Showing posts with label yakima. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yakima. Show all posts

10/01/2012

4-Bike Wheel Cradle Mount Bicycle Carrier Review

4-Bike Wheel Cradle Mount Bicycle Carrier
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This rack is junk. I installed it and placed 3-bikes on it. As soon as I pushed down the ratcheting hold downs, the bottom wire cradles bent down and the bikes were not even close to being secure. There's no way I would trust this rack with any bikes. I returned the item. I had to eat the shipping costs.

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8/27/2012

Saris Thelma 2 Bike Universal Hitch Rack - 4202 Review

Saris Thelma 2 Bike Universal Hitch Rack - 4202
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I bought the Thelma 2 bike carrier last week (but not from Amazon) and took two bikes 650 miles and back over the weekend.
Pros: Very light and easy to use. Easy to assemble. Unlike carriers that strap the top tube, the wheels will not rotate into the vehicle or each other. Loading or unloading bikes is quick and easy.
Cons: The threaded hitch pin is good for keeping the carrier tight in the receiver with no motion, but a hassle to take off/put on, and does not lock. Saris sells a locking, threaded hitch pin separately. You could probably use a standard locking hitch pin, but that would allow the carrier to move a little in the receiver. Would be nice if the carrier had a hole or loop somewhere that a cable lock could attach to in order to secure the carrier to the receiver.
Now the dealbreaker. I assume that on a taller van or SUV, the vehicle would shield the bikes from the wind. But on a car, the bikes are exposed. I was very uncomfortable with the resulting motion of the bikes at highway speeds. I checked the straps and carrier several times and everything seemed to be fine, and I kept telling myself that this is what the carrier is designed for and it's probably normal. But after we got home, took the bikes off, and folded the front wheel holders down to stow them, I noticed that they had been bent backwards some, perhaps an inch at the ends, and no longer lined up with the rear wheel holders. I am taking this back to the bike shop where I got it and upgrading to the Saris Cycle On.
This carrier is probably great for around town use, or behind a van or SUV, but I would not recommend it for long trips on a car.


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5/26/2012

Yakima 1 1/4 Hitch Adapter Review

Yakima 1 1/4 Hitch Adapter
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Great having this adapter--We have cars with both the 2in and 1.25 in receivers and this allows the use of both flawlessly.

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3/24/2012

Saris Bike Porter Hitch 4 Bike Universal Hitch Rack (4 Bike) Review

Saris Bike Porter Hitch 4 Bike Universal Hitch Rack (4 Bike)
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Saris.com seems to edit out any review that isn't all "positive" about their bike racks...so I'll post it on here. Overall the rack is very sturdy and well built, HOWEVER...
I bought a 1.25in hitch specifically to get away from trunk racks. Spent a bunch of money on it, then spent a ton of money on this rack...(the 4 bike version-locking)...only to get it and right on the box it says the 4 BIKE RACK is limited to 2 BIKES on a 1.25in hitch. Carrying 4 bikes was also the main reason to get a hitch rack...so according to the box I have the same carrying capacity as my cheap trunk rack. It doesn't say on the website, nor the installation manual, that it is limited to 2 bikes. ONLY on the BACK of the box. This is horribly lame and mis-leading.

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3/22/2012

2-4 Bike Adjustable Class III/IV Hitch Bicycle Rack Review

2-4 Bike Adjustable Class III/IV Hitch Bicycle Rack
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After much research we purchased this bike rack. The positive is that the bikes are very secure in the rack regardless of what type of bike it is. The negative is that it fits very loosely in the hitch and there is much more movement of the rack than we anticipated. Seems like there should be a way to make it more stable.

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3/13/2012

Yakima Hold Up Bike Rack w/ Lock Cable Review

Yakima Hold Up Bike Rack w/ Lock Cable
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The Yakima Hold-Up 2 is considerably heavy, 60 lb., giving it a beefy reputation. Though it has a few design flaws that make the owner of expensive mountain bikes (me) go hmmmm....
First it's easy to assemble and mount to your truck. It's even easier to mount bikes on taking little to no time at all.
The Design Flaws:
1.)Plastic components on criticle pieces, one being the ratcheting devices on the wheels to hold the bike down should've been made of metal and the strap that feeds it should be high tension rubber, not plastic as the ratchet can slip on the teeth freeing the tension on the bike.
2.) The 'strong arm' that holds the bike down on the front wheel can come loose. It too has very shallow teeth in which to grab (stamped into metal)again using plastic on metal.
3.) The MOST critical piece that did in fact fail more than the above metioned flaws is the pin that keeps the bike rack level. It only goes in just over a quarter of an inch. As the bike travels any bump frees the pin, it catches when it comes down and essentially ratchets itself free causing the rack to drop. It doesn't drop to the ground thank goodness but why even have it drop any? It should bottom out when level and a pin should go all the way through with a cotter pin of sorts to keep it in place. There is a hole on the other side, so I drilled the pin side out and put an eight grade bolt with locking nut on the other side.
4.) The two bolts that hold each platform are put in upside down, along with the bracket,,..wtf? It should mount on top. Another thing is that in about two minutes you can unscrew these with a wrench and take the bikes along with half your rack. Not a good anti-theft system.
5.) The cable it comes with is a joke, along with the locking mechanism that bolts through your reciever. You have to pound the lock on to get it to lock. The mechanism is comprised of a soft lead like metal that shaves off easily, not a good thing when used on a hardened steel bolt that it comes with, it weakens it then is useless.
If Yakima fixed these it would have one bomber bike carrier. It is heavy duty, just the design flaws are critical in keeping your bikes on the rack securely. I had no problem with them falling off, they just came loose, the pin backed out several times and the rack fell several times, not good going down a highway.


