Description:Bighorn rear-hitch carrier accommodates up to 4 adult or children's bicycles and fits any 2" receiver hitch. Swiftly swings down to allow easy rear-of-vehicle access. Soft, sturdy, stable cradles work in unison with World Straps to hold bikes firmly to the frame while preventing sway. Large hitch bolt and insert nut securely fasten mount to the hitch, preventing both rattle and sway. Heavy-duty steel mast and welded arm are built to provide maximum strength; durable, powder-coated finish keeps the rack looking fresh. Lock loop allows for the use of a security cable (sold separately).
Submitted by
ryan4isu
a Weekend Warrior
from Kansas City, MO Date Reviewed: July 7, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Landahl Park
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$160.00
Purchased At:
Dick's Sporting Good
Strengths:
relatively easy to load bikes
Weaknesses:
rubber straps are poorly designed and may slip off at highway speeds...if you own this rack or buy it make sure to fortify the existing straps with bungie cords or straps. Two rubber straps that may not necessarily be engineered to the size of your bike are not to be trusted when going at highway speeds.
Similar Products Used:
-
Bottom Line:
While driving back from riding the Katy trail last weekend we lost my Giant Yukon off the back of this rack. We think it happened somewhere West of Columbia but didn't realize it was gone until someone drove up beside us to alert us to the bad news.
Basically the rubber straps can not be trusted to secure your bike. If you are looking for a bike rack get one with straps that have clip adjustments similar to how a zip tie works. Those will be much more secure and allow you to drive worry free.
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Submitted by
Dr. PK
a Weekend Warrior
from Grand Rapids Date Reviewed: May 8, 2008
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$150.00
Purchased At:
Dicks
Strengths:
After reading the reviews here, I decided to go for the Yakima bighorn/ Buckhorn-4 instead of the trunk mounted. I tried the truck mounted as it was cheaper and easier to handle, but wasnt stable at all on my Honda Accord Sedan. This one is very stable and strong. I completely trust it to take my bikes. Also it is easy to remove when done and fits into my trunk. Easy to assemble too. Worth the price and efforts.
My wife and I have 2 bikes. I think it is great for 3 bikes and not four, unless they are kid-bikes.
Thanks a lot for your reviews!
Weaknesses:
-- I had to fit a hitch on my car for this, costing $200. -- The bikerack's bolt hole would not align with the hitch, so I had to get a part of it sawed off-- no cost but extra hassle. -- On freeway, at 70 miles/hr, I usually get 35-40 miles/gal. With the bike rack and bikes I see about 20-25 miles/gal. However, if I reduce my speed to about 60-65 mph, I see an improvement to about 25-30 miles/gal. -- The drag is noticeable, and I can see that a smaller car may have problems, especially in windy conditions. -- My bikerack model (1 1/4 inch receiver) drops down and does not slide sideways, making it not-so-easy to open my trunk. But not a biggie.
Similar Products Used:
Trunk mounted 2-bike carrier-- Saris, I believe.
Bike Setup:
Diamondback Wildwood, gents+ ladies.
Bottom Line:
Surely go for it as long as you are not driving too far with it-- I am afraid it will eat up too much gas.
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Submitted by
Charles Wiley
a Weekend Warrior
from Louisville, KY Date Reviewed: January 25, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Otter Creek
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$85.00
Purchased At:
eBay
Strengths:
Well-built, strong, very stable bike attachments, can load 4 bikes, swing-down for hatch access.
Weaknesses:
The arms don't fold-down when bikes are not loaded.
Similar Products Used:
Trunk mount racks
Bike Setup:
3 Mountain and 3 road bikes
Bottom Line:
We have this mounted on our Toyota Sienna. Mounting 4 bikes is no picnic, but in the right order, with the cranks in the right position, we've loaded 4 bikes on it several times. The attachments are very secure--when a bike is strapped in it's not going anywhere.
I'd love the convenience of fold-down arms or the swing-away, but I didn't want to pay for them--so this is what I've got and I really like it.
I wouldn't put this 4-bike rack on a smaller car or with a wimpy hitch. But for our situation, it's perfect.
