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Fold-Up RackItem # S63360
Retail:$175.09
Our Price: $112.95
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This hanging-style hitch-mounted rack lets you carry up to 2 bikes on the back of your vehicle. It has dual arms that fold down for storage, rotating anti-sway cradles with rubber straps, and tilts forward for easy rear-cargo access.
Features:
Specs:
Note: This dual-arm rack reduces the need for a bike frame adapter bar (sold separately) to mount a children's, women's, or alternative frame bicycle. However, to mount certain bikes or to keep your bike level on the rack, a bike adapter bar may be required. Most step-through bikes, dual-suspension bikes, and small children's bikes will require a bike adapter bar.
The Swagman Trailhead hitch-mounted bike rack carries two bikes on dual arms that provide superior stability during transport. The dual arms easily fold down for storage - just pull a pin - and each arm features an integrated reflector at its tip.
The Trailhead has anti-sway cradles that rotate and slide along the dual arms to perfectly position your bicycles, reducing the need for a bike adapter bar. The cradles include durable rubber straps to hold your bikes firmly in place on the rack.
This versatile rack tilts forward, away from your vehicle, when you remove a pin at the base. This allows easy access to your vehicle's rear cargo area.
It includes a two-piece adapter that installs over the shank to convert your rack for use on 2" hitch receivers. For 1-1/4" hitch receivers, use the rack without the adapter.
The Trailhead comes with an anti-rattle, threaded hitch pin and clip to secure the rack to your trailer hitch and eliminate rattle during transport. To lock your rack to the hitch, replace the pin and clip with Swagman's anti-rattle lock (S64029 - sold separately).
Installation Details 
Video of Swagman Trailhead 2 Bike Rack for 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Tilting
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Today we're going to be taking a look at this Swagman Trailhead. This is a hitch mounted hanging bike rake and it's been designed with foldable arms so we can get these down and out of the way when not in use. Now we've got this available in a 2-bike, a 3-bike or a 4-bike with the foldaway design. In a 4-bike with the fixed mount here. The Trailhead's a very sturdy, durable rack, it is really stable as you head down the road. There's a couple of features that they've incorporated in there to make sure that happens. The first is our threaded hitch pin bolt that keeps any side to side or up and down movement contained.
Then if we come up here just a little bit further, we've actually got a threaded black T-handle here, it works in conjunction with the black plate you can see, you'll see when it's loose our rack has some movement and some wobble there. When we tighten that back down, all that movement is going to be taken care of and we'll not have to worry about that. Now once we have our T-handle loosened, we can just rotate the black metal plate so it's running the same way as our rack and then pull the silver pin that's going to allow us to tilt the rack right out and away from our vehicle. In most cases, this going to give you more than enough room to open any rear trunks or rear hatches that you need to get in and out of your goodies that you want. Now it's very simple to get it back in its upright position, we're just going to bring it up so the holes line up, slide our pin back through, secure here on the other side and then we turn that plate and tighten our T-handle back down. Now they use a black powder-coat finish so it's going to be a strong and durable finish. We don't have worry about it fading over time or a lot of corrosion and stuff. There's that other pin here, you just pull that out and we can move our dual cradle arms up into position. Now there's two rubber stops right here.
Just like our features down here at the bottom did, this is also going to keep that rattle and that vibration to a minimum. We'll slide through our pin with our cradle arms in the upright position, sometimes you've got to push up and down on the arms a little bit to guide it in. Bring our clip around, we can secure it on our pin there and we'll have our cradle arms out into the loading position. The dual cradle arms of the Trailhead are just 11 1/2 inches from the outside of one to the outside of the other. This is really going to help us accommodate a wide variety of frame styles and secure our bikes properly onto our rack. Each set of cradles is going to have four rubber straps that help hold the bike in place.
