|
|
|
| |
Submitted by
chrisharjes
a Weekend Warrior
from Asheville,NC
Date Reviewed: November 9, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Kitsuma | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$420.00 | | Purchased At: | Diamond Brand Outdoo | | Strengths: | Looks cool, lots of neat little accessories | | Weaknesses: | Falls off cars on the interstate | | Similar Products Used: | Thule | | Bike Setup: | Trek Remedy 6 | | Bottom Line: | I've used Yakima products to haul bikes, kayaks and couches for years and years. They've established a reputation for dependability, but have lately allowed their quality to slip substantially. I bought a full Q-tower setup for my 2008 Honda Civic early ths summer, meticulously installed it per factory directions, and used it for only six weeks before the entire system flew off my car at 70 MPH with no warning whatsoever, destroying my wife's and my surfboard. I borrowed her car the next day, also with Q-towers, and noticed the rack slipping off as I tied my new(ish) mountain bike on for a ride.
I asked around, and was amazed to hear that several friends in the southeast (eleven so far) have had the exact same thing happen with Yakima Q-towers on Hondas and other sleek, low-profile vehicles. The clips they use attempt to fit multiple car models, and do so poorly. The Q-tower locking mechanism has an inherent flaw that allows road vibration to gradually loosen its grip, resulting in catastrophic failure.
When I contacted Yakima, they lied. "Q-towers work excellently, even on Hondas- We have had very few reports of failure." They weren't happy that other folks were telling me about these common failures, and continued to deny them despite more incoming reports. Yakima asked me to send the rack in for analysis, at my expense, then refused to offer restitution for my surfboards or vehicle damage. They have even failed to refund my money for the defective product. If you choose to buy a Yakima rack, be ready to get the cold shoulder when your bikes get rag-dolled across the interstate! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
slow learner
a Cross Country Rider
from Colorado
Date Reviewed: September 22, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Versitile! Fits both my vehicles. Carries bikes in the summer and skis in the winter. | | Weaknesses: | expensive!! | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | Hardtail MTB | | Bottom Line: | Solid rack. Several parts (e.g. hinges on ski rack) corroded and I had to replace with stainless components. In fairness, my rack is 10 years old.
I have had two (I guess I'm a slow learner) encounters with my garage. The Q-Clips bent slightly some of the plastic covers broke. Additionally, the Raptor clamp broke. However, damage to my car was far more costly. The rain gutters sustained some damage, the rack feet dented my roof in 3 places, and bolts from the Yakima caused a 3 inch gouge in the paint and a 1/2 inch deep dent in my roof. I can't really fault the Yakima for my stupidity but it sure would have been nice if the rack would have seperated cleanly from my car. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
George Kaplan
a Weekend Warrior
from L.A. , Ca.
Date Reviewed: April 4, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Westchester Parway | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Purchased At: | Sun and Ski | | Strengths: | Nice fit with good instructions. Carry the bikes well which means they do what they were designed for. | | Weaknesses: | A little pricy and the Yakima faring is way over priced. The rack system and faring is an advertisement for Yakima going around town on my car. I peeled off the Yakima stickers and faced the faring backwords so it is just black in front. I don't care if anybody knows I has a Yakima. Only I need to know. | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | Frame, 2 wheels, handlebars, brakes, gear set and a seat | | Bottom Line: | Got racks! Now I can take my bike with me. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Maurice
a Weekend Warrior
from Fort Mill, SC
Date Reviewed: February 23, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | Bicycles East Matthews NC | | Strengths: | Durability, ease of installation and removal | | Weaknesses: | Noise without fairing | | Bike Setup: | GT MTB | | Bottom Line: | Well I've been using my Yakima rack for about 13 years. The only thing I've had to replace were the rubber feet that sit under the Q towers, because I lost them during a moved. The towers aren't as dark as they used to be, but the whole system still works just fine -- even the lock cores I purchased. In this case I think I got what I paid for -- they weren't the cheapest product but turned out to be more than worth the price. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Larry
a Cross Country Rider
from Birmingham, AL
Date Reviewed: January 4, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Rack performs well. Good instructions, easy to install. I have used YAKIMA bike carriers as wekk, but THULE will work. Decent locking system. I am sure you could probably punch one with a screwdriver and make it work, but hey you could do the same with your car. | | Weaknesses: | Cannot get Q clips for newer vehicles. | | Bottom Line: | I travel quite often with my job. I get a new company vehicle every 12 - 18 months. I try to always take my bike because you never know when you will get a chance to ride. I chose a roof rack because you can move from vehicle to vehicle by changing the Q clips. Much cheaper than installing a hitch on every new car. At any rate, I have a 2007 Impala. Had this vehicle for four months. I have contacted YAKIMA 5 times over the four month period, and they still have no clips identified for the 2007 Impala. I have been told by Chevrolet that there are basically no changes from the 2006 model, and asked YAKIMA to check the fit......still nothing.
To make a LONGGGGGGG story short, I have been without a way to take my bikes with me for four months now. Bottom line...if you pan on keeping your vehicle for 4-5 years and can find a fit, buy it. If you plan to change vehicles every year or two and need to get new clips...BUY A THULE.
If I could get parts to move this rack between vehicles I would give a much higher rating. Because I have a rack I cannot use with one of the best selling vehicles in the US (a car that has been out for 6 months)...it sux. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Plano, Tx USA
Date Reviewed: October 17, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Grapevine North Shore | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$150.00 | | Strengths: | Simple Design | | Weaknesses: | Replacement Straps | | Bottom Line: | I purchased this carrier 5+ years ago and have been looking everywhere for replacement straps (World Strap). I finally emailed Yakima and they sent an automated response with a phone number. I called the number and they told me they had the straps and would send me the 6 straps for free. I had found serveral distibuters who's website claimed they had them and sold for $3.00 to $7.00 per pair plus shipping which usually worked out to $25 or so. Of course they didn't have any in stock, and several told me that they were no longer available from Yakima. I was very impressed with Yakima's customer service and would highly recommend them to everyone. This is a company who know's what customer service is all about! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
benjamin
a Weekend Warrior
from atlanta
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$450.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Great rack if you don't plan on buying a new car. | | Weaknesses: | Yakima salesman said "there are clips for every car on the road." I didn't believe it, and now I can prove they don't make them. | | Similar Products Used: | Saris roof rack | | Bike Setup: | Specialized S-Works FXR XC | | Bottom Line: | I echo the reviewer below.
"One of the reasons I purchased the rack was with the idea that I would upgrade the clips and put it on my next vehicle. Unfortunately, when Yakima changed towers they stopped supporting the old product."
I purchased a new car and they don't make the Q Clips. I now own a $450 (including crossbars, QTowers, Clips, locks, bike mount, fairing) waste of space in my closet. It was so expensive that I'll hold on to it with the hope that Yakima makes clips for my next car.
My car isn't overly common (1990s 300zx) but Nissan made thousands and thousands of them in the US. Yakima does not make Q-Clips for them.
It was a great rack when it was on the car. Now I wish I had held on to my substantially less expensive Saris roof rack because they make clips for my new car.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael
a Weekend Warrior
from Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Date Reviewed: May 11, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Roadie | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$159.00 | | Purchased At: | Rack Warehouse | | Strengths: | - Very secure
- Ease of use
- Very well made
- Looks good | | Weaknesses: | - Had to have 90 degree hitch attachment
replaced because pin holes were not aligned (defect) | | Similar Products Used: | - El Cheapo Bell strap-on rack | | Bike Setup: | 2005 Kona Jake The Snake (Stock)
2003 Trek 3500 | | Bottom Line: | This review is for the Yakima Kingpin 4. Initially I had a problem where the alignment holes for the swivel pin on the bottom post would not line up. That was replaced and things are working well. Very nice design, sturdy and nice-looking. I purchased the optional "deadlock" which locks the rack to the hitch and the bikes to the rack. Don't know if I'd entrust my JTS in this "secured" setup. If you pop a lock ring the rack lock is no longer secured and your bike is gone. If you're one for locking your bike to a rack, I'd suggest purchasing additional lock(s).
I like the fact that it does locks the rack to the hitch.
The rubber strap system is nice and really secures the
bikes to the rack. Even though the cradles are rubber and
padded, I place a length of pipe insulation on the cross bar of the bike(s). I like the fact that the mast folds down as well so you can leave it on your vehicle at all times. The SwitchBlade anti-sway bike cradles are sweet.
My children now fight to see who gets to lower the rack (without bikes secured) to get into the rear of my van.
Easy enough for an 8-year old to use. I would have rated 5 Chilis across the board except for the initial problem with the bottom pin holes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott
a Weekend Warrior
from Colorado
Date Reviewed: April 21, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Captian Jacks-Chutes | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$450.00 | | Purchased At: | Bicycle Village | | Strengths: | -Very Secure
-Doesn't interfeere (at all!) with door mechanism
-Sturdy
-Looks Good
-Awesome customer service. | | Weaknesses: | -Price (but you get what you pay for) | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | 2004 Ram XT1500. Azonic 50mm stem. Swinger 3-way w/6" of travel. 5" fork (rock shox) | | Bottom Line: | Very good product. I have the Viper fork mount bike holder with the Q towers and Q stretch kit since I have a Honda Civic Coup. The rear tower covers that I recived with the kit did not fit the Q towers. At first I was puzzled but I later found out that other people were having the same problem. Turns out that some dealers have older tower covers that aren't compatible with the new 2005 towers. A quick, friendly call to Yakima on Monday resulted in brand new (compatible) covers on Friday. All of it was covered under warranty and thus didn't cost me a penny. Excellent customer service and a fantastic product. I absolutley recommend Yakima to anyone looking for a high quality bike rack with fantastic customer service backing it up. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kyle
a Weekend Warrior
from San Diego, CA
Date Reviewed: February 21, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Noble Canyon | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$370.00 | | Purchased At: | Sport Chalet | | Strengths: | Stong, secure, and most importantly, looks good! | | Weaknesses: | Price. | | Similar Products Used: | Putting bike in the backseat of a 2 door Ford Focus. | | Bike Setup: | 2005 Specialized Enduro | | Bottom Line: | This review is for the Q-Towers with the stretch kit.
This rack is easy to install and very strong, if you follow the instructions carefully.
When I tried putting the rear cam covers that came with the stretch kit, they wouldn't fit so I called Yakima. They said that some of their dealers were selling an older model stretch kit and that the only difference were the covers. They sent me the new cam covers for free.
The only downside I've found so far is the price. But when you think about how many roofs Yakima had to destroy to get a rack like this to fit right, it justifies the cost. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kyle
a Weekend Warrior
from San Diego, CA
Date Reviewed: February 21, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Noble Canyon | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$370.00 | | Purchased At: | Sport Chalet | | Strengths: | Stong, secure, and most importantly, looks good! | | Weaknesses: | Price. | | Similar Products Used: | Putting bike in the backseat of a 2 door Ford Focus. | | Bike Setup: | 2005 Specialized Enduro | | Bottom Line: | This review is for the Q-Towers with the stretch kit.
This rack is easy to install and very strong, if you follow the instructions carefully.
When I tried putting the rear cam covers that came with the stretch kit, they wouldn't fit so I called Yakima. They said that some of their dealers were selling an older model stretch kit and that the only difference were the covers. They sent me the new cam covers for free.