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1/17/2012

Yakima HitchLock with Core Review

Yakima HitchLock with Core
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I bought this hitch lock for a 2002 yakima full swing bike carrrier that I purchased used. The lock traveled 4000 miles holding the carrier in place. It is easy to use except you can not fit the key hole cover on as it was too tight. That wasn't significant and didn't effect the locking mechanism. Overall good lock for this carrier. If you have questions about which lock will fit your carrier, call Yakima they had great customer support and told me exactly what to buy.

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12/30/2011

Yakima DoubleDown 5-Bike Hitch Mount Rack Review

Yakima DoubleDown 5-Bike Hitch Mount Rack
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This Yakima Double-Down 5 bike rack is not all that it is cracked up to be. It swayed terribly. Every time we went over a roughness in the road the whole rack of bikes bounced up and down. Finally, the extender bars were only 26" long. This did NOT accommodate our children's 5 bikes. We could only get 4 bikes on it. After a few weeks of being very frustrated, I took it back to the store and told them that it swayed far too much. I also told them that it did not hold 5 bikes.
While there at the store, I noticed a Yakima King-Pin 5 bike rack. This is the Yakima that preceded the Double-Down. I measured its arms and they were 31" of bike-carrying length. The store allowed me to trade the Double-Down for the King-Pin.
I am so much happier as the King-Pin does not sway at all. It fits much sturdier and solid. Also, I have 5 extra inches of bike carrying length which is what I needed to get that fifth bike on it.
I do not recommend the Double-Down. If you can locate a King-Pin (which may be hard since the Double-Down is replacing it), it will work for you so much better.
Overall, we like the Yakima over other leading brands as the bike cradles come with the rack. With other brands you have to purchase these cradles separately.

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Easily carry up to five bikes whether you're driving across the country or simply heading to the trail with the Yakima DoubleDown 5 five-bike hitch-mount rack. The DoubleDown 5 is outfitted with a user-friendly TriggerFingers system, which lets you fold the mast easily out of the way when not in use. As a result, you won't have to take the rack off the car just to get a soda from the cooler. The rack also protects your bikes thanks to its standard SwitchBlade anti-sway cradle, which eliminates bike-to-bike contact. And thanks to the RocSteady hitch tongue, the DoubleDown 5 is extremely stable. Other details include narrow arms that fit a wide variety of frames, an integrated bottle opener, and a durable powder-coat finish. Compatible with 2-inch and 1-1/4-inch hitch receivers right out of the box, the DoubleDown 5 carries a limited lifetime warranty.


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9/29/2011

Yakima DoubleDown 2-Bike Hitch Mount Rack Review

Yakima DoubleDown 2-Bike Hitch Mount Rack
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
The Yakima DoubleDown 2-Bike Hitch Mount Rack is most likely the first and last bike rack I will ever own. When the box arrived at my door, it was stamped with Yakima's "Love it till you leave it" guarantee. Right out of the box, it was simple to assemble with easy to follow directions in both English and Spanish - and as I found out later, you can also download the assembly instructions via PDF document (in case they are misplaced) on Yakima's Web site. The tongue adapter allows you to connect the bike rack to a 2 inch receiver/hitch, but since I have a smaller, 1.25 inch mount, all I had to do was remove one screw to slide off the hard-shell outer casing. From assembly to mounting, it took me just over 20 minutes to get it all done. The best part, when bikes aren't attached, is that I can release a locking pin to access the rear hatchback door of my Ford Escape SUV. Also, the supportive upper arm folds down when the rack is not in use.
The only reason I did not give this product the full five star rating is because although the unit is secure, it's just a little top heavy when it is attached to the vehicle but not carrying any bikes. Finally, the DoubleDown 2-Bike Hitch Mount Rack is meant to support two bikes at a time - more realistically at all times. With two bikes on the rack, it prevents excess sway of the front handlebars and bike tires. Since I only have my bike to support, I have fixed this problem by purchasing a couple of nylon elastic stretch bands to help prevent this swaying motion. This has worked well. With two bikes on the rack, however, I don't believe I would have this issue.
To end on a positive note, as long as you have it mounted correctly and tightly, the rack with bike(s) attached handles well at highway speeds in excess of 70MPH. Overall this is a great product that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a fairly priced hitch mount that is built to last.

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Easily carry up to two bikes whether you're driving across the country or simply heading to the trail with the Yakima DoubleDown 2 two-bike hitch mount-rack. The DoubleDown 2 is outfitted with a user-friendly TriggerFingers system, which lets you fold the mast easily out of the way when not in use. As a result, you won't have to take the rack off the car just to get a soda from the cooler. The rack also protects your bikes thanks to its standard SwitchBlade anti-sway cradle, which eliminates bike-to-bike contact. And thanks to the RocSteady hitch tongue, the DoubleDown 2 is extremely stable. Other details include narrow arms that fit a wide variety of frames, an integrated bottle opener, and a durable powder-coat finish. Compatible with 2-inch and 1-1/4-inch hitch receivers right out of the box, the DoubleDown 2 carries a limited lifetime warranty.


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