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Is this right for you? Product Expert Matthew S says:
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).
Average Customer Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (499 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.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!
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 - 03/01/2018
Helpful LinkFlawless - 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.
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 - 03/05/2021This 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.
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.
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.
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 - 03/13/2018Works 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.
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 . :)
Elizabeth A - 07/05/2018Only 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
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.
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
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!
Great product descriptions on website is reason I use e-trailer. Prompt shipping and notification. Very easy installation. Sturdier than I expected. Anti-sway clamp is a nice feature which I haven't seen before on other hitch racks. Spacing between bikes with lateral stabilization function greatly reduced potential for two bikes rubbbing together. Three inch rise coming out of hitch is a great feature for my low riding Kia Soul.
I have only used the 2 bike carrier once, but it was easy to install/uninstall to the receiver and bike rode securely using the available straps. Seems like a decent carrier for the price.
I love this bike rack. I drive a bug convertible and tried 2 others before finding this one. So easy to use, I can install each Spring by myself and remove at year end. It allows my bike to ride high but no view obstruction. I can also still access my truck. Highly recommend. I also recommend Etrailer, site is very informative, videos are great. They also provide excellent customer service.
Denise T - 04/24/2020Bike 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.
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.
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.
Bill K - 07/11/2016Well 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.
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.
Annette E - 08/30/2018This 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.
There 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 - 5/8/2013
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Condition: Installed
Notes: Was previously installed and used. Some damage to the coating from use, but otherwise will work great.
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