The only downside I've found so far is the price. But when you think about how many roofs Yakima had to destroy to get a rack like this to fit right, it justifies the cost. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John M
a Weekend Warrior
from Columbia, MD
Date Reviewed: December 12, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Still looking | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | REI | | Strengths: | Rack is secure on the car and is strong. When properly installed, this rack holds the bikes well. Mine is the older version with the Y towers and not the Q towers. | | Weaknesses: | Yakima nolonger supports the "Y" clips. One of the reasons I purchased the rack was with the idea that I would upgrade the clips and put it on my next vehicle. Unfortunately, when Yakima changed towers they stopped supporting the old product. | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | Varies | | Bottom Line: | Yakima makes a good roof rack. Even the plastic loops that hold the tire to the roof are strong. One time I did not adequately tighten the clamp that connets to the downtube on my Fuji. The thing came loose at highway speed and the bike fell sideways. When I pulled over, the pedal dented the car, but the plastic straps held the bike-no damage to the bike. Two chills for value since they don't support the product for the long haul (I know it would be expensive) and 4 for the quality of the product. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave Lawrence
a Cross Country Rider
from Lakewood, Ca, USA
Date Reviewed: May 22, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Turnbull | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | Jax Bicycle | | Strengths: | Availabilty, Yakima has cornered the market in bike rack land. The fit kit is solid. | | Weaknesses: | The recommended bars are too long, doesn't look good on my car. | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | Marin Rift Zone, stock except saddle and pedals. | | Bottom Line: | This rack fits my car very well. Is there any other way? The thing clamps down solid. Be sure you understand and follow the instructions, make the proper measurements. Take a little extra time and get it right. This is the first rack I have intalled on the roof of my car 2004 Mazda 3 5 door. I chose Yakima, because I can find product anywhere. So sad Thule isn't really in the game. One knock against Yakima, they recommend the cross bar that is too long. Not only does it not look good, but it is a hazard having 5 inches over hang above each door. My wife kept bumping her head, especially when helping our kids out of the back seat. I took a hack saw to the bars and shortened them up, no more bumps on the head for my wife. Yakima could have done better by recommending a shorter bar or creating an in between length or simply suggesting in their instructions that cutting the bar is permissable and in many cases necessary. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
CL
a Cross Country Rider
from S. CAL
Date Reviewed: February 5, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Rock-it | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$230.00 | | Purchased At: | Mtbr classfied | | Strengths: | strong, versatile, easy to install (make sure you have the specific instuction for your car), great customer service. looks good on my car with new style fairing. a lot better for FS bike than trunk rack. easily find parts in Ebay. | | Weaknesses: | addition wheelfork sucks, price | | Similar Products Used: | Yakima trunk rack. | | Bike Setup: | Q-towers with Copperhead fork mounts, new style wheelfork, new style fairing. | | Bottom Line: | Very quiet and stylish for my Chevy Prizm, don't know why the other guy complained about the noise - it's probably caused by the design of your car, not the rack. I bought used without menu so I email Yakima several times, and they always reply next day. Follow their instruction sheet you should have no problem at all.
Wheelfork is not that convenient at all, I rather put my front wheel into the trunk. Copperhead fork mounts are great and I couldn't be happier. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ellison Smith
a Weekend Warrior
from Greenville, SC
Date Reviewed: October 26, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | still searching | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$75.00 | | Strengths: | Sturdy, versatile, holds my bike perfectly, fits pretty much any bike, and looks cool on the top of my car! | | Weaknesses: | Prone to rust | | Similar Products Used: | cheesy trunk racks | | Bike Setup: | Gary Fisher Paragon, RockShox Judy-R fork, Bontrager Jones a/c tires | | Bottom Line: | I love this thing! It's wonderful! I bought it used in the paper, so I got a great deal. It is an older rack, but works the same as a new one.
Setup: Q tower-like towers, wind fairing, 48" crossbars, 2 wheelforks, 2 old full-tray fork-mount racks, 1 short-tray fork mount rack.
First of all, it was very easy to install on my car. Very simple to move parts around and lock them down. And it holds anything you could possibly need to carry! The bike trays are also very nice. I was a bit skeptical at first about having my bike on top of my car on the interstate and bumpy dirt roads, but it takes anything I throw at it. It is very easy to lock the bikes down on my short volvo, but I can see it being a bit of a challenge on an SUV.
I hear complaints about noise, but I have an old volvo, so it pretty much drowns out any noise from the rack. The fairing helps with that too. and it gives me a cool place to put my stickers!. The only real downside to it is that is seems to attract rust. If you get a little cut in the rubber coating on the bars, you'll get rust. I also just had to order two news skewers because the old ones were rusted in place! 50$ each! ouch! Yakima products have high price tags, but if you buy used, you'll thank yourself for it. Even if you do have to replace a couple parts, you'll still be getting a great deal. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric Jewett
a Weekend Warrior
from Los Angeles, CA USA
Date Reviewed: October 16, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | El Prieto | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Purchased At: | Sport Chalet | | Strengths: | Well built, easy to use, holds bikes solidly | | Weaknesses: | NOISY! My nice quiet Passat now roars with wind noise from this thing on the roof. It's really unbearable. | | Similar Products Used: | Barrecrafter roof rack. Hollywood trunk rack. | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Bullit | | Bottom Line: | Don't buy this rack unless you have earplugs or a really loud stereo. Even then you'll need earplugs. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dax Grantham
a
from Boston, MA
Date Reviewed: May 14, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | wamputuck park | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | www.agees.com | | Strengths: | Nice looking rack that is easy to attach and stays put. Components are easy to attach. Rack is sturdy. | | Weaknesses: | A bit noisy unless you get the fairing. | | Similar Products Used: | Thule | | Bike Setup: | n/a | | Bottom Line: | I have to recomend this rack, it looks good and works great. The price is reasonable and accessories go on and come off easly. Security is not an issue, as lock cores are sturdy and secure. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave S
a Cross Country Rider
from St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Date Reviewed: April 24, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Urban | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$380.00 | | Purchased At: | RackWarehouse.com | | Strengths: | It's versatile as hell, looks great, and holds your bikes on securely. | | Weaknesses: | The initial cost. Also, I can't use my sun roof which opens up and back, because the air flow over the wind fairing causes it to flop around if it is opened, but without the fairing, the wind noise is extremely loud and annoying. Oh yeah, IF you can find the old style wind fairing, buy it. The new one really sucks and doesn't do it's job effectively. | | Similar Products Used: | My trunk and back seat. Generic trunk racks. | | Bike Setup: | '02 Kona Stuff and '01 Fisher Kaitai; Rack with old style wind fairing, copperhead bike sled, and sks lock cores. | | Bottom Line: | If you can afford the steep price of this rack, it will definitely pay off over time. The amount of accessories you can attach to the main frame is amazing. The initial cost to just get the rack frame on a car without a factory rack installed will cost about $200, depending on where you buy it. I researched prices for a month before buying it, and the best deal I found was on Rackwarehouse.com . If you ever plan on having disc brakes or you already have them, spend the extra bucks and get a Viper. Otherwise, get the steelhead if you don't mind spending $20 more than the Copperhead. If you are serious about biking and other outdoor sports and you want to transport your gear securely, safely, and in style, buy this. If the cost of the rack is more than your bike, save yourself the money and get a nice Yakima trunk rack for $40, which is what my girlfriend uses and it works fine for her. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
JT
a
from Arlington, VA
Date Reviewed: March 20, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Various Places | | Strengths: | Ease (and speed) of use ... security ... stability ... looks really, really cool! The ability to key everything off of the same key is great too.
| | Weaknesses: | A real pain to install.
You have to buy each and every piece separately ... locks cores, accessory lock housing, feet, etc. Yakima is great but you pay for everything!
| | Similar Products Used: | Generic trunk rack | | Bottom Line: | Set up with this was the biggest pain: I finally broke down
and had REI do it and it was well worth it. My rack is secure on my car and has withstood highway speeds (and more) in rain and wind with no problems at all!
Once set up, I can load my bike on my roof faster than my friend can put his bike on his trunk rack.
Spend the money ... get the Steelhead trays and you'll be set!
4 chilis only because I got tired of having to buy things separately ... why can't Yakima package lock cores along with items that need to be locked (and then also sell the same stuff without locks)?
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andrew Marcucci
a Weekend Warrior
from Pomona, Nj
Date Reviewed: March 17, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | The Next One | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$440.00 | | Strengths: | (With Fairing)-->Looks, Low wind Noise, Ease of assemble. Your Bike is very secure and that's what you want with $1840 Dollars on the roof! | | Weaknesses: | None | | Bike Setup: | Giant AC Air Lite | | Bottom Line: | Buy It, it's worth it! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
hanoverfist
a Weekend Warrior
from LA
Date Reviewed: January 24, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Redbox | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$450.00 | | Purchased At: | Helen's | | Strengths: | Ohmigosh! After using this rack for 2 years it finally happened... I drove my bikes, rack and all, into the top of my garage! This rack is balls on strong. The Qtowers are designed to break away and did just that. This spared my bikes and my roof. The entire setup peeled off the top of the car and hit the floor. With the exception of a very small scratch in the paint, I was spared damage to my beloved ride. | | Weaknesses: | None. Easy setup, excellent engineering. | | Similar Products Used: | Thule | | Bike Setup: | blah blah blah | | Bottom Line: | Get it. Get it now. I was able to purchase a new set of clips and reinstall the rack on my car as if nothing had happened. The modular design is perfect for MTB riders who are hard on their gear. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Marty
a Cross Country Rider
from Cleveland, OH USA
Date Reviewed: October 12, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | who's askin'? | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$800.00 | | Purchased At: | Wilderness Outfitters | | Strengths: | Tough, easy to install, great looking | | Weaknesses: | small paint chip, where the rack claps on, I was kind of expecting that, a dab of touch up paint and I am back in business. No problem | | Similar Products Used: | Older yakima and Thule racks my freinds had, this is my first roof rack of my own. | | Bike Setup: | 99 Ibis Alibi, Zook Superfly, King headset, Race Face cracks, Magura hs 33's, wheelsmith wheelset Hugi hubs/ Bontrager Valiant rims, Seven cycles ti Bar, XTR drivetrain, custom built. Darth Vader Mojo | | Bottom Line: | the reason I put the full description of my bike above is to give you a good idea why I wanted the rack I bought to be the best. If anything were to happen to my bike (outside of the 8-9 hundred dollars damage a year, i do to it), I would be devistated. I dread my bike even leaning when I go around turns in my car. I had a 86 Ford Econoline van before and it protected my bike well, I wanted that kind of security. Once locked down to the steelhead tray my bike may as well have been welded to my roof. I grabbed my fork and the whole car would rock without the bike even close to swaying. I love the rack, get the fairing, it will cut down noise, and help milage. It made the car look great. I have it on a 2001 Focus hatchback.
