RidgeBack Hitch Bike Rack

Just bought this rack and received it the other day... exactly what I had imagined and seen on reviews. Here, I'll provide some insight to my decision to help you decide what would be best for you. Background: I need a bike carrier that will handle 4 bikes (adult road bike & children mountain bike) that's easy to use and not break the bank. First decision point: Roof-rack vs. hitch mounted bike rack. Roof-racks seem more secure but I've known so many people who have run into their garage with the bike attached. Roof-rack decreases your MPG since your car will be less aerodynamic. Also, I'll be using this on my mini-van and the roof-rack for that would just be too high. So I decided on hitch mounted bike rack. But if you treasure your frame and don't want to scratch it (you might with this carrier), then roof-rack may be the way to go. Second decision point: Fold down bike rack or this type of carrier. If I had mountain bikes, heavy bikes, or bikes with irregular frame then the fold down bike rack where you place the bike on top of the rack and lock down would be the way to go. But since I have 4 bikes to carry and they're all "normal" frame, then this carrier is fine. It doesn't extend the car as much as the other type. Third decision point: Brand vs. no-brand. I'm a true believer of "you get what you paid for." Do I want to save a couple hundred dollars while risking thousands of dollars of my bikes... not really. So I decided to go with a brand widely recognizable, either Thule or Yakima. Fourth decision point: Yakima vs. Thule. This is the same debate as Canon vs. Nikon... you have camps on both sides and will fight to their last breath for the brand they're loyal to. Largely, the racks are very similar in function and price. But this rack won because: 1. Hitch mount has a locking mechanism: The triangular thingy at the bottom tightens and loosens the hitch mount, you can lock it and no one can take it away. Thule doesn't have this. 2. Operation levers at top: The two levers that you use to "operate" this carrier are located at the top, so you don't need to bend down to do anything. 3. Tilting mechanism: The carrier can be tilted so that you can access your trunk. I don't know the exact degree but it is pretty significant. I have a Honda Odyssey and the trunk clears the carrier by about a foot. 4. Heavy: This rack is -heavy- and that's good, means it is made out of something strong and will last for a long time. 5. Plastic clips: Instead of rubber straps, this carrier uses plastic clips. This is probably longer lasting and easier to use. Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase. Extra tip: The black lever at the top will control both tilting of the carrier and also folding the hitch mount Read more

Writing this review after first installing so I will come back and update the review if necessary. I have to say, this thing is rock solid and study. The bike rack is heavy enough that you know it is made with strong materials while still being light enough for easy installation. The bike rack came fully assembled and took about 2 minutes to install and that was because I did not realize that the lock mechanism came locked already and needed to be unlocked prior to install. The folding feature is amazing and will allow quick access to the trunk without taking the rack off. The arms that hold the bikes fold down when not in use. I can see myself keeping the bike rack on all the time. I will definitely be ordering more Yakima products including their roof top basket as they appear to make high quality products. Read more

Overall, I was pretty surprised with the quality and how secure this rack is. And yes, it does have 2 bottle openers built into the end or each arm. The hitch receiver end has a red metal sleeve on it for 2" receivers. You can remove that by removing the 3 allen srews and sliding the sleeve off to fit the rack into a 1.25" receiver (which is what I'm doing. Pros: - very, very secure. (i was playing around with it when it came in and actually wound up shaking the car around without the rack even beginning to nudge in the hitch) - bikes on the rack are about as secure as you'd expect. a little movement front to back, but overall very secure. nothing to worry about - rack sticks out far enough so that any movement wont let the bike hit the car - didn't know this when i bought it but it comes with straps for the front wheel so you can secure it to the bike to prevent it from swinging around (even if it does it wont hit the car. not mine at least) - while a little tight, it has plenty of room for 2 bikes without smacking them around (one of the straps it comes with is to secure the two together at the bottom to prevent that) Cons: - the "Yakima" sticker on the rack peels off pretty easy. I only count that as a con here cause someone probably cares. I figure there's going to be a bike in front of it anyway so i just pulled the sticker off but hey, to each their own I guess. Read more