Have you used this bike rack?

[MVA]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

lets see, the Swagman XC2 we had got all rusty after a few years, and the rubber covers on the 'hooks' that secure the bike frame crumbled. the rusty adjustment screws became impossible to use

had a fancy big yakima 4-bike, it used rubber straps to secure the bike's top bar to its rubber covered support things, all that rubber rotted out after a few years.

replaced that one with a fancy bike Thule 4-bike that had a swing out feature so you could access the tailgate, was using it with an E150 van. first the screw that secured the swingout bent so it was really hard to tighten, then the hinges for the swingout bent, then the rubber/plastic things that secured the bikes all rotted out.

Most recently, we tried a Swagman Escapee. the locks on the sliding hooks that secured the bikes jammed within 2 years such that the keys didn't work in them even if I lubricated the locks... but the locks didn't really matter, you could force them and slide the hooks upwards to release the bike. each bike was held by only one wheel clamp, the other wheel was held in place with a strap, and oh yeah, the plastic on those straps was funky after a year or two.

now, I will be the first to admit, none of my cars, trucks, or racks get to live in a garage, they live outdoors (we have mostly mild weather year around). the racks were generally on the vehicles 24/7.

Thanks John. From your experience, it appears that longevity was not inherent to the design of the other racks.

[Snappy]

I have the 1UP rack for use on the back of our 21NE. It's the best bike rack we've owned to date.

[splitting_lanes]

I bought the 1-up after reading all the recommendations on this forum. It’s on the back of the truck and I’ve used it for my carbon road bike, it’s fabulous. When it goes on the trailer this spring I’m sure it will work great.

[johnp271]

I have the swagman XC2. While it clears the spare tire on my Escape 21, I cannot use the XC2 inside carrier with the spare in place. To haul 2 bikes I need to remove the spare, otherwise I can only put a bike on the outside. I've had it for 4 years and like others have said, it is getting rusty.

My grip with bike carriers goes to Escape as well. I don't see why the trailer hitch receiver on the chassis can't be lengthened to extend past the bumper a few more inches to clear the spare tire so one does not need a 1+ foot extension on the bike carrier arm.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by johnp271

My grip with bike carriers goes to Escape as well. I don't see why the trailer hitch receiver on the chassis can't be lengthened to extend past the bumper a few more inches to clear the spare tire so one does not need a 1+ foot extension on the bike carrier arm.

But that would make it too long for my 1-Up. Are you saying ETI needs to fix the deficit of cheaper bike racks?

[johnp271]

No, it's too late for us, we have our Escapes with the receiver as it is. I'm saying if they made them with an extended receiver (or maybe an option of an extended receiver) from now on this discussion we're having would be unnecessary as any good car bike rack would work without the need to worry about clearing the spare tire.

[buzzard]

well we had an older thule that almost collapsed and the piece in the hitch broke after the hitch bottomed out slightly leaving a gas station. So now we have a swagman xc2 traveller 2 bike model. (actually we have 2 of them as walmart sent 2 and they said keep it). So If anyone wants a 2 version model contact me and we can arrange something) .We have traveled about 5k mile with it and like quite a bit. Its easy to get the bikes on and off, but front bike did not clear the tire. (missed by about 1/8 inch or so but with a slight bend made it. still secure enough to use for the trip, I called swagman and asked about an extension and they said it's ok If you use a locking clamp to stop the wobble that might occur without one. That's the only way they would warranty it. So we have a short extension now and the anti wobble lock and all is good. just an fyi. We also keep the unit inside when not in use as recommended by swagman as it will not withstand elements over time if left out.

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by johnp271

No, it's too late for us, we have our Escapes with the receiver as it is. I'm saying if they made them with an extended receiver (or maybe an option of an extended receiver) from now on this discussion we're having would be unnecessary as any good car bike rack would work without the need to worry about clearing the spare tire.

I'm sure there would be more complaints from bruised knees hitting the extended receiver hitch. One can always add an extender...

[Fender]

So the 1Up clears the spare tire without an extender?

[Jwinfrey]

One issue I need to resolve with my 1up rack is how close the handle bar is to the window. If I were to have any serious rocking back and forth. It go right through the window. I’m going to try a hard foam bumper that attaches around the front fork leg and between the spare tire.

