Yakima  EXO DoubleUp 2-Bike Hitch Rack

Just got the DoubleUp last week and installed it on the TopShelf with the GearLocker underneath. After a 500-mile road trip I've concluded that this system is brilliant. Now I can bring 2 bikes AND 10 cubic feet of extra gear without taking any space inside my van. The components are superbly engineered: materials are strong, welds are smooth, finishes are glossy, no sharp edges waiting to cut unwary fingers. The DoubleUp hook arms grip the wheels firmly and put integrated cable locks right where you need them. Using the DoubleUp on the TopShelf riser puts the rack at about waist height above ground and it's a whole lot easier to lift bikes up to this level than onto a roof rack. Since the system swings away from the vehicle, the rack can be approached closely from all sides - no awkwardly leaning over to put a heavy bike in the tray closest to the car. To the other reviewer's concerns about security of the bolts holding the trays to the cleats: The DoubleUp doesn't use different bolts than the other EXO components. They're all Allen (hex socket) head bolts, with just a couple large hex head bolts on the SwingBase pivot. Some of the Allen bolts on the SwingBase go into threads in the steel structure of the system but the DoubleUp bolts use nuts instead. Technically a thief could go through his tool kit and find the correct Allen key and the correct socket and remove all 4 bolts and steal the trays with bikes attached. They also could crawl under your vehicle and unbolt the hitch with a portable impact driver and drag the whole shebang down the street. But why would they do either when they could cut the cable lock in 3 seconds with bolt cutters (or take out a U-lock in 30 seconds with a battery powered angle grinder) and have a bike that actually, you know, rolls? Point is, this system is not long-term secure bike storage, it's a carrying system, and IMO the hardware holding the rack together is not going to be the weak link and is at least as secure as most any lock used to secure bikes to the rack. The best way to avoid theft is to be smart about where - and for how long - you leave the vehicle parked unattended. Final thoughts: I'd been trying to figure out a way to have secure external gear storage AND transport bikes with my Sprinter van. The EXO is a game-changer that does all of that and more, looks great doing it, and seems engineered for the long haul. It's at a premium price but it absolutely is a premium product, and I've seen nothing else on the market that can do what it can. A home run product by Yakima IMO.

The entire EXO system uses locks and special bolts that need a special Allen wrench with a hole in it, except for the bike rack. They use normal bolts and lock nuts to hold the bike racks to the brackets that lock into the shelf arms. Anyone with an adjustable wrench and a normal Allen wrench can undo two bolts and remove your bike while it's still in the cradles. What a huge design oversight! They should have used the same style bolts with the special Allen wrench.