Coupon ✨ XTC2 Hitch Mount Bike Rack 🎁

3 reviews for Coupon ✨ XTC2 Hitch Mount Bike Rack 🎁

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   RoldanT – December 7, 2009

   I own several bike carriers, including a Thule Trailblazer hitch mounted 4-Bike carrier, trunk mounted and roof mounted carriers, and fork mount blocks for pickup truck beds.Advantage of hitch mounted carriers:1) Secure the bike in the back reduces wind resistance at high speeds.2) Avoid low height accidents like garages vs roof carrier bikes.Disadvantage of hanging type bike carriers:1) Bike swings during transit with stop and go traffic. More expensive carriers have brackets to minimize this.2) Bikes may rub on each other if position too close, which risk marring the paint finish. Two custom road bikes did not fit my hanging carriers, and I was tired of removing the front wheel. I wanted a hitch mounted bike carrier that folded up compactly and did not require removing the front wheels during bike loads. I looked at the Thule, Yakama, and Saris product, but they were expensive, heavy and bulky. Swagman is a Canadian company, and the XTC2 was manufactured in Taiwan. The quality of the product was very good for the price.The advantage of the Swagman XTC2 over the older XC Cross Country Carrier:1) XTC2 wheel wells are 1/2 loops vs. full loops of the XC. This allows the tires to be tied down with the improved rubber straps vs. the wheel just sitting on the full loop well.2) The receiver bar on the XTC2 is S-curved that lifts the carrier above the exhaust pipe vs. a straight bar on the XC. This higher ground clearance also helps with deep road dips and driveways.3) I agree with the another reviewer that the ratchet locking system to hold down the bike to the rack found on the XTC is much better than the friction knob found in the older carriers by Swagman and carriers by Sportrack. The frame grip arms were improved and soft frame friendly to protect the bike’s finish. You can lock the bike to the carrier using a padlock for each hook holders to prevent release of the ratchet. The padlock shackle needs to be a 3/16 inch in diameter or less. Anything thicker will not fit the hole. The spacing from the shackle to the lock needs have at least a 5/8 inch or larger clearance. Anything narrower will not lock. I found such a lock made by Masterlock (Model 131T) at a local discount superstore. The lock is covered in scratch resistant vinyl. They sell it in a 2 lock set with matching keys.4) Assembling the carrier was easy. Only took about 20 minutes with a phillips screw driver, supplied allen wrench, and socket wrench (to attach the hitch receiver bolt).5) I was pleased to see that the carrier cleared the rear window hatch opening on my 2006 Ford Escape. I use this hatch to access rear storage when the bikes are mounted. The vertical bar folds down in order to clear the rear door opening. The bikes need to be off the carrier to fold down the bar.Disappointments:1) The outer box arrived damaged. It was made of cheap cardboard material. The content were bubble wrapped and loose in the box. See picture. It would have been better if the shipper opened the box, filled it with shipping popcorn, then re closed the box into an outer, more studier shipping box. Luckily, all the parts were present and with no damage.2) The main carrier can be removed along with the loaded bikes by a motivated thief with the proper tools even to there was a hitch lock in place. Two allen wrench screws are located in the underside crossbar junction. I added a separate cable lock to secure the rack to the hitch.3) One item not described in the assembly instructions was that two machine screws need to be installed at the underside of the tip to prevent the wheel wells from sliding off.4) Although the 1-1/4 inch to 2 inch hitch adapter was made of solid metal, and the screw in type hitch pin did minimize wobble, the 1 1/4 inch tubing used to make the receiver bar still had in inherent sway of a few degrees when driving with loaded bikes. The instruction sheet warns to remove bulky item such as child carriers to reduce wind resistance.Update: December 14, 2009We recently had a rain storm come through our area. After a few days I noticed a few rust spots on the latch pins which wiped off easily with a rag. The metal not have a rust resistant undercoating, so it is best if the rack is kept dry or out of the elements for long periods of time. I purchased the Swagman 2 inch threaded hitch pin lock from another website and it provides a peace of mind.Overall this carrier was a great value.

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   St. Pete – August 21, 2013

   If you regularly have to transport your bike, this is a great way to do it. It does require you to put a trailer hitch on your vehicle, which is usually pretty simple if you’re handy. I have used this on 3 different vehicles, ’98 Lexus GS, ’11 Mazda 3 hatchback, and my full size pickup. I am able to open the hatch and trunk on both of the cars with only 1 bike on the rack. The truck needs the upright to be folded down to open the tailgate (no big deal since I usually use a bike mount in the bed anyway). The great thing about this rack is that it acts as a bike stand also. I loosely put it on the rack to hold it while I pump the tires and prep it for the ride. Then just pull it off and ready to go. Don’t have to lean it against something and risk it falling or scratching the car.If you use two bikes, it takes some fiddling to get them to work together on the rack. You have to adjust the front and rear bikes relative to each other until they don’t interfere with the other. The rack is more than capable of being adjusted for just about any two bikes, but it does take a little effort. I put a piece of tape around one of the wheel loops so I know where the front of my wifes bike goes when it is behind mine and I know my front goes on the other side. Then all is good. I also painted some small marks on the rail so I can get back to those settings quickly if I put any other bikes on it. It does need to be adjusted for wheelbase when you put a different sized bike on it.The best part is I put this on and take it off every time I use it and it takes just a minute. I store a ratcheting wrench with it to install the receiver pin bolt. It is about a million times easier than those strap on bike racks and won’t wear your paint since it doesn’t contact the car body at all. I think it holds the bike more securely and goes on and off the car more easily. For security, I just use a cable lock when it is necessary. I don’t like leaving my bike out in the elements anyway so it usually doesn’t stay on the car. If I do have to leave it out, I weave a cable lock through the chain hooks on my hitch, then through my bike wheels and frame. II think it’s more secure than a strap on mount unless you have a point on the car to lock it to. They can just be cut off with a knife.I don’t leave the rack on the car, but after a year and a half of using it a couple times a week (occasionally in the rain) it still looks and works great. I think if you left it on full time the little latches on the hooks would probably rust and eventually cause problems. They are just plated metal and are showing some signs that they might rust if I didn’t keep it inside.Overall, I attend quite a few biking events and have seen just about everything available. I haven’t seen anything that I’d rather have. Note: I’d feel differently if I couldn’t open the hatch/trunk of my cars with the rack (and one bike) on, so I’d check around or try it out at a bike shop before buying. I did have to install the hooks in a way that looks backward to make it work with the Mazda hatchback and I have to flip them around to put on two bikes, but that takes10 seconds or less.

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   jim – November 12, 2022

   Came double packed and perfect condition. Simply a great product