[Selkirk]

Originally Posted by Jwinfrey

One issue I need to resolve with my 1up rack is how close the handle bar is to the window. If I were to have any serious rocking back and forth. It go right through the window. I’m going to try a hard foam bumper that attaches around the front fork leg and between the spare tire.

I would just loosen up the stem and rotate the bars 90 degrees (relative to the fork) and retighten, so the bars sit parallel to the bike while in transit. All it takes is the proper size hex key and about 30 seconds......

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by Fender

So the 1Up clears the spare tire without an extender?

yes.



the pedal of the inner bike has to be positioned to clear the spare, which luckily is not dead center.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by Selkirk

I would just loosen up the stem and rotate the bars 90 degrees (relative to the fork) and retighten, so the bars sit parallel to the bike while in transit. All it takes is the proper size hex key and about 30 seconds......

or get narrower bars I had a cruiser style bike with really wide bars and I ended up replacing them with ones that weren't much wider than my shoulders and discovered I had better control and it was a more comfortable riding position, and it was a lot easier to ride through turnstiles and such, pass oncoming bikes on narrow paths, etc.

[Jwinfrey]

Originally Posted by Fender

So the 1Up clears the spare tire without an extender?

Mine only clears with the inner bike facing to the passenger side. Otherwise the pedal hits. When folding up, mine will only go to the middle position.

[Jwinfrey]

Originally Posted by Selkirk

I would just loosen up the stem and rotate the bars 90 degrees (relative to the fork) and retighten, so the bars sit parallel to the bike while in transit. All it takes is the proper size hex key and about 30 seconds......

Considered it and that’s probably what I’ll end up doing.

[AZCowboy]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

p.s. our Escape has traveled 1000s of miles with a 60 and 40 lb ebike (sans batteries) on said 1Up behind the Escape.

I like these racks as discussed and really like the picture. Our 2019 Escape 19 has a weight load limit listed on the back bumper (I think 150 sounds). I finally bought a Bike Friday that I can collapse and put inside when we travel but I'd really like to take my larger ATB Trek or my road bike. The real challenge is my wife's bike. She had an accident and fell and is feaful to get back on a real two wheel bike so I got her a trike. It's large and heavy.

Thanks all,

Fred

[Selkirk]

Originally Posted by Jwinfrey

Considered it and that’s probably what I’ll end up doing.

FYI - Depending on your comfort/experience level working on bikes, you might want consider investing in a 1/4" torque wrench to ensure you don't overtighten the stem bolts when you adjust the handle bars. This is especially important if either the stem or the steer tube are made from carbon fiber (not uncommon on even moderately-priced bikes these days). The max torque values are often printed directly on the stem and should not be exceeded.

Aluminum/steel bike parts are going to be less torque-sensitive, but care should still be taken ensure they are not grossly overtightened.....

[John in Santa Cruz]

yeah, 3-wheelers are a pain to transport, period. practically need a wheelchair lift for them, except most are too long for that. ramps into the back of a open pickup truck bed.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by Selkirk

I would just loosen up the stem and rotate the bars 90 degrees (relative to the fork) and retighten, so the bars sit parallel to the bike while in transit. All it takes is the proper size hex key and about 30 seconds......

also, all older bikes, and a lot of 'cruiser' kind of bikes have the old fashion style 'quill' stem with a center bolt and expansion plug... if these haven't been touched since an older bike was new, they can be frozen solid and very difficult to loosen, and also can be quite difficult to get tight enough that they don't twist. new style bikes where the stem clamps around the outside of the fork tube are much easier, but then you need to be careful not to let them walk too far up the fork tube such that the fork bearings come loose, especially bad with loose ball headset races (thankfully not common any more).


quill stem:


threadless stem:

[Jwinfrey]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

or get narrower bars I had a cruiser style bike with really wide bars and I ended up replacing them with ones that weren't much wider than my shoulders and discovered I had better control and it was a more comfortable riding position, and it was a lot easier to ride through turnstiles and such, pass oncoming bikes on narrow paths, etc.

The dropbars on my gravel bike are no issue at all. My Trek Powerfly Ebike with straight bars is another story. Even with an inch cut off for comfort…