Most Popular Bike and Hitch Lock for SUV

So far I’ve just assembled it and took a quick test drive around the block. My initial thought is this thing is perfect. It’s super sturdy and easy to use. My only gripe and it’s not fault of the rack, but it’s heavy…

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

If you've done any research or read any of the other comments on either this rack, or this seller...rest assured they really are as good as everyone says! I ordered my rack on around 4pm est on a Friday afternoon and within an hour I received an email that said they have shipped my product AND upgraded to priority shipping. Can't say enough positive things about the customer service! When the rack arrived, it took me a little over half an hour to get it set up. Probably would e been faster if I were even slightly mechanically inclined (or if didn't I didn't have to borrow a socket wrench from my neighbor). We finally had an opportunity to load up the bikes and head out for a ride today. As others have said, the first time you load up your bikes, it's kind of like a puzzle to get them situated. Took about 15 minutes. This rack is awesome! Very sturdy and the bikes were very secure. Only racks I have had in the past were rooftop fork mount racks. This is so much easier! On e we got to the trail (over an hour drive) getting the bikes off was a piece of cake. Afterwards, it was time to load them back up and it was less than 5 minutes to get them all on and ready to hit the road. There were other 4-bike racks on the website, but this one had enough great reviews that I felt comfortable making the purchase. After the fact, I'm very glad I did! I can't imagine the $800 rack can be that much better than this, and I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a 4-bike platform rack. I will definitely recommend this rack and etrailer.com to everyone I know.

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

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.

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

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.

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

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.

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

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.

Click to Enlarge

This thing is built like a tank! It is of the best fit and funtion I have seen in a bike rack! Solid as can be, fits my bikes perfectly and looks awesome! Plus it folds completely out of the way to access the rear liftgate on my 2022 Rav4!

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Great service from etrailer and the rack arrived as expected. Fairly easy assembly. OK video on Kuat’s site, but didn’t cover the foot pedal. Really glad we got the 2” hitch. It tightened up and we’re impressed with the quality and the stability of the rack. We haven’t done a road test yet, but look forward to putting it to the test. We have a Ford F-150 and it works great. The bikes were fairly easy to load with the batteries out and two people. We do need the strap extenders for our RadMini Step Thru’s. The tires are too big for the ones that come with. Only one set of extenders came with the bike and one adapter for a smaller tire. It’s okay, but since it’s a two bike unit, would have been nice to have both extenders. Otherwise, we are really liking the look and stability.

Click to Enlarge

This rack is perfect! eTrailer had it shipped and at my home in almost no time. I drove with it on the car today, and it was solid and secure. It's super easy to get on and off the hitch. I'm 5'1 and I was able to load the bike on with the ramp without a struggle. Thanks for the thorough video and comparison information. It made this purchase easy.

Click to Enlarge

I purchased the rack and receiver hitch a year ago. Installation of the rack was made simple with the installation video that was specific to my vehicle (2020 Honda Accord). Literally took less than an hour start to finish. Only tool that I needed to buy was a torque wrench, which was about 20 bucks. It did require a very small cut in the plastic bumper that was accomplished easily with a keyhole saw. There was no drilling or other significant issues. The rack itself is awesome! My wife and I have two Lectric XP3 bikes. They weigh about 65 pounds each with battery. When we travel I revome the batteries to save a bit of weight. I have made two cross country trips (over 6000 miles) with this rack and have never had an issue. Literally every gas stop or hotel stop someone asks me about the rack and bikes. It really is that nice. My wife usually scolds me because we lose a 1/2 hour of travel time each stop to visit with complete strangers:) The rack is easy to install and remove on the receiver hitch. The lockout feature works great and gives a great deal of peace of mind. The bikes are easy to load. I don't use it, but there is a ramp that could make loading the bikes easier if a person couldn't lift the bike onto the rack. There are two arms the lock onto the frame of the bikes similar to the receiver hitch. Once locked down the bikes will not move. I would recommend ordering the longer ratchet staps if you have fat tires. I think they cost around 20 bucks but the longer straps allow for a little more flexibility in arranging bikes on the rack. I would strongly recommend this product and this company.

