Submitted by
RidgeUPGrade
a Cross Country Rider
from College Station, TX, USA Date Reviewed: August 28, 2009
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$65.00
Purchased At:
REI Garage Sale
Strengths:
Very easy to set up, folds away easily, very sturdy and strong, have never had a problem with it and I used to be a Thule fan
Weaknesses:
The mounts for the bikes don't have a rubber pad to cushion the frame, but does not scratch the frame at all
Similar Products Used:
thule racks
Bike Setup:
07 Marin Eldridge Grade, 2009 Fox F120 RL, Easton XC One, Crank Brothers Eggbeater SL, FSA K-Force Riser Bar, XT m772 Shadow RD, XT m770 FD, XT m770 crankset, SRAM PG-990 Cassette, SRAM 991 chain, Hayes Stroker Trail V7 Brakes, Thomson Setback s
seatpost, Selle Italia Shiver Gel Flow, Blue Chris King Nothreadset, Maxxis Ignitor 2.1
Bottom Line:
Great product, buy this if you need something reliable, safe, protective and long lasting!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
kms662
a Weekend Warrior
from Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA Date Reviewed: June 22, 2009
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$155.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Easy to set up/install on vehicle, strong materials (King Joe 3 is made of stainless steel), well constructed except for cradles (see weaknesses below).
Weaknesses:
Cradles that hold top tube/seat post tube to the bike rack consistently slide backwards on the rack causing the straps holding the bike to the rack to come undone, leaving bike unsecure while driving. Not a good feeling when you're headed down the highway to a race 150 miles away! Suddenly your bike is like a kite (not good). Tried compensating by using bungie cords but bike still slid around. My LBS replaced the rack under warranty but I had the same problems with a second Yakima King Joe 3 rack. Ended up returning for a full refund.
Similar Products Used:
Considered similar racks from Thule and Saris, but Yakima seemed better quality. Now looking for roof rack.
Bottom Line:
Haven't found a trunk mount rack yet that seems decent.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bluebellylint
a Weekend Warrior
from Seattle, WA Date Reviewed: October 5, 2008
Favorite Trail:
All Trails
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$50.00
Purchased At:
Used
Strengths:
Its a very solid rack, It feels like its welded to the car when its on. Easy to set up, I can get it on the car with two bikes it in about 3 minuets. Works with cars that have spoilers. Folds small for storage.
Weaknesses:
Its expensive new but I think its worth it.
Similar Products Used:
Cheep racks
Bike Setup:
I usually carry two mountain bikes on this rack but I'm confident it could hold three no problem
Bottom Line:
I love this rack! If you set it up correctly you will never have a problem with it. I would recommend it to any one looking to buy a bike rack.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Erlin
a Weekend Warrior
from Farmington, MI USA Date Reviewed: August 27, 2008
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$130.00
Strengths:
Easy to mount once you understand the instructions and the straps. Doesn't have much sway unless the plastic holder cradles slip, as mine did.
Weaknesses:
Plastic holder cradle slips up along the rack bar on the side bearing the most bike weight. Given enough time and bumps or high wind, would it slide off the bar? Since it's not falling (yet), you don't notice it in the rear view mirror. Luckily on my 300 mile highway trip to Canada I noticed this at a rest stop and pushed the cradle back down the bar. There was tort on the bike and a two scratches on the car. I was nervous the rest of the trip, and kept checking the position of the cradle.
Similar Products Used:
Never had a rack before.
Bike Setup:
The bicycle shop set mine up for me initially, and it mounts easily on my Matrix hatch back type mounting.
Bottom Line:
Having nothing to compare it with, I'm not sure exactly what to do, but am returning this for a replacement per my bike shop's recommendation. Not sure if this means it was a defect in this particular rack, or if the model will continue to do the same. I'll find out I guess.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
W
a Weekend Warrior
from Los Angeles CA Date Reviewed: August 25, 2008
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$130.00
Purchased At:
REI
Strengths:
Easy setup and secure straps.
Weaknesses:
It ruined the bumper on my VW Passat!!! I bought this rack for a weeklong road trip from LA to Sequoia and Tahoe and back. Set it up at home in the garage and loaded 2 average hybrid bikes without problems. On the day of the drive, seems ok until a rest stop when I noticed the bottom bumpers slipped from the license plate to the bumper causing a HUGE dent in the bumper! We tried to readjust to no avail. I read the instructions carefully and did know that certain car makes had weaknesses in that bumper area. So I placed the rubber things on the license as instructed. But the darn thing kept slipping despite our best efforts. We were stuck as we had a long trip. By the end of the trip, my (?plastic) bumper is ruined. I am in the process of trying to push it back in shape. If not, off to the body shop. The wretched rack is being returned back to REI.
I will confidently say that this rack is NOT compatible with the VW Passat 2003 sedan.
Bottom Line:
Works well if it doesn't ruin the bumper!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
C
a Weekend Warrior
from WA Date Reviewed: March 31, 2008
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Strengths:
Looks beefy
Weaknesses:
Straps can come loose. Leaves black marks on my nice white bike frame.
Similar Products Used:
None - first bike rack
Bike Setup:
Specialized Road Bike
Bottom Line:
My old King Joe had the recall notice, and Yakima shipped me a new King Joe for free after mailing in the hubs from the old rack. The rack has been reliable so far. No problems taking my light road bike on the freeway for an hour or so. A couple of times I lugged both my bike and my wife's heavy comfort bike and the straps kept coming lose. The strap retaining mechanism just doesn't work too well with heavy bikes, but no problems with a single light bike. A gripe about the plastic and rubber bits that secure the bike frame - they left permanent black marks on my nice white frame. On the positive side, setup is easy. Takes me just 2 minutes to mount it to my Subaru sedan. Folds down easily to store in the trunk so I feel a little better when I leave my car for hours in a parking lot. I probably wouldn't not buy another one until the strap retaining mechanism is improved. Saris has some nice looking trunk mounted racks worth looking into.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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