Swagman XTC Cross-Country 2-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (1.25 and 2-Inch Receiver) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I'm going to try a do two different ratings here, so bare with me.
BIKERACK (5 stars): the bike rack has some issues, that seem to be standard with these "import" models (Swagman/SportRack); however, that being said: the bikes are very well secured and very well protected. The ratcheting arm clamps go down tightly and stay there. No friction knobs to keep checking. Once you push them down, they stay there, and there is a place to put a pad lock on each for anti-theft security. The hooks are also padded and did not mark up the bikes even in the slightest. Due to the flexibility of the rack I was able to get a large men's bike and small woman's bike loaded and was able to arrange them so everything made good positive contact; hooks, wheel straps, etc.. Overall, I'm not the least bit worried the bikes will come loose during transit. Excellent design and so very easy to use.
CONSTRUCTION (3.5 stars): this is where all these import models seem to fail; but it's due to their flexibility of use. The entire rack is made from 1-1/4" steel tube. This was done so you could use the rack on a 1-1/4" receiver hitch. With this light steel there is some inherent "flex" that allows the rack to wiggle. It would have been much better to use bigger steel that fit a standard 2" receiver, then have an adapter to go down to the 1-1/4" receiver. I'm going to use the rack a few more times as is, but I may make some modifications to it to help sturdy things up a lot more. The anti-wobble bolt, while a great idea probably works well on the 1-1/4" receiver, but with the supplied "adapter" it doesn't do a good enough job on the 2" receiver. In review of both Swagman & Sport Rack, they're made exactly the same, except for the following: Swagman has ratcheting locking support hooks which are excellent; the Sportrack uses a friction lock, don't like that. Both racks use metric hardware, so if you think you're going to replace a bolt with standard hardware, no dice, the threads are different, etc. The Swagman can also be used on Class I hitches and above, whereas the Sportrack is for Class II and above. Packaging of this Swagman rack, finish, easy of assembly and use were nice.


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Swagman XC-4 Cross-Country 4-Bike Hitch Mount Rack (2-Inch Receiver Hitch) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)At our children's urging we recently purchased bicycles for ourselves so that we could take family rides together. Since we are not experienced cyclists, perhaps I am not the best judge of a bike rack; in fact, this is the first bike rack I have ever owned and perhaps that makes me a mite too critical.
That being said, however, on the whole, I am very pleased with this rack. It holds our four bikes extremely securely, including my women's frame bike (one of the reasons we decided to go with a platform-style bike rack, like this one). The bikes, when firmly fastened, don't budge at all. I like the fact that the bike rack tilts upward, away from the road, which gives us an added sense of security when driving over bumps. I like the fact that the arms ratchet down, rather than screw down, as a competitive rack does, as I find that we are often securing and then releasing the arms to better the position the bikes. Screwing and unscrewing would drive me up the wall. Plus, the ratcheting allows us to get a really snug fit. My husband always gives each arm one last little shove before we take off and the ratcheting feature ensures an incredibly tight fit.
On the downside, we still find getting the bikes on the rack a hassle. We bought the platform-style bike rack because we thought, based on various reviews, that it would be easier to load than a hanging rack -- and perhaps it is. Again here our inexperience shows. Using this bike rack, however, is still like fitting together a puzzle. Even though we've figured out which bikes fit best in which position and we've gotten the tire loops set just right, it's still a challenge. Invariably, the pedals are oriented wrong and getting in the way of installing the next bike, or rubbing against the ratchet arm, or one bike's seat doesn't slide under the other's handlebars exactly as it seemed to the last time we loaded the rack. It can be very frustrating, especially at the end of an exhausting and sweaty ride. (I would note from experience that it's best to stagger the tire loops as dramatically to the left and right as possible to make the loading as easy as possible.)
Also on the downside is the weight of the rack. We store ours in a walk-out basement and it's all my husband can do to get the thing out and up the little hill to our driveway. I definitely could not install the rack myself.
Some additional points: The rack I received was a newer model than the one in the picture. This created a few issues. For one, the assembly instructions which came with our rack was from the older model and completely useless. Moreover, we couldn't even look at the picture on the box for guidance because the picture was of the older model. Assembly was extremely frustrating. Also, if you are looking for a locking hitch pin, note that this rack (at least the newer model which we received) can not use a standard locking hitch pin; it requires a specialized threaded locking hitch pin which only Swagman seems to make.
And finally, the rack we received contained parts in which the powder coating had chipped off and the rack began rusting immediately. We contacted Swagman about this problem. The company representatives we've spoken to so far have been friendly and more than willing to exchange the parts, but even that experience has been frustrating. No one I've dealt with at the company calls back when they say they will, or responds to email, and then when I finally received a box of parts, only one of the three damaged parts was actually in it. I've been promised the remaining parts and expect I will receive them, but this has been a ridiculous hassle. I'm never impressed with poor, unprofessional customer service.

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The Cross country XC 2-bike rail rack can easily accommodate children and adult bikes, downhill bikes, cruiser bikes, full suspension bikes, BMX bikes, Y frame designs and much more, without the hassle of removing wheels. The XC slides into a 2-Inch receiver and carries up to 2 bikes, with an option to carry up to 4 bikes with another module (4 bikes on Class III hitch only). The XC easily adjusts to different bike frame sizes with the simple movement of the wheel hoops. Frame grip arms have a soft-frame friendly coating to protect your bike's finish. When not in use, the rack folds up for easy storage (on or off vehicle), shipping, etc. The XC carries the widest variety of bike frames in its class.

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