This adapter does exactly what is expected. You hook the sides on your bike then hang it on your carrier. I find that it is very secure. Of course, you should always double check that the bar is closed securely, but that is something you should do anyway. Easy to use and works great on my Trek bike as well as a kid's bike. I have a similar one that is a different brand and cost a lot more that really does not seem to be any better than this one! If I was writing a review for that one it would be identical! If you are looking for a bar to securely hang your bike on your car rack...this is a great purchase!

I have two of the Yakima adapters and I have to say I like this one much better. The push pins are easier to push in with your fingers and the hangers open out instead of up or down, which is better on the small parts as it sits on the rack along with the downward pressure of the bike. The spring in the shaft is a nice feature, but there's no telling how long that will hold up with the wear and tear. We've used this probably 5 times now, on hour long destinations and it's held up great! Originally bought for the kids bike (16" from seat post to handle bar post), don't listen to what people are saying, it will not fit the way it's intended. Even etrailer.com has conflicting info (says it can work with kids bikes and mentions 16" - 29 1/2" but the actual spec caps the bottom at 22") However, we got it to work securely through the handle bars so hopefully your kids bike has that.

This is a nice adapter that would work with SOME bikes in SOME situations, but did not work for mine. First I'll explain why it didn't work for my specific bike or rack, and then I'll explain the overall pros & cons of the design in general.

MY BIKE & RACK:

My bike rack is an Allen 102DN, mounted on my car trunk. My bike is a women's Specialized Safire FSR mountain bike. The bike's handlebar neck was too thick for one end of the adapter (see photo), which happened to be the end I needed to use in order to mount the adapter safely onto my bike rack. The distance from my handlebar neck to my seat post was about 19.5" and the adapter length fit this distance if I flipped it around and used the wide end for the handlebar neck. However, when I lengthened the adapter to fit my bike, the adapter did not fit onto my bike rack. The adapter's hardware got in the way and would not fit safely into the cradle. I wasn't able to lengthen the adapter to fix this, since I had to use the shortest length of the adapter to make it fit my bike.

The minimum length of the adapter tube, EXCLUDING hardware, is 8". My bike rack required 13" of clearance.

Unfortunately I had to return this adapter since it didn't fit. The Saris adapter is similar in quality but uses a different hardware design that doesn't get in the way of my bike rack cradle, and has wider clamps on both ends. That one worked with both my bike and my rack.

PROS & CONS:

Design benefits: solid construction of the metal, a thick coating on the clamps to protect your bike's paint. Lock buttons are easy to find and easy to depress.

Design flaws:

- As another reviewer mentioned, the fact that the tube is held together by a mere elastic band concerns me. I suppose the benefit of this is that it allows you to turn the clamp horizontally and vertically to clamp to handlebars (such as a child's bike). However, I'd rather see a thicker strand of elastic less prone to snap if the bar malfunctioned. I'm not an engineer so I don't know how much stress that elastic can withstand over time.

- The design of the bar assumes that I am using the narrow end for the handlebar neck, and the wide end for the seat. This isn't the case for my mountain bike, which has a handlebar neck too thick for the narrow end of the adapter. I'm able to fit the adapter onto my bike by flipping it around, but then when I mount the bike to my car rack, the adapter's clamp openings end up face-down. The pressure from my bike is pressing onto the part where the clamp opens, which is the most vulnerable part of the adapter. There are labels on the adapter stating not to use it that way.

I needed to transport my SE Bikes Monterey 24-Speed ST Hybrid Bicycle (www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HQYA9WW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) over 500 miles to my son's home along with a load of gear. Though I have carried bikes for years, I have never used a cross bar. This Swagman Bar arrived before I expected it, was packaged excellently, and was simple to attach and then remove. The bar made safely transporting an angled center-bar hybrid bike easy over miles of rugged mountain roads. I am truly pleased that I bought this one and recommend it to anyone needing a carrier adapter.

I want the hooks on the bar to be tight against the posts. Like in the pictures. This will not fit tightly on a post to post dimension less than 21 1/2". I bought it thinking I may have to cut, and I do. You can use it smaller, but the weight will be bearing on the latches, and the bar will twist especially at handlebars. It also irks me that the seller doesn't list any info. Make the money but don't do any work Here is how a good company does it. [New Arrival] Cocoweb Bilinear Alternative Bike Adapter I also did not like the rubber band. I installed a seat post clamp to clamp it in position. Just cut a 1 1/2" slot and slide it on. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JK9JF3A/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1