YAKIMA, RidgeBack Tilt-Away Hitch-Mounted Bike Rack for Cars, SUVs, Trucks and More, Fits 1.25” and 2” Hitches

Initial impressions (arrived yesterday)::: Rack comes fully assembled (which is a big plus) and installs right away for a 2 inch receiver (Also works with 1.25 inch receiver but that is an extra step). Rack is SOLID. Love the ease of use with all the easy release/fold-downs, etc. The ratchet clips worked very well as one should expect. For a quick test I loaded two adult bikes and drove around and there was NO WOBBLE of the rack at all (I just twisted the spin knob as tight as possible and it was firmly secured). Although not "recommended" by Yakima you CAN tilt the rack down with bikes on --- just remember to LIFT the part of the rack the bikes rest on UP slightly before pulling the release lever to tilt the rack down for rear access. I bought this rack because I wanted a solid rack that was easy to use and easy to take on/off (as we can't just keep it on continuously all spring/summer for various reasons) and it looks like it hits all the marks.

I purchased this after a lengthy review of other products on Amazon including some less expensive options/offbrands, Thule and even the Yakima SwingBack. The rack was fitted to a 2005 Lexus GX470 (Reese Class III 2" hitch) which has a door that swings open like a door -- not up, like most SUV's. (hence the interest in the SwingBack) Originally, I was concerned about not being able to open the rear gate at all with the rack attached, but was pleasantly surprised how much i could open it with the rack tilted down, and even when it was up and loaded with bikes -- i could still open it enough to have access to grab items or access a cooler on our roadtrip. Out of the box, this rack is pre-assembled and super simple to install (5 minutes). It is EXTREMELY SOLID, heavy-duty and built to last! The hitch locking twist/tightening system works well, but can be a bit of a knuckle-buster if you're not careful. I definitely suggest trying to shake the rack slightly when tightening it down in order to ensure it's extremely secure. I have been able to quickly load 2 adult bikes, one 24" tween bike and a 16" kids bike (that required a little creativity). The zip latches are really nice and I would recommend buying a good bungey cord or two just to keep wheels from spinning and everything tight. Overall, a wonderful purchase from Amazon, 20% off list price earlier this summer, delivered quickly! A+

I love this hitch. I had a brand new Yakima strap type of bike rack and it sucked having to strap on that thing and line it up correctly. The rubber straps for my bike rack was a bee-tach to put on too. Nothing like having to put some saliva on the ribber holes to be able to bind those things in and it would kill my thumbs especially on cold days. Now with this rack, no problem. Hitch goes on in a few minutes. Latching the bikes took seconds. It's like latching on zip ties but a lot easier. Love this hitch. One small issue is the tilt down latch to give your SUV door clearance is sticky and I need to wiggle it around a little before it tilts down.It's also a little heavy so I'm sure you lose some mpg but I still love it anyway. 2/14/2015 I still love the load/unload times for this rack I have three bikes to load and unload.I still remember the holed rubber straps would take some time to latch and unlatch. This design makes it much easier and faster. Sometimes we get carried away and get back from the bike trail when it's getting dark. A little scary since I have my 12 and 9 year old almost all alone in the park. Hitching up the three bikes takes about 5 minutes now. The old way would easily take at least twice as long. I also purchased the cable lock for this model and it works like a charm. No swaying of the rack while I'm driving.

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

I knew nothing about bikes (other than what I learned as a kid), biking or bike racks. Everyone said buy a good bike rack. The reviews on this one looked pretty good. The rack came perfectly packaged. Took about an hour to install. I'm a 5'5" guy that weights 160 lbs (don't judge). I'm pretty strong and was able to install it without any help. I drive a 2007 Yukon XL and it worked perfectly on the factory hitch system, which is basically a 2" slot under the back bumper. First time use, I loaded one adult bike and three kids bikes. Just be patient loading the bikes and let the bike rest on one arm of the rack (i.e., the left arm) while working the other side of the bike back toward the vehicle on the other arm of the rack (i.e., the right arm). You'll get a killer workout if you try to hold the bike in the air and slide it back, but you'll also be very upset during the process. In any event, we drove 400 miles to Hilton Head, SC and 400 miles back with no problems at all. Rack was very sturdy and did not sway or bounce at all. It was easy to see the bikes from the side mirrors and the back window (unless your back window will be pilled with kids stuff!). I also liked the tilt function b/c I could leave the rack on the Yukon once we arrived at the beach and unloaded the bikes. Would buy this again 10 times over. Hope this helps.

