YAKIMA RidgeBack Tilt-Away Hitch Mounted Bicycle Rack for Easy Loading and Unloading

KCCjr: 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...

United States on Jan 30, 2024

Cliff Swonger: This Has to be the best bike rack we’ve owned. I love how it tightens into the hitch really making it wobble free while driving. The bikes, go on with ease and comes off with ease. The tilt option to open the trunk lid is great. The locking mechanism works great. We’ve had three bike racks in. This is definitely the best one. Can’t wait to get more use out of it this coming summer.

United States on Nov 23, 2023

Manouela Valtcheva: Our first real trip with this bike rack was >850 miles one way (>1700 miles round trip), mostly on highways. I spent quite a while looking at the different bike racks available and settled on this one. We were carrying two adult hybride bikes, and one 18" bike with training wheels.

Instructions for installation are in pictures and easy to understand. The only "confusing" part was that the locking mechanism arrived in the fully locked position and had to be loosened before placing in the hitch receiver. The instructions did not cover this part, but it was easy enough to figure out. The locking feature seems to be pretty weak, but it's there. "Locks are for keeping honest people honest."

Alternating adult, child, adult bike, three bikes fit without issue. Attempting 2 adult bikes without the child bike (on the way home from the store when buying the bikes) it was very difficult to get the bikes to fit on the first two spots. Part of this was the difference in the way the female and male bikes fit next to one another. Fitting four adult bikes could be a challenge.

I do not trust the plastic clips that are meant to hold the bikes in place...

United States on Mar 28, 2022

Mayte Ponzanelli: 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.

Mexico on Jun 09, 2020

Ivan Flores Tovar: 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.

Mexico on Aug 24, 2018

Russrwl: 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.

Canada on Sep 17, 2017

Michael Nilson: 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!

Canada on Jul 07, 2017

Alejandro: 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.

Mexico on May 02, 2017

KevABQ: 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...

United States on Aug 16, 2016