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Is this right for you? Product Expert Matthew S says:
This 2-bike rack is perfect for the occasional rider who wants to hit the trail with family or friends. Anti-sway cradles secure your bikes by the top tube and seat post. Tilts with bikes unloaded.
Features:
Specs:
Dual Folding Arms with Anti-Sway Cradles
The Swagman Trailhead has dual folding arms that provide excellent support for your bikes. They slope up to provide ground clearance for steep driveways and bumpy roads.
To fold the arms down, remove the pull pin at the top of the mast. This leaves a smaller footprint, so you can keep the rack on your vehicle to park in your garage. And when stored in this configuration, it doesn't take up as much space in your garage.
Anti-sway cradles with rubber straps hold your bikes firmly in place. Each set of cradles has three straps that secure your bike along the top tube and one that secures the seat post or downtube. This multi-point contact helps keep your bikes from rocking back and forth, reducing bike-to-bike contact. The soft rubber cradles rotate around the rack's arms to accommodate bikes of different styles and shapes.
Easy Tilting for Cargo Area Access
The rack tilts down without your bikes loaded. This means you won't have to remove the whole rack to access your cargo area for grocery runs and other errands.
To tilt the rack down, pull out the pin at the base of the rack and lower the mast. When you're ready to go, lift the mast up and re-insert the pin.
A threaded hitch pin is included to help eliminate rattle in the hitch receiver during transport. To tighten the pin in your hitch, use a 5/8" wrench (not included). A clip is also included to keep the pin in place.
You can install the rack in a 1-1/4" hitch or in a 2" hitch. To use it in a 1-1/4" hitch, simply remove the adapter with the included Allen key.
Available Security and Adapter Bar
An anti-rattle hitch lock and cable lock (sold separately) are available to secure the rack to your vehicle and your bikes to the rack.
If you have a women's bike, kid's bike, or any other bike without a straight, horizontal top tube, you will need an adapter bar (sold separately) to properly mount your bike. The bar fits between the seat post and handlebar stem post of your bike to create a top tube so your bike hangs level on the rack.
Average Customer Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (523 Customer Reviews)
This 2-bike rack is perfect for the occasional rider who wants to hit the trail with family or friends. Anti-sway cradles secure your bikes by the top tube and seat post. Tilts with bikes unloaded.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.
Mark - 04/24/2022
This rack is easy to put on and take off as needed. It hold bikes firmly and the additional cable locking system keeps everything secure. Also,it's easy to add a U-Lock for added security.
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!
AlleyCat - 05/25/2014Suddenly found myself in the market for a bike rack to hold two bikes for my 2005 Jeep Rubicon TJ. I wanted to use my tow hitch and after some exhaustive internet searching, I came across the Swagman Trailhead 2 Bike Rack. I made a call and spoke to a nice gentleman who was knowledgeable and in the end I made the purchase. Free shipping to Florida and it arrived about four days later.
Installed today and it was as simple as the instructions said. The rack appears well made, sturdy construction and the finish blends well with my jeep. I also liked the price.
I have two CONs; the first is there doesn't appear to be any way to secure the rack with a lock to our two hitch. Perhaps if I got a lock with a very slim hasp, but I think that would defeat the purchase. Second, I don't think this rack is really made for use if you have a cover on your spare tire. For me, the back side V was pressing hard against my tire cover. I'm pretty sure after an hour drive this V would have worn a hole in the cover, so I took it off.
Aside from these two cons, I would recommend the rack to my friends.
Mike L - 03/01/2018Flawless - quiet - secure - easy - convenient. Winner!
I just completed a 1624 mile road trip/move from DC to Austin TX with the Swagman bike rack on a 2010 Honda Fit. This rack felt kind of heavy, but did a great job - no noise, no vibration, and the deep saddles and straps made me feel very secure.
Love the saddle design. Wrap one strap around the seat tube and one around the top tube on one end, and two around the top tube on the other. I used a bungy cord to keep the front wheel in line with the frame. Very secure, noise-free.
The swing-down design came in very handy when accessing the hatch. I hadn't considered this important when I bought it, but it is a nice feature, especially given the weight of the rack. Nicer to keep it in the hitch and swing it down to get in the back.
Also, note how the rack rises up from the hitch receiver. This gave me plenty of ground clearance. I had that little Honda way loaded and the rack never bottomed out or scraped when entering driveways, parking lots, or up ramps.
This was the right blend of features, cost and quality for my use. I'm not sure what more I could have wanted!
I purchased the Swagman Trailhead 2 bike rack for mounting 2 bikes on my motorhome because i liked the fact that it rose up from the hitch so it would not drag on the ground at high center situations. it was difficult to get the ladies bike to mount so i added the Swagman Deluxe Bar Adapter. This helped mount the ladies bike but it still took some figuring out on how to get it to mount the bike efficiently. The rack mounts to the 2" receiver OK, but i still am not a fan of the 1 1/4" bar with the added metal to make it fit the 2" hitch. i couldn't find any hitch mount bike rack with a true 2" receiver insert which angled up like this rack so i will make the best of it. It seems pretty sturdy and fairly steady. Please note...It is real important to tighten the receiver pin/bolt because that is all that keeps the rack from rattling back and forth. One other thing which could improve this bike rack for storage (when not on the vehicle)is to have the lower section fold in without having to remove the bolt each time.I would recommend this product but, in the future there could be some improvements to make it even better.