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Submitted by
RON LEVITZ
a Downhiller
from POMPANO BEACH, FLORIDA Date Reviewed: October 6, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$150.00
Purchased At:
ROCK CREEK OUTFITTERS
Strengths:
VERY SOLID, GREAT DESIGN, BIKES DO NOT SWAY AND FIT PERFECTLY ON TO THE MOUNTINGS. STRAPS ARE STRONG AND KEEP BIKES FROM MOVING. THE BIG HORN 4 IS QUALITY BUILT.
Weaknesses:
SO FAR SO GOOD, HAVE NO COMPLAINTS.
Similar Products Used:
BELL BIKE RACK, VERY THIN METAL AND BIKE SWAYS, NOT RECOMMENDED. 50 DOLLARS CHEAPER, BUT YOU PAY FOR WHAT YOU GET!! THE BIGHORN IS FAR SUPERIOR.
Bike Setup:
I HAVE A GARY FISHER MOUNTAIN BIKE AND A GIANT ROAD BIKE. PRIMARY USE IS MOUNTAIN BIKING AND OCCASIONALLY ROAD BIKING. THE RACK FITS INTO A 2 INCH HITCH BEHIND A JEEP GRAND CHER.
Bottom Line:
I REALLY RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT. I DID SO MUCH RESEARCH FOR THE RIGHT BIKE RACK. IT PAYED OFF. THE YAKIMA BIGHORN 4 IS A GREAT PRODUCT. SOLID, STEARDY AND A GREAT RACK FOR THE MONEY.
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Submitted by
a Weekend Warrior
from Mercer, Pa USA Date Reviewed: July 10, 2006
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$140.00
Purchased At:
Dicks Sporting Goods
Strengths:
Very sturdy. Very stable. Good pads and straps. This was reccomended by the salesperson and works as he described. The pad to hold the bike from swaying works great.
Weaknesses:
Works well with my wife's bike, but could be problem with a smaller frame opening because of the antisway pad.
Similar Products Used:
Trunk mount rack.
Bike Setup:
Two Schwinn Jaguar cruisers.
Bottom Line:
Great rack for the value. Very little bounce when moving. I looked at many racks in this price range and I am extremely satisfied with purchase.
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Submitted by
Mark
a Cross Country Rider
from Boise, ID Date Reviewed: March 23, 2005
Favorite Trail:
Fisher Creek
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$170.00
Purchased At:
REI
Strengths:
Holds the bikes well with minimal sway and rubbing.
Weaknesses:
Feels like a parachute on the back of the car because it creates so much drag. Would be tough to get 4 bikes on it.
Similar Products Used:
Yakima and Thule roof racks
Bike Setup:
Specialized Epic
Bottom Line:
First of all, I bought a hitch mount system because I thought it would have less drag than a roof system. I was dead-wrong on this assumption.
This is a decent rack for the money, but I would not recommend it for people who have smaller cars. The rack is fine, but there are two problems when you have a small car:
1. The weight of the rack and bikes relative to the car is quite a lot, so the bikes, rack, and rear end will sway in the wind or with bumps.
2. It creates a tremendous amount of drag off the back (I think more drag than a roof system). My gas mileage dropped from ~24mpg to ~14mpg with this thing on the back driving from Idaho to Utah. Smaller cars with smaller engines will be more greatly impacted by the additional drag, so the engines will have to work a lot harder to overcome it.
As to the previous post about the civic, I don't think 4-bike hitch mounts are a good idea with a class 1 receiver. You should have at least a class 2 and probably higher to handle the weight. I also think the 1 1/4" version (which I have) is probably less stable than the 2" version.
Bottom line is that I will probably return this to REI and trade it in for a roof rack. Wish I would have spent what I paid to install the receiver on a roof system to begin with. I don't think there is a better way to carry your bike than with a fork-mounted roof or truck-bed rack.
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Submitted by
Dr. Radical
a Weekend Warrior
from Tucson Date Reviewed: August 31, 2004
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Stable, relatively cheap
Weaknesses:
Arms stick out and do not fold down when not in use.
