List Price: $178.00
Sale Price: $160.20
Today's Bonus: 10% Off
After shopping around everywhere on-line, including the classified and auction sites, this was the best deal in a reliable bike rack I could find. Combined with free shipping, it ended up being less than half of the price of the alternatives! This rack is really solid and very quick to take the bikes on and off. It is especially nice that the vertical bar can be rotated flat. This allows quick and painless access into the back of hatchback vehicles without having to remove the rack. A lot of good engineering thought went into this device.
There are two minor points that prevent this item from having five stars. First, beware of the ratcheting top clamps, as they can be a real finger pincher if you are not careful. Second, even though the rack goes together painlessly and quickly, it would be better if the documentation discussed the more subtle but nice features and the best ways of loading and using the rack. For example it is important that the chain side of the two bikes face away from the center post, otherwise there is a clearance problem getting both bikes to fit. Another is the best way to load the first bike (remove both top clamps and rotate the vertical bar down to the back tire position). And yet another is the best approach for optimum positioning of the tire rings (keep all four loose until everything fits, no rubbing points exist and the bikes are centered behind the vehicle).
All in all a great and solid product that will certainly outlast the bicycles it will be hauling around!
-Christopher Erickson
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This rack is advertized as easy to put together out of the box, and easy to use once you are ready to to ride. Both of these statements are completely true. We have one man's and one woman's comfort bikes and the different length center main clamps of the rack are perfectly suited to these differences in bike design. The rack is very easy to insert and lock into our trailer hitch and the bikes are extremely easy to load requiring only a minimal lift and support to set and lock them into the rack. Definitely truth in advertising!Best Deals for Swagman XC Cross-Country 2-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (1/1/4 and 2-Inch
Bought on Amazon. Best price anywhere by far. Goes together in a snap and what I really like is how it folds up for easy storage. I can take it off the hitch and stow it in the vehicle when I am off riding. I like the way it supports the bike from below as opposed to having bikes hanging by their frames. Well thought out design, and even the locking (clevis pins) are attached by a small cable to keep from loosing them. Swagman sells an extension to add two more bikes if you need it. I only carry one bike, and have room to carry a second if someone wants to join me on a ride. I highly recommend this carrier.Honest reviews on Swagman XC Cross-Country 2-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (1/1/4 and 2-Inch
This is a great bike rack for SUVs with rear door mounted spare tires. I've got a Toyota FJ Cruiser with a 32"x11" mud tire mounted on the rear and this rack will easily clear this large tire.Here's why I highly recommend this bike rack. First, it's CHEAP, well made and easy to put together and install. Second, there's a 19" hitch extender that's probably long enough to clear up to 35" spare tires mounted to a rear door. Third, the hitch extender is attached to your 2" hitch with a threaded hitch pin bolt that firmly secures the extender to the hitch, so that the extender doesn't move around. Fourth, there are also 2 large pinch bolts that securely attaches to the bottom of the rack at the other end of extender, so that the rack doesn't move around either; this setup is as "solid" as these things get. Fifth, you can choose to use the rack for one or 2 bikes, depending on your needs; ie., you don't have to install the extra hoops and locking mechanism for a 2nd bike if you only carry one bike like I do. Sixth, your bike(s) is (are) firmly attached to the rack and released with a simple padded ratchet mechanism; no need for tie downs for the wheels and/or handles. All you have to do is place the bike in the tire hoops (which are easily adjusted side to side with a tension nut) and then lower the ratchet mechanism on to the bike's cross bar until the bike is firmly secured and it doesn't matter if you have a straight or slanted cross bar, so no special crossbar attachments to the bike are required either. Seventh, you can get into the back of your SUV by removing the bikes and removing the pin in the center vertical locking bar which allows you to lower it to one side or the other. This isn't as convenient as the more expensive tilting or side arm set ups, but it's not as expensive as them either. Eighth, you don't have to lift and load the bikes up high on the car. The tire hoops are at the level of the hitch and aren't perched precariously high up on the roof or on the tire, which makes loading an unloading a breeze. Ninth, if you need to carry more than 2 bikes, there's an accessory that will allow you to carry 4. It doesn't get much better than this!
BTW, I couldn't find a spare tire bike rack that would fit my 32x11" spare tire, so if you have a spare tire that large or larger don't even bother looking for a spare tire bike rack. There aren't any that will work for tires that large. They are for designed for regular passenger sized tires only.
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