Will Swagman XC Platform Bike Rack or XTC-2 Platform Bike Rack Accommodate Women's Trek Shift 2  

Question:

Expert Reply:

Either one of the bike racks you referenced, the Swagman XC # S64650 and XTC-2 # S64670, will work well for your wife's Trek Shift 2 bike. The wheelbase of the Shift 2 size 13.5 is just over 42 inches. This wheelbase is well within the wheelbase range of either bike rack.

Additionally, in my research I found the wheels on the Shift 2 women's bike to be 2 inches wide. The wheel hoops of the XC will accommodate wheels up to 3-1/2 inches wide and the XTC-2's wheel hoops will accommodate wheels up to 2-1/2 inches wide.

The weight capacity per bike on both the XC and XTC-2 bike racks is 35 pounds per bike. I recommend weighing your wife's bike to ensure it falls under this capacity, as I was unable to find the weight of the bike in my research.

I also found the lowest part of the Shift 2 Women's Bike Frame is approximately 20 inches high. This is close to the minimum height of these platform bike racks' ratcheting arm. To be sure that the bike is well secured in the rack, I recommend using an adapter bar like # UB01 to provide an upper frame bar to attach the bike rack's ratcheting hook arm. We have not have the chance to test fit a cruiser bike or other step-through frame bike on either of these racks to know if they will fit without an adapter bar.

Between these 2 racks, I really like the Swagman XTC-2 # S64670 because we have found the wheel hoops to be sturdier on this rack than on the XC. Another reason I like the XTC-2 more is the 3 inch shank rise that helps maintain your ground clearance while transporting your bikes. This rise is an inch less than the rise on the XC, but this means not having to lift the bikes as high to load and unload them.

I've attached review videos for both bike racks and the adapter bar for you.

expert reply by: Victoria B

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