As for install, take your time, read the directions carefully and you should be fine. It took me 3 hours to install it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
brian good
a Weekend Warrior
from vancouver, bc
Date Reviewed: September 24, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | boogieman | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Strengths: | Besides the weakness mentioned below, the rack seems good. | | Weaknesses: | My Yakima rack damaged the roof of my 98 honda civic. In between each of the q-towers my car has small dents. I have never dropped or damaged that area in anyway, infact there is not even a scratch on the paint. I felt it was from torsion or stress created by the rack. However, Yakima denies that as a possibility. My friend had a similar experience with a different rack from a different manufacturer. I'd really like to know if anyone else has had this experience so I can further my discussion with Yakima. Please reply to my email if you know anyone else in my boat | | Bike Setup: | brodie bigshot w qr20 | | Bottom Line: | I'll decide when I have had some better customer service from Yakima. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
brian good
a Weekend Warrior
from vancouver, bc
Date Reviewed: September 24, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | boogieman | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Strengths: | Besides the weakness mentioned below, the rack seems good. | | Weaknesses: | My Yakima rack damaged the roof of my 98 honda civic. In between each of the q-towers my car has small dents. I have never dropped or damaged that area in anyway, infact there is not even a scratch on the paint. I felt it was from torsion or stress created by the rack. However, Yakima denies that as a possibility. My friend had a similar experience with a different rack from a different manufacturer. I'd really like to know if anyone else has had this experience so I can further my discussion with Yakima. Please reply to my email if you know anyone else in my boat | | Bike Setup: | brodie bigshot w qr20 | | Bottom Line: | I'll decide when I have had some better customer service from Yakima. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
BIKE/RACK THEFT
a Cross Country Rider
from Somewhere near you
Date Reviewed: September 13, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$88.00 | | Strengths: | USE STEELHEAD TRAYS, NOT COPPERHEAD!! Your bike can be EASILY *stolen* with Yakima Copperheads! | | Weaknesses: | DO NOT USE COPPERHEAD TRAYS!!!! I feel Yakima has done a tremendous diservice to its customers by selling a bike tray that, while lockable, presents no significant challenge to thieves either trying to steal the tray or the bike on the tray. | | Bottom Line: | If you're buying Yakima bike trays, pay the extra $20/pop for the Steelheads. They are FAR more secure than the Copperheads. I know this from experience. The Copperheads can be easily and quickly compromised by a thief with a simple adjustable wrench. All s/he has to do is unscrew the black nut on the end of the skewer, then just yank out the skewer. Boom, your bike and your tray are **GONE**. The Steelhead system is far more robust.
If you DO have a Copperhead, make sure you Loc-Tite the bolt, crip the hell out of the threads, or otherwise make it impossible to remove the skewer. You won't be able to remove it, but neither will the thief. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Todd
a Cross Country Rider
from Fowlerville
Date Reviewed: July 23, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Pontiac Lake | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | REI | | Strengths: | Amazingly strong clamping system that would stay attached to the roof even if the top of the vehicle was torn off ! Easy install...about 40 minutes. | | Weaknesses: | NONE !!! Just don't drive into your garage with it !! | | Similar Products Used: | All kinds of hitch racks....really goofy stuff in comparison. | | Bike Setup: | XCR 1500 Xtr Everything | | Bottom Line: | This thing rules....if you were to set out designing the nicest rack around and had any material at your disposal it still wouldn't turn out half as nice as a YAK RACK. The clamping system is a breeze to install, the locks work beautifully, steelhead is the only way to go (just pay the extra $20 already), fit and finish is incredible.
As a side note....ever wonder why top racks are safer than hitch racks ? Had a buddy get rear-ended at 25 mph and destroyed his brand new Trek STP...had just two rides on the thing !!! Swears by roof racks from now on. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul Martini
a Weekend Warrior
from Bradford, Ont. Canada
Date Reviewed: June 14, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Still Looking | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$260.00 | | Purchased At: | Skiis & Biikes | | Strengths: | Easy to follow instructions. Once set up, on and off the car is a snap. Solid construction. Gives one the confidence of knowing your bike will be staying right where you want it. | | Weaknesses: | Not really a weakness, but one has to allow about an hour to become familiar with the Q-towers and positioning the cross bars correctly. Fine tuning of the lock down on the Q towers also takes a bit of time, but once done, the rack is on and off the car in seconds. Of course cost. $65.00 (Can) for the six locks alone is rich indeed!!!!! | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | 'dale MT 2000 Tandem | | Bottom Line: | I use the rack with a Yakima Tandem Mount and love the ease of racking the car and the bike. The clips on the Q-Towers for an 850 Volvo come with pins which go into the factory drilled holes in the doorframe. No guessing as to where the bars should be on the roof and the rack is not going anywhere!!!! Yes, the price could be lower, but I value highly a safe arrival with no surprises along the way. Would have gone for 10 flaming peppers, but for the cost. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Christian Sutton
a Cross Country Rider
from Wappingers Falls, NY
Date Reviewed: May 31, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Mt. Beacon | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$500.00 | | Purchased At: | NRS and a really cool shop in Danbury, CT. | | Strengths: | Fairly easy to set up (1992 Camry Sedan). The hardest thing was tweaking the screws once we mounted it on the roof. It took my wife and I about 1/2 an hour to get the locking mechanism correct so it distributed the weight evenly on both sides. | | Weaknesses: | Two *minor* weaknesses:
1st - The little rear tire ratchet setup on the copperheads gets jammed all the time.
2nd - No matter how tight I set the tire holders (they look like big tuning forks), they always tip back after a long ride. | | Similar Products Used: | Rhode Gear, trunk. | | Bike Setup: | 2001 Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo
2001 Trek 2000 (road bike)
Trek 1000 Hilo (wife's tri bike)
1998 Trek 2000 (wife's commuter bike)
???? Giant Mountain Bike (cheap commuter bike) | | Bottom Line: | Awesome product. Setup was easy and Yakima staff was eager to help when I called w/ a fitting problem. The setup is expensive, but worth it. We have driven our car down to NYC for many races, and each time the rack holds up wonderfully to the horrible roads down there. Noise is only really bad when the tire holder is left up (we get a perfect concert A note!). All in all, I would highly recommend this product to anyone. If you want a good rack at a good price, and want lots of options, (say, kayaks...), then this is the rack to get. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Christian Sutton
a Cross Country Rider
from Wappingers Falls, NY
Date Reviewed: May 31, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Mt. Beacon | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$500.00 | | Purchased At: | NRS and a really cool shop in Danbury, CT. | | Strengths: | Fairly easy to set up (1992 Camry Sedan). The hardest thing was tweaking the screws once we mounted it on the roof. It took my wife and I about 1/2 an hour to get the locking mechanism correct so it distributed the weight evenly on both sides. | | Weaknesses: | Two *minor* weaknesses:
1st - The little rear tire ratchet setup on the copperheads gets jammed all the time.
2nd - No matter how tight I set the tire holders (they look like big tuning forks), they always tip back after a long ride. | | Similar Products Used: | Rhode Gear, trunk. | | Bike Setup: | 2001 Gary Fisher Hoo Koo E Koo
2001 Trek 2000 (road bike)
Trek 1000 Hilo (wife's tri bike)
1998 Trek 2000 (wife's commuter bike)
???? Giant Mountain Bike (cheap commuter bike) | | Bottom Line: | Awesome product. Setup was easy and Yakima staff was eager to help when I called w/ a fitting problem. The setup is expensive, but worth it. We have driven our car down to NYC for many races, and each time the rack holds up wonderfully to the horrible roads down there. Noise is only really bad when the tire holder is left up (we get a perfect concert A note!). All in all, I would highly recommend this product to anyone. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eugene Pascual
a Weekend Warrior
from Morganton, NC
Date Reviewed: May 12, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$380.00 | | Purchased At: | Cycle Logical | | Strengths: | Looks good. Stable. Easy to take on and take off. | | Weaknesses: | Hard to set up. Plastic parts get brittle over time. | | Similar Products Used: | None. | | Bottom Line: | I got new Q Towers, clips, a Windjammer, and a fairing for my 95 Toyota Avalon. It ended up fitting a lot better than I though it would. I got 2 used Lockjaws, which work great. I think the reason that I had such a hard time setting up the rack is that the Q Towers slide along the load bars as you tighten them down, and when you want to move them over, you have to put a new dent in the load bars. Perhaps Yakima could redesign this. The red plastic parts on my used Lockjaws have gotten brittle, probably after being in the sun for a long time. I broke one of the strap clips, but my bike shop should take care of it. Overall, I am pretty happy with it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brandon
a Weekend Warrior
from Cleveland, MS
Date Reviewed: April 30, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Easy to use. Strong with plenty of accessories (should be like me and go through hobbies often) | | Weaknesses: | bike locks are a little tough to get open and closed. | | Bottom Line: | I have had this rack for quite some time. It has been great. I got a great deal on it - on sale at REI. I couldn't find a rack that was comparable for the money. I wanted to Thule - thought the design would be more aero-dynamic, but the Yakima has more accessories and a reputation for strength. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Bristol, CT, USA
Date Reviewed: April 17, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Purchased At: | Piece by piece | | Strengths: | Strong strong strong, will not move off car, holds everything securely, skis, bikes, luggage carriers, you name it. | | Weaknesses: | Heavy, wind noise without the fairing, maybe too strong? | | Similar Products Used: | thule system (eh not bad), trunk mount JUNK, assorted crap | | Bike Setup: | Modified Enduro Sport. | | Bottom Line: | Yes it's expensive, and a pain the first time to setup.. If you switch cars, the new clips cost $20 pair (if your old towers will fit)..
I just drove my car into my garage with the bike still in the lockjaw bike rack.. The whole rack system slid back and into my rear window, smashing it, and doing quite a bit of damage to the roof and trunk.. My Specialized Enduro was suprisingly unharmed, even though the fork crown hit the top of the garage door (big dents on the door awning!!).. The bike DID NOT budge out of the lockjaw!! I took out my key, released the lockjaw, and removed my bike from it's location on my trunk (after I backed out of the garage!!)..
The towers took a little damage to a couple of them, and some of the plastic cover broke of one, but the Lockjaw is fine, as are the bars, and fairing. Testimony to how strong it held the roof, a have a huge dent on the rear mount location on one side.
Although it sucked, I am definitely putting it back on the car when it gets back from the shop.. I will put a garbage can in front of the garage door next time , before I mount the bike on the roof. hehehhe, should have thought of that earlier... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ron Donahue
a Weekend Warrior
from Concord, MA
Date Reviewed: March 30, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Purchased At: | REI | | Strengths: | Excellent rack strong and durable I have the older style with three bike holders the front wheel stays on the bike. I have had this rack for ten years and have used it on 4 different cars. Set up on each new car is time consuming and directions weak, once installed it is easy to take off and put on. | | Weaknesses: | Expensive to get new brackets when you get a new car. Product support from Yakima is not a strong point. I use this rack for my canoe and in winter my skis and have found some corrosion in one the cross tubes suggest removing end caps and spay in inside of tube with WD40 or similar product | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | Three bikes on top two outside forward, middle facing rear. My car is small (Subaru Outback Sedan) so space is limited on roof | | Bottom Line: | Works good last a long time. I like the bicycle holders that allow you to leave the front wheel on they make for a quick on and off and you don't have to worry as you start down that first big hill at 60 mph did I tighten that front wheel. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Wayne Gilbert
a Cross Country Rider
from USA
Date Reviewed: March 26, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | name one | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$1000.00 | | Purchased At: | REI\Galayns | | Strengths: | Tough, durable, well made. Good customer support. | | Weaknesses: | Expensive. | | Similar Products Used: | Roade gear stuff | | Bike Setup: | 2001 Elly | | Bottom Line: | Spent allot of money..got a great rack system. This thing is supper secure on my roof and I have a standard coupe car. I added the load warrior to it and now I can go on trips with several friends at a time. This is a sweet system but overly expensive. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rider
a Weekend Warrior
from California
Date Reviewed: March 6, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | Agees | | Strengths: | Appears to be well made. Parts looked very nice on the floor. | | Weaknesses: | Yakima doesn't fit many cars. | | Similar Products Used: | Trunk rank, Thule. | | Bottom Line: | Bought the rank after confirming with the Yakima web site that it would fit my car. After spending a half-hour trying to force the moulding off the door frame, battered and bruised, I called Yakima for help. Not open on the weekend. On Monday I called, got a very disinterested person who said "Oh, no, it won't fit on your car." I asked why the web site said it would fit, and what should I do. All she said was "Oh." So, for a web site that is wrong, for support people who don't care and are no help, that's what I'm giving Yakima, a big O. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave Wright
a Cross Country Rider
from Paris Mountain, SC, USA
Date Reviewed: February 18, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Reedy River Greenway - some day | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$500.00 | | Purchased At: | Sunrift | | Strengths: | Quality, fairly easy installation, ease of use, accessories and adaptability to other tasks, durability (see bottom line). | | Weaknesses: | Locking system will deter thefts of opportunity, but not thefts of intent. If they want my bike and I'm not around, they'll get. | | Similar Products Used: | Rhode Gear trunk rack for over a decade. | | Bike Setup: | Dropouts and a rear wheel to attach to the rack. | | Bottom Line: | This review is for my Civic with the basic Yak Q-Towers, 48" roof rails, 3 Copperheads, and locking system.
