Yakima HoldUp Bike Hitch Rack

Comments about Yakima HoldUp Bike Hitch Rack:

I'm rating the 2009 version of the Yakima Holdup 1-1/4, which I believe is Yakima's third attempt at getting the rack right. Yakima still falls short of perfection. It's not that difficult, especially after you put it together from the box to see the issues with the rack. I suspect the 2" version will solve only problem 2 below.Design flaw #1: Locking cable is too short. Looks like about a 7 foot cable. About 2-3 feet too short to go through both wheels and frames on both bikes and then attach/lock the hitch tightening bolt. Come on, Yakima, didn't you even try to do this? Do you think we don't want to lock up our wheels? Would it bankrupt you to make it long enough? Since the lock is not very good anyway, I'll use my own cable and padlock and lock it to the hitch loop.Design flaw #2: Locking cable/ hitch lock poorly designed. Aside from being too short to properly lock 2 bikes, the cable locking mechanism won't fit into the small area where the tightening bolt comes out of the receiver. I have a Curt hitch and I suspect it's pretty standard as far as 1-1/4" hitch receivers go. If I could get the cable to lock to the bolt, the keyhole would be on the back side, facing toward the front of the car and inaccessible. It is possible that Yakima understood this to be a problem, so they built another place to lock the cable to (same fitting as the bolt) on the main rack. OK, fine. So I should go buy the accessory Hitchlock (8007235). Problem 2a, it doesn't fit my standard hitch either. Why couldn't they just copy a company that has done it and done it right, positioned key on the end of the lock, facing sideways, easily accessible. So until I come up with a better method, I cannot lock the rack to the car. I must be able to lock it. Update: Softride part number 25057 bolt and lock works perfectly for the 1 1/4" receiver. 25056 is the part number for the 2" receiver. Both are far better designs than Yakima's, and extremely secure.Design flaw #3: Still wobbly. So Yakima gives you a nice tightening bolt which snugs up the rack to your receiver. This works quite well (aside from #2 above). However, the rack itself still wobbles via the main pivot that swings the rack up (for storage) and down (for trunk access). It has entirely too much play (~1/2" to 1" I'd estimate) in it which I suspect will wear the pivot over time. So I guess now the rack is only half as wobbly as it would have been without the rack tightening bolt. I have a similar Softride rack that has no play whatsoever so I know it is possible. Update: I bought some plastic and rubber washers from [...] took the main pivot bolt out and filled the space with the washers. Tightened it up so it has some resistance, but no wobble.Back to the drawing board Yakima. You have your assignment. I've even provided you with solutions.The above being said, the rack is probably no worse than the other 2 competing racks on the market. Just still not perfect. Especially for the premium price they charge for it. And I doubt most people would go to the trouble of doing what I did to make it a rack Yakima would be proud of.If it costs too much to fix the above 3 flaws, I suggest Yakima remove the gimmicky bottle opener.While I'm on my soapbox, I'd like to suggest an accessory which could be added to the rack. A brake light/turn signal light bar that somehow hooked to the end of the rack and plugs into the hitch's brake light/signal harness. When 2 bikes are on the rack, or even when the rack is in the storage position, the tail lights are at least partially obscured from behind. I'm sure somewhere it's already caused a rear-end accident and I wouldn't doubt that eventually laws will be added requiring the lighting. It's like running a trailer without lights.

Comments about Yakima HoldUp Bike Hitch Rack:

Overall I am satisfied with this rack. It wasn't too hard to put together (you have to bolt the trays on yourself), is easy to get on and off the car, is stable and looks nice. It is heavy but there is no way around that. It's also nice that you don't have to lift your bikes on to the top of the car. Another thing to keep in mind is that if you plan to ride the ferry, get a hitch rack. If the bikes are on the top of your car you will have to pay an overheight fee (which is basically paying for a second car and driver) which is expensive.