Got a defective unit to begin with. Even though it had the factory packaging, the rack was scratched on one side (the bottom black part that is the hinge). Also the plastic housing around the same pivot point had come off and it seemed like it had some hard impact somewhere along the way. Still since I had opened the box, went ahead to install it. This thing is NOT light. So please be careful as a small mistake in installation and this thing could dent the back of your car. Or hurt you too. then started the downward slippery slope with this thing. As the first step, opened the tounge and started rotating the knob at the back. But since it was 'locked' it kept rotating. I was a bit clueless since there was no indicator or a mark stating which is the locked or unlocked position. Then the lock wedge that it comes with was loose. It came off and then I figured when you open the tongue there is a large screw that basically contracts. Finally got everything in position and managed to get it into my 2"inch receiver. Getting the stop hole to insert the safety latch was not easy. Manage all that, try to load the bike and my Mongoose Stat does not seem to have a good way of going past the 1st of the 4 bike positions. Tried to push a bit and the top paint of my new bike came got peeled since this thing seems to have a metal pin to provide the spring action for the clips. In a rubberized version of bikerack, this would never happen. Was feeling very pathetic to have caused that to my bike. Was puzzled as to why the bike was having trouble in going in since it did go smoothly on another cheaper Hollywood brand rack. Then noticed that the distance between the arms of this rack are way wider than other racks. And to add to that the firm plastic support which basically meant the brake and gear cables were going to be suppressed even if I managed to get to position my bike. Then these plastic clips have big downside...the bikes need to be in that exact position else they will not work unlike the rubber latch ons. Even tried a cross bar on the bike to see whether that made a difference and it did not. With all this trouble and after getting scratches on my new bike, immediately logged into amazon to start the return process on this one. Will never be ordering this one again.

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 and used a ratcheting strap in addition to the clips. In that configuration none of the plastic clips even loosened. One tie-down strap is provided. I read many different bad reviews for many different bike racks. My greatest fear was that driving down the highway the bike rack would break and cause an accident. The bike rack does bounce, sometimes a lot, and caused me a lot of anxiety while driving. However, our route took us on highways through Kentucky and Tennessee, and those roads (especially around Nashville) are riddled with potholes. It also survived the uneven concrete pavement highways that caused the entire SUV to bounce, and 20 - 30 mph sustained winds. I would highly recommend avoiding bumps, and going slow over train tracks and similar features. Otherwise, checking that the rack is secure occasionally and driving cautiously (both recommended by the manufacturer), this rack was sturdy enough for our road trip.

I'll start by stating that I researched bike racks online using customer feedback to make my final decision. The RidgeBack definitely stands out as one of the best. The rack arrived fully assembled and was relatively easy to install. One step not clear is installation of the safety pin that goes through the rack and into the hitch. Depending on the size of your hitch, the pin may not extend all the way. Not an issue, just not clearly outlined in the installation instructions . Key features are the hitch locking mechanism, the rack tube that extends into the hitch receiver expands and significantly reduces sway and the bike lock down straps are quality construction. I bought the 4 bike rack and typically carry 3 bikes. Not sure how you would carry 4 as there does not appear to be enough space for a 4th bike. However, I have not tried and don't want to misslead anyone by my review. Ordered a Swagman Bar Adapter, which is needed for carring a woman's bike. Quality product, easy to install.

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.

This bike rack becomes the part of the car, everything is very easy with this bike rack. Takes about 5 to 7 minute to mount all the 3 bikes securely. It is hard to fit 4 bikes though.

Easy to use and simple, strong design. Love it!

Me llego rapidisimo y fue muy facil de instalar y de usar. Mucho mejor precio que en otras tiendas. Lo unico que toma tiempo de entender es como amarrar las bicis para que no se muevan los manubrios.

Good rugged design. Very easy to install and I have loaded it with three bikes and it hold well. Overall very happy with the bike rack and how compact it gets when not in use. But something to keep in mind: Pros: - Easy installation - Compact & rugged design - Easy access to trunk. Cons: - It is right behind the car, and it will cover your backup camera a little. If you have backup sensors, they will be going off all the time as it will cover those as well. A little annoying, - Zip strips are all separate, so it seems like they could be lost easily. - Bike mounting a little awkward. This all depends on your bike, but it can be hard to get the bike just in the right position and it may have to lie on the brake wires when tied in....also, you may need a tube top depending on the design. Note that despite the cons, I still rated it at 4 stars, as I do not find any of them annoying enough given the price. The Yakima Fourtimer may be an easier option if you don't mind the extra cash.