Everything is great, and we are very happy, but I learned a lot about this setup by accident. I mean really by accident - running into my garage with three bikes on top. The forward bike was lifted out of the fork lock. Lesson: I don't think Copperheads are as secure as Steelheads, and they sure won't stop a determined thief. The rack was completely undamaged. Unfortunately I can't say the same for my car - small scratches where my fork slammed down onto the roof and a dent under one of the rack feet. Lesson: this rack and the Copperheads are plenty tough. There was no damage to my bike other than a small flat spot pounded into the front of each bar end. I was able to stop before the other bikes made contact.
After a couple of months of practice, I have gotten reasonably quick at putting the 3 bikes up and bringing them back down. We toss the front wheels in the trunk along with our gear bag.
I'm an absent minded type, so here is our solution to prevent future garage entry accidents. Each of our many bikes is stored with a traffic cone on top of it. Whenever a bike is taken, the user is responsible for placing the cone blocking the car's way back into the garage. So far so good. Maybe the cone moving ritual will raise our awareness of other risks to the bikes. Fortunately there aren't many parking garages where we live.
One last freaky thing. We started with 2 of the Copperheads. There was a lot of wind noise, enough so that I was going to buy a fairing. Then we picked up and mounted the third Copperhead. On the way home we were greeted with a real surprise - no more rack noise! I have no darn idea how it worked, but there is only the slightest amount of noise above that made by our naked car, and well within our tolerance.
I would recommend the Yak to anyone. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego
Date Reviewed: December 9, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | REI | | Strengths: | Easy to install. Solid and well made. Looks. | | Weaknesses: | noise without the fairing | | Similar Products Used: | trunk mount (dented trunk) | | Bottom Line: | Great rack. The systems are optimized for each individual make/model/year of car, and the instructions even tell you the measurements from the front and back of the roof for mounting. It even includes the measuring tape. I also installed dual copperheads (a little less expensive than the steelheads) and they've worked out wonderfully. The day after I installed the rack I went back in for a fairing because of the noise. But now you can't even tell there is a rack on there. I highly recommend the rack. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
gear head
a Cross Country Rider
from palos verdes,ca
Date Reviewed: December 5, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | caesars creek | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$480.00 | | Purchased At: | helens bikeshop | | Strengths: | Quick install if you follow the directions. Bikes are steady once mounted. Looks trick on my roof. | | Weaknesses: | Clips seem a little funky but have had no problems as of yet. | | Similar Products Used: | Ankle Biters... Don't waste your time. Bikes lean WAAAY over on that rack. | | Bike Setup: | blah blah XTR Fuji blah crossmax blah blah | | Bottom Line: | Choosing between the Yak and Thule was tough but I am happy with Yakima. I cam here first and expected to spend the better part of the day setting this thing up but I had it on in about an hour. Just be SURE that you tighten this puppy down. I started with the Anklebiters and took them back the next day for the Steelheads. This tray is solid and I don't get any bike lean like I did with the Anklebiters... I would recommend this to a friend. Had 2 bikes on the 101 at 80MPH and not a peep from the rack. I would sugest getting the fairing to keep the noise down. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gerrit Velthoen
a Cross Country Rider
from San Mateo, CA
Date Reviewed: November 27, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Saratoga Gap | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$600.00 | | Strengths: | Looks great. Can hold a variety of different toys. | | Weaknesses: | Jettisoned from the roof of my 1999 VW Golf for no apparent reason. Could be a product flaw. Would love to hear if anybody has had similar problem. | | Bottom Line: | I was coming home from Thanksgiving break after an epic weekend of riding. Cruising along the 101 Fwy at 75-80 mph, I watched in horror as the rack jettisoned from my car and came to rest in the middle of the fwy with both my bikes attached. Fortunately people were able to avoid the bikes and I was able to retrieve them in one piece. I'm very lucky that nobody was hurt and that the bikes came away unscathed. I am planning to write Yakima about this situation in hopes that they will cover the rack and the damage it did to the roof of my car (probably about $1000 worth). If anyone has had a similar experience or heard of a similar experience I would love to know. Thanks. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
CJ
a Cross Country Rider
from NC
Date Reviewed: October 22, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Anywhere in Western NC is good | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$719.00 | | Purchased At: | sportsrack.com | | Strengths: | Easy to mount, great looks, holds all my toys! | | Weaknesses: | The new fairings are cheap. | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | On the car or in the truck | | Bottom Line: | I purchased a full Yak; Q-Towers, Clips, Fairing, Rocketbox for my wife's 2000 Accord and thru on a Steelhead for my bike for those visits to the inlaws (A good excuse to get out of the house for 5 hours). The rack is solid, the Rocketbox is great for all the baby stuff and I feel secure that its not easily ripped off. I also have a Yak truck bar and fork holders in my pickup and have been very happy. The one thing I'm disappointed in is comparing the old metal fairings to the new clear black plastic one, its cheap and I have a feeling it'll be stolen soon. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
CJ
a Cross Country Rider
from NC
Date Reviewed: October 22, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Anywhere in Western NC is good | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$719.00 | | Purchased At: | sportsrack.com | | Strengths: | Easy to mount, great looks, holds all my toys! | | Weaknesses: | The new fairings are cheap. | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | On the car or in the truck | | Bottom Line: | I purchased a full Yak; Q-Towers, Clips, Fairing, Rocketbox for my wife's 2000 Accord and thru on a Steelhead for my bike for those visits to the inlaws (A good excuse to get out of the house for 5 hours). The rack is solid, the Rocketbox is great for all the baby stuff and I feel secure that its not easily ripped off. I also have a Yak truck bar and fork holders in my pickup and have been very happy. The one thing I'm disappointed in is comparing the old metal fairings to the new clear black plastic one, its cheap and I have a feeling it'll be stolen soon. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gilatene
a Weekend Warrior
from New York
Date Reviewed: October 15, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Purchased At: | ageesbikes.com | | Strengths: | This review is for the LockJaw system with QTowers. I had my doubts initially, but they have proven themselves. The mounts are VERY sturdy. I was driving at 80+ mph with 2 bikes on top with no problems. | | Weaknesses: | If you live in an urban area, watch out for those bike trays. While the QTowers and bars can be locked down with the SKS lock cores, the bike trays can be snagged by undoing 3 screws. I believe Yakima sells a cable lock kit that somehow attaches to the bike trays. Of course, nothing is theft proof, but the locks should slow'em down - just a little. | | Similar Products Used: | Never used another product, but I have a friend with a Thule system. The bike decided to take a 90 degree lean while he was driving at 65 mph. It could've been user error or it could've been the rack. | | Bike Setup: | 2000 Marin Nail Trail | | Bottom Line: | I would definitely recommend the Yakima LockJaw system. They're solid and dependable. They also look great with the new aerodynamic fairing. If I had to buy a bike rack again, I would get the Yakima Lockjaws. The price of the Yakima system is comparable to the Thule system. They're both mad expensive. But hey, you get what you pay for. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Edward
a Weekend Warrior
from Salem, MA , USA
Date Reviewed: September 28, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Bow ridge at Lynn Woods Reservation | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$500.00 | | Purchased At: | MVP Sports | | Strengths: | The major strength in this product is the adaptability to fit almost all makes,years and models of vehicles. Yakima was the only other manufacturer,next to Ford/Mercury, that produces a rack to fit my car. My purchase was based mostly on this. Other strengths of the Yakima rack are durability,quality and the large selection of add-ons to accomodate a wide range of outdoor sports. | | Weaknesses: | There are many weaknesses with this product. First off, very loud wind noise is produced when speeds reach over 45mph. I had no choice but to purchase the fairing kit to reduce the noise. A second weakness is the front-wheel carrier design. The bolts supplied are too long and barely cleared the roof. An added safety feature to ensure that the wheels do not go flying off on the highway would help. The answer to your question is "yes the wheel was secured properly". I had to use my cable to lock the wheels to the bikes.