Similar Products Used:
None
Bike Setup:
Rocky Mt. Slayer
Bottom Line:
This is a follow up. I was asked by Carol about it bouncing. On my long road trips I had four bikes on the thing and it did bounce some, but other than that it worked great. I am not sure how much bounce is supposed to be there, but it did not seem too bad to me and everything is in tact after many uses. I would just keep an eye on it to make sure your hitch itself is tightened down, bolts on rack are tight etc. Otherwise it should be fine. Maybe you should also check the tongue weight of the hitch you are using. If you are exceeding it that could be the problem.
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Submitted by
Carol
a Weekend Warrior
from Illinois Date Reviewed: August 23, 2004
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Stability of bikes, price, no scratching, and overall design
Weaknesses:
the hitch bounces, particularly when driving over train tracks and divets on the road
Bike Setup:
2 Rockhopper mountain bikes 1 child's trek
Bottom Line:
I drive a Honda Civic and installed a 1 1/4 hitch (from UHaul). I purchased a Big Horn 4 because it is one of the few that is recommended for my car. At first, we were really happy with the rack because it keeps the bikes from touching the car and the bikes are extremely stable when secured to the rack. However, once we were in motion, we noticed that three bikes make the rack bounce - much too much for my comfort level - particularly when the car goes over dips and train tracks. In fact, on our first road trip, we took our child's bike off and put it in the trunk in order to miminize the bouncing. I'm not sure if it is because of my small car, the hitch, or the bike rack itself, but I don't think that there should be so much bounce. (I'm wondering if SUV's have less bounce). We've double checked the installation of the rack and hitch and everything seems in order. It may be that the load is too heavy for the hitch that fits my car. I wish that I had known this earlier, because I would have "tested" different racks for fit and bounce before purchasing one online. Anyway, we also have a Saris Bones rack and I definitely feel that our bikes are more secure with it than the Big Horn. But again this may be due to the fact that I have a small car and class 1 hitch.
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Submitted by
Dr. Radical
a Weekend Warrior
from Tucson Date Reviewed: May 27, 2004
Favorite Trail:
La Milagrosa
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$130.00
Purchased At:
Rackattack
Strengths:
Relatively cheap with hitch when compared to full roof system to carry just two bikes. Strong. Can fit most bikes easily.
Weaknesses:
As mentioned by others it does take some work to get four bikes on it, but you can and it holds up fine. Just remember the order of bikes that works best if you haul the same ones. This will definitely save time.
Bike Setup:
Rocky Mt. Slayer with Float coil over, Marzzochi Z1 Drop off, Hayes 6" hydraulic disc brakes.
Bottom Line:
Good product for the money. The swing down feature helps to access the back, but still hinders somewhat. If you want more access to the back get one that fully swings out. Although this will cost quite a bit more. Will be taking it to Idaho soon from AZ and will update afterwards.
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Submitted by
Tim
a Weekend Warrior
from Woodstock, GA USA Date Reviewed: August 3, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Blankets Creek
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$160.00
Purchased At:
Free Flite
Strengths:
You can almost put any type of bike on this rack.
Weaknesses:
It is almost impossible to put four bikes on the rack. It is somewhat difficult installing bikes on the rack and you can easily scratch paint and decals. Original bolt and nut stripped and had to be replaced.
Similar Products Used:
Sportsworks
Bike Setup:
Sugar 2+ with Easton components Stock Trek 8000 with Time pedals
Bottom Line:
I had the rack for a year and when the bolt got cross threaded becasue the nut moves in the hitch, I took it to Rack and Roll for repair. Those guys did a great job in fixing it but I decided to upgrade to a Sportsworks rack that I love!!! Bighorn is a good low end rack if you only want to haul 3 bikes.
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Submitted by
Steve Mizak
a Weekend Warrior
from Colorado Springs, CO Date Reviewed: June 12, 2002
Favorite Trail:
Rampart
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$150.00
Purchased At:
Grand West Outfitters
Strengths:
Sturdy construction, good mounts for bikes, great rack for the price!
Weaknesses:
Tough to get four bikes on this baby. Three fit real well though.
If you are looking for a well built rack that won't beat up your bikes or your wallet this is the one. The mounts hold the bikes very securely with no movement. Just don't expect to easily fit four bikes onto this rack. It can be done, it just takes a little effort.
$ 159.00
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