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Item 805595
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REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviewsPros
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Reviewed by 5 customers
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Displaying reviews 1-5
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Yakima Viper Bike Mount:
Like all Yakima products, this rocks. This is my 4th and final Viper (I keep adding to keep up with a growing family). I love it!
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Yakima Viper Bike Mount:
I had originally purchased the Raptor upright bike rack but quickly returned it in favor of the lower profile Viper. Sure you have to remove the front wheel every time, but securing the front fork makes the bike much more stable on the roof and makes the bike a little less appealing to steal. Contrary to what other reviewers have found, I've had absolutely no problem attaching the front fork to the skewer.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Yakima Viper Bike Mount:
There are two major problems with this tray, first is the fact that the plastic lever is what really puts enough pressure on the clamp holding it to the roof round bars. Works fine to start but over time especially if you do a lot of off road/bumpy road driving getting to the trails the clamping mechanism no longer holds tight enough because the plastic wears/compresses/bends. So not only does the bike not stay solid, but the front of the tray can slide across the round bars. You won't loose a bike off the rack, but who wants their tray sliding around? Plus having the bike wobble means it puts more stress on the fork wheel mount tabs. I've only had mine for a couple years and since it's my center tray it only gets used on big trips and it's already loose enough I can make it slide on the round bars.
This has been the weak spot of all of the yakima trays that rely on this plastic lever design to tighten the tray to the roof rack. In the past on my old steehead's I've drilled and bolted them to the round bar, but that's not an option with the viper.
The second problem is the new skewer design, the quick adjust lever side is so fat where the knurled adjustment is that it hits the bottom of suspension fork legs, meaning they won't fully engage on the skewer.
The copperhead is a much better design that bolts to the round bar, it's not as fast to install or easy to move around, but it won't loosen either.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Yakima Viper Bike Mount:
I own and use both the current and previous versions of the Viper. While the new skewer is a little different than it used to be, once you get the hang of it it's great. Otherwise, both versions have been great for years!
I carry road, CX, and mtb bikes (with disc brakes) with my Vipers, and have been very pleased. This system is the perfect mix of price and function. Don't spend less $$ on their cheaper versions, especially if you have or may have bikes with disc brakes. Unlike the Copperhead, you can fit any bike on this. And unlike the Boa, it has a stiff tray that stops your bike from shaking violently down the expressway.
I have not tried the more expensive ones, but can certainly appreciate the benefit of not having to remove the wheel (as with the Raptor, Frontloader, Highroller, etc.). However, I always have room in my car for a wheel or two, so I don't mind flipping a quick-release once or twice with the Viper. Additionally, with the skewer on the Viper clamped down, I have NO qualms about driving 70mph down the highway. I am 100% confident my bike will stay on, especially with SKS locks locking the skewer in place.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Yakima Viper Bike Mount:
I'm normally a Yakima fan, but this was a disappointing effort by them.
First off, the "one-handed" adjustment on the skewer is not easy to use. The skewer on the previous version of the Viper was worlds better. I'd go so far as to say that the skewer on the previous version of the Copperhead (no frills quick release, like the one on your bike) is superior to what is currently offered on the Viper.
Second, even with all the effort required to use the adjustment on the skewer, it had a tendency to loosen its grip on my bike while driving on bumpy gravel roads, even at speeds as low as 10 mph.
The final and most inexplicable shortfall of adjustment for the skewer was that the diameter is so large that it does not clear the bottom of my bike's fork leg. The fork actually has to move up to accommodate the adjustment mechanism of the skewer, which results in a skewer that isn't fully seated in the fork dropouts and an adjustment mechanism that is rubbing against the bottom of the fork leg. Of my three complaints, this is the most baffling. I ride a 2003 Fox Float F80 RLT fork, which has pretty standard size fork legs. How Yakima designed a skewer that isn't fully compatible with this fork size is beyond me.
One of my more disappointing purchases. I will be returning this.
Displaying reviews 1-5
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