The number one weakness is time consumption and the frustration created from installing the rack. It took almost 4 hours just to line up the Q-Towers then about another hour for the Copperhead tray installation. Trying to get those end caps on was a real pain literally. I cut my hand open trying to do so. A minor weakness about Yakima is the somewhat pricey cost of the rack and components. | | Similar Products Used: | I have used a cheap trunk/hatchback-mounted bike carrier for 3 years. | | Bike Setup: | Full suspension and hardtail. | | Bottom Line: | If you are in the market for a quality adaptable rack, then Yakima is for you. Rack systems can hit you hard in the wallet but remember you always get what you pay for. I have no idea how other manufacturers racks stand up to Yakima regarding the ease of installation. So if you are impatient,get frustrated easily and can't get help with installation stay away from the Yakima rack system. If you are patient,have help and can devote a whole afternoon to installing a rack then get a Yakima system. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Austin Burgess
a Weekend Warrior
from Norfolk, VA, USA
Date Reviewed: September 8, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | York River State Park | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$450.00 | | Purchased At: | HDK Cycles in Virginia Beach | | Strengths: | No problems with transporting two - three bikes. | | Weaknesses: | Difficult, time-consuming installation. Q-towers allow too-much space between tower and clip (just enough for a crow-bar to fit into, as I discovered). Noisy, w/ or w/out a fairing. | | Similar Products Used: | Thule roof rack system with Velo Vise fork mounts | | Bike Setup: | Trek 6500 | | Bottom Line: | The main gripe I have with the Yakima system came about after my rack was stolen from the roof of my car, locks and all. I purchased another, newer model Yakima system to replace it and could not get it to fit properly. I took it to the shop that I purchased both this and my original from and they verified my measurements were exact. The clear rubber tower pads on the new towers caused too much play on my system, causing the bars to move back and forth and side to side when pulled. The fork mounts on the old one worked great, as did the steelhead that I had for about 5 days before my system was stolen (thank God for State Farm Ins.). Installation took me at least 3-4 hours on both the old and new rack systems. The Q-tower / clip system does have a more substantial gap between the tower and the clip when installed than does the Thule system. My neighbor had a Thule on his car and the folks that jacked mine tried to get his the same night, but couldn't. When I changed my replacement Yakima rack in for a Thule, I had it installed in less than 45 minutes and it is solid (and less expensive). Thule for my money!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Arnold
a Cross Country Rider
from SF Bay Area, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: August 13, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Soquel Demo | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Set it up then forget about it. Peace of mind even during windy conditions. | | Weaknesses: | can get expensive | | Bike Setup: | one full suspension, one hard tail | | Bottom Line: | I used to have a trunk mount rack on my car and used that to transport my hard tail all over the place. I upgraded to a Yakima roof rack with steelheads once I got a nice full suspension rig. I ride twice a week and do occassional out of town trips. My rack has been solid the whole time I have used it. Lately, I have noticed some play in my suspension fork and I am wondering how much the bike rack may have been responsible for this. The bike still moves from side to side a tiny amount when it gets really windy. The fork legs are locked in securely. So the only play can come from motion between the upper legs of the fork, the lower legs, and the bushings. I am interested in hearing others opinions on this theory. I am hoping I'm just a really good rider who wears out his forks from the constant riding abuse. =) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Erik Eckel
a Cross Country Rider
from Louis, KY
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Otter Creek Blue | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Superior strength and durability. Easy to use. Looks great. Highly configurable. | | Weaknesses: | A little pricey compared to Rocky Mounts, Saris, etc. | | Similar Products Used: | Rhode Gear, no-name brands. | | Bike Setup: | Which one? | | Bottom Line: | I purchased a Yak for an Accord three years ago. I took two bikes on a 2,000 mile trip with absolutely no troubles, and I've driven 30,000 miles since. Later I moved the rack to a Prelude. The total conversion bill? $45. What a deal. Later I purchased an SUV and purchased a conversion kit for $110. I sold the parts I didn't use on eBay and recovered that cost. Thus, it only cost me $40 to move this rack, which works perfectly, to two other vehicles. I selected the Steelhead, and I highly recommend them (and Yakima's other products). No rattles, squeaks, loose bikes, or any other parts. Plus, it'd be easy to add a kayak mount, if I ever get one. The only thing to watch is the plastic decorative endcaps crack over time (but you can get a set of 4 for $5. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, CO
Date Reviewed: July 31, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Any trail that's not paved | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Tons of different configurations | | Weaknesses: | Wind noise, Rattles, Cost | | Similar Products Used: | Yakima Truck Bed Rack | | Bike Setup: | 99 Schwinn Moab1 | | Bottom Line: | I decided to make the plunge and invest in a roof mount rack over three years ago. This rack is strong as hell and has tons of add-ons. I went with two of the Steelheads, two front wheel mounts and a ski/snowboard rack also. Sure I could always throw the bikes in the back of the truck and away I go. But with a load of camping gear, a dog and a cab-high camper shell, I'm limited for space. Sure there's wind noise and a couple of rattles. Oh well, just turn up the stereo a little louder. I only had one mishap with this rack. I thought I could clear the drive-through and didn't make it. The bikes survived fine, but the Steelhead trays didn't do to well though. The raingutter mounts and cross bars held up fine, but it did manage to kink my raingutter and tear off the chrome trim. A new set of trays and a little work on the raingutter and I'm ready to roll. Now if I had one of those flimsy, "square tubed" racks, it probably wouldn't have survived. I will definetely stick with Yakima and watch what I'm driving under a little more closely. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tom
a Cross Country Rider
from Sag Harbor,NY USA
Date Reviewed: July 28, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | MOAB | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Looks cool | | Weaknesses: | I just bought this rack in April and am thinking of throwing it away. The Q rack fits the car OK but took a lot of time to install properly with all the amount of measuring required. I ordered the bike carriers from REI (they were great). If I had gone to a shop I probably would not have bought the ankle biter, It is hard to set up to keep the bike upright and not leaning over. | | Similar Products Used: | Performance bike rack, it was even worse - does anyone make a good bike rack?????? | | Bike Setup: | cannondale raven | | Bottom Line: | Next purchase I will try Thule, I should have listened to my friends. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
spindoc
a Cross Country Rider
from Northridge, CA
Date Reviewed: July 22, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Quality, strength, flexibility.... | | Weaknesses: | tricky to set up, expensive, noisy as hell but.... | | Similar Products Used: | bed of truck, back seat of car, front seat of car, trunk of car......... | | Bike Setup: | ahhh...a nice mountain bike | | Bottom Line: | I've owned Yakima bike racks since 1985 and have lots of experience with them. Never had any problems. As I changed cars I would get new clips and adapt the rack to the new car. Since 1991 I had a van or truck so the rack has been in storage but recently I bought a Honda Accord so out comes the rack. Bought the Q towers and clips and had to get a steel head (old rails wouldn't work with my mtn bike). Everything is solid and secure as I come to expect from Yakima however, this puppy is NOISY above 35 mph. And I dont't recall having a noise problem with my other cars. Went to the LBS to inquire about the noise and they recomended the fairing. Ok...shell out another 50 bucks and tried it. It works but the car looks too "ricky racer". So the rack sits in the trunk 'till i need it. And I only use the fairing on long trips. Oh well....the cost of getting a car with good fuel economy. 4 cow pies for value, 5 cow pies for overall. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
vic
a Weekend Warrior
from St. Louis, MO
Date Reviewed: July 11, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | any mountain trail | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | looks bad assed, bike/rack/car feels like one solid piece when driving | | Weaknesses: | difficult to put bikes on top of car if you are not tall. Expensive | | Bike Setup: | Specialized - Rockhopper | | Bottom Line: | I have a Dodge Durango and have used the Yakima bike racks for about a year now. I used to have the racks on a grand cherokee with windsurfing racks. For as long as I have had the racks, they haven't given me any trouble. I replaced the standard racks that come with the durango with the Yakima ones and added 2 bike racks and it looks awesome. I recently drove from St. Louis to Seattle with my bike on top, and I had no trouble at all. It was perfect. . .except for the coating of bug parts all over the front end. The racks are a great product, if you have to money to spend on them. Luckily I am relatively tall and don't have a problem putting bikes on the top of the car, especially since the locking system is easy to use. You can also put many other quality accessories on the Yakima racks, so the tower's and cross bars can be used for more than just bikes. Awesome racks - 'nuf said | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kermit
a Weekend Warrior
from Carbondale, IL USA
Date Reviewed: June 29, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Looks Nice | | Weaknesses: | Does not Fit on any Ford Crown Victoria's after the 1992 Model | | Similar Products Used: | None I wanted to get the best and have it forever, but obviously not. | | Bike Setup: | Doesn't matter It has to go in the trunk for now. | | Bottom Line: | This is Bull Sh!t for a company to have on their webpage basically saying that they have any rack for your car (With the Custom fit of those Q Clips) Well since there are no Q Clips for my car I have to send the roof rack back and decide what to get now. Nothing Beats a Yakima I guess IF it fits. But now I'm going to have to trust some POS rack to hold my bike just because Yakima can't make some new Q Clips. Buyer beware if you have a crown Victoria guess again.. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jesse
a Cross Country Rider
from Chicagoland
Date Reviewed: June 28, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Fit & Finish. Very well designed. Stability inspires trust. | | Weaknesses: | None yet, except maybe cost, but as they say "you get what you pay for" | | Bike Setup: | Stumpjumper FSR XC Pro (mine), Hardrock FS (girlfriend's)
48" bars
Q-towers
Q-Extender (or whatver it's called)
Copperhead & wheel fork
standard fairing (a must have)
8 pack sks lock cores | | Bottom Line: | Basically my bike costs more than my car, which isn't to say that my bike is any good, but it does illustrate it's importance to me. I went with Yakima over Thule based pretty much solely on the reviews found here and couldn't be more pleased. It holds my baby tight, and fits like a glove on my itsy bitsy car (Metro). The rack with the fairing really jazzes up the look of my little econobox too heheheh. When you buy a Yakima you start out with like 50 freakin' boxes. At the start of the installation it can be a little daunting but once you get going you see the logic of how it comes together and in an hour or two there's a bad ass rack on your car that will probably outlast your ability to operate a bicycle.
thought about subtracting a value chili cuz it is expensive, but that wouldn't be fair since we should expect a higher price for a superior product... hence fivers all around! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
adv.racin' aimee
a Racer
from DFW
Date Reviewed: June 25, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Cedar Hill, my moms 40 acres at the base of Napa | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | very stable
strong grip on forks
relatively easy to install
holds up at over 85+ mph for several hours at a time!
Company provides great service | | Weaknesses: | quite a bit noisy without the fairing | | Similar Products Used: | Saris trunk rack...SUCKS!!! | | Bike Setup: | Bike: 2000 G.F. Supercaliber & 1999 G.F. Level Betty & 2000 G.F. Comet for the youngster
RACK: Yakima 58" bars & Steelheads & core locks | | Bottom Line: | I had to convert to a top rack when I bought my full suspension, because the Saris trunk rack doesn't accommodate. Plus it wiggled around WAY too much and I had to use a bag full of bungees to keep it all still.
I got my rack at REI in Dallas...great guys! Mind you I drive a 97 Mustang...I think Yakima knows that no other dumb-ass but me would top a mustang with 3-4 bikes at a time. People that drive mustangs just don't seem to do that. Needless to say, you have to work with what you have, and what I didn't have was the clips for the damn rack assembly...neither did the rest of the state of Texas, or the whole country for that matter. I had to deal with Yakima directly for my clips and they had only ONE set for a mustang. They got them to me by noon the next day, and I had the rack set up in less than an hour. I turned around and drove to California with bikes on top and at approx 90 mph for a day 1/2. Talk about holding up!! Cut my gas mileage in half and was a bit noisy because I didn't get the fairing, but all in all THIS RACK KICKS ASS!! I drive like a bat-out-of-hell, and my bikes didn't budge a bit. I am glad I splurged $400+ for the quality of Yakima. I know my bikes are safe and I know the rack holds up to my abuse. Well worth the money. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
NC
a Weekend Warrior
from Charlotte, NC
Date Reviewed: June 23, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | strong & secure
easy to install (if I could do it, anyone can)
effortless bike mounting
| | Weaknesses: | you'll need to buy the fairing or a louder stereo
screws that clamp the bike mount to the rear bar come loose
| | Similar Products Used: | my car trunk, various strap-on junk
| | Bike Setup: | rack setup: q-towers with steelhead bike mounts & sks locks | | Bottom Line: | Excellent rack. Just check those rear clamps once in a while. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
pulp guy
a Cross Country Rider
from sioux falls, SD
Date Reviewed: June 16, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | very strong
looks great (better than Thule)
easy to use | | Weaknesses: | none so far | | Bike Setup: | RACK SETUP: yakima q towers, steelhead, 48" crossbars, and fairing for my 97 Honda Accord SE | | Bottom Line: | This rack is very strong. I can't believe how much it makes my Cannondale part of my car. It completely locks it down. I really am impressed with the steelhead...I have seen a guy around here that has the AnkleBiter. His bike wobbles around all over the place. Maybe he isn't using it right. I don't know.
Setting up the rack was not very difficult. I spent the majority of the time trying to get the fairing exactly how I wanted it. The only reason that is hard, is because there are so many different types of adjustments that can be made. It's hard to get it locked in and even. It's kind of like adjusting old cantilever brakes without the right tools. It wasn't bad though, I just wanted it to be right.
I highly recommend Yakima for people willing to pay a bit extra for quality. I have always been a pushover for quality. I am willing to spend the extra couple of bucks to not have to replace something down the road. The Yakima rack system definitely looks like it will fit in this category so far. 5 chilis for Yakima. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
doug van cleve
a Weekend Warrior
from chandler, az
Date Reviewed: May 31, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | The towers and bike mounting attachments are easy to use, and fit the car well without a lot of fiddling. | | Weaknesses: | The plastic parts fade in sun if the rack is always left on the car. The wind deflector can mar paint where/if it touches above the windshield.. | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | Mostly road bikes on the roof. | | Bottom Line: | I think Yakima is better designed overall than the competition and I recommend it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from Portland, OR
Date Reviewed: May 24, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Well designed, Should fit just about any fork - with or without Disc Brakes | | Weaknesses: | It is a pain to tighten the skewer when there is no bike in the rack | | Similar Products Used: | Thule | | Bike Setup: | Thule/Volvo OEM Rack, Yakima Copperhead Bike Carriers, SKS Core Locks | | Bottom Line: | I had no choice but to buy a Volvo rack for my car since it is the only one that would fit well. At least it was a well made model from Thule.
Good thing I finally stumbled onto the new "Copperhead" fork mount carrier from Yakima. I looked at a bunch of other models, but on every one, the disc brake caliper hit the wheel tray. Not a problem with the Copperhead, which fit on the Thule rack with no modification, and has plenty of clearance for big fork droupouts and disc brake calipers.
