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

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.

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.

The reason I didn't give this 5 stars is because of the zip strips that secure the bike. They seem to work fine, and are secure, but I worry over the long term durability both of the zip strips and the latches that secure them. The rack is heavy enough that I worry they will get damaged if left on the rack when it is off the car (if say it fell when leaned against a wall) and I will need to come up with some sort of storage pouch or bag so I don't lose track of them as well as the wheel and safety straps. To be fair, the zip strips are a far better solution than another similar rack that used rubber straps that broke with the first use. I'll be keeping some rope handy until the zip strips have proven themselves. Otherwise, this is a well designed and well made product. The welding is all flawless...I have flown airplanes with welds that looked sketchy by comparison. All the hinge points are snug and rattle-free, and the wedge attachment insures it doesn't rattle in the hitch either. As an example of the thought that went into the design, there is a skeg on the rear underside so that if you bottom out on a dip or steep driveway, the locking knob is kept off the ground...a nice touch that isn't even mentioned. The simple levers to unlock the hinges are very nice. All similar tilting racks I have used require pulling pins that are not conveniently located, and fussing with the position to get the pins back in the holes. The arms will lock down in stowed position, but the whole rack only locks into the travel position, smart, and it makes things easier. This rack is quite a bit taller than a couple of other similar racks I have used. This is important to me because I am very tall, and so ride bikes with very tall frames. A 64cm frame 700C bike hangs on this rack with the tires still 3-4" above the bottom of the rack, and since I bought this for use on a compact with minimal ground clearance, I am glad to not have to worry about my tires dragging on dips, etc. Something not mentioned in the descriptions is that there is a ski/snowboard carrying accessory available if you buy the 4 or 5 bike version, which might be a reason to go for that rather than the two bike one I got. (I think it needs the extra arm length for stability) Also, the spacing is fairly tight, so it might be good to go for extra capacity beyond what you think you need. Depending on seats, bars, racks, etc a particular set of bikes might need an extra space or two. Also, many of the descriptions show the "handcuff" for locking bikes to the rack, but this must be be purchased separately. They don't detract for my use, but potential negative points might be: It IS a heavy mutha! I'm thinking I may want to come up with some tie-down straps for when it is stowed in the back of my hatchback...this thing could cause some serious damage in a wreck. ALL racks of this type are intended for traditional level top-tube diamond framed bikes. You will most likely need an adapter bar for most other frame designs, and some might not even work with that. Full suspension MTBs would be prime suspects for "no-workee". Edit: I decided to purchase some spare zip strips, in case one was lost or broken. The replacement strips don't fit! It turns out my rack was delivered with the cradles/zip strips from a LiteRider rack, which are a bit different. In particular the literider uses a integrally molded hinge point on the latch for the strip, while the Ridgeback latches pivot on a metal roll-pin. This seems more secure. The Ridgeback cradles are currently out of stock at Yakima and all dealers I checked. My suspicion was that Yakima had supply problems, and used Literider parts to cover production needs... shame! The point is to look closely at pictures and compare when buying replacement parts. Edit2: It turns out that Yakima have discontinued the old ridgeback cradles. Only the LiteRider cradles are put on new racks, and the older cradles are not even available as spares...unless you luck out and find a dealer with old stock, but I struck out there.

Great 2-bike carrier at a reasonable cost. This is the first bike carrier I've ever owned, so I don't have anything to compare to, but I can't imagine what more someone could want, unless they want something a little lighter. Not that this is heavy (I'd guess around 40lbs) , but it takes a little strength to balance it when inserting in the hitch receiver. To install, you first lift the black lever on the bike post and push down the hitch post at the bottom until it snaps into place at a right angle to the main post. When you go to insert the hitch post into the receiver on your vehicle, I've found that it helps to angle it upward slightly. Slide it into place, and insert the red-capped security pin. It's in place when the pin hole on the insert post aligns with the hole on the receiver and the end of the red wedge is flush with the end of the receiver. (At least this is the case with a 2" hitch. Not sure if you use the 1-1/4" option.) To finish securing, lift up on the hitch and tighten the red nob at the end of the hitch until it's snug. Then lock the nob so someone can't remove it without the key (the nob will spin free). Once in place, lift the red lever, and raise the bike arms to mount your bike. When you mount your first bike, note that the secure point for the seat-post side of the bike frame is to the left, so the front wheel is pointing right. Then you secure the bike to the carrier with the zip straps. These work great. This seems like a better design than the old rubber straps. A couple of final points: Security-wise, once you lock the red tightening cap, the hinge mechanisms to raise and lower the bike arms and to lower the rack for your car tailgate are encased, so there's nothing someone could unbolt. So if you lock your bikes to the hitch, they should be as secure as possible. Also, one review I read talked about hearing a rattle while driving with the rack even though it was tight and secure. This was not a functional complaint. I noticed no such rattle. Mine was as solid and quiet as could be. So either that reviewer's experience was an isolated case or the manufacturer has fixed that problem. Bottom line: l'd highly recommend this rack.

