Updated Article: Installed in 2021. This is our three-year review of our Swagman RV-Approved Bike Rack. We installed it on the back of our RV in the summer of 2021, and now it has been to Alaska and back. Since the initial installations, I have made a few modifications, which this article will explain. Overall, the bike rack proved my initial evaluation was 100% correct. My Swagman RV-approved bike rack is the most robust bike rack I can find, and everything still works as it did when I first installed it. The Swagman RV-approved bike rack has survived three years on the back of our RV with occasional transfers to our car and our trip to Alaska without noticeable wear.
No complaints
After owning my Swagman RV-approved bike rack for the last three years, I don’t have any complaints. It always does everything it was designed to do without any issues. Several of our friends with RVs have had bike rack failures, including on our trip to Alaska, and I didn’t want to join them. I wish every RV item I had were as trouble-free as this bike rack.
Our bicycles ride in the space between our RV and our tow car. I will explain how I use our Swagman RV-approved bike rack on a double hitch. If our bike rack were to fail, it would cause lots of damage to our car. I have seen these bike rack horror stories firsthand; they are widespread, especially in Alaska and on the way to Alaska. I knew we needed a better RV bike rack. This concern led me to upgrade our bike rack and tow hitch assembly in 2021.
First published in Do it Yourself RV
Do it Yourself RV picked up my article on the Swagman RV-Approved Bike Rack for publication in 2021. This post is designed to accompany and update that article. Do it yourself RV has published a few of my other articles and partnered with us to get the word out about different things that will help protect consumers by getting the most value for the dollar. Here is a link to that article at Do it Yourself RV. Do-It-Yourself-RV-Bike-Rack
The internet has rules (who knew)
Even though I have authored both articles, savvy internet people have told me that having the same article in two places is terrible. So, this article differs from the article hosted by Do It Yourself RV. To get the whole story, you may want to read both.
I wrote the e-bike e-book.
I get lots of questions about our e-bikes. Yes, we took our e-bikes on our trip to Alaska on the back of our RV on our Swagman RV-approved bike rack. And yes, we also have our Swagman RV-approved bike rack in the e-bike e-book. Here is a link directly to the section where I talk about the bike rack. Everything you need to know about a bike rack for your car.
My e-bike e-book was made to answer everything about our e-bike and bicycle selection, so it is a long read. However, you could use it as a reference for everything about e-bikes. E-bikes 2024: How to choose the best electric bicycle: Free e-bike e-book
Not every RV bike rack is strong enough to be used on the back of an RV. Many RVs should not have a bike rack because the bumper on the RV isn’t strong enough.
The Swagman RV-approved bike rack is strong.
To get my point across, take a look at the following picture. I am standing on the bike rack. My feet are about two feet off the ground even though it appears that I am solidly on terra firma.
Because of the RV’s motion going down the road, even though the bikes weigh much less, they can stress the rack more than I did when standing on it. A bike rack on the back of the RV does not support just a static weight. Instead, the bike rack moves up and down and sways back and forth slightly while you drive. I included all the details in the RV Life article. The following picture shows a damaged dual hitch on a trip to Alaska; the bent part was solid 2-inch steel. This is not a picture of my dual hitch.
Stress caused by the weight of the bikes and the bike rack bent this solid 2-inch square shaft. More than one RVer has found their bikes dragging on the road behind their RV. For me, they wouldn’t drag on the road but rather fall into my car, which would mean thousands of dollars of damage.
Trailer bumpers are not strong enough to support a bike rack. Don’t attach a bike rack to a trailer bumper; the bumper will fail quickly.
Construction of the Swagman RV-approved Bike Rack
This bike rack is not a folding bike rack by design. I have included links to some folding bike racks at the end of this article. I didn’t need a folding bike rack, and things that move also add weak points that are prone to failure. The only part that folds is the upper support hooks; in the above picture, they are folded. I fold this upper support arm to make it easier to load the bikes.