As you can see here, these would be for going across the top two and then we've even got the anti-sway cradles located here in the rear. The seat down tube will come through there, the straps will come around and that's going to keep our bikes from swaying back and forth preventing them or at least helping to prevent them from making contact with one another or with our frame. The straps, themselves, are very nice, long, durable straps. They're really thick, heavy-duty. They're going to hold our bike very securely. As you can see, we've got the grooves that run through the bottom of the cradles there to help it accommodate any other brake cables and things of that nature.
These are wide enough to accommodate all the way up to an inch and a quarter frame width. Really nice, deep, wide pockets so we can really secure our stuff with. These will rotate to whatever angle that we need them to. To best accommodate our bikes, there's a lot of different types out there and a lot of different configurations so you are going to have options as far as moving those around go. Now they don't move freely, we don't have to worry about them spinning on their own, it definitely takes a little bit of force but it does allow us to customize that. These will also, again with a little bit force, it's not something that happens really easily but we can adjust these forward and back, right out to the silver stops that here on the back to keep them from coming all the way off, you see right here. That's easily adjustable, forward and back, so we can get the appropriate spacing on our bike. My bike's a big old bike so maybe I need a little bit more space and other narrower frame bikes, we don't need so much room so we can get that customized. The straps go onto one of the three, nice, heavy-duty connection points there. It'll hold our bike nice and snug no matter what diameter the frame's going to be here, we're going to have plenty of room to get that around and get it connected. Now that we've gone over all the feature of the rack, let me show you how to install this on your vehicle. As you can see here, we've got our inch and a quarter shank exposed. This is going to go right into the class one and class two hitches. You do want to keep in mind that if you're using it on a class one, you are going to be limited to a 2-bike capacity. Then to switch this over so we can put it our class three, we've got our two plate adapter. You can see there's a bevel hole there and a threaded hole, we want those to be in line with each other and those should be placed over the non-threaded hole, you can see here, this is our non-threaded hole. The one further up is threaded to accept our anti-rattle bolt. We'll place those on, line it up with the hole we just discussed and then it's just a matter of threading our Allen bolt into this side and we'll use our Allen key and we're going to tighten this right on down. Perfect, easy to install. Now we'll place the rack right into the receiver tube of our hitch. We're going to line up our threaded hole here with our hitch pin hole. Once we have those in line, we're going to take our anti-rattle bolt which is provided and we're going to thread this on through. Now that we've got threaded through you'll notice we've got some movement and kind of some wiggle to our rack so now we need to use our wrench, we're going to tighten our bolt on down. This draws the shank of the rack over against our receiver tube and you'll notice that once that's nice and tight, all that play and all that wiggle is gone. We'll then take our provided clip and we're going to slide in the other end. Now here on the rear of the rack, if it's not already tightened, you see how we've got that wiggle and that noise, they've got this nice plate that's designed to go across the backside and then we just thread in the black T-handle and it going to take all that movement and all that play out of there as well. As you can see now, real nice and secure and we're ready to go down the road without a lot of noise. Loading up the bike is an easy process as well. You pull our pin located here at the top, rotate our arms up into position and we'll reinsert the pin in the new hole that we've created. Bring that on around. As you can see, nice, stable, sturdy ride for a bike and we've got our four straps that we're going to undo that we talked about earlier. With those opened up, let me grab our bike and we're just going to place the bike right up into the cradles that we just exposed and we've talked about the anti-sway cradle strap that you can select on each side. You want your down tube of your seat to be on the side that you've got your anti-sway cradle set up on. Now it's just a matter of pulling the straps around and getting it secured. As you can see there, nice and secure and ready to head down the road. As you can see, we've loaded our rack down to capacity. We are allowed 35 pounds per bike so we add 4 times 35 and it gives us 140 weight capacity. We started with our road bike then we went to our aluminum mountain bike, we got a hybrid style bike here, we've used an adapter bar on that and we also used an adapter bar on our ladies' bike just to even it out. This would have gone on the rack without but the rear end would have been kicked up really high so we wanted to keep it level, wanted to keep it even. The adapter bar we used is from Swagman, that part number is 64005, you can check that out on our website if you don't already have one and if you have a need for it. We'll now take the full load out through our test course to give you a really good idea of what it looks like in action. Here on our test course, we'll start by going through the slalom. This is going to show us the side to side movement of the rack just like if you we're going around corners or doing some evasive maneuvers. Once we turn the corner, we'll get into our alternating speed bumps, this shows you the twisting and torquing action on the rack just like a curb or a pothole might cause. Once we get into our solid speed bumps, we'll see the up and down movement, just like going in and out of a garage, parking lot or driveway. That will complete today's look at the Swagman Trailhead, part number S63380. .
