Yakima Bike Rack

I have purchased a Yakima bike rack a month ago. This is my third rack purchase.

My first was a regular Thule bike rack that came out of my 2 inch hitch receiver, went up and out and could fit 4 DF bikes on it. It looked like this.



When I got my first trike, I had about a foot added to the vertical tube. I could then put the two front wheels over the two extended bars, strap them down then take a a bungee cord and secure the bottom wheel again the vertical tube and it rode great! When I sold my trike, I sold the bike rack with it.

My next bent was a V Rex. For this I purchased an Xport rack. You can see it here.



This worked very well with my V Rex. Held the bent in place to such places as Florida, Georgia and New York state.

I then got my Bacchetta Strada. The issue with the Strada is that the cables are routed across the TOP of the tube. So when you clamp down to hold the bent, it clamped down on the cables. I had the clamp modified to ease the cable crunching, but it was still affecting it.

Thus I purchased a Yakima bike rack. The thing that fascinated me was the bent is held upright by a clamp that goes on the front wheel. This eliminate my issue of the XSport.

I have taken several pictures of the Yakima today to show you how it works. Here is what it looks like with my Strada on it.



It takes less than 10 seconds to secure the bent on or take it off.



First you put the bent on the rack and secure the front clamp. The clamp releases by pushing the big red button you see on the inside of the clamp.



The rear wheel is held in place by a small concave holder and a plastic strap. You put a plastic strap over the back wheel and it ratchets down to secure the back wheel.



I pulled the bent off the rack so you could see the rack components better. This is the position to put on or take off your bent.



Then they did some very cool engineering. To close up the rack when not in use, you fold the front half wheel holder into the center. You then tilt up the back wheel holder and the clamp moves all the way over and is secured under the real wheel clamp. So everything is secure.



The last step is to pull out a pin and the whole unit tilts up out of the way. This rack is meant to stay permanently attached to your car making it very easy to access your trunk (pull pin and swing rack down out of the way).

Note, this is a two bike rack, but I only assembled one back rack because that is all I ever use. But another one is assembled in the opposite direction further away from the car.

One other note. I put on and take off my XSport whenever I drive to ride my bike. That is usually 1 or 2 times a week. It is light, easy to put on and take off.

The Yakima is a brute. It weights about 3 times the XSport because it is built like a tank. The UPS driver told me he reached down to pick up the shipping box but it didn't move the first try. So even though it is much better built than my XSport, it is much heavier too.

Oh one other thing, it is 2 1/2 times as expensive.

Do I like it? You bet. I don't plan to use the Xport ever again. The bent rides very nice and secure with the Yakima. (Haven't gone on a long drive with it yet.) And the front wheel clamp works great. The bent does go side to slide about 1/2 inch but it doesn't rub or hit anything so it rides like a charm and no cable crunching!!!

 

All good except that means yur always hauling around extra weight that affects gas mileage.

I still use my XPort for both Corsa and Rocket. A square of 1/8" rubber slipped under the Corsa's top-routed cables on the main tube and a short piece of foam pipe insulation atop that prevents scratching the paint or stressing cables when the main hooked clamp is tightened.

And the XPort is rugged but inexpensive, around $160.

Whatever one uses, make sure it's quality stuff. Seeing yur bike bounce down the highway in yur rear view mirror would be a bad day.

 

Thanks for the heads up. However, I don't know how that could happen. The front wheel is down in a steel loop that fits the tire (it also fits my 20" V Rex front tire). The clamp holds it in place. Check it out.



The rear strap isn't to keep the bike from falling off as much as keeping the rear wheel in place. Check it out.



I also have a hard time believing the guy didn't see it disappear. My bent is square in the middle of my back window. I would notice if it fell. Check it out.



Anyway, I'll add another strap for safety for long trips. The strap is plastic but it is very thick and durable looking. I also don't ratchet it down really hard as all that need to happen is keep the wheel in place. But this is good to know. Thanks AD!

 

If the rear strap breaks what's to keep the bike from torquing around after the vehicle hits a hard bump and wrenching it loose from the front mooring points?

No matter, I'd never rely on plastic anything for mechanical security. Even UV from sunlight eventually weakens it.

Too bad about the lost bike even if it wasn't a 'bent.

 

Your new rack is a descendant of the old Sportswork rack that was acquired by Thule and Yakima.

I've hauled bents all over the United States with this type of rack and never had a problem.

I did have to extend one of the trays to hold my Velokraft but it was easy enough to do.

I generally clamp the rear wheel because it's easier to clamp on a low racer but I've clamped uprights on either wheel with no problem

 

I tried to do the same on my V Rex, but I have a trunk rack on the back which gets in the way. So I tried clamping on the front 20 inch wheel and it seems to work just fine!!!

Boy I like your bent!!!! :notworthy:

 

It can be bought.

 

Dennis, your 'bent is nice. However, I do notice that you are looking quite sharp there yourself.You must be doing quite a bit of riding these days...looking good.

 

Thanks, but it's an old pic from 2008.

I am on a diet, though, so maybe again...

 

Dennis, unless someone has already seen it, you never say its an old picture. and never "diet"... you are making changes in your lifestyle.

 

Thanks for the advice! So far, I've changed my lifestyle 5.2#!

 

Changes in ones lifestyle really helps. I changed my eating patterns a year or so ago and lost boo-coo LBS but then sort of fell off the wagon...need to get on again. Keep up the good work!