Looking at a Yakima rack and trying to decide between the Yakima Tray HoldUp rack (bike sits in tray and has the arm that holds it) vs the other Yakima hitch racks that have the loops that the bikes hang from. (if that makes sense)
Which do you prefer and why? which one is more secure on the road and more durable? Seems both are easier to use, but the hanger racks are a lot cheaper than the tray type racks for whatever reason, plus theres a huge secondary market for them.
I have a Saris rack, it’s one of the hitch mounted tray type and I love it. The only contact point is on the wheels so never have to worry about scratching/damaging your frame and it holds the bikes really secure. I’ve had it for seasons now and it’s been trouble free thus far.
Can you use it while you have a disk wheel on? Seems like it latches onto the wheels so not sure on hit works with a disk?
Seem like the “wraps” that wrap around the frame would be much more secure than latching on to just the wheels? No worries rolling down the road at 80 mph with just latches on the wheels?
I don’t know that I would want to have a disk on any hitch-mounted rack. Even though the bike/wheel will be in the vehicle draft, the idea of a disk mounted perpendicular to the direction of travel at highway speeds sounds like a recipe for disaster.
Seems like I’ve seen a ton of SUV’s carrying bikes with disks on the back of hitch mounted racks, but then again my memory is not the best these days!!
I’ve actually carried my bike with a disk on the back of a regular car rack and just made sure I tied my bike down really well. Didn’t have any issues and I was traveling over 500 miles that day.
Just wondering how much different these cradle racks were and exactly how they work with disks.
I have the Thule T2 rack- did a pretty exhaustive search (after getting a Saris Thelma and only being somewhat satisfied).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2E-eE8yiGc
Features that were important for me- hold up to 4 bikes with optional 2 rack extender hold bikes from wheels, not delicate carbon frames (most carbon companies would not want you to hold their frame in a stationary workstand, let alone a moving rack. You could put a disc on this rack- but you would have to use a bungee (I’ve done it successfully without any issues). That being said- i usually transport with a non-disc rear wheel. be able to hold the bike without having clearance issues between front wheel and frame (clearance is becoming tighter on aero frames or TT aero bikes- the thelma (by Saris) had clearance issues with my brothers P1 frame- it almost didn’t fit with the way Saris’s Thelma works. be able to fully open our SUV’s rear hatch- with bikes FULLY loaded (T2 has a super sweet swing down mechanism)- easy to do with minimal strength- very cool design be able to load/unload very quickly and easy- wife (not tech savy) friendly be able to stow- quickly- all it takes is a pull of a lever- and you swing it up or down- no pulling out pins/finding holes/etc- another drawback i’ve seen on the Saris Thelma, among others. nice for grocery shopping- needing trunk access be able to be locked to car and have some minimal security while bikes are on rack be very stable, super durable
downside- one of the most expensive systems out there- but also, I think the very best and you truly get what you pay for in this model. If you are member or REI (pay $20 I think and become a member)- they have 20% off one full item right now. Performance bike- gives you 10% back and has sales all the time, too.
see this thread: http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=1766170#1766170
I have the Yakima HoldUp rack and love it. Personally I liked the idea of the wheels being secured by the rack and not having the chance to swing and bump into the vehicle. Just didn’t like the idea of having to bungee cord the wheels to keep them from moving. The rear strap would not work with a disc (the strap loops around the rear wheel and tire at the bottom of the cradle) I just did not like the idea of a carbon top tube being the only point of contact for the bike. I know that I am probably putting more pressure on the tube by being on the bike, I just didn’t like the thought of that tube being the place where all the weight was concentrated by the rack. I think part of the cost difference is the material and components of them. If you look at some of the racks that swing wide for a rear hatch, they are much more expensive and have more material. Also there are hinges and the HoldUp has the arm with a ratcheting mechanism, much more expensive to make than a rubber strap like the tower racks. I think that most people buy the tower type rack because it is cheap, and they put cheaper bikes on it. Tri bikes are typically much more expensive and I wanted the nicest, most secure rack I could find. Spending over $5k on a bike, I wasn’t going to go cheap on the rack. I have learned the hard way to not buy anything with the thought of the secondary market, I bought the HoldUp because I really liked it and plan on keeping it longer than the bikes I use on it.
Would the strap that holds the rear wheel work on a disk where the cut out is for the tube stem? Could you loop the strap through that small cutout?
I really hate heading out to sprint tri’s at 5am and then getting there and having to assemble my rear wheel and then ride to make sure everythings in place, works etc etc (plus I’m usually cutting the time pretty close!)
I vote T2. I wanted a rack that would make zero frame contact, was flexible for all of my bikes from tri, to hard tail xc race bike, all mountain or big hit and this was it. It locks and is very well made and adjustable. You cant go wrong with it. I run a 1.25" version so I only carry two max on that size. If I ever need to move more than two, I guess I could throw the others inside.
I have the Thule 990 Doubletrack (tray rack) and love it. Thule just came out with it last year.
http://www.thuleracks.com/product.asp?dept_id=8&sku=990
It’s simple to use, and lighter than the T2 but it’s strictly for 2 bikes. But that works out out perfectly for me since I never need more than 2 bikes anyway.
I will second the Yakima HoldUp great product. Very solid and I love it since I can carry my bikes and the kids 20" bikes as well. The locks are great as well.
I haven’t used a tray style rack but the strap hanger style will tear up the paint on your frame. Used the strap style ONE time on a friend’s truck and it wore the paint off my frame at the strap contact points. Others seems to love the tray style especially the Thule. I’d use a training wheel either way and keep the disc inside the car.
Can you use it while you have a disk wheel on? Seems like it latches onto the wheels so not sure on hit works with a disk?
Seem like the “wraps” that wrap around the frame would be much more secure than latching on to just the wheels? No worries rolling down the road at 80 mph with just latches on the wheels?
Most, if not all of the tray style ones latch onto the top of the wheels and the tray holds the botton of the wheel, so it doesn’t matter if you’re using a disk.
This is the one I have:
http://www.cycle-ops.com/p-303-cycleon.aspx
thanks for all the great comments and suggestions…I ended up going with the Yakima Holdup 2. Got a great deal on a brand new one that I couldn’t pass up.
Thanks again!
Question for those of you with any of these tray hitch racks - do you carry your bike on the race while it has a disk wheel on it (running strap through the disk hole for tire stem?)
thanks for the help again.
Another vote for doubletrack. I like it better than the T2 because the ratchet arms hit the top tube. I drive really fast and want more stability than having something that ratchets onto my wheels.