Submitted by
Brian
a Weekend Warrior
from Parsippany, New Jersey, USA Date Reviewed: August 1, 2005
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$30.00
Purchased At:
from my brother
Strengths:
Very easy to store Inexpensive
Weaknesses:
Can physically mar your car's roof if the roof is small
Similar Products Used:
None
Bike Setup:
Aluminum frame, Shimano Acer brakes and shifters, RockShox Jett fork
Bottom Line:
I would not recommend this rack for anyone with a small car and using the round bar setup. For the rest of you, it is a great deal.
Do this: Take off the front wheel and place your bike on the ground. Then, measure the distance between where the front fork and the back wheel touch the ground. If this distance is greater than that between the rack's two crossbars (in Yakima lingo, this is called "M4") , you will probably encounter the problem I have had, namely: the bouncing around of the back wheel causes the rear crossbar to tilt downward as well as push it forward. The rear wheel then ends up resting on the car. This causes a deep scratch where the tray hits the roof, as well as a possible dent and scratch if a pedal gets caught. Tightening up all the bolts and the bars did not solve this problem, as it has happened to me twice. I will be selling this rack soon, before I have to pay to get my entire roof repainted.
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Submitted by
Dave
a Weekend Warrior
from Clifton, NJ USA Date Reviewed: May 27, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Ringwood
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Purchased At:
Campmor
Strengths:
Secure, easy to use
Weaknesses:
Locks? If someone really wants to steal your bike, they will get it regardless of the lock system on the Boa
Similar Products Used:
Truck mount system
Bike Setup:
Hardtail
Bottom Line:
I have never had a problem with the Boa. They (2 of them) were included with the Hitchfork (Yakima). I never have to worry about my bikes when cruising on the highway or going around turns. Bikes are 100% secure. Only takes me 2 mintues to put the bikes on. I'm considering buying another Boa (3 total) for the Hitchfork. At around $65 USD, the Boa is expensive. Minus 1 flamin' chili for high cost. Overall, worth the investment.
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Submitted by
G Mckshred
a Cross Country Rider
from Scottsdale Date Reviewed: January 24, 2004
Favorite Trail:
Anywhere on Elden
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Supergo
Strengths:
Yakima Customer Service
Weaknesses:
Wouldn't work on my VW. Rrear wheel extended past rear tray. Tried to open the crossbars up to make the rear wheel lie in the tray and that reduced the integrity of the entire rack. The rack moved twice on me (after driving about 100 miles @ 75 mph).
Similar Products Used:
Thule, Docking Station
Bike Setup:
Intense Tracer
Bottom Line:
When I called Yakima and explained the problem of the rack moving - they said do not extend the crossbars to accommodate the bikes wheelbase length. They sent me new trays and steelhead type mounts @ no charge. I had to use my skewers from the boa's. It's been mounted ever since - driven 5k at high freeway speeds. No Problems - Great customer service - they stand behind their products.
Boa's work well with shorter wheel base bikes. Check Yakima's recommended crossbar measurement for your vehicle and then check your bikes wheelbase for a match. If your bike is longer, then DONT buy the Boa's !!
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Submitted by
Jeff
a Cross Country Rider
from Sebring, FL, USA Date Reviewed: January 14, 2003
Favorite Trail:
Alafia River State Park, FL, USA
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$500.00
Purchased At:
D&S Cycling Center, FL
Strengths:
Leaves the center of the overall rack free for gear bags, coolers, etc. You can adjust the spacing of the front and rear of the bike separately allowing for more flexibility in the number of bikes you can mount on it 5 so far.
Weaknesses:
When mounted on the front of my MegaWarrior the front shield will not lay down at an angle and sits perfect vertical created wind resistance and pushes air straight down in sunroof so cannot open at high speeds.
Similar Products Used:
Full rail mount
Bike Setup:
Installed on Yakima MegaWarrior with extension. Maxed at 5 bikes so far.
Bottom Line:
I have a Yakima MegaWarrior rack with extension mounted on the tops of my 01 Suburban and my 91 Land Cruiser. The boa is the perfect solution. We've mounted 5 so far. They are extremely flexible so you can configure your rack for the storage needs you have. Everyone asked me what the rack is for, cuz it looks so cool!: )
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Submitted by
marv
a Cross Country Rider
from SLO Date Reviewed: September 30, 2002
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$56.00
Purchased At:
Art's Cyclery
Strengths:
-Easy to instal/uninstal -great value
Weaknesses:
obviously cannot work on small roof racks
Bottom Line:
Of the Yakima and Thule roof rack products out there, it's the best buy. I have two on my rack! If your truck/car has a small roof then your bike may be sticking out the back (i.e. your rear tire is past the rear wheel tray). In this case the "Boa" is not a good choice. The Boa is best for roof racks that can adjusted/spaced the wheel of the bike.
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Submitted by
Rick
a Cross Country Rider
from Baltimore, MD Date Reviewed: February 7, 2002
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$60.00
Strengths:
Fits a wide variety and sixes of bikes. It is the least expensive option from Yakima, and just as functional.
Weaknesses:
None
Bottom Line:
The rack works great. Fits all different sixes of bikes. I use this over the bed of my truck, and with the short trays leaves the bed accesible. There are no long trays to reach between. The cost is less than an of Yakima's other offerings without sacrificing functionality.
$ 10.00
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