There are some drawbacks though. The bolts used to attach the trays to the main body of the hitch are not stainless steel and rusted right away. I have had this rack a year and it is also showing some rust on the rack itself. For the price you would think that Yakima could have sprung for some stainless steel bolts. There is some trickery involved to get the bikes on and off. Both arms must be in the "open" position before you start putting the bikes on or you won't be able to open the outside arm because it will catch on the pedals of the inside bike. This can be a problem if you put one bike on, leave the other arm in the secure position, drive to your friends's house and try and put another bike on. You will have to remove the first bike to open the second arm. To keep the bike stable you need to push down hard on the ratchet arm. Taking the bikes off can be difficult because the release button is on the inside and only about a half-inch away from the fork so it is hard to get to. It also takes a lot of pressure to release the ratched mechanisim and that can be difficult because of the location of the button. Also, beware, when both bikes are on make sure that the handle bars of one don't push into the seat of the other or you will get a tear in the seat. All of these things can be worked around if you remember them. And when I tried to use the bottle opener on the rack it didn't actually work. Sad.

Comments about Yakima HoldUp Bike Hitch Rack:

I own both the Thule T2+2 and the Yakima HoldUp+2 for some time now. Though neither rack is perfect, I prefer the Thule more. The main advantage of the Yakima is that is lifts the bikes higher off the ground. So if you have a low-riding vehicle (wagon/minivan), the Yakima has more ground clearance than the Thule, especially in the 4 bike configuration.

The cons of the Yakima outweigh the pluses. The main pivot is not that strong. Plus, the pin that keeps the pivot from rotating the rack up & down is poorly designed. It's a small, spring-loaded pin that only inserts a few cm into the left side of the pivot. The right side of the pivot has nothing securing it. If that pin fails, the bikes fall to the ground. And because the main pivot wobbles a lot and the spine is flexy (especially with 4 bikes or on a dirt road), it wouldn't surprise me to see that pin fail. They should have designed a backup for that pin (either a separate through-pin, like the Thule T2, or a pin for the right side). In addition, my pin is now slow to return because of dirt, and there's no good way to clean or grease the pin.

On top of that, the locking system is bad. Granted, most lock systems on bike racks are not robust, but the cable system that Yakima offers is worthless. It's just a short cable that fits into a nubbin on the rack--that's it. It'd be easy to lever off or cut it & free all the bikes in one go.

The bottom line is that I'd only buy the Yakima over the Thule IF your vehicle has low ground clearance AND you have to carry 4 bikes.

Comments about Yakima HoldUp Bike Hitch Rack:

I was looking for a tow hitch mounted rack that fit unusually shaped bike frames, like a Softride or frames without the top tube. My research led me to the '09 Hold Up, and I have no regrets. [...] I had it installed quickly. It IS possible to incorrectly bolt the bike holders to the frame that enters the tow hitch receiver, so pay attention to the orientation the the clamp arms in the instructions. It's installed on an '09 Nissan Xterra. The rack weighs close to 50 lbs, and is a bit heavy. With two bikes in place, it is a bit difficult to pull the pin and lower the rack to open the rear hatch. It would be great if a future version had a button or lever closer to the bottle opener that let you raise/lower the rack to make it easier for a single person to work the mechanism.The rack holds the bikes securely in place, just make sure to have the clamp arm ratchet down tightly. The hitch bolt tightens the rack to the car quite nicely, and doesn't shake about at all. Within days of installing the rack, strangers have come up to talk to me about. The design and colors make it look like a high tech piece of equipment. I really, really like this rack, and love how there's no risk of damage to the bike frames. I highly recommend it.

Comments about Yakima HoldUp Bike Hitch Rack:

I spent some time researching bike racks because I have both a road bike and a mountain bike. My husband has an extra tall hybrid as well. Because I'm female and more than likely going to be lifting the bike(s) on and off the car by myself, I wanted something that was easy to use. This rack fits all these needs.

Pros: I can put our bikes on the rack by myself in a couple of minutes (and I don't have to lift them very high), they feel secure and don't wobble much, they don't scratch each other or the car, and the rack fits both types of bikes easily. I really liked that for this type of rack, it doesn't matter if you have a "male-type" bike (with the post that goes up high from the seat to the handle bars) or a "female-type" bike (where the post swings down from the seat to the handle bars).