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

So after much research into bike racks, I decided on pulling the plug on the Kuat Sherpa 2.0. I've looked into the Kuat NV and other brands, but they were just too much for my needs. If you've got "regular" bikes and not the heavier eBikes, then this rack is perfect. I wanted a hitch rack that was user friendly and not overly complicated. I have a mixed bag of bikes and this rack can handle them all, from mountain bikes, street bikes, and BMX bikes. I like that this rack comes with an adapter piece for 20"-24" wheels. Assembly of the Kuat Sherpa 2.0 is really a no-brainer. I think it's only 4-5 bolts really. Everything else is ready to go. The anti-rattle hitch ball mechanism is simple to use with just a twist of the dial, easy. The tilt pedal/lever is also easy to access should you need to open your hatch, a solid "click" assures it's in place. So far, loving this rack. Fit and finish is superb. Thanks to Jerred and etrailer for answering my questions, always helpful.

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

OMG!! I have been researching and pricing bike racks for a month. Every time I thought I was ready to pull the trigger, I have a question or review that through me off the trail. I was ready to purchase the rack from outdoor retail store and drive 2 hours to pick it up from store to save the $75 shipping, when I thought about etrailer that I had used when I had a travel trailer. Checked them out, they had the exact rack I decided to buy, with $[XX] discount and free shipping. Life doesn’t get any better. It was delivered right on time and in great shape. BTW etrailers website description and videos were better than the racks manufacturer site. You are Rock Stars in my book. Overall, start to finish was above and beyond expectations.

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

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.

Click to Enlarge

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!

Click to Enlarge

Installation today was pretty straight forward. We had no problems. It may require two people to install the bike rack onto the hitch because it is pretty heavy. But, as a 41 yo woman I was able to attach the bike rack to the hitch by myself. We haven't used it yet to transport our bikes, but I imagine that will be seamless too.

Click to Enlarge

This is the best rack I’ve seen or used for being able to have full access to the trunk / back hatch of the vehicle. That said, it is very heavy and an awkward shape so storing it when not in use is no treat if you’re short on space. All in all, probably the best rack I’ve seen.

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.

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

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.

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!

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

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.

My Kuat NV 2. Bike Rack is the best bike rack I have ever owned. It is excellent for electric bikes. Very easy to load bikes and holds bikes very securely.

This bike rack is built extremely good. It is solid and the bikes are easy to put on and off the rack. The reason for the 3 stars are the following. I purchased the 4 bike rack together. It comes in two seperate boxes one for the main unit and the other for the additonal two bike add on. However, even purchasing this as one unit the two units are keyed different. If I have 4 bikes on the rack and lock the bikes I have to have two different keys to unlock the bikes. Why? The main unit came with some scratches on it. However, I know that putting bikes on and off the unit will get scratched. It is disappointing to see the amount of money this bike rack cost to come already scratched. The other major issue with having the four bike rack is the ability to have all 4 bikes on the rack and tilt the rack down to get into the hatch of the vehilce. The manufacture could provide an extention to the lever so that when the rack is setup for 4 bikes it can be tilted without the assistance of another person. Only comes with two child bike adaptors.

At age 75, I have purchased many bike racks over the years…..this one has no equal in loading and unloading…

Click to Enlarge

This rack is really, good. The only thing i add to make it better is small strap that holds the front wheel to the front wheel bracket. I never had a problem with it, but i like to make sure it is secure. It is a solid bike rack and worth every penny. I would buy this over the Kuat version any day.

Click to Enlarge

This rack is great. The adjustable tilt feature is convenient. The price point is solid for the quality. The 4 star rating is simply because some of the plastic melted due to exhaust heat when the rack was in the bikeless up position. Küat warranty and customer service was great. They are replacing the hook. If you're thinking of this for a 2021 Forester, definitely get the Hi-lo adapter so that the hook doesn't sit in line with the exhaust.

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

I had waited a long time to get this Kuat rack and I am glad I did. The build quality is excellent and using the box as an assembly platform is a nice touch. It went together easily with 3 bolts and secures to the hitch very securely with little to no wobble once the adjustment knob is tightened. My last hitch rack used a threaded bolt to secure it to the hitch and that did an ok job to reduce sway but so far this method is much better. Loading bikes is easy and it holds then securely. I haven't used the security cable yet, other than to test it out, but like anything else I consider it more of a deterrent than anything else as I doubt I would leave my bikes loaded w/o being able to keep eyes on them. Overall this was a good purchase and etrailer was fantastic throughout the process as well. They offered an alternative when I ordered as this item was out of stock, but this is what I wanted so I was prepared to wait. Then to my surprise it shipped almost 2 months earlier than expected! They of course notified me when it was shipped and when it was delivered and made sure I had a contact at etrailer if I had any questions with the rack. Overall it was a great process and a great looking and functioning rack.

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge

Click to Enlarge