Navigation
If you have a family that enjoys going bike riding at the weekend, a bike rike is an essential item to have. Instead of squeezing the kids and bikes in the back of your car, it allows you to transport the bikes on the back of your car instead.
Hitch rack bike racks easily slide into the place where you would secure a trailer hitch on your car. They tend to be easy to install and remove. They are perfect for biking trips and holidays.
If you are in the market to purchase a Hitch rack bike rack, you may be wondering which one to choose. This is where we can help out. In this article, we will be reviewing one bike rack, in particular, the Yakima RidgeBack 4-Bike Hitch Rack.
We will be taking a close look at all of its specifications to help you decide whether or not it is the right bike rack for you. In addition to this, we will be listing all of its pros and cons and taking a look at Yakima and their values as a company.
Yakima Company Background
Yakima is one of the world’s leading brands when it comes to bike racks. Yakima started their journey over 40 years ago as an independent machine shop. The shop was based in Washington.
The company was found and bought by two men, Don Banducci and Steve Cole in 1979 through their love for cycling and kayaking.
In 1984, Yakima grew in popularity significantly when their products were featured in the Summer Olympics. Since then, the company has grown in popularity. Yakima pride themselves on helping bike and cycling enthusiasts to transport their equipment easily.
They create a whole range of transport equipment, from trailers to bike racks, to cargo boxes.
Yakima RidgeBack 4-Bike Hitch Rack Review
We have divided our review of the Yakima RidgeBack 4-Bike Hitch Rack into specification sections.
Yakima – RidgeBack 4, Hitch Rack, 4 Bike Capacity
Cost and Design
The Yakima RidgeBack 4-Bike Hitch Rack is simple in its design. It is made out of durable steel and has black accents on the zip strips.
In addition to this, the Yakima logo is red. It is sleek looking.
Its overall dimensions are:
- Length – 44.00 inches
- Width – 12.00 inches
- Height – 16.00 inches
As you can see it is a good size. It is not the most lightweight hitch rack available due to it being made out of steel, however, it is durable.
As it is not too bulky, it can be stored in your trunk while not in use with no issues. It will also fold flat which makes storage and transportation simple.
This bike rack is suitable for the majority of bikes and will hold 4 bikes in total. It is useful to know that you do not need to store 4 bikes on this all of the time, you can store between 1-4 bikes at any time. If your bike has traditional geometry it will be suitable to store on this rack.
If your bike does not have this, you will need to purchase a top tube adapter. This will allow your bike to fit on to the bike rack. Please note that this does not come with the rack and will need to be purchased at an additional cost.
In terms of the cost, this hitch rack is a reasonable price but is one of the more expensive options on the current market. While it may not be the cheapest option, the quality of the product is reflected in the price. It is made out of good quality, durable materials.
In addition to this, the company is one of the best in its field. When you purchase a Yakima bike rack you know that you are paying for an item that will be of the highest quality.
List Of Pros And Cons
Here is a full list of all of the pros and cons of the Yakima RidgeBack 4-Bike Hitch Rack.
- Made out of durable stainless steel
- Can store between 1-4 bikes
- Compatible with the majority of bikes
- Zip strips keep your bikes secure and separated
- Easy to install and no installation tools are required
- Comes with a bottle opener
- Covered by a lifetime limited warranty
- The upper hand control lever allows you easy access to your trunk
- Made by a well-known and respected company
- It is one of the more expensive hitch bike racks on the market
- Given that it is made out of stainless steel it is fairly heavy
Hitch Compatibility
Before you purchase a hitch bike rack, it is important to measure whether or not the rack is compatible with your car or truck as they do come in different sizes.
This bike rack is compatible with a 1-¼ inch and 2-inch hitch receiver. While it is compatible with many cars and trucks, you should double-check this before purchasing.
Zip Strips
The zip strips are a great feature of the Yakima Hitch Rack. They help to keep your bikes in place when placed on the rack. Each zip strip is individual. This will help to keep each bike secure and separate. They can be removed if necessary.
The zip strips stop the bikes from having contact with each other thanks to the anti-sway cradle technology. When you are traveling on bumpy roads, the last thing you will want is for your bikes to bump into each other. This can cause damage and scratches to your bike. This is why the zip strips are so important.
In addition to them helping to keep your bikes separate, they are durable and strong and will hold your bikes firmly in place. This bike rack provides very little fantastic sway. This emphasizes how durable and good quality it is. Although it is one of the more expensive models on the market, bike racks of a cheaper quality would sway a lot more in comparison.
Upper Hand Control Lever
The upper hand control level is a great feature of the Ridgeback. It will allow you easy access to the trunk of your car or truck, without having to remove the whole bike back.
The level allows the Yakima to tilt forwards. In addition to this, the bike rack can also be swung to the side if you need to open the trunk fully. This is a fantastic feature that not all hitch rack bike racks have.
Ease of Use
The Yakima Bike Rack is particularly easy to install. It arrives fully assembled so you will not have to worry about spending a long time putting the rack together.
What is great about this bike rack is that it comes with a user manual and an installation guide. These will cover all of the basics of everything you will need to know about the bike rack.
The installation guide walks you through how to install the rack on your car. The instructions are easy to follow and understand.
Installation Process
As mentioned above, Yakima makes the installation process simple. The bike rack comes with a SpeedKnob. The SpeedKnob is tool-free and helps to lock the Yakima in place.
It also tightens the bike rack to ensure that it will not come loose or fall off the car while the bikes are in transit.
The installation process should only take around 5 minutes in total. In comparison to other bike racks, this is very quick.
It will ensure that you can get on the road as quickly as possible without having to worry about an awkward rack that takes ages to install.
Bottle Opener
Once you reach your destination, especially if you are going on holiday, there is nothing better than a cold one.
Yakima has a signature bottle opener on its bike rack. Although this is not essential, it is a great additional feature, especially if you are traveling with friends.
Warranty
What is great about Yakima is that they offer a lifetime limited warranty on this bike rack.
This is great should you purchase it and it becomes faulty. To access this warranty you will need to register the product on the Yakima website.
Summary And Where To Purchase
We think that the Yakima RidgeBack 4-Bike Hitch Rack is a fantastic option to choose from. As it is created by one of the leading companies you can rest assured that the product is of very high quality.
Although it is not the cheapest bike rack available, it is durable and made out of good quality materials.
It will not sway like many cheaper bike racks will which is important in helping to prevent damage to your bike. The zip strips are durable and secure. What is great about this model is that it comes with a lifetime limited warranty.
Overall we think that this bike rack is certainly worth the investment, it even allows you to enjoy a cold one when you arrive at your destination… what more could you want!
If you are interested in purchasing the Yakima RidgeBack 4-Bike Hitch Rack you can do so via Amazon US here.