Average Customer Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (317 Customer Reviews)
This hanging-style hitch-mounted rack lets you carry up to 2 bikes on the back of your vehicle. It has dual arms that fold down for storage, rotating anti-sway cradles with rubber straps, and tilts forward for easy rear-cargo access.by: Bob R.10/19/2017
We have a 2013 Nissan Altima and this is perfect for what we needed to take our bikes along on vacations or weekend getaways. 444276
It has been a year now and we bought a Chevy Traverse and have used this rack on it to carry our two bikes. Works perfectly with this vehicle. Very strong and secure bike rack.
Bob R - 10/19/2018by: Marvin T.10/06/2018
Ordered a bike rack for my car. Large box which was delivered on time in excellent shape. Very happy with product. Would certainly use etrailer again. 572212
by: Walter10/11/2018
First class, 5 stars, will buy from them again, the customer service is the best. Thanks.. 573611
by: SMW biker09/12/2018
This bicycle carrier works great seem solid, well built. Holds bikes in place, no damage or scratching. I have had it for a year. What's good and bad at the same time is that it is quite heavy. A characteristic of many bike carriers I have had. This carrier better than the Sarris Bones Carrier which is lighter but failed on me catastrophically. This carrier folds up to be somewhat compact. Would recommend getting the optional lock. 564090
by: Kenneth09/28/2018
Quality exceptional; price remarkable; service friendly and efficient. We are so glad we found etrailer.com. Thank 569604
by: Annette E.08/30/2017
I am very happy with the Swagman bike rack. I originally wanted the Thule 2 bike rack but it was out of stock for quite a while. I decided I would try the Swagman. It worked out great. It is very solid and was easy to install on my suv. The bikes were very secure on the rack and little to no movement as we traveled. I like the fact you can just unlatch the pin and tilt the rack while you open the car hatch. No need to remove the entire rack, very convenient. I would say it is very comparable to the Thule and the price was quite a bit less. 426670
The Swagman bike rack I purchased a year ago is still performing perfectly. I love it. Glad I bought it. Quality product!!
Annette E - 08/30/2018by: Ralph09/08/2018
I got this for my 2018 Nissan Rogue as it sets far away enough from the hitch. Comes assembled which is nice Have used it without any problems Service at etrailer is good too 562963
by: John09/15/2018
The product was exactly as described. It is very well made. 565346
by: John H07/30/2012
I chose this rack based on the reviews, and it lives up to the hype. Very solid construction, and a very solid fit in the receiver. After installing it, I attached my bike and drove it around a bit just to get a sense of how solid it was. After many years of a trunk mounted rack, this rack is rock solid by comparison. And I can easily open and access the trunk even with my bike in place. I'm not only pleased with the rack and the hitch I purchased, but also EXTREMELY impressed with the great people at etrailer.com. I sent a question that was answered quickly, and they kept me informed of my order and its status every step of the way. Thank you so much!! 49884
by: Stephen06/15/2018
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. 522264
by: Michael07/29/2018
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. 547585
by: Jim V09/12/2011
My Swagman Trailhead 2-bike carrier arrived on time and was easy to assemble. Both bikes fit nicely on the carrier (even the female style bike for my wife). I’ve taken the bikes out on a short test drive and both remained secure. I had contemplated buying the cheaper Road Gear bike rack, but was glad I upgraded to the Swagman. E-trailers web site was very helpful and their on-line response to questions was excellent. 23850
by: barry k.04/18/2015
Excellent quality and very sturdy bike rack. Delivery prompt as promised. 186085
Very well
barry k - 04/18/2016by: Eddie08/29/2018
I DID NOT ACTUALLY USE THE RACK BECAUSE I HAD A SPECIAL PURPOSE I WANTED IT FOR . THE RACK WAS VERY WELL MADE AND MY RETURN WAS FRIENDLY AND EFFORTLESS . 559450
by: RoxyHG06/18/2012