Swagman RV-approved Bike Rack on the back of our RV
We travel with the bikes positioned between the RV and our tow car. The bikes are covered both when we travel and when we are parked. We could travel with them attached to the vehicle, but then they would stick out even further and must be uncovered.
Between the RV and the car
We position our bikes for travel (and storage) on our bike rack on the back of our RV. So, when traveling, they ride between the RV and the car on the Swagman RV-Approved Bike Rack.
I failed the first time I installed and used the Swagman RV-Approved Bike Rack. Sadly, I had to return to the old rack to solve the problem.
Installation, my first attempt failed, then success.
I would love to tell you that the bike rack switch was easy and quick. For me, the transition wasn’t as easy as I had hoped. The bike rack is a huge step up in quality. The failure had nothing to do with the bike rack. It is quality from end to end. The failure was a compatibility issue with how I use the bike rack. As I explain how I overcame the compatibility issues, I will show some pictures so you can understand why my old bike rack didn’t have these problems.
Double hitch receiver
The bikes ride on the upper part of our double hitch receiver, and the distance between the lower receiver and the upper receiver was insufficient to use both the Swagman RV-Approved Bike Rack and the Roadmaster tow arms.
Our double hitch receiver was not tall enough.
I couldn’t use my old double hitch receiver because it wasn’t tall enough. I used a framing square for this picture to substitute the bike rack. (Not all RVers carry a framing square, but I do.) I didn’t have enough room between the two receivers of the double hitch. There was plenty of room to use the tow arms, but there wasn’t enough room to stow them.
If you want more information about our towing setup, you can check it out at this link. How to tow – what we tow
Swagman RV-approved Bike Rack — Fresh out of the box
Self-securing connection
In the following picture, you can see our old bike rack and double receiver hitch assembly. On our old bike rack, we had a problem with the bike rack bouncing up and down when it was being used. To keep this from moving, I used the steel plate and U-bolt with large nuts on the top to prevent this movement.
Our Swagman RV-approved bike rack was made with enough precision and engineering that it has a threaded hitch pin that does a great job of preventing movement, making my U-bolt clamp unnecessary. This hitch pin is called a Locking Anti-Rattle Threaded Hitch Pin. I was a doubter, but it works great.
Loading the Swagman RV-approved bike rack
Our bikes are lightweight (including our new e-bikes), so I lift them to load the Swagman RV-approved bike rack. For our e-bikes, I remove both the seat and the battery and lift them. The bikes have gotten a little heavier over the last three years, perhaps due to my increasing age. Swagman makes a ramp to roll your bikes onto the ramp rather than lift them. I am not sure the ramp is compatible with my bike rack, but it looks attractive. Here is a link to the ramp. Swagman Ramp
Built-in locking system
The lock built into the hitch pin also locks the bikes on the rack. One cable end is attached to the hitch pin, and the other is a loop that can loop back to the hitch pin. This one lock can then lock both the bikes to the rack and the bike rack to the vehicle.
To use this feature, thread the cable lock through the bikes with both ends facing forward. Then, pass the cable’s bolt end through the cable’s loop end. Place the bolt end of the cable on the hitch pin and install the hitch pin lock to the end of the hitch pin.
I bolted the cable to the rack and then used a secondary lock to wrap more cable around the bikes. I also use a secondary chain and lock wrapped around both bikes.
Robust doesn’t mean unlimited weight.
I don’t know how much weight my bike rack will carry. As a test, I put one of my friend’s extra-long cruisers, Pedego Ebikes, on my Swagman RV-approved bike rack. Because the wheelbase was much longer than my mountain bike’s, I could only put one of the bikes on the carrier. Since his one bike also weighs twice the weight of my mountain bikes (heavy Wal-Mart mountain bikes), I think one of these extra-heavy cargo e-bikes might be above the limit.
A bike rack buying guide for your travel trailer, RV, motorhome, or fifth wheel.
Installing a bike rack on a motorized RV is usually easier than on a towable RV. Bike racks must be attached to a two-inch receiver connected to the frame. Attaching the receiver to a motorized RV is usually easier than attaching a receiver to a trailer. The frame on a towable RV often ends before the attachment points that would be accessible for a receiver. Repeated dynamic stress is what causes bike racks to fail. More than one RVer has found their bikes dragging on the road behind their RV.
