Yakima  StageTwo 2-Bike Hitch Rack

Don’t let the lower star reviews deter you away from this Yakima rack. This rack is heavy duty and more structurally sound in my opinion than many others on the market. The completely flat bar that the bike rests on just makes way more sense for our e-bikes given how heavy they are (you can also use your own ratchet set if driving long distance and to completely eliminate wobble); I could tell the Holdup Evo rack that I previously had was not going to last long term (arms were loosening with no way to actually tighten and reinforce and the front wheel holder just isn’t a great design if you have heavy bikes and drive a lot with them). My wife and infant son got rear-ended this week; everyone was ok. We drive a 4Runner and the vehicle behind us was a black ford expedition. Due to the good quality and heavy structure of the rack in the downward position, it absolutely totaled the Ford expedition barreling in at 35-40mph. This Yakima bike rack completely saved the back hatch of my 4Runner and protected my family by taking a blunt of the force. Needless to say, I am immediately replacing it with another one and always driving with it in the downward facing position.

Nice rack! Don't let the bolt quality reviews sway you otherwise. Sure, a bit tricky in that you're threading something that moves up/down/left/right/side2side. Just take your time and don't force any thread, or go to a different thread and try to leave the last one facing you (away from vehicle) to help see the alignment. Once done you'll likely never do it again and you'll have the burliest rack for hauling heavy bikes, with great clearance for off road, steep driveways, or an RV. I'm sure I'll add the +2 someday too, couldn't imagine hauling that many bikes with ANY wobble you might get on a lesser rack. Looks so good too (I also have a Yakima roofbox).

If the holes for the bolts for the tray assembly would line up properly, would have given 5 stars. But poor tool and die quality make this a real problem. Out of the 8 bolts that attach the tray assembly, 2 were so far out of line that the bolts go in at angle and as result start stripping the interior thread. So bolts will not tighten fully or squarely. Tried disassembling the tray and threading a bolt in backwards to hopefully re-align threads, but the holes on the outer side of the tray assembly are just too far out of alignment so bolts can only go in at angle. Have contacted Yakima and hopefully they will send me replacement of just the outer tray assembly.

Fantastic rack and a standout performer for heavy ebikes! Reading through other reviews, it seems that the majority of people's issues with the rack are with the assembly of the trays. While I don't disagree that it takes a bit more precision than the Thule T2 Pro (my previous rack), it's really quite simple once you understand that you are trying to line up three things at once as you thread in the bolts. I started to install the first one, felt it cross-threading, then went online to look for a review for any tips. A business Cascade Gear called this out and the rest of the assembly process was quick and easy (thanks!). Minus the time it took to look up the review, assembly took me 40 minutes. I'm also pretty mechanical and assembled the similar Thule last summer so understood the concept. My previous rack was the Thule T2 Pro mentioned above, which I sold as I recently got ebikes and wanted the loading ramp (sold separately :( ) and extra carrying capacity. If not for that, then I would have just stuck with the Thule (which is also a great rack). Pros: High carrying capacity for ebikes Loading ramp for ebikes VERY secure and completely wobble free, just like the Thule HEAVY duty with the exception of the wheel straps, they feel a bit cheap Tiered platform so bike handle bars don't hit the seat of the one next to it Cons: Very heavy, but I think this is the case so it can haul more weight Expensive, but seems to be priced competitively A little bit bigger and bulkier than the Thule Requires precision assembly

I got this rack thinking it would be the latest, greatest, and most expensivest. Usually that means it's the best right? My Yakima ski racks and all my roof mounted bike racks have been excellent quality, and they all share the same keys, so I wanted to get their nicest hitch mount to add to my fleet. I have used it once and decided I could save hundreds by just getting a cheaper rack. Let start with the pros - it looks cool and has excellent security for locking your bikes onto it. That's all I appreciate about it. Now for the cons - it's expensive, but you know that already. The build quality is beyond poor. None of the holes for the screws lined up with the nuts that were welded onto the back side, so I had to break out my thread rappers and put threads into the trays just so the bolts would go into their holes. I have included a picture of this for reference. The whole rack wiggles a bunch from the hinge point, which is better than wiggle from the hitch or the securing arms I guess. Speaking of the arms, they are placed too far forwards on the tray, so the bike has the ability to roll forwards an inch or so while "secured" in there. The trays are also "adjustable", and you have the option of having your bikes 8 feet wide, almost the same as a semi truck, or normal Kuat brand width which means not adjustable. It came to me with bolts in the 8 foot wide configuration, and it only took another hour and half to take it apart, re-tap the misaligned holes, and slowly assemble it again with 1/2 turns of the security Allen wrench. Because it is not adjustable, it also takes up a huge amount of room while both folded and while in storage, way more than the equivalent Kuat rack. My old Yakima Dr Tray rack did not have this problem. My last complaint comes from the "locking pin". On the 1.25 inch hitch version, it only goes in about 1/8th of an inch and can easily fall out over bumps. It's mostly held in by friction from the adjustment knob and I most certainly don't trust that to not loosen. All anyone has to do to steal your rack and bikes is remove the pin (if it hasn't fallen out already) and give it a good yank from a tow strap from another car. If this rack was in the $300 to $400 price range, it would be a mighty fine rack. Unfortunately, it is $850 and remarkably difficult to assemble so Yakima could cheap out on shipping costs.

They say this is Yakima’s premium bike rack, although it does have the longest platform but the quality is not matching the $849 price tag. The arms and platform are made out of plastic or something. It’s so easy to leave scratch marks everywhere on the shiny surface. At the end it does not look “premium” at all. The rack itself is also really big. (It doesn’t have folding tray) so once it folds up it blocks quiet big area of your car’s rear end. It is functional, very easy to use and install. And it carries my son’s 14 inch small bike as well but all that said, if I didn’t need something to carry 14 inch bike I would have just got the $549 HoldUp 2

Very sturdy and well made. Comes with SKS locks and keys. I like how there were cable locks integrated into the tire bar. Only issue I have is the handle release to and lower and raise the rack is a little hard to pull. You have to lift the rack a little to pull the handle. But it is extremely sturdy. The screws were no issue installing. I have no idea why some reviews claimed the holes didn't line up other than I think they didn't realize they were letting the parts move. If you hold everything in place and do one screw at a time it was fine for me. I also appreciate the rack does not bounce, it is solid in the hitch! I got it on sale and it's a heck of a deal.

The bike rack I received had no issues with bolt hole alignment, once I figured out how to assemble it correctly. It looks super sharp on my pearl white Volvo. Very pleased with this bike rack.

We recently bought an e-bike and needed a new bike rack that could accommodate the weight. Looked at this one and a similar design by Thule and decided on this because it could carry more weight per bike. As others have noted, it's a little tricky at first to get the bolts - as others noted, don't force it. Once you get it, it locks in place beautifully. The hitch has great security features to prevent theft of the bikes AND the hitch. It is so much easier to load our bikes using this new rack...wish we got one earlier!

Took almost 4 hrs to install. Bolts provided were not easy to thread. Tool provided was not adequate - should have tool that can use with a drill. Tried to center rack, but tried to free bolts, but would not budge to move. Have had many Yakima racks in past and never had an issue. Concerns now are needing to center bike trays, but might be an issue removing / installing bolts (12) Most likely will have to return - concerns are getting replacement with same issue - see recent feedback comments from another member. Would like to see REI address this issue