We were replacing a trunk mount rack because we pruchased a new vehicle and didn't want to scratch it up with the old rack. This hitch mount rack is perfect. Easy to put together, easy to put in and remove from hitch and no scratching of our vehicle! The bikes were very secure when strapped down in the carrier. Even the guy tailgating us all the way to the bike trail wasn't concerned about the bikes coming loose! 44620
by: Carol F06/18/2015
I recently purchased the Swagman Trailhead rack for two bikes. It arrived quickly and was super easy to attach to my draw-tite 1 1/4 trailer hitch which I also bought at trailer for my 2013 Kia Soul. The whole thing has worked out great. The Trailhead is extremely sturdy and well-made and so easy to use. I have a women's hybrid so I have an adaptor and there was no problem securing my bike to the rack. I just finished driving from Washington to California and the bike barely moved at all. I bungeed the front and rear tires to the rack to keep them from spinning and that worked well. In addition, I bought the hitch lock combo and that was a great purchase as well. My bike and rack are totally secure. I've made four purchases from trailer and they have been awesome each time; friendly, helpful, knowledgeable and speedy! 204479
by: Henry M.03/20/2017
Review the Swagman Trailhead 2 Bike Rack for 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Tilting - S63360 The two bike Swagman Bike Rack was fairly easy to set up and install in the 2" hitch on my 4Runner. The directions are NOT well written, but it is so easy to do that poor directions don't matter. The rack seems quite sturdy and my bike and my wife's "semi-womens design" bike fit on the rack at the same time. Since it is still winter in Maine I won't be driving anywhere with the bikes anytime soon. 356519
by: Greg B.04/21/2018
Excellent product. Very sturdy. Met my needs perfectly. I had a particular need for a single bike rack that I could use at different times for two different vehicles. One with a 1 1/4" receiver, and the other a 2" receiver. Also, ground clearance was a concern with the lower receiver level of my Mazda 3. The other vehicle is a Ford Explorer and both are hatchback models. Preston, the customer service rep, did a great job making sure that the rack would fit both vehicles, and that ground clearances, and bumper and hatchback door clearances would not be a problem. Fine job and Quality product! 499018
by: Tina D.05/24/2017
Awesome awesome awesome! So easy to install and so sturdy. I had a bike rack that just hooked on to the car with the straps and I felt so unsafe with that one thinking it'll fall off any second while driving down the road.. I decided to invest in a hitch from etrailer as well along with this bike rack and both have been amazing. No noise or rattle while driving, doesn't get in the way at all and I love knowing my bike is safe. Definitely a good investment 384611
by: Jay C.08/05/2011
folds up nice, fits womans frame without adapter bar and holds our bikes very secure, I changed all the bolts to marine grade stainless steel,cost about $ 14.00, but I hate rust !!!. I also bungy cord the wheels to stop them from spinning while driving, ( it drives people behind you at nite NUTS, been their !! Enjoy this mount, you cant go wrong, and muchmor secure than the vecro ones !!! happy trails 21227
by: Richard03/18/2018
Great product. Solid and stable. I-95 75mph, no problem! 486316
by: Alan R. Shane11/03/2016
Mr. J, The hitch & rack was delivered by the carrier this PM well packed, well prepared an easy to work with. Assembly was a piece of cake, receiving ports clean & appropriately placed. Simply a joy to work with. I am ready to hit the historic C&O Canal tomorrow. Both pieces were perfect. I was particularly impressed with the weight, construction and convenience of the whole project. You even, explained the process for modifying the body work for a form fit. Thanks loads Your ad photo of a CRV is a match to mine. Interestingly, the assembly allows plenty of space for kayak&canoe carrier & tiedown. Again, thank you. alan 316732
A year has passed and my hitch gives me only one concern. Why in heavens name didnt I do this a long time ago? Coupled with a standing bike rack it works perfectly. Thanks so much.