For 1-1/4" hitch owners: read this and maybe you can avoid injury to yourself and damage to the rack. I couldn't. First off, the rack looks to be a 5, but the instructions are a -30, so the closest average I could get was 1 star. I own my part of this problem: this was a surprise birthday present for my wife and I was in a hurry to get it installed. Bad move. Yakima owns the rest. First, it comes with the 2" adapter installed, apparently by Godzilla because I could just barely get the allen screws out with the wrenches provided. Then all I had to do was remove the adapter. It wouldn't budge. It was so tight I looked for another allen screw, but the there were only three. The removal instructions are a simple drawing showing the allen screws out and the adapter being pulled off to the side. Would that it was that easy! I started tapping with a hammer and it moved a little, then stopped. I tried rocking it front to back but it would only go so far. Then I started banging and mashed my thumb in the process. At that point I saw that the adapter was jammed up against the lock mechanism that hangs loosely out of hitch post. I had bent the internal rod that the lock attaches to, and it wasn't going anyplace. So now I am heading to my inside shop to see if I can get the adapter off with better tools and more light, and straighten the rod to where I can get the lock back into the hitch post. This could have easily been avoided by Yakima by either shipping with the adapter off, selling it separately, or putting some WORDS on the drawing like, "You have to keep the lock inside the hitch while removing the adapter, or you will bend the rod and ruin your day." That can be done by laying it with the lock up so gravity keeps it inside the hitch post. Don't get me wrong, removing the adapter under any conditions will be no walk in the park if they are all as tight as this one. So now go buy one, don't try to rush, and above all - remain calm. Ohmmmmmm... UPDATE: I got the adapter off and it appears that the rod is not bent after all. I installed it on my wife's car and tested lowering the upright. It would not lower. I didn't want to break off the plastic latch so I kept jiggling it and finally got it to release. I worked it several times and then called my wife out to see it. She was thrilled, but then she couldn't get the upright to lower and wanted to send it back. It was working fine for me but not for her and her car is a hatchback so she HAS to be able to lower it. Finally after a lot of convincing, she got the right angle on the handle, held her mouth just right, and could get it to lower every time. Now she loves it - way classier than the piece of junk she was using to haul her $2K bicycle around. Of course we have not tried carrying a bike on it yet, so stay tuned. As far as security, with the carrier locked to the car and the bike locked to the carrier with the optional stowable lock (way cool), it would be easier to just steal the car if you want the bike. UPDATE II: the fold down lock now fails to work at all, so we are returning it for a replacement. Clearly there is some kind of defect in this one and hopefully the replacement will work as advertised, because it is a really cool rack. Returning this may be a problem if I can't get it to fold up somehow, because it will not fit in the shipping box as is. Sounds like a problem for Amazon and UPS - I just hope they don't try to make it mine. I really like Amazon's hassle-free return policy. UPDATE III: Amazon came through with the replacement, everything came apart and went back together like a breeze, and the mechanism operates smoothly. I did notice that this unit DID NOT have the foam rubber insert mentioned in another review, so I am thinking that it's an earlier production unit. If that is the case, they may have also started tightening up the 2" adapter parts as a product improvement that backfires for owners of 1-1/4" hitches. As an FYI, on a Subaru Outback, you can slide the post all the way into the hitch socket and still open the rear gate with the rack down and the bicycle on the rack. Just drill another hole in the post for the safety pin. I am leaving this a 1 Star to warn other people about what they may run into. Also, I expected Yakima to follow through on this without prompting, so they clearly either don't check these reviews, or don't care. Well thought out and designed product, but suspect quality control and customer support. Bottom line is my wife is once again thrilled, and really, isn't that what life is all about?

