Sweet bike rack for your car hitch
July 26th, 2008 by jay
So a few weeks back I put a hitch on my Toyota Highlander because we decided to get a bike rack again, but this time a real one– not one of those flimsy racks that strap on the car and slide everywhere. So I followed the hitch a purchase of the Swagman XC Cross-Country 2-Bike Hitch Rack from Amazon for $130. So far I absolutely love it after two small trips with it the past two weekends. (We did 17 miles today!)
It’s different from your typical hitch rack in that it supports the bikes from below rather than letting them hang from their frame using straps. This makes them lock in very securely which will come in handy on long trips, also it makes it easier to load. The rack itself has no plastic parts, it’s solid metal construction but not so heavy that you’d have a hard time lifting. Today we got back to the car just as it starting raining but thankfully it took no more than 30 seconds to get the bikes loaded and locked on the hitch.
My only problem with it is that it comes with a 5/8″ pin to secure the rack to the hitch but it screws in which is a pain and it doesn’t lock. However you can purchase a locking one separately just beware that due to the screw grooves it doesn’t fit a standard 5/8″ lock, you must you a 1/2″ one. Other than that its a great rack with a great price on Amazon.