This fork mount carrier is less money than all of the other carriers from Thule and Yakima, and is quite strong. Once the bike was secured in the fork mount, wrangling it did nothing but rock my 3,000 lb car. It is also difficult to steal the bike or the carrier if you use the SKS Lock core, since it secures a cover over the mounting hardware.
The only downside to this carrier is that it is a pain in the a*s to tighten the skewer when there is no bike in it. If you don't tighten it, the locking mechanism is not secure, and it will rattle while you drive.
In spite of this, I'll give it 5 chiles since it is strong, cheap, and the only thing out there that works with disc brakes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
hugh
a Cross Country Rider
from nm
Date Reviewed: May 4, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | anyu good singletrack | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | holds bikes above vehicle | | Weaknesses: | cheesy, unreliable straps for wheels
basket racks can hold about 10#only
front wheel mounts pain in ass and work poorly
| | Similar Products Used: | many | | Bike Setup: | variety | | Bottom Line: | nice idea, cheesy execution. If you're goint to strap multiple expensive bikes on roof and expect to cruise at 60 mph+ or do any sort of rough road travel at reasonable speed, make sure you bunge all bikes down. don't trust these mouts. have seen more than 1 bike flopping around. basket racks are good idea for loading up vehicle for off road travel, but clamps pure suck. racks will sink onto roof top and make your roof mincemeat. If you want a real rack for any kind of serious adventure, get a real rack with one piece construction and welded front fork mounts, none of this cheesy stuff. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
BRIAN
a Racer
from TENNESSEE
Date Reviewed: April 24, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | TSALI | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Its strong, locks the bikes to rack and rack to car, it is easy to mount bikes on. | | Weaknesses: | I haven't sprung for the fairing yet so its loud as hell. | | Similar Products Used: | The trunk of my car. | | Bike Setup: | On top of the car. | | Bottom Line: | Since I own bikes that portray me as a better rider than I actually am, I figured I would get a bike rack to do the same. Seriously, this thing is top quality. My girlfried has a Saris on her car and it cost less and makes less noise, but the system for locking the bikes on the car isn't as good as yakima, and I don't think the quality is quite as high. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
FtHoodMtBkr
a Weekend Warrior
from Temple, TX
Date Reviewed: April 23, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Tie: Trailblazers Hood), Rocky Hill Ranch | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Better on the roof than the trunk--less worry, too. | | Weaknesses: | The lockjaw core is pure cosmetics--there is nothing for the "lock" to lock to. | | Similar Products Used: | Bard Wyers Stealth trunk style rack | | Bike Setup: | 1999 TREK 2000--no parts changed yet (other than the chain) | | Bottom Line: | Well after years of a trunk rack, I finally got tired of the hassle and worry of straps breaking, the rack sliding on the bumper after several hours of driving, etc.
I got the Yakima from REI-Austin. The Qtowers, fairing and lockjaw. Let me just say I've taken one trip to the trailblazers mtbike park and back, and today just returned from RockyHillRanch. The rack works perfectly; am extremely pleased. It is incredibly easy to load and secure the bike. And no worries. I took it easy only driving 70 MPH and really did not hear any wind roar.
The real test comes in June when I drive cross country and back.
Sweet rack. Really glad I spent the 400$ plus.
-1 flamin' chili because there is not really a way to lock the bike using Yakima's SKS on the lockjaw (although there's a core to insert one)! Will have to lock the bike using a seperate device. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric
a Cross Country Rider
from South Lyon, MI
Date Reviewed: April 11, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Poto | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | This is a review for the new "Boa" Yakima system....
** Looks good
** Secure to the roof.
** Very easy to secure the fork mount and rear tire.
** The new Boa short tray system is great! No bulky channel cluttering up the roof.
** Extremely confident bike isn't going anywhere. | | Weaknesses: | * A little difficult initial set-up (rack to car) but, worth it.
* A little noisy at 60 mph. (I'm going to get a fairing)
| | Similar Products Used: | Thule, Yakima hitch mount, Saris (sucks) | | Bike Setup: | Yakima Q-towers, round bars, BOA Short Tray bike mounts. | | Bottom Line: | I had originally had a 5 month old Saris rack on this car and hated it (see my Saris Review). Everything I hated about the Saris is excellent on the Yakima.
The set up is a little time consuming but, once you've got that behind you putting the bike on the rack is great! This fork mount is awesome to use: large, secure, very, very long throw on the quick release lever. The Boa rear tire short tray is also great too. Very secure, very easy to use. Once you have the quick release set, you don't have to mess with it. Open it up, put the fork in, close it, no messing with getting it tight.
The Saris rack I mentioned previously, was the complete opposite. Easy to get the rack on and off the car but, a complete pain to get the bike on and off the rack! Geeee, what's more important? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jay
a Cross Country Rider
from Philadelphia, PA
Date Reviewed: March 6, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Wissahickon | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | Strong Rack.
Aesthetically pleasing.
Bike Security. | | Weaknesses: | Price.
Setup is difficult. | | Similar Products Used: | Thule. | | Bike Setup: | Fisher Big Sur 99, Cannondale M300 (wife's bike) | | Bottom Line: | This is a beautiful rack. If you want to secure your bikes to your car and drive with impunity, buy this rack. If you don't mind driving with your heart in your throat and your bikes bobbing up and down like a Mongoose Full-Susp bike, then get a cheapo trunk mount.
This rack can take anything you dish out. It will secure two bikes on my Saturn with ease. The setup was a little difficult, but what do you expect for such an exceptional product.
Thule is fine, but it isn't Yakima. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Stu The J
a Cross Country Rider
from Columbia, KY
Date Reviewed: March 6, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | anywhere | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | it looks sweet, strength | | Weaknesses: | price, kind of high, but again, quality costs! | | Similar Products Used: | Thule, Saris | | Bike Setup: | Too many, Trek, Specialized, Schwinn, etc... | | Bottom Line: | This rack is sweet! It has held up to everything I can give it, I even ran it up under a tree before, with my newest bikes on top, and it actually broke the branch, without even scratching my bikes! Now that's what I can power! The fairing looks great, and the Steelheads are dead strong, any Yakima rack is well worth the money!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joshua Harvey
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: February 28, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Rock solid, top quality | | Weaknesses: | Wind noise, Steelhead needs tweaking | | Similar Products Used: | Put a trunk rack on my car and took it off before I drove anywhere. | | Bike Setup: | Voodoo Wanga, Marzocchi bomber fork | | Bottom Line: | Who's it for: Anybody who wants a worry free way of transporting their precious bikes.
Who it's not for: Anybody who doesn't want to shell out the $300 or doesn't want a roof rack on their car. It's very easy to take on and off, though.
I'm using the Yakima rack with a Steelhead on a '91 BMW 325i, raingutter towers. The setup fits perfectly and is rock solid. As I go faster down the freeway, it sounds like a small tornado is developing over the roof. I called customer service and the helpful folks over there recommended their fairing or the 'windjammer' aerodynamic clip-on. I'll try one of them out and review separately.
The Steelhead has a couple of design flaws. The clamp presses into my Marzocchi fork and takes off a chip of paint when I fasten it. That doesn't concern me too much. Also the clamping lever has a frustrating tendency to fall just when I'm putting my fork in, thereby partially closing the clamp and preventing the fork from fitting in. I rest the fork on the clamp anyway, push the lever back up and the fork falls into place.
Neither of these problems detract from solid hold this rack has. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bike Master Mike
a Racer
from Canton, MI
Date Reviewed: February 12, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Island Lake | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Versatile
Stong
Easy to adjust
| | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bottom Line: | Yakima makes the best racks, period.
Bought mine in 93 and it has had no problems. It uses the old Y clips/towers. Its hard to find parts, but Yakima still has em. They did a buy back from dealers when the Q towers came out. I got the rack and bike mounts at employee purchase cost, so it was super cheap. My rack would retail for over $600, but if you consider that they last forever, its a good investment.
I use:
1 GT mount
2 Fork mounts
1 wheel holder
Standard Fairing
48" bars
Y towers
Used it on:
90 Mustang GT, 93 Mercury Tracer Wagon, 93 Mercury Topaz,
94 Tracer LTS, 95 Tracer LTS, 95 Escort GT, 96 Tracer LTS, 97 Taurus(used Q towers for a week) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Patrick
a
from Memphis, Tn
Date Reviewed: January 13, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Hangs on to a bike like a baby to its mother. | | Weaknesses: | Well, besides the price, not much. Just remember that when you start to hit 80 mph, turn up your radio! | | Similar Products Used: | Some cheap hitch mounted thing (it doesn't even deserve the designation of "bike rack"). | | Bike Setup: | Yakima doublecross towers, steelhead, sks locks, 48" cross bars. All this on top of my GMC Jimmy's factory rack | | Bottom Line: | If you got the money, go for it! Five flaming peppers for this item! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe
a Weekend Warrior
from NC
Date Reviewed: January 6, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
sturdy
well designed/ functions well | | Weaknesses: |
not the cheapes | | Similar Products Used: |
various trunk mount racks | | Bike Setup: |
Marin Hard tail
Judy SL Shock
LX/XT comp. | | Bottom Line: | I put the Yakima on my new 99 VW Passat Wagon and I would have to say it rules!! Although this thing isn't cheap you get what u pay for. I expect to get many years of service out of this thing. The only minor complaint I have is that the Steel Head Skewer is a little bit of a pain in the ass. You have to have it positioned just right to clamp it near my meaty Judy SL fork, also the adjustment nut on the skewer is a little troublesome to ajust but I made a spacer for when my bikes not on the car. That way I never really have to turn the adjustment nut much. Anyway, all and all it seems like a very solid product. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ivan J. Zamot
a Weekend Warrior
from San Juan, Puerto Rico
Date Reviewed: January 2, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: |
Any crazy dirt trail | | Duration Product Used: |
more than 3 years | | Strengths: |
Super strong. Superb looks. Unlike other racks, it looks great after years of use and weathering. Holds up great at 100 mph with 2 bikes on it. | | Weaknesses: |
Price, but considering the quality, it is worth it to pay premium dollars for the best. Windnoise develops at high speeds, but at least in my car it doesn't bother me. | | Similar Products Used: |
Thule | | Bike Setup: |
Q-Towers and Steelheads on a VW Jetta. | | Bottom Line: | If you're looking for the best in the business, look no further. I recomend this rack and bike mount over any other. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David
a Weekend Warrior
from Kerrville, TX
Date Reviewed: December 24, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
200 square miles of lightly trafficked roads and trails | | Duration Product Used: |
more than 3 years | | Strengths: |
Indestructable. Versatile-have used this rack since 1984 on 4 different cars with some parts changes. | | Weaknesses: |
Parts are expensive, but considering the quality,are worth the expense. | | Similar Products Used: |
trunk mounted rack | | Bike Setup: |
Current fave-Vision R-45 short wheel base recumbent.
Past loves-Trek 520 road bike, Bontrager Privateer Mountain bike | | Bottom Line: | I have used this rack in various configurations since 1984 on 4 different cars. The wind noise varies with the car-not the rack. The fairing took care of it on 2 of the cars. My current vehicle is Subaru Forrester-no fairing and no wind noise. The rack and mounts are rock solid. They have held bikes in place with no wobble for over 100,000 miles and through a category IV hurricane and 1 tornado.