We bought the 5-bike version over the 4 since we figured the extra length of the arms would better accommodate our 4 bikes without them needing to be manhandled so much. It was a wise decision. The rack is heavy, but then it is designed to hold perhaps upwards of 100lbs of expensive bikes securely, over bumpy roads, without failing. I do sorta wish that hitch end could be purchased for Class 2 hitches only instead of one that internally spreads to engage a variety of hitch sizes. But it works, and it stays secure after a long drive. The lock itself is pretty lame, but you can provide enough leverage to securely screw the spreaders to keep the rack firmly attached to the hitch socket. Stealing the rack with attached (and presumably tethered/locked) bikes would be quite the effort. The straps that hold the bikes down work well and adjust pretty effectively. I do wish the level at the top to allow the rack to fold were something a little more sturdy. The plastic feels like it will give (although it hasn't). The decal on the main column promptly shed. Overall, I'm really happy with the rack and glad we got the 5-bike version. We use it primarily on a Tesla Model Y, and don't really have issues mounting or unmounting the rack. It does have a noticeable impact on range at highway speeds. We also use it on a Honda Odyssey where it sits in a shadow aerodynamically. Both hitches are class 2.

installed perfect. have to get the cross bars for the little bikes. I have four of them and at 40 bucks a bar it was hard but i bought them. This has no problem fitting adult bikes. It would be nice if this had some modification to fit smaller frames. Yakima may not have thought that or just was to milk buyers in getting more accessories. I have a SARIS three bike rack for the truck and the arms adjust where I can get the little frames on it. And that was under a hundred dollars. But I am sure this rack will stand the test of time. I just was disappointed I could not test it out once I got it installed. I have to wait a de more days for the crossbars to come. I will post an update once I get it all situated. Otherwise this is a solid construction. Just as the videos say out of the box and onto my 2in hitch. If you have the smaller size you have to make minor adjustment. first. It confused me at first when I took it out of the box and it did not fit. My stupidity was kicking in full speed. After you put it and the pin both are very loose. But as you turn the large red knob in the front it tightens lightly. After I locked it it was really snug. I also bought the cable lock which has not arrived yet. Wish that was incorporated too. Another expense Yakima makes buyers get. So two things- the crossbar and cable lock are extra purchases. If you have small frames expect to spend more for the cross bars. And if you want to be able to secure the bikes as a theft deterrent that you also need to purchase a cable lock.

great rack, easy to install, a bit heavy but that goes to the strength of it. My only down comment would be that the bike movement on the cradles can rub your paint off the bike and if you were to put 4 bikes on there they would all be touching somewhere which again would cause some wear on the paint. (I took an old tire tube and wrap the bike where it contacts the rack and cinched it down tightly. ) Bike sits nice when i do this.

El Yakima RideBack 4 es un rack de bicis que esta muy bien diseñado. Se instala facilmente, las bicicletas se montan rapido y sin esfuerzo. La bicicletas quedan muy bien estabilizadas durante el viaje y los vados y movimientos bruscos no afectaron ni al rack ni a las bicis. Es tan facil instalar y desintalar, que una vez que baje las bicis para usarlas, desmonte el rack y lo guarde en la cajuela, aun cuando tiene una llave para que se quede montado y no lo puedan quitar.

I've had an opportunity to use this carrier a few times now . The pivot at the hitch is a bit tight and caused some confusion when setting it up for the first time but once I understood what to do it was no big deal. The carrier secures the bikes in very secure as it has the ratchet straps over the cross bar of the bike, as well as one to the seat post. While it would be nice to have a carrier that swung to the side to get access to my cargo area it wasn't worth the extra cost in my opinion. My wife's bike required a tube-top adapter to be mounted but I bought an off-brand of this at my local Canadian tire for about half the price of the Yakima equivalent. Overall it feels very well constructed!

Lo conseguí a un muy buen precio y me ha funcionado bastante bien. Solo quedan bicicletas grandes y a algunas hay que comprarles la barra Yakima que va del asiento al manubrio, para que no quede inclinada la bicicleta. También recomiendo la cadena de seguridad Yakima para evitar que se roben las bicicletas.

Rack de excelente calidad, fácil de montar y desmontar, las piezas para sostenerla son también de muy buena calidad y fácil de colocar y detiene la bici de 3 sitios para fijarla muy bien. y mantenerla más segura ante cualquier movimiento.