Carrying bikes with a 5er

RnTBnB I have never had any problems that you mentioned while carrying the bikes. I did have to use this adapter since the hitch on the FW is 1 1/4" and the bike rack is 2". The hooked parts that clamps down on the bikes are padded with rubber but I wrap a piece of leather around the bike tubing where the rack tightens down on the bike as extra protection. The bikes are 21 speeds and the cables for the gears and rear brakes are exposed in that area and the leather goes under the cables. This keeps the cables form scratching the paint on the tubing. The bike rack is easily removed if you don't want to take the bikes and there are areas for you to lock each bike individually on the rack. Also if you would be concerned with the bikes getting dirty while traveling you can use This cover to protect the bikes.