The only failure I ever suffered was by my own stupidity. I warily used the flexy aero factory mounted cross bars on my Subaru with canabalized rails and mounts from my old rack. Yakima did not make a cross rail mounting system for the Forrester when I first purchased it. I had a close encounter with my garage while pulling in one day and destroyed the factory crossbars and my fiance's bicycle (we got married anyway). Oddly enough the fork of the bike was still clamped securely in the holder. Shortly afterward Yakima did make a great mounting system for Subarus, so now I have my trusty 15 year old rack mounted solidly on the roof. Yakima also makes a cool load alert device that magnetically mounts on your hood and pops up when your speed drops below 25 mph. I don't mind that is screams out Moron needs reminder. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
josh
a Racer
from Murfreesboro, TN
Date Reviewed: December 21, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Lone Mountain | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
Amazing stability, the best quality period (Thule included), ease of installation, great lockability, feels as if it will last forever | | Weaknesses: |
I got a good deal from my local shop, and it still cost a lot!
| | Similar Products Used: |
Mondial roof rack | | Bike Setup: |
rain gutter towers, and steelheads on a Mazda RX7, | | Bottom Line: | I tried to save money by previously buying a Mondail rack for my wife's Honda, and it was a pain to put on, is rusting, and has a poor finish, there is no comparison!!! It is much better to pay more initially for Yakima and get a product that will last. I am tempted to subtract a star for the high price, but since it's cheaper in the long run, It gets five flaming ones!! What's the real bottom line? If you are a serious cyclist, buy a Yakima and be done with it! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Peter Phan
a Racer
from Nutley
Date Reviewed: December 19, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
sturdy. aerodynamic (with fairing), design (round bars better than square - physics), real nice looking, fits like a glove on all cars | | Weaknesses: |
cutthroat skewer not stainless steel, so it rusts...oh well, when it rusts through, i'll turn the cuthroat into a steelhead and buy the locking skewer (got two extra locks). Round bars make wheel forks move. | | Similar Products Used: |
rhode gear, thule | | Bike Setup: |
don't matter in this review | | Bottom Line: | ok, i've had this thing for a good while, and it sits on my 1989 NISSAN SENTRA, not the most stable car around. Yet, this rack holds my bikes securely!!! I mean it is on there good. Ask some dude with a Yakima fork mount to shake his bike hard. It'll move the car, not the bike. Wind isn't a problem with the fairing, actually, it's real quiet (except for my car's road noise, damn sub sub compacts). Anyway, the round bars are much studier than square bars, but they cause the wheel forks to fall a bit when the wheel is in it. A trick to this is to cut up old tire tubes and place a small strip between that and the bar, it'll keep it from slidding. This is the sweetest rack i've had. go to. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim
a Weekend Warrior
from Utica, NY
Date Reviewed: December 16, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Pharsalia | | Duration Product Used: |
more than 3 years | | Strengths: |
Holds bikes securely; clamp is lockable; wheel straps highly adjustable | | Weaknesses: |
Noisy! Buy the fairing and the decibel level drops considerably. The fairing also reduces the gas mileage hit. | | Similar Products Used: |
None | | Bike Setup: |
Gary Fisher Aquila, Marlin; GT XCR-4000 | | Bottom Line: | This has been a fine bike rack. Never any problem with the bikes coming loose or even wobbling too much. I'm not quite comfortable yet with the way it grips my XCR (the clamps are really designed for a nice round tube) but we'll see. The main problem (other than noise) is lifting a bike onto it after a 40-mile ride. Who wants to do that?! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lance
a Cross-Country Rider
from Antioch, Ca
Date Reviewed: December 3, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Black Diamond Mines | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Looks really sporty on my Honda. Not too expensive if you shop around. | | Weaknesses: |
Lots of wind noise without a fairing. My fairing was on backorder, so I had to wait a week to get it. I swear with the sunroof open it sounded like my muffler fell off. | | Similar Products Used: |
The trunk of my car. | | Bike Setup: |
Q-towers, 48 crossbars, steelhead, fairing, without stretch kit on a Honda Civic Coupe.For a Specialized FSR-XC, Chris King hubs and headset, 517cd's, XTR | | Bottom Line: | This rack is really cool. Nice solid construction. After I installed it, I admit I was a little nervous about it. I was a little scared that my bike would come flying off on the highway, but that fear faded away after a couple of trips. I have done 90mph with my bike mounted, but I have to admit at that speed, I still peek up thru my sunroof at times! Does anyone have any horror stories with the steelhead mounts? Great rack so far, 5 burning dildos. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
M G Cyr
a Cross-Country Rider
from Binghamton
Date Reviewed: October 10, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Any trail on a nice day | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
Allows me to use my Yak canoe and bike rack bits. | | Weaknesses: |
NOISE! These bastards hum like swarming bees. At 30 MPH, I feel like my Trooper is being invaded.
Far too fussy to set up. | | Similar Products Used: |
Yak gutter mount for the last 10 years. They were the best! | | Bike Setup: |
Giant, Fisher, Cannondale, Diamondback, Lambert, Marzocci, Rock Shock etc. | | Bottom Line: | After using Yac gutter mounts for 10 years, I can't believe what a dissapointment the Q Towers are. They are a pain to install, and they are noisy. I have driven a few hundred thousand miles with the old racks, carried up to three canoes, kayaks, bikes, trees, you name it. They never let me down. If I don't return these Q towers this week, it will only be because of all of the money I have tied up in bike mounts etc. These racks are a severe dissapointment. Noiseless performance is the most basic requirement of a good rack system. These don't make the grade. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike Rogers
a Cross-Country Rider
from Pittsburgh, PA
Date Reviewed: August 19, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
South Park | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Great rack , strong and sturdy even without the stretch kit on 2 door cars. | | Weaknesses: |
Damn locks are expensive other than that, I cant find any yet. Had to Jerryrig the screw for the back of the steelhead rack. It interfered with my sunroof so I used a shorter bolt (5/16) and used a regular nut instead of yakima wingnut. | | Similar Products Used: |
Rhode Gear Supper Cycle Shuttle. | | Bike Setup: |
I have a 2 door '98 Cavlalier with a sunroof. Use Q towers with 48 cross bars. and the steelhead bike tray. Locks all around. | | Bottom Line: | For anybody who has a late model Cavalier, if all you are carrrying is 2 bikes then don't worry about getting the stretch kit. Save yourself the $$ and get a Fairing. The rack is great but the cables that come off the front of the bike whistle like I don't know what. Drives me nuts. Get the fairing it really does cut down on noise, a must for sunroof lovers. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike Bucking
a Cross-Country Rider
from Chesapeake, VA
Date Reviewed: August 19, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Tsali, NC | | Duration Product Used: |
more than 3 years | | Strengths: |
Easy to use and very strong. | | Weaknesses: |
Cheap red plastic locking clamp. | | Similar Products Used: |
Thule Rack | | Bike Setup: |
Numerous road and mt. bikes | | Bottom Line: | I would rate the cutThroat an excellent product, however the whole design is compromised by that cheap piece of crap red plastic locking tab! I have had two break on me, and for the life of me can not understand why they don't beef up that particular part to an otherwise great product. I will switch back to Thule for my next purchase. 2 Chilies.... | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jason Mitchell
a Cross-Country Rider
from Provo, Utah
Date Reviewed: July 30, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
North Tahoe Rim Trail near Watson Lake | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Super beefy!!! I am so satisfied with Yakima I can taste it. They are way better than Thule!
I can lock up everything--including my bikes. It's a strong, great looking no worries investment. Don't pay retail, go to www.ageebike.com and they'll ship it to you. I saved over $100! | | Weaknesses: |
That damn whistling . . . it aint no Dixie. | | Similar Products Used: |
Yakima anklebiter
Thule p.o.s. | | Bike Setup: |
I have a 1998 Legacy Outback with factory rack. The rack mounts directly to my rack and is real sturdy. I have two Steelhead bike mounts. | | Bottom Line: | I would never consider another brand. I have been Yakima-satisfied for years now! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
JRinCA
a Racer
from Temple City, CA
Date Reviewed: July 22, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
Easy to setup
Locking Mech. excellent
Stable | | Weaknesses: |
$$$ | | Similar Products Used: |
Rhodes Rack | | Bike Setup: |
Yakima Roof Rack,
Steelhead bike trays, and locks installed whole way around! | | Bottom Line: | Excellent product, can lock the bike and forget about it! (except when entering a garage!) No need to worry when the car/bike is out of sight while eating after a long ride, enjoy the piece of mind! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jhune POGI Reyes
a Racer
from Spangdahlem, Germany
Date Reviewed: July 15, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Manenggon Hills, Guam USA | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Quality Product, Beefy, Reliable, Very Strong, Looks Cool and far better than THULE. | | Weaknesses: |
Hmmm...No anodized blue bike tray :D
Who makes a roof mount bike rack for Cannondale Lefty | | Similar Products Used: |
Graber Trunk Mount Bike Rack (It's good too) | | Bottom Line: | I highly recommend this bike rack. I got mine from the great people of Rutabaga. They are so cool they even ship your rack for free. I agree with their policy that since it saves them work hours to install the product they sold to customers, the best thing they could do is pay for shipping. I wish all mail order company will follow. Mike is the name of the guy I dealt with (www.4yakima.com). I have this rack on my 1999 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport and it made my van looks more sportier. A lot of people tells me it looks cool and immediately asking where to get one. They can get expensive but you get the BEST. Just look at the review. My average speed at the autobahn is 90 MpH and I have all confidence on this rack. No worries, it's proven itself and I am glad I got Yakima. I hope they beat the competition on making a roof mount bike rack that will hold the Cannondale Lefty. Happy Trails!!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike Hamershock
a Weekend Warrior
from Ljubljana, Slovenia
Date Reviewed: July 9, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
dirt... | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
strong! quiet w/fairing | | Weaknesses: |
not the easiest install | | Similar Products Used: |
none | | Bike Setup: |
Q-towers/lockjaws on Taurus SHO | | Bottom Line: | Nice unit. A little tough to install, but not too bad. Holds bikes securely. I've run at 140k w/2 $$$$$ bikes and don't worry. Pretty quiet w/o fairing, but really nice w/fairing! expensive, but seems worth it if you have $$$$$ rides. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Toby Murono
a Weekend Warrior
from Columbia, SC
Date Reviewed: June 23, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Popular Tent (Concord, NC) | | Duration Product Used: |
6 months | | Strengths: |
Factory warrantee is hassle-free
...strength...available options | | Weaknesses: |
Paint fades a bit w/ time | | Similar Products Used: |
n/a | | Bike Setup: |
On a Ford Taurus Wagon -
Loaded on factory rail tracks | | Bottom Line: | Strong, Strong, Strong. I was at first disappointed by the Yakima rack due to a faulty headpiece on my cutthroat mount. However...I simply had to take it to a certified Yakima distributor...and they happly sent it back. Once I got my new unit....I upgraded w/ a steelhead locking mechinism...and all my problems were solved. Unfortunately, about a month ago I had alittle incident involving a bike and a parking garage (im sure you can fill in the blanks). Well once the dust cleared....the rack were absolutely undammaged. My factory track mounts, however, faired pritty bad. But with alittle super epoxy...I have been able to jerry-rig it back on. All and all...I am very impressed. I know some people on here have a tendency to make up stories to push their favorite brands....but scouts honor this is a true story :) | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Flash
a Weekend Warrior
from Calgary, Alberta
Date Reviewed: May 1, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Bottom Line: | Good product. Makes a lot of noise (wind) but is very secure. I have had two bikes on the roof of my SVT at speeds in excess of 130 MPH and had no problem whatsovever, so don't worry about about your bike falling off. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mac
a Weekend Warrior
from Mpls, MN
Date Reviewed: April 15, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Rock Lake Trail, Chequamegon Natl Forest, WI | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
Very Strong, Secure, and Flexiable. Easy to use. | | Weaknesses: |
Skewers jam.
