removed the two inch adapter from our bike rack shank, so well slide the shank into the inch and a quarter hitch. Well then line up the hitch pin hole and install and tighten down the anti-rattle bolt. With the bolt tight our bike rack is secured to the vehicle. Well now go ahead and give you a few measurements. Our ground clearance here at the back of the bike rack measures seven and a half inches, and from the closest point of the bike rack, here at the hinge on the mast measures three inches.
Thule Hitching Post Pro Hitch Bike Rack Review - 2012 Nissan Altima
Today on our 2012 Nissan Altima well be test fitting the Thule Hitching Post Pro folding and tilting four bike carrier for inch and a quarter and two inch hitches, with anti-sway cradles, part number TH934XTR. To begin our test fit weve already gone ahead and removed the two inch adapter from the bike rack shank, so well slide the shank into our inch and a quarter hitch, line up the hitch pin hole, and using the included anti-rattle bolt will tighten it down, securing the bike rack to the vehicle. Well now go ahead and give you a few measurements. Our ground clearance here at the bike rack measures eight inches, and from the closest point of the bike rack to the back of the vehicle is five and a half inches. Well now go ahead and pull the pin here at the base of the mast, tilt the mast down and open our trunk. As you can see, we can gain access to the cargo area with this bike rack secured to the vehicle.
Kuat Sherpa Hitch Bike Rack Review - 2012 Nissan Altima
Today on our 2012 Nissan Altima well be test fitting part number S102. This is the Kuat Sherpa aluminum hitch mounted two bike rack with wheel mount cradles. To begin our test fit weve removed the two inch adapter from our bike rack shank, so well slide the shank into our inch and a quarter hitch, line up the hitch pin hole and slide in the hitch pin. Well then move to the back of the shank where well tighten the knob down, securing our bike rack to the vehicle. Well now go ahead and give you a few measurements. From the closest point of the bike rack to the back of the vehicle is three quarters of an inch.
Thule Hitch Bike Racks Review - 2011 Nissan Altima
Speaker 1: Today on our 2011 Nissan Altima, we're going to be taking a look at the Thule Vertex Four Bike Rack, part number 2H9029XT.Our bike is going to attach at three different points. We're going to have two on our crossbar here, and then we're going to have one strap going around our vertical support right here that's going to act as our vertical sway.The way we're going to take them off is we just pull the straps and unhook them, going around to each section and once we have all three unhooked, we can pull our bike right off. I'm going to set is aside for now.Not only is the cradle going to provide a nice spot for our bike to sit, but as you notice there's going to be several grooves in there and that's going to be for our cables running to our brakes, making it that much easier and nicer for our bike to sit in.The vertical support here is going to act as an anti sway and prevent bike to bike contact.One thing I really like about this bike rack is the integrated cable lock. You can simply pull the cable out, wrap it through our bikes and it'll secure right here.Now this is a four bike rack so we are going to be adding quite a bit of real estate to the back of our car. So I'd like to give you a few measurements. From the edge of the bumper to the outermost edge of the arm is going to come in just under 36 inches.
Thule Doubletrack Hitch Bike Rack Review - 2010 Nissan Altima
Today on our 2010 Nissan Altima, we'll be test fitting the Thule Doubletrack Platform-Style 2 Bike Rack for both 1-1/4-inchand 2-inch hitches, part number TH990XT. To begin our test fit, we'll slide the shank of the rack into the receiver tube of the hitch, line up the pin hole, and install our anti-rattle bolt. We'll tighten with a wrench and then secure it with a lock on the other side. Now, we'll go over some key measurements. We have about 8 inches of ground clearance. The closest part of the Doubletrack to the closest part of our Altima is about 1 inch. With the Doubletrack in the folded position, we've added 8 inches to the overall length of our Altima. Now, we'll go ahead and pull the switch at the base of the Doubletrack and tilt the mast down. We'll undo our cradle straps, lift up the center mast, and put the frame hooks to the top of the mast to prepare to load our bike.With our rack unfolded, we've added 27 inches to the overall length of the vehicle. Then, we'll place our bike into the wheel trays and secure it first with the frame hooks.
Kuat Sherpa Hitch Bike Rack Review - 2009 Nissan Altima
Today on our 2009 Nissan Altima, well be test fitting the Kuat Sherpa Aluminum Pitch mounted two bike rack, part number s102. To begin our test fit we want to have to remove the two inch adapter from our bike rack shank, so now we can just slide the shank of the carrier into our hitch, line up the pin hole, and slide in the hitch pin. Well then move to the back of the shank where well tighten the knob down securing our bike rack to the vehicle and engaging our anti-rattle device.Well now go ahead and go over a few clearance measurements. We have a ground clearance of 11, the bike rack at the rear of the vehicle lay flesh with each other. With the bike carrier in its folded position weve added eight inches to the overall length of our vehicle. Now well go ahead and pull the lever at the base of our carrier to unfold our bike rack.
Yakima DoubleDown Ace Hitch Bike Rack Review - 2009 Nissan Altima
Today on our 2009 Nissan Altima, well be test fitting the Yakima Doubledown Ace four bike carrier for 1-1/4 and 2 hitches, part number y02451. To begin our test fit well slide the shank of the carrier into the receiver tube of our hitch, line up the hitch pin hole, and put in our clip with the red knob on it. Now move to the rear of the carrier, where well hand tighten the black knob to engage our anti-rattle device and secure the carrier to the vehicle.Now well go ahead and go over a few clearance measurements. We have a ground clearance of about 7; the closet part of the carrier to the closet rear of the vehicle is about 3. With the bike carrier on its folded position, weve added about 9 to the overall length of our vehicle. Now well go ahead and pull the red pin and knob at the base of the carrier to tilt down our bike carrier.
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."