This bike rack came two days after ordering. Etrailer continues to astound me with their service. I love their website as well. Very helpful.
The Swagman bike rack was the third that I had tried (not from etrailer). When I looked at the video at etrailer for the Swagman rack, it looked like a good design and fit for my vehicle. I liked the "one bolt assembly" feature. After I installed it with the Swagman bike rack lock I couldn't wait to put bikes on. They installed easily. The straps hold the bikes very securely. There is next to no wobble when installed with the locking bolt and the anti-wobble knob tightened. I am happy to recommend this bike rack.
I love the bike rack it sets up quick. The bikes go on the rack very easily. The only complaint I have about the rack is that there is no pad on the bar where the bikes lean against. The bikes will hit against the horizontal bar when driving.
bike rack received very promptly. all parts were present. assemblied very easily. used 6 times in past year with no problems except i misplaced the pin between the rack and the vehicle carrier which etrailer identified easily and could provide the replacement promptly. very good overall experience!
I was presently surprised with the quality of this carrier. It took me about 5 min from removing from the box to completely installing on my truck. I wanted a carrier that would be quick and easy to put on and take off and this one does just that. I will be using this only on the weekends for now so it will be removed when not in use. I'm using with a 2" hitch and there is no movement or wobble at all. Great price for a great product.
Dave W - 03/13/2018I was excited to learn they make a bike rack & hitch for my 2013 vw beetle convertible . We went on a two hour road trip with two 26" mtn bikes and had no problems .. Stable and secure Looking forward to heading to the beach with my bike & my bug . :)
Elizabeth A - 07/05/2018after much research and great help from customer service at etrailer this was the only bike rack we could find for a 2 in receiver that had enough clearance for the over size spare tire on the wrangler and its able to be tilted down and could hold 2 bikes
its very sturdy and would buy another one if I had the need for one
Not as simple to use as some of the fancier (more expensive) ones, since you have to pull the bottom pin in order to swing it down if you want to open the back hatch on the car (I have a Toyota RAV4). But it works just as expected, easy to put on and take off the bikes.
Besides the awesome "Swagman" name, I feel confident towing two bikes off the back of my Rav4 through our upcoming North American Roadtrip. Installation was easy, however I would have liked if the rack folded down more in order to be able to open the back door of a 2005 Rav4 without removing the rack. Other than that, really like the product!
Only been one day but so far I am very pleased with the rack. Easy to install and bike fits easily. I do like the straps as the are heavy duty rubber and gold the bike right. I will use one bungee cord strung through the frame to the bottom of the rack to prevent the slight sway.
The only issue is there is a bit of up/down movement at the hitch
Came Just in time to pick up my bicycle from the cycle shop. Now, is it any good? I think it is the best value on the market, I always check E-trailer after I have done my searching for a product. Then ETrailer usually beats them out with great products and fast shipping too. This bike rack is loaded with features and does a great job.
This a great bike rack for a really terrific price. I use the 2” receiver for my vehicle’ and with the 1 1/4 adapter I was able to some riding with a friend using his smaller reciever. The bungees used for securing the bike frame are stout. Plenty of ground clearance, and the rack swings far enough back for access to my SUV.
Once you get the hang of folding it up and breaking it in so pins move easy, this rack is great. Sturdy and rubber straps make it easy to secure and remove bikes.
The straps are easy to put on and stay very tight. It is hard to get the plastic holders trough the cross bar of our bikes (we use the adaptors to keep bikes horizontal). This may be just our particular bikes but it is a pain.
Over the past year I’ve used the hitch extensively. Even after taking it on and off repeatedly, it has held up remarkably well. The only slight flaw is one of the cable wires that holds the clamp for the bolt disconnected. It’s a very minor issue that doesn’t effect the functioning of the hitch.
Norm P - 03/05/2021Bike rack fits securely to car. No bike sway. It's a bit cumbersome to get used to installing and loading bike compared to the more expensive models. Had to use straps to secure bike wheels from moving and turning. Otherwise a great rack and reasonable price.
Well built, good price, very sturdy with little movement when hitch pin bolt is used instead regular pin. Boys bikes fit best wife's bike is a little harder to load but that is bike frame design. Would recommend to anyone and customer service is second to none.
Sturdy, stable, holds bikes securely and reasonably priced. Easy to hang bikes on rack and secure them. Rack is easy to mount on vehicle and does not rattle. I haven't found anything not to like about this bike rack.
Good quality , fit perfectly. Etrailer shipped and delivered as promised. Highly recommend.
Paul - 01/24/2022Was exactly what I was looking for. Having the Mini Cooper Clubman 2016, finding a rack that allows the rear barn doors to open was a game stopper. My new rack allows this to happen and looks great as well.
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