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Yakima FlipSide Hitch Rack - 4 Bike

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Product Description,
Product Specs,
Reviews

The innovative Yakima FlipSide hitch bike rack makes vehicle access easy when hitting your favorite bike trail.

Once bikes are removed, the rack tilts 90° to the left or right for easy access to rear of vehicle
Fits all types of bicycles; dual-arm design eliminates the need for top-tube adapters on most bikes
SwitchBlade anti-sway bike cradles eliminate bike-to-bike contact for superior protection and stability
Cradle arms quickly fold down when rack is not in use
Intuitive levers with anti-pinch trigger covers make operating the rack a simple endeavor
Integrated cable lock secures up to 4 bikes to rack
Fits 2 in. and 1.25 in. receiver hitches; designed for Class II hitches and higher
Sleek design features an automotive finish to complement your vehicle

Please note: Yakima products can only be shipped to U.S. addresses.

Imported.

Item 767988

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Yakima FlipSide Hitch Rack - 4 Bike Customer Reviews

REVIEW SNAPSHOT®

by PowerReviews

Yakima Flipside Hitch Rack - 4 Bike

2.0

(based on 7 reviews)

29%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Easy to install (5)
Easy to use (4)

Cons

Unstable (5)
Poor quality (4)

Best Uses

Mountain bikes (3)
Road bikes (3)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Casual/ recreational (4), Avid cyclist (3)

Reviews

Reviewed by 7 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-7

Jun

2008

(21 of 24 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Disappointed.

By apippin

from Fort Collins, CO

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Install
Easy to Use

Cons

Unstable
Weak Construction

Best Uses

Large Cars
Mountain Bikes
Road Bikes

Comments about Yakima Flipside Hitch Rack - 4 Bike:

I was very excited about this product when I ordered it. I was hoping to have a bike rack that would snug up to the bumper of my minivan, and swing out of the way so that I could still access the back of the vehicle with ease. This rack let me down. First off, even flipped to the side, you're still a good 2 feet away from your hatch back trunk. And, with the rack flipped to the side, it's still hard to get any closer on that half of the vehicle, although the other side is free and clear.

The other thing that was very disappointing about this rack is the pin that holds the rack in place that you pull out when you want it to flip to either side. I was expecting the pin to hold the rack firmly upright. Due to a poor design, it doesn't do this. The rack easily rattles/sways side to side by an inch or so due to the poor pin design. The mistake they made was having a small pin snapping into an over sized hole. The other problem with the pin is that it only extended 1/8th of an inch into the hole. If you put enough weight on the rack, the rack would pull away from the pin, causing it to disengage.

The built-in cable lock is a lot of fun to pull out and lock your bike to the frame with. However, it's a royal pain to push all the way back into the rack when you are through with it. With enough twisting, pushing, and pulling, you can eventually get it to go all the way back in. It's a good thing the rack has a bottle opener on it so you can keep yourself well hydrated while trying to work that cable back into the rack.

I would not recommend this product to anyone. I think there are still some loose ends to work out of the design, especially for the price they are charging for it.

Aug

2008

(9 of 9 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

A Great Rack At A Great Price!!!

By BIG DINO

from Chicago, IL

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Install
Easy to Use

Cons

Best Uses

Mountain Bikes
Road Bikes

Comments about Yakima Flipside Hitch Rack - 4 Bike:

I recently used this rack on a long road trip and it performed great. The anti-sway cradles worked much better than I anticipated (rock solid). It was easy to put on and take off (5 minutes). Also, it was very easy to flip it down to bumber level and load my car. It performed well at speeds of 80+ mph. For [$] REI, you won't find a better hitch in this price range. I don't understand what the other reviewer was talking about. The lock has to be pushed in with some force but otherwise it would come out at high speeds. There is some give to the rack but I'm guessing the designers at Yakima built this in so as not to damage the frame of you bike. Highly Recommended

Jul

2010

(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Great rack

By stevelong

from Salt Lake City, Ut

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Easy to Install
Easy to Use
Stable

Cons

Best Uses

Large Cars
Mountain Bikes
Road Bikes

Comments about Yakima Flipside Hitch Rack - 4 Bike:

I think the Flipside has gotten somewhat of a bad rap in these reviews. Put it together and installed in 15 minutes. Great quality of construction. Rock stable on trailer hitch. Takes some practice to get the bikes on, but when they are they are stable and don't smash each other. A large bungee cord needs to go through both tires to stop them from spinning and keep front wheel straight. Flips out the way of my Honda Pilot Hatch back with ease. Is heavy but this thing is built tough. Don't even think about flipping it with bikes on it. If you want something to get out of the way with bikes on it youll need to spend more bucks for the Swing Daddy.

My lock cord pulls out easily and goes back in easily so if that is a problem I'd return it. Mine has never flipped without my releasing the pin. Mine locks with a solid CLANG when it flips up into position.