Not on a trailer bumper
Do not attach a bike rack to the bumper of a trailer. They are not designed to support the dynamic loads associated with weight associated with a loaded bike rack. The bike rack moves up and down and sways back and forth slightly while you drive. This means that even though you don’t put two hundred pounds of bikes on the rack, the rack can be subject to more than a two-hundred-pound static load.
Towable RVs
Towable RVs often lack shock absorbers and only rely on springs for suspension. Shock absorbers help maintain the bike rack’s stability. Very few towable RVs have shock absorbers.
Motorized RVs
Motorized RVs usually already have a two-inch receiver used to tow a secondary vehicle. Thus, the part you need to adapt a bike rack to a motorized RV will usually be a dual hitch receiver. Get a 10-inch rise dual hitch receiver if you can. This will allow you to adapt the tow bar under the bike rack.
Motorized RVs with air-ride suspension
Motorized RVs with air-ride suspension will provide the best ride for the occupants and the bike rack. Unlike motorized RVs without air suspension, the dynamic loads associated with uneven roads will be much smaller on RVs with air suspension. The difference will be similar to the ride in the back seat of a school bus compared to the ride on a city bus.
Get an RV-approved bike rack.
I think Swagman makes the best RV-approved bike racks, but I have limited experience. Here is what I think. Unless the bike rack explicitly says it is RV-approved, how do you trust the company will stand behind its product for use in an RV? Are they being silent to not stand behind their product? Likewise, would a company put an RV-approved label on a bike rack that it couldn’t do the job?
Make sure the stinger is long enough.
I call the two-inch square tube that extends from the receiver tube the stinger. Swagman calls it a receiver bar. It needs to be long enough that when the bikes are on the bike rack, they don’t impact your RV. Since we added a dual hitch to our tow setup, we added an extra eight inches of space between our bikes and the RV. If you don’t need a dual hitch, don’t use one because the dual hitch will add to the arm the bike rack exerts on the receiver.
Make sure the stinger is strong enough.
The stinger part of our Swagman RV-approved bike rack is the strongest. It must carry the load of two (or more) bikes while you drive down the road, including all the dynamic loads caused by the RV (or car) movement. We also use a dual hitch. If you don’t need a dual hitch, don’t use one because the dual hitch will add to the lever arm the bike rack exerts on the receiver. The farther away the bikes are from the car, the stronger your stinger must be.
Make sure your bike rack doesn’t interfere with your tow car.
Because we tow our Subaru behind our RV with our bikes between the RV and the car, we needed a high bike rack on our RV to avoid interfering with our tow car.
Make sure the bikes are carried high enough.
Swagman uses a gusset plate to increase the height of the bike rack. Like our issue with our RV and tow car, the same problem applies to RVs without tow cars. Get enough ground clearance so the bike rack doesn’t drag when you drive through a dip in the road.
Avoid Hinges
Bike racks with hinges are not as strong as racks without hinges. Choose a rack with no obvious weaknesses.
Don’t hang your bikes.
Bikes, especially e-bikes, are heavy. The bike’s weight should be on the wheels, even your bike rack. This means that you will want a platform bike rack. Besides, bikes hanging on a rack sway way more than on a platform bike rack. If you have a step-through bike, bike hangers won’t work. Top bar designs (missing on step-through bikes) should be flat the bikes you intend to hang.
Get a non-contact bike rack.
The best bike racks are designed with a system that supports the bikes on the rack without any contact with the bike frame. Instead, the bike rack supports the bikes using arms that only contact the bicycle tires. This is a superior design, but sadly, this kind of bike rack wasn’t available, nor did I know enough to spend extra money on a non-contact bike rack. I have a great bike rack, and it would be better if it didn’t touch the bike frame.
If you have a carbon-frame bike, be careful to get a non-contact bike rack or at least one that doesn’t contact the frame.