Alan R - 11/03/2017by: Kimberly D09/01/2015
S63360 Bike rack was well made and was everything the description said. Returning because the hanging style was awkward for my wife to load her bike as the bike support holder was a bit wider than the area it had to go through - could be used by forcing through. Combined with rack height and bike weight it was just too awkward. Kimberly was excellent on answering questions about selecting original rack and trailer hitch and follow-up questions on using. Also sent clear instructions on returning rack for replacement. She sent a page of new rack suggestions - of which I found a good replacement and will be ordering. Thanks for all your help 223238
by: Chris06/13/2015
Everything about this purchase was top-notch. From the ordering interface, the demo video, to the shipping and the product itself....all professional and smooth. Regarding the bike rack: I am amazed that you can purchase a bike rack of this quality for under $150. It's sturdy and very well built. So glad I didn't drop 300 bucks on a Thule or Yakima. This thing is compact and bulletproof. Love it. 203076
I love it. Its held up beautifully through a lot of use, and it still looks new. Thank you for following-up.
Chris - 07/08/2016by: happy in PA03/29/2015
Bought this rack because I for some reason are more comfortable (perhaps more used to) the hanging style bike rack. It reminded me of the Thule 4 bike rack that I have and like so much (at much less money). I am very pleased with quality of this rack. At first glance it appears to be built magnificently. Delivery was very speedy. Rack was packaged great with minimal assembly required. 181330
by: Bill K07/12/2015
Installation was fairly straight forward. It took a while to find the correct size allen wrench to remove the bushings so it would work on my smaller receiver hitch. Instructions for mounting the bikes on the rack leave a little to be desired but I guess its not that hard to figure out on your own. The rack holds the bikes securely and there is not a lot of movement. You will need some bungee cords to hold the front wheels so they don't flop around going down the road. Seems like a good rack for the money. 211169
Still no major problems. Getting some noise and side to side movement where the rack fits in the receiver.
Bill K - 07/11/2016 by: Lotte12/21/2017
Hi there, I ended up selling it after a few moknths because I couldn't get the rubber part over my bike which is thicker than most at the join of the triangle. I rigged it for a while but ultimately it was too much of a pain. Also, I didn't like how it folded down when I wanted to put groceries in the back of my Honda Fit. It also seemed to wobble more than I felt comfy with when not holding bikes, though I don't think that was a flaw of any kind. Thanks though. They seem like good sturdy racks. 461846
by: Bill D09/12/2013
This rack is very sturdy, great fit and finish and install was a breeze. I just did a quick test load of my bike and that worked out very well. The other nice feature is that the rack extends out far enough to clear my oversize spare tire (Wrangler) and of course the assembly will pivot down to allow full opening of the gate. I'm very happy with my decision on choosing this product. 99672
Hello! I am curious to know if your rack completely tilts back to open the tailgate completely? I will be mounting this on my 14 Wrangler Unlimited and want to make sure this clears the spare and also tilts far enough to access the rear. Thank you! Chris from Delaware
-- comment by: Christopher - 05/04/2014Youre welcome. I like it very much and find it was a wise purchase. The only problem I am finding though is locating the proper bolt that has a locking system, to lock the rack to the hitch. Right now I am using the bolt that came with it and have a chain lock going through the hitch and the rackbut Im having a bit of trouble finding the right locking bolt system that fits the threads, the same bolt type that came with the rack..might you know off hand which is the proper one? Im looking for the one where the locking device attaches on the end of the bolt, its a key locking device. I tried twice now getting two different sizes and neither one works, one is too big and the other one has the wrong thread pattern, even though both are made by Sawgman.