Cons: The locking cable is about 2 feet two short to secure both bikes to the hitch pin. You can secure the bikes to the rack, but if Yakima had just given you about 2 more feet, it would have been a better design and you could have secured the bikes better to the car. I found that you REALLY had to tighten the hitch bolt for it to not wobble. The first week I had it, the rack and bikes moved a lot, but once my husband tightened the bolt more, it was fine. It's pricier than other options, but it was a better fit for me (it was worth the extra cost so that all bikes fit easily).

Comments about Yakima HoldUp Bike Hitch Rack:

All references and reviews pointed me to this rack. I was impressed once I installed it and drove my car around the block. I removed my bike, folded the rack up and said goodnight. In the morning the hitch bolt was broken. The head of the bolt and the lock washer were both on the ground. Maybe a defective bolt? Not sure but I am a little skeptical of this product now as a result. What if it broke off while on the road?

Comments about Yakima HoldUp Bike Hitch Rack:

Excellent rack. A bit pricey but, you get what you pay for. I had a Thule before and the quality of this Yakima is by far superior. Very stable and loading bikes is a breeze. The only negative thing about it is that it's a bit heavy.

Comments about Yakima HoldUp Bike Hitch Rack:

Yakima put much attention into this outstanding product. Now that I have owned it for about six months I feel I can give it a review. I have absolutely no complaints. 5 star quality in design, fit and finish, materials used, ease of use, everything. My household contains myself, wife, and two children. We have 4 bikes and travel frequently on weekend getaways. This rack is great for the ease and speed of loading and unloading your bicycles fast and with little effort. In less than five minutes we can be off on our ride/adventure. I spent about ten minutes at the REI store playing around with the store demo (I recommend this). I have expensive Specialized bikes that need to be safely secured; all bikes are clamped down with alligator jaw strength. No scratches on bike frame, rims, forks, or my car. I know this rack is expensive (especially for 4 bikes) but it will last a life time. I was patient and waited for REI to have a 20% sale. I am a fairly strong guy and do not find the rack to be heavy. The weight is what I expected for a quality product. I have bolted the rack off and on at least a dozen times. I switch it between two SUV's. I have no problems. The Yakima hitch lock is great two. The rack is a bit large and odd shaped, creating a floor space challenge in my garage when not bolted to my car. This rack saves me time and money in the long run.

Comments about Yakima HoldUp Bike Hitch Rack:

I wanted to like this product, and if it didn't break 3 times in 4 months, I would have. First, one of the wheel trays was cracked when I opened the box, then one of the bolts was covered in rust within 2 week. Yakima replaced these two parts for me. Then, while coming back from Canada, I was still over 6 hours from home, and the spring loaded pin that keeps the rack up from the "tilted" position apparently backed out and the rack fell down while we were going 70mph. Fortunately we noticed immediately, pulled to the side of the highway, picked it back up. Later on that drive, I had stopped and checked to make sure the pin was all the way in, which it was. No more than a mile later, it fell again. At that point, I wrapped a few feet of duct tape around the pin so this didn't happen again. The next day, I returned the rack.

When it worked, I really liked this rack. Other than the issues described above, it was solid and worked well, I like how it worked better than other racks on the market. Unfortunately, I just can't trust it anymore, the risk of $5,000+ worth of bikes falling on the highway and being destroyed just isn't worth it.

Comments about Yakima HoldUp Bike Hitch Rack:

I have had a swing daddy, and i would never go back. I just got this and it has performed flawlessly. It was fairly simple to put together. Putting the bikes on is super fast and the days of worrying about my bikes getting scratched on each other, or the wheels spinning for miles while on the other rack are over. It will fit anything regardless of size or geometry. I got the hold up, and the add on to make it a 4 bike carrier. I don't know what lead filled metal they use, but with the 4 bike carrier, it is a heavy unit. That is my only complaint. I wish they could do something to cut the weight by at least 1/3 if not more.