SwagmanSEMI 2.0 Zero Frame Contact Bike Rack

Intuitive design, ease of use, quality product. It fits nearly any bike with ease. It's made of durable materials with a thoughtful finish and no sharp edges. Tightens up well inside the receiver hitch so there no annoying rattling. I had something funny happen with a part and contacted customer service for a replacement. They were exceptionally friendly, took care of the problem immediately, no questions asked, and had the part in the mail before we got off the phone; wait time of about 10 seconds. Would highly recommend this company. I generally hate paying this much for a product but am happy I did. Quality products are always worth the money.

Pros:Very easy loading and unloading of bikes compared to other hitch mounted racks.Wide wheelbase can accommodate almost any bike, including short wheelbase recumbents. Good value compared to other racks of similar design.Cons: Heavy, more sway going over bumps than some other racks, compatibility issues with exhaust clearance with some vehicles can damage rack.I have had multiple Swagman racks over the years. I always found them a value compared to say, Thule, and I was excited to try out the Semi 2.0. The greatness of design of this rack is in its flexibility and ease of use. Compared to, say, the Chinook or any single tower ratchet arm rack, the ease and efficiency of loading one bike and then the other with the separate ratchet arms is fantastic. The bikes always feel secure even if the rack bounces a little more when driving than seen in other racks.One of my two main gripes with this rack is it’s weight. It’s heavy compared to other similarly capable racks, like 20+ pounds heavier. That’s a lot! It makes the installation and removal of the rack from the vehicle a little more tiresome, especially if done often. Would it have killed Swagman to use some aluminum or composites for some key components to lighten it up? I would have paid another 20-30 bucks for that. The weight also contributes to maxing out tongue weight on lighter duty vehicles using the 1.25 inch hitch mount.The second gripe is a little more serious. There are some design or compatibility issues of clearance between some vehicles exhaust and the rack that will ultimately lead to rack damage. This issue is not limited to Swagman, but I believe it could be easily fixed by them if they chose to. I own a BMW 340i, a relatively common body style. The clearance is fine when bikes are loaded. It is when the rack is in the folded storage position that it becomes an issue. As you can see with the pictures the exhaust has melted the wheel trays. Swagman places a small easily glossed over note in their instructions about exhaust clearance needing to be six inches, but even so one of the trays is 8 inches and it still melted, so the 6 inch requirement is not enough. Further, something like a vehicle fitment guide would be way more helpful for potential buyers. It sours the experience buying an expensive rack, assembling it, only to find out it does not work once installed. I also have mixed feelings with their customer service. They did do a one time “favor” replacement of the wheel trays which I am thankful for, but I had to fight for it and they only gave one wheel tray when I needed two. I also offered some assistance as an engineer on how the problem can be remedied with little design change to the rack. Their customer service rep gave me a solid impression they did not want to have any part of my input as a valued customer and engineer that has used their racks for years. Frustrating to say the least. The issue could be permanently remedied by using either cast metal or potentially a higher temperature plastic for the rear wheel trays. As a temporary solution, I am using a cheap heat shield blanket I purchased for 20 bucks on Amazon and glued Velcro to it to create a sleeve I can slide on and off when the rack is folded. Permanent solutions that are not drastic include a hitch extender and not folding up the rack while not in use.I still think the Semi 2.0 a great rack, but cannot give it more than 3 stars because of the issues I ran into and how it was handled by Swagman.

The rack is extremely heavy, which could be overlooked if the lock and key mechanisms weren’t rusting and corroding. The cheap plastic straps that hold the bike in place also eventually ‘melt’ and break due to tailpipe exhaust, we have had to replace. There is rust where the piece connects to the hitch as well. This was not an inexpensive rack and obviously meant for outdoor use ! We are extremely disappointed. It should be built to be a more long-lasting product.

To haul two bikes, it is nice. I have a long 29er Enduro bike and yakima, thule and kuat were too short to hold the rear wheel securely. The wheelbase is 49inches and I have 3 inches more to work with. Tire width is not a factor. The tire tray is wide enough for any sand/snow bike out there.I have had it for two years and enjoy it a lot. Ratchets could be a little smoother but they work well. The sliding rear wheel strap is super easy to adjust for different sized bikes.The locks work for quick stops after a ride. The fact they use a different key than the hitch lock is slightly annoying, but that is minor. If the tire ratchet had a lock this would be even better.So far i have no real complaints. It gets me across town and riding. It's way easier than roof mounts. More secure than trunk mounts or hanging hitch mounts. I like it. Not perfect, but it will do a good job for you.

If you have a hybrid or female style bike this is the rack for you. Tried several other racks that hold by the front tire. The bikes fell over or were not secure enough.

Very unhappy with this purchase. The main benefit of this type of rack is that it is supposed to have no contact with the frame. While this is true, due to the large amount of flex present in this rack my fox 36 fork has been marred/scratched with deep gouges from the ratcheting arm making contact with the fork while driving. When putting the bike on the rack everything looks good but as soon as I'm driving I can see the bike moving around a lot due to the rack's inherent flex. This movement allows the fork to make contact with the securing arm. I'm not driving on crazy terrain either, just down the highway and on gravel roads. On another minor note, the securing arms often times get stuck and don't want to rotate.

I've had this rack for over a year now and it works great. Bought it to replace a Thule hanging style rack. Very easy to load and unload both mountain and road bikes. The only minor issues have been some stickiness on the sliding mechanism that holds the front wheel - remedied by some silicon spray - and getting the cable lock to slide out of its holder - also remedied by usage and some silicon spray. No issues with rust like another review mentioned and I have the rack on from March to November in Idaho. I lost keys to the lock and received replacements very quickly - excellent customer service. I actually spoke with and emailed a real person in their customer service dept. Very happy to have made this purchase.

Easy assembly and quality fit

Did a lot of searching for a rack to hold two e-bikes on our new 2020 Tiguan. Have been very pleased with this model. Easy to assemble. Heavy and solid with quality components. Some others we looked at seemed much more flimsy. We are at weight limit since these are heavier e-bikes. We remove batteries before we load this makes lifting easier. Front tire locking feature seems very solid and no issues. Cable locks convenient if not perfectly indestructible. I would add second more secure lock if we had to leave overnight though in a parking lot somewhere.No issues overall and feel quite secure driving down expressway or byroads with bikes on back.

Arrived fast and in perfect condition . Easy instruction and easy installation . great product

We have had our Swagman bike rack for a month now. Absolutely love it! It was easy to assemble. Easy to install. The only issue we have is that the strap for the back tire does not fit the fat bike tires. Had to buy a ratchet strap to secure the fat bike’s back tire. The front tire is easily secured.We leave the bike rack on our vehicle all the time because it folds up and is out of the way.Highly recommend!

Great rack, works very wellI like the fold back feature, keeps it out of the way.The fold out helps getting in the trunk

After owning this for one year. The arms used to hold the front tire are stiff and screech when moving them. The straps that tie down the back tire are deteriorating. The lever to fold up the rack when not using is stiff and gets stuck. The pivot point to fold up the rack when not in use is also very stiff and difficult to use. I would not buy this product again.