Bill D - 09/15/2014Thanks for your feedback. The locking threaded hitch pin that we suggest for your Swagman Trailhead is the # S64029
Locking Anti-Rattle, Threaded Hitch Pin for Swagman Hitch Racks
$26.95, it is also sold in kit # S64031
Anti-Rattle Hitch Lock and Cable for Swagman Bike Racks w/ 1-1/4" & Combo Shanks - 7'
$40.95 that includes a locking cable. Both of these items can be seen as related items on the right hand side of the product page.
Rachael H - 9/15/2014by: Keith Y.09/12/2012
This bike carrier does what it is supposed to do for a reasonable amount of money. However it could be a lot better without increasing manufacturing cost. My gripe is that it sticks out so far behind the vehicle. To give you an idea of how far back it is, I've got a hatchback and the hatch can open without tilting it. Makes the tilt feature redundant then doesn't it? This effectively puts weight just that much further back and acts as a lever, causing the load to bounce more and exerting more stress on the hitch and car. Because it is so far back Swagman saw there was a danger of striking pavement behind it so bent the hitch extrusion up to provide more clearance. If I were to do it again, I would purchase a competitor with tilt feature that sits closer to the vehicle. 54434
I agree - the carrier sticks out too far behind my car. Is a shorter arm available?
-- comment by: charles e - 05/06/2013There is not a shorter arm available. Some vehicles do need the extra length in order to open hatches or trunks with the bike rack tilted down. It all depends on the vehicle and location of the hitch. The photos we have of this rack with a Volkswagen EOS show how with certain vehicles, the shank length is necessary and fits well.
-- Patrick B - 5/8/2013by: Wes07/31/2015
First, I have to compliment etrailer on their excellent customer service. I submitted a question about a different rack and received a thorough reply. The rack arrived faster than I expected, but it was the wrong one. No big deal. With a simple 10 minute phone call the correct one was on the way. It arrived just as fast. Now to the rack. It came fully assembled. All I had to do was put the stabilizer bolt in. Very small. No big deal. The rack slid right in. I loved the hitch bolt. It slowed the process a tad , but it made it a lot sturdier. I have a Nishiki Alamosa with a 22 inch frame and 27.5 inch tires. This bike is not small. It was no trouble getting it on and strapped down. The thick rubber straps were great. I also purchased 2 soft ride hook and loop tire downs to keep the front tire straight. The ride was smooth. Plenty of ground clearance. No worries there. Did it shake any? Of course when I hit a bump it did a little. Unloading the bike and removing the rack was quick and easy. Overall after only one trip with this rack I am thoroughly satisfied. It was perfect. It's only about 10 miles to the trail so I didn't need anything more. 215875
by: Tom F02/04/2017
after 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 338774
by: John B., not the sloop09/30/2015
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. 228584
by: Dave W.03/13/2017
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. 352059
Still doing its job just like it did when it was new. Very well made.
Dave W - 03/13/2018by: Robert D.03/16/2012
Flawless - 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! 34084
by: Steve R.11/21/2016
Had a car with a 2 inch receiver which we had a 2 bike Thule rack that we used. Now have a Subaru with a 1 1/4 inch receiver and we did not want to spend so much money for another Thule. After much research we ended up purchasing a 2 bike "SWAGMAN". The Thule has a quick release lever to drop the bars holding the bikes and also to lower the whole assembly to gain access to the back of your vehicle. The Swagman has rods attached to braided wire harnesses to prevent every losing the rods. You will probably spend 60 seconds initially to remove and reset the rods but with time I would imagine that will become less. The cradles are very good and versus the Thule that has 2 rubber straps per bike the Swagman has 4. Too be honest I think the bikes seem better attached to the Swagman. So for the money and a little less convenience the Swagman is a good bike rack and affordable. I'm an engineer and value design, function, and quality of construction. 318617
by: Dave L.06/19/2017
Was 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. 396216
by: John02/28/2018
Suddenly 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. 479810
There is a hitch/cable lock combo available for your Swagman Trailhead bike rack, it is part # S64031
Anti-Rattle Hitch Lock and Cable for Swagman Bike Racks w/ 1-1/4" & Combo Shanks - 7'
$40.95.