One complaint about any of these top tube holders, including Thule, take the bike number rating of any of these over 2 and subtract 1. ie if it says it holds 4 bikes and all your bikes arent the same, ie adult, road, mountain, with the same top tube configuration plan on 15-20 minutes, a PhD in mechanical engineering, and a alot of cursing to actually get 4 bikes on these things. Especially mountain bikes with weird top tubes, shock absorbers in the way, and wide handlebars it will hold 3 easily but 4 would be a trick. So if you really are going to usually carry 4 bikes get a 5 bike rated rack. You really dont want to spend the greater part of your bike time struggling to get these expensive things on and off the car while trying not to smash them up. And if you are going on a trip and want to put 4 bikes on a 4 bike rack and still want to get into the back or your vehicle, without taking 15 extra minutes taking bikes on and off, get a 5 bike rack or even better get the Swing Daddy or its Thule equivalent. Or buy a bike rack that holds the bikes by the tires (except with 4 bikes you basically now have a trailer). Just make sure you spend time the night before you leave figuring out how to get your 4 bikes on the rack. Once you get it it's pretty easy, but makes for a terrible first day of vacation with the your wife and kids screaming from the car to leave for the last half hour while you've sweated through your loud Hawaiian shirt and pinched the cr.. out your fingers twice trying to get the bikes on. Believe me I know.

Great rack for any 3 bikes or 4 adult road bikes with the same top tube configuration.

In any case buying it at REI with its' 100% satisfaction guarantee takes the worry out of it.

Oct

2009

(3 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

2.0

Great idea, nice design, but VERY WOBBLY

By CA mom

from Burlingame, CA

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Install
Easy to Use
Lightweight

Cons

Unstable
Weak Construction

Best Uses

Comments about Yakima Flipside Hitch Rack - 4 Bike:

I bought this rack to use on my Toyota Highlander with the idea that I would leave the rack on for day to day use, thus making biking with the family more easy/spontaneous. Great design and idea of the swing arm, and rack/locks do hold bikes securely.

ONLY ONE BIG PROBLEM. Rack is really wobbly, swaying side to side by as much as one foot (at least when bikes aren't loaded on). Piece that slides into hitch projects it for too far from the back of the car, and, as noted by another reviewer, the pin that is supposed to stabilize the whole thing is woefully too small. Overall, this makes a nice fulcrum for the rest of the bike rack to pivot around, especially when driving over bumps, on the freeway, etc.

I plan on returning this item and trying something else. Hopefully Yakima will redesign this product to make it stable, because otherwise I loved it and it was convenient to use.

Aug

2010

(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Very Unhappy

By BillAmberD

from Salt Lake City, UT

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Unstable
Weak Construction

Best Uses

Comments about Yakima Flipside Hitch Rack - 4 Bike:

My husband bought this rack the night before our trip to Sun Valley. We were so excited to add this to our Yakima collection (we are a Yakima family), however, we should have done our homework and researched this product. We left Friday morning with three bikes on the rack (was made to fit four), and thirty minutes into our trip, our pin slipped, the rack fell to the side and the bikes were completely ruined dragging along the highway at 60 mph. We were driving with three other cars, had to drop our gear off at a family members home on the way, continued on our trip and rented bikes in Sun Valley. The pin was the problem, it is not a good design, and I would not recommend this product to anyone. [...]so we now start the corporate calls and pleas to [...] Yakima.

May

2010

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Don't Buy this Rack

By Backcountry Blake

from Lake Tahoe, CA

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Cons

Unstable
Weak Construction

Best Uses

Comments about Yakima Flipside Hitch Rack - 4 Bike:

I bought this rack to put on my wife's new Subaru. I was initially disappointed at how far it stuck out from the car and how wobbly it seemed. I was even more disappointed when I tried to put on my wife's mountain bike. Even though the rack claims to be able to hold four bikes, I couldn't even get my wife's bike past the first set up clips. Even then the bike had to sit at an odd angle. I would have been frustrated but okay with these issues, had the pin holding the rack in the upright position not failed during our first use, dumping our bikes on the road while driving. The pin appears to penetrate the upright portion of the rack by about a 1/4 inch (not nearly enough). Because the pin has a rounded tip, I assume that because the road was slightly bumpy and the bikes naturally cause the rack to lean to one side, the pin slipped causing the Flipside to flip on its side. Fortunately, we were going slowly and only my bike's rear wheel was damaged. I carefully drove home. I am returning the rack tomorrow.

Oct

2010

1.0

yup. unstable.

By mike_the_bike

from san francisco bay area

About Me Avid Cyclist

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Install

Cons

Unstable

Best Uses

Comments about Yakima Flipside Hitch Rack - 4 Bike:

The rack is un-usable on my 2" hitch. I think simply there was a design flaw on the size of the 2" adapter. It seems others are having the same issue.

The rack sways about 2 in inches at the top of the rack.

I'm a yakima fanboy, so I was surprised that this didn't fit my hitch.

I will be returning this item.