If your bikes have fenders, you may be happier with a bike rack that has a support system that considers the fenders and holds the bikes in the vertical position, but not on top of the tires.
Get an RV-approved bike rack that is rated for e-bikes.
E-bikes weigh more than standard bikes. Even if you don’t have an e-bike now, what is to say that you won’t get e-bikes in the future? Get the most robust bike rack you can by getting one RV-approved for e-bikes.
Get a bike rack with a loading ramp.
Why not have the easiest way to load your bikes onto the bike rack? I am envious when I see a bike rack loaded that doesn’t require lifting.
Links to items mentioned and used in this install
Two-inch hitch receiver
We had to install a two-inch hitch receiver to use the bike rack on the car. This made it easy to move the bike rack from the RV to the car when we wanted to take the bikes without moving the RV. This isn’t the exact two-inch hitch we used, but it is close and strong enough to support our bikes. E-trailer Trailer Hitch Receiver 2″ for a Subaru Forester. You will need a hitch to match your car.
Subaru Forester 2-Inch Receiver
Dual Hitch Receiver
If it had been in stock when I was looking for a new drop hitch (sadly, it was not), I would have chosen the Roadmaster Dual Hitch Receiver Adapter. My current drop receiver is not a full ten inches. This would have made everything a little better.
Roadmaster dual hitch receiver 10″ Drop/Rise
Our Tow Bar
We use the Roadmaster Falcon All Terrain, Non-Binding Tow Bar on the lower receiver. This has proved flawless when towing our Subaru behind our RV.
Roadmaster Falcon All Terrain Tow Bar
Swagman RV-approved Bike Rack “Dispatch” model
We chose the Swagman RV-approved bike rack “Dispatch” model for two Bikes for our RV. The Dispatch model was designed for two standard bikes. Since we didn’t have e-bikes then, it was a little less costly than some of the racks made for e-bikes.
Swagman RV-approved bike rack “Dispatch” model.
Links to other Swagman RV-approved Bike Racks that we recommend
Swagman RV-approved bike rack “E-Spec” model
An even more robust (and ) more expensive RV-approved bike rack is the “E-Spec” model for 2 Electric Bikes. If given the choice between the “E-Spec” and the following “Escapee” model, I would choose the “Escapee” model. The reason is that the hold-down components on the “Escapee” model do not touch the bike’s frame, only the tires.
Swagman RV-approved bike rack “E-Spec” model.
Swagman RV-Approved Bike Rack “Escapee” model
Another good (more expensive) bike rack for RVs is the Swagman RV-approved bike rack “Escapee” model for 2 Bikes. This bike rack’s vertical brace and hooks hold the wheels rather than the frame, making it suitable for carbon-frame bikes.
Swagman RV-approved bike rack “Escapee” model
Conclusion
Even if you don’t have an RV, I recommend Swagman RV-approved bike racks because they are so strong. Whenever I hear of bicycles not staying where they were put and safely traveling, I think back to my decision-making and am glad we have the Swagman bike racks.
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ndependent and tell the truth. We do not get income or commissions. No, we don’t make paid endorsements. We don’t make recommendations; instead, we will tell you what we like (or dislike). The links are only provided as a quick reference to help our readers.
Links
Swagman RV-approved bike rack “Dispatch” model.
Swagman RV-approved bike rack “E-Spec” model.
Swagman RV-approved bike rack “Escapee” model
Swagman RV-Approved bike rack “Traveler XC2” model
Swagman RV-Approved bike rack “Nomad” model
Roadmaster Falcon All Terrain Tow Bar
Roadmaster dual hitch receiver 10″ Drop/Rise
Subaru Forester 2-Inch Receiver
RV Life, Do-It-Yourself-RV-Bike-Rack
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This cleared up lots of questions that I had about how to set up a bike rack on the back of the RV including what to look for in a good bike rack. Thanks
I have never seen anyone stand on a bike rack like you did. You must really think it is strong to test it like this. I would never do that to any bike rack that I owned.