Mike L - 03/01/2018by: AlleyCat05/17/2013
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! 80677
Still happy with the Swagman rack. It is easy to put on and take off and can be done in minutes.
AlleyCat - 05/25/2014by: R Simmons04/20/2017
Works Great !!! I transport a road bike and an off road. Each fit securely although they are completely different sizes. Customer service was very helpful in choosing a rack and I will surely call then again. 370195
by: Emma M.06/03/2013
Sturdy, easy to mount bikes-takes less than 3 minutes, bikes do not move when traveling, quiet ride, and awesome price! 83189
It is holding up beautifully after 1 year!
Emma M - 06/03/2014by: S. White11/18/2014
Bought it to use on a Toyota Corolla. Happy with it so far- it gets the job done! Pleased with the quality of the rack and its all metal components. Rattles a bit, as expected. The only real issue is that the upper pin, the one that allows the arms to move positions, fits so tightly that it's extremely difficult to remove. Literally have to use a hammer to insert and remove it. We usually drive with the arms out even when we don't have bikes on the rack, because it is so much trouble to switch the position. As for eTrailer, we are extremely pleased with their service! Will definitely be buying from them again, as it is obvious that customer service is important to them. 161717
I just bought one and have the same issue with the pins being too tight to get them on and off with any ease. And I really want to put the arms down when not hauling a bike. Any suggestions, anyone?
-- comment by: Jane E - 05/04/2015by: Michelle B07/07/2014
Super easy to install, and looks great!! Love the tilt feature and my bike was secured easily. This is likely the best rack to get for simple use and sleek design. 139690
Awesome! Really like how secure it is and rust or weather-related break-down. Excellent and with every penny.
Michelle B - 07/07/2015by: Michael07/22/2018
etrailer is one of the best online retailers. George J. Was in constant contact with us through the email on our order. etrailer sent emails when the product shipped and even alerted us when it would be delivered. George also emailed us as far as when we received our product that if we had any questions he was there ready to answer any and all questions. Their customer service is second to none. If I have any future purchases it will be through etrailer. Thank you George and etrailer. 544708
by: Jan G.03/13/2017
Great product. Bought this for a friends car. Will be purchasing one for myself. 352315
by: Elizabeth A07/03/2017
I 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 . :) 401415
It still works perfect .. very happy
Elizabeth A - 07/05/2018 by: Luke06/26/2018
This is a decent bike rack. However, the hole where the slide-out bolt goes to raise and lower the part of the rack where the bikes sit on top of was not cut correctly and I had to spend time trying to ream out the hole. For a while I just had to use a mallet and screwdriver to push the bolt through. Eventually, after a year of use and continued sanding/reaming of the slot, it is now fitting without use of other tools. Also, within a few months of use, the wire attachment that holds the lower bolt broke off; this without any undue force or shock. Seems a little flimsy on the design. As such, I rate it a 3 out of 5. 526993
by: Isabel06/30/2018
I love my new bike rack, it was easy to set up and I know I will get a lot of use out of it. This is the first time I have owned one like this and I am very happy with it. 528724
by: Kevin06/30/2018
I’ve previously bought Thule products but this is an incredible rack for the cost. 528603
by: Mike06/28/2018
Great product at a great price! Arrived in three days. Easy install! 528100
by: Doug06/12/2018
if only all companies were as awesome as etrailer: comprehensive product range; competitive prices; super helpful staff... and they email you to let you know when your package is delivered!!! Even when the shipping was FREE!!! I wish they sold everything as I'd never use anyone else again! 521148
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