Wheels aren't very secure in seperate wheel carriers. | | Bike Setup: |
Yakima Steelheads on Ford Expedition, 1 Hard Tail and 1 Y Bike. | | Bottom Line: | Great Product. Built to last. Only problem I had is similar to the one mentioned many times below. I had a wheel fall off. Since then I went to REI and got a 18 piece of 3/4 nylon webbing, add plastic clips (like those on backpacks) and made a safety strap. Loop it through the wheels and around the round bar, the tight it down. Haven't lot a wheel since, even when I've been 4 wheeling in Chequamegon Natl Forest. Additional Benifits: Switched from a Jeep Cherokee to Ford Expedition - only cost $20 to get new mounting hardware and the system works great on this truck. Also switched from a hardtail to a Y Bike and the same rack works fine. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joey Rainforest
a Cross-Country Rider
from Burnaby, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 6, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
1 Year | | Strengths: |
Strong. I trust the rack even when I'm doing 160 kph down the freeway. | | Weaknesses: |
Skewers lock up. Will need to lubricate. | | Similar Products Used: |
What else is there besides Yakima. | | Bike Setup: |
2 Steelhead on 4' bars on Q-towers(with clips) with a stretch kit for stability on my Honda Civic. | | Bottom Line: | Love these. They're solid, and aside from the lubing required, make me feel comfortable with the money I spent to pick them up. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Clinton Chase
a Cross-Country Rider
from Needham, MA
Date Reviewed: March 30, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
2 Years | | Strengths: |
Strong and durable | | Weaknesses: |
Skewers seize up | | Bike Setup: |
On a Suburu | | Bottom Line: | Strong and durable (sustained a direct hit upon entering a car garage!) but the skewers seize up. With proper maintenance 1-3 times per year (esp. in winter) this can be avoided. This rack is not maintenance free! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
STILL-DIZZY
a cross-country rider
from Bay Area, California
Date Reviewed: February 3, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
I decided to install a rack
for my car Q-Towers and Anklebiters and the other
necessary goodies and find it
to be a very good investment. The roundbars
seem to be very strong. The Anklebiters is a
time saver. You can be confident your bikes
will still be standing after a trip across
the United States.
4 flaming chillies for the
overall functionality and one more cuz I can
venture out the next day and rely on the rack
to do its job again and again which allows
me to catch some z's at nite. zzzz.... | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Larry
a weekend warrior
from Southern CA
Date Reviewed: January 31, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
I have owned a pair of lockjaws for 3 years now and all I can say is that it has be flawless. I recently purchased a Y-Style bike and the lockjaws do not fit this kind of frameset so I was off to purchase a new bike rack. I was torn between the steelhead and the anklebitter and chose the anklebitter (mainly because you don't have to remove the front wheel). Be foreworned that if you own a set of Raceface cranks this rack barely fits. It took me a good hour or so and several profanities before I was able to clamp this rack to my crankset. You need to unscrew the locking mechanism all the way, leaving a bare amount of thread to grip on the rack just to fit the lever over the crank. I took a dremel to it and shave off a little of the plastic and now the locking lever fit with no problem.
Don't get me wrong, this is a great rack, it just appears to me that it was not made for a Race Face crankset. Before shaving off some of the plastic I tried my other two bikes in the anklebitter and they fit perfectly but they are both Shimano brand cranks. Great rack - I just think it needs to be retrofitted for fatter, thicker style cranksets. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve
a cross-country rider
from AZ
Date Reviewed: January 28, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
A little hard to install the first time but after that it only takes a few minutes. Actually it is very simple but very easy to make it harder o install than it appears. Have had it over a year and love it very funstional and I don't worry about my bike flying off. I have the lock system which I recommend also | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Boogie Man
a cross-country rider
from Idaho
Date Reviewed: January 24, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
After reading some of the reviews on the Anklebiter, I must say that I'm a little shocked. I found the instalation to be fairly simple even after consuming the better part of a half-rack of Weinhard's Red. In fact, after mounting up the bikes the next morning, I was surprised to see they were intalled perfectly, with no further adjustments needed. I've had the system intalled (with mighty mounts) on my '97 Outback Sport now for about a year and haven't had any problems. Whipping up and down mountain roads don't even seem to phase my bikes, and apart from a strange noise somewhere upwards of around 100mph, I couldn't be more pleased. Of course there is the concern about security. I do have the locks instralled, but just from looking at them, I can tell it wouldn't slow down a thief to much. However, any locking system I've seen on an exterior bike rack seems as though it's there more to keep hinest people honest then to stop somebody thats really after your bike. If your going for a ride in downtown Detroit or possibly L.A. carry them on the inside. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
BJN
a cross-country rider
from Salt Lake City
Date Reviewed: January 18, 1999 | | Bottom Line: |
Beware the Anklebiter. The big arm is held in place only by friction. There's a plug inserted in the arm's lower end that captures a plastic retaining ring. It looks like this is meant to keep the arm in place... not likely. The plug is scarily easy to knock out of place. It's also fairly easy to pull the arm out of the mounting plate by simply pulling on it! If you own one of these (or two, like me), keep your eye on the arm and keep the mounting plates tight. Don't trust the lock, since a good yank gives a thief your bike in the blink of an eye. No rack will foil a serious thief, but this one is a joke. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kevin Koen
a
from Houston, TX
Date Reviewed: December 20, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I own a Yakima Treadhead, and have it on a 94' Jeep Wrangler. If any of you out there are looking to by one of these they work great. BUT, when you buy the rack, also buy a piece of 1/8 plate 14 x 14. Drill through the back of the tailgate (in line with the existing bolt holes), and using some all-thread, bolt the plate to the back of the tailgate. This will beef up the factory spare tire carrier, and reduce the flex in the tailgate. (If I had to do it over I would probably buy one of the trailer hitch racks) | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian Boyd
a
from Scottsdale, AZ
Date Reviewed: December 17, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have a bunch of other Yakima products which have been pricey but worthwhile. REI sold me anklebiter which they said was pretty secure. Once the bike flipped and the titanium pedal dug into the roof of my Toyota, it actually was pretty secure. And, I didn't have to take the bike off to get into the garage. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ben Schanz
a cross-country rider
from Saginaw, Mi
Date Reviewed: December 3, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Hey,
I mounted the Q-towers and a pair of cut-throat rails on my 94 escort GT and the thing is not going anywhere. I added an air fairing to the sucker and it looks trick with that on. I am lacking the wheel mounts right now but may get them later. I love the rack though and cristened it w/ a drive across the state w/ two bikes on top. no problems with it so far.
Ben | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a cross-country rider
from Oakton Virginia
Date Reviewed: November 17, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have the Steelhead and Q-tower setup on a Honda CRX-Si, and despite having to put the rails a scant 20 in. from eachother, the system is rock solid.. no problems blasting through the winding West Virginia mountain roads at 80 mph. My one BIG complaint is in regard to the noodley wheel forks.. they are clearly
a half-assed addition to an otherwise fine rack. They work ok with road wheels, but put an mtb wheel up there and you get the thing bouncing and gyrating all over the place. Last week I lost a very sweet brand new front wheel- King hub, Mavic 517-cd-ceramic rim, black dt spokes with red alloy nips, and, oh yes, a red Salsa flip off..a real treat.. well, despite being cranked down tight, the wheel came off the stinkin fork at about 70 mph and cratered the grill of the new SUV driven by the poor bastard behind me. The wheel, or what was left of it, shot like a bullet off into the forest, never to be seen again (despite a thorough 2 hour search). Now I'm out a wheel AND the increased insurance premiums resulting from the accident. Alas, as a result of this sickening experience, I'll give the folks from Washington 2 chiles.. and thats freakin generous!!!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Robert
a weekend warrior
from Memphis, TN
Date Reviewed: November 13, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
HeyWell I had my rack for about 4 years on my escort. And yes escorts rule. I miss my escort 89. Well anyway it worked great on that car because is had rain gutters on it and clip gripped really well. I had the unversial type clips. But then I bought my 98 civic HB and it started to strip the paint of around the door where the clips attached. I had the right clips and extension bars but this car does not have gutters. Anyway I just wanted to tell you about my experance.
| | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Laughing Boy
a cross-country rider
from RO, MI
Date Reviewed: October 28, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Edags this is a strange review. I love my yak rack. I've lost they keys and i don't care anymore. It works. I have steelheads on Q-towers. I accidently ran into my garage and totally wasted the roof of my escort (escort's rule. Especially the rally versions). My rack had one destroyed qtower and that i repaired from some spare parts at my shop. no biggie. but my bars are fine.
One peeve: the lockjaw, wheel holder, or any upright carrier suck. if it weren't
for the wheel straps everywhere, I would've lost a bike. I no longer use my upright. The ankle biter's nice, but I like the feel of a secure fork mount.The wheel holders are nice, but just mount them on the rear bar and facing forward or else you'll lose wheels like I did.(oh yeah if any of you are in michigan and driving around Royal Oak on Woodward keep on the lookout for a 217 rim with a frt Xt hub.. it's somewhere around there.) | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Justin
a cross-country rider
from SSF, CA
Date Reviewed: October 22, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I just recently bought a set of double-cross and 2 steelheads to fit my SUV. Very easy to install. I have two bike, both with Marzocchi forks (atom bomb, and Z3 light). They fit PERFECTLY!!! Don't know why they didn't fit on the guy below me but I had absolutey no problems. I believe the steelheads are much stronger than the comparable Thule. No problems. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Werner
a weekend warrior
from Vancouver, Canada
Date Reviewed: October 7, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Very strong racks, have had no problems with anything coming loose at freeway speeds. Have a problem with the locking steelhead mount(no problem with the non locking mounts). If you have a Marzocci fork(and everybody should) you can't use that mount!!!!. Even my son's Judy XC Long Travel fork(he is thinking of changing to Marzocci) is difficult to mount. This is disappointing since these locking mounts are very expensive and they can't handle the new fork design.
How about it Yakima either I am doing something wrong or you guys are not keeping up with latest fork design. I think the new lockingThule mount is the way to go but that system has other problems that kept me away. The answer would be the new Thule locking mount on a Yakima rack!! | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
hugH owingS
a weekend warrior
from Bulovin
Date Reviewed: September 28, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
Beware of the Anklebiter, almost lost my bike due to the fact that the arm that holds the cranks is not attached to the rack, it is held in by pressyre from 1, yes 1 wing nut and is liable to slide out of its housing and make you lose your bike. yakima traded it for a steelhead and locks, no questions asked. Love the system on my Standard cab ranger w/camper top. the system is on the roof of the truck and has held two refrigerators at one time. No damage to rack or vehicle, except the crushed door and window after we took them off and one fell into the truck. Oh well, my fault. Anklebiters will bite you in the pocket if you take the chance of buying one and lose your bike. negative 10 flaming poop piles. yakima 5 flaming ploppo piles. | | Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Augie
a weekend warrior
from MO
Date Reviewed: September 26, 1998 | | Bottom Line: |
I have had a Treadhead for about a year now. It has Sprung the Tailgate hinges on my 94 Jeep Wrangler, and caused excessive wear on the Tailgate lock. I have since retired this rack. I like the design of the carrier, and the locks, Therefore I have replaced it with a Yakima Getaway 2 reciever mount. Maybe the wranglers tailgate just isn't strong enough for the weight of a rack and a couple of rides. Maybe other SUV's with tailgate mounted spare tires are stronger. I don't know. However, I really like the design, but because of the damage to my Jeep I can't give the Treadhead a perfect rating. The getaway is very nice. Three chile's for the Treadhead, and Five chile's for the Getaway.,, for a Yakima average of 4 chile's. | | Overall Rating: |
| |
|
Photo Caption Contest
(sponsored by Maxxis)
|
Enter here
|
|
|
$
