The dilemma of wanting a 5 bike rack is that they are nearly impossible to find in stores. I'm a guy who really likes to get hands on before making a purchase, so it was gut wrenching spending this kind of $$ site-unseen. However, 3 weeks and 1,000 miles into having the DoubleDown, I'm very happy.
What I like:
First things first, I've got 2 adult bikes, 2 24" kids bike, and 1 16" bike on this thing. It takes me about 15 minutes to load it now. And I do have to get creative. What I LOVE about this rack is that the brackets and straps are infinitely adjustable and I've been able to get even the irritatingly small 16" on there solidly. Pedal placement is critically important putting on 5 bikes, so be patient, take a deep breath, and occupy the kids elsewhere while you work on it. But I can't imagine it's any different with any of these racks.
Second, it's solid. I installed a Draw Tite 2" Hitch (which incidentally I bought on Amazon as well) on my 2003 MPV at the same time I bought this, so it was a lot of new hardware carrying a lot of $$. I had a pit in my stomach the first trip we took to Tahoe from the Bay Area with this thing fully loaded. I looked in the mirror every time we went over a tiny bump, but there is very little play or bouncing. Several trips later, there hasn't been the slightest bit of play or tightening required.
What I don't like:
First, there are no rings/loops/cutouts to loop a bike lock through. Forgive me for not wanting to spend more $$ to buy a lock to put on the end of the arm. Yakima could have helped a lot by putting something on there to run a cable lock through.
Second, it sticks out very far from the hitch. I think this is to allow SUV's with a separate window from their trunk to open, but on our fixed window MPV it just means it scrapes the ground easily. I am considering cutting it down a few inches and boring a second hole, but something tells me that is ill advised.
Third, it's possible to swing it down fully loaded, but it's not recommended. Yakima tells you outright not to do it so it's not like they're misleading you or anything. I'd just like to be able to do it.
All in all, I'm very happy with the rack. I would have liked to have played around with more of them before buying, but I took a gamble and it was a good buy. The negatives keep it from getting a 5 star rating, but it does what it needs to do very solidly.
(27 customers reviews)
Customers Rating=4.0 / 5.0
More Detail For Yakima DoubleDown 4 Bike Hitch Mount Rack
- Four-bike hitch-mount rack for mounting on the rear of your vehicle
- User-friendly TriggerFingers system folds easily out of the way
- SwitchBlade anti-sway cradle eliminates bike-to-bike contact
- Integrated bottle opener; narrow arms fit a variety of bike frames
- Compatible with 2- and 1-1/4-inch hitch receivers; lifetime warranty
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