Yakima DoubleDown 5-Bike Hitch Mount Rack

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The Yakima® DoubleDown 5-bike hitch rack carries up to 5 bikes with standard SwitchBlade™ anti-sway cradles to eliminate bike-to-bike contact. It tilts away for easy vehicle access, and a TriggerFinger™ release enables the arms to be folded down when not in use.
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Technical Details

- Five-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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 "Yakima DoubleDown 5-Bike Hitch Mount Rack" 2009-09-28
By Edward Wong (So California)
This is definitely a quality product but it was not cheap either. Everything on it like the fold down arms, and the tiling down features worked very very well. My only problem with it was getting my daughter's 24" bikes thru the two arms and thru the mounting points. The mounting points are very good does an amazing job. The bike really don't swing. And the rug coating on the mounts does a great job of not damaging the bike's finish (unlike my prior bike rack).



I did not try to mount 5 bike on this rack, so I can't give an opinion as to how it works with 5 bikes. However, I did get 3 bikes on it and it looks like I could easily mount a 4th bike, but it will take some doing to get a 5th bike on it. So, for those who just have 3 to 4 bike to deal with, I recommend getting this 5-bike model because it will be easier for you to deal with.

 "Good rack" 2009-09-23
By Robert D Ericsson (Virginia, USA)
I've had this rack for about a month and taken it on a couple of long trips (200+ miles) and a number of trips around town. The rack's best attribute is that it holds the bikes very steady and secure at highway speeds. We ride quite a bit in the warmer months and the rack allows easy access to the back hatch when folded down, so it is possible to leave it on all the time which is convenient. It is fairly heavy, so getting it on and off the car is not easy. Standard road bike frames (diamond frames) go on and off with ease. Getting bicyles with non-standard frame geometries (very common for mountain bikes) on and off can be a challenge. You cannot fit 5 non-standard frames on there, but 3 fit fine.



It wasn't inexpensive after including hitch installation and purchasing a lock for it, but I'm very happy with the rack and I would give it a recommendation if you transport diamond frame bicycles and want a stable and secure rack.

 "Good rack, 5 bikes is tight" 2009-08-18
By Gary Swearingen (Bellevue, WA)
I bought this after looking at the reviews on this site and elsewhere. I had a Bighorn 4-bike rack and loved it (except it didn't fold down) but needed to load 5 bikes. It is a very well-built rack. Despite folding in two places it is strudy and when tightened I noticed very little sway--no more than my Bighorn which was a solid unit. My only complaint is that 5 bikes is a challenge, at least if some of them are kids bikes. 5 adult bikes may work but it took a whole lot of trial and error to get it loaded with non-standard bikes. The arms are 28 inches (I measured in the store), and 31 inches inches would have made all the difference in the world. In retrospect I think I would have tried the Allen, which mounts the 5th bike between the column and the car, but I couldn't find arm length specs anywhere (I wonder why that is?) and the Yakima brand has proven reliability. As for now I'm going to shell out $29.99 for those cross-mount adapters--not somthing I wanted to do for a $275 rack.

 "Just what we needed" 2009-05-14
By Susan Wise (New York, NY USA)
Holds the bikes securely. Love the 3 points of attachment for the bikes. Just wish there was something included for the wheel. Works great for our adult bikes. Kid bikes don't fit but we knew that before we purchased it. We wanted room to grow! We've had it for a month & are very happy.

 "Awesome" 2008-08-09
By L. Leo (New Jersey)
This is a great product. It doesn't take away from gas milage because it goes on a hitch on the back of the vehicle instead of increasing wind resistance on top. One warning. Only bikes that are 20" and greater have a frame large enough to fit onto the rack. Even with the 20" bikes, the bottle cage may have to come off to make this happen. Our 24" bikes fit well with the bottle cage on.


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Yakima DoubleDown 4-Bike Hitch Mount Rack

Buy Cheap Yakima DoubleDown 4-Bike Hitch Mount Rack

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The Yakima® DoubleDown 4-bike hitch rack carries up to 4 bikes with standard SwitchBlade™ anti-sway cradles to eliminate bike-to-bike contact. It tilts away for easy vehicle access, and a TriggerFinger™ release enables the arms to be folded down when not in use.
Readmore

Technical Details

- 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
See more technical details

 "Works well for three bikes, could be hard to carry four" 2009-07-22
By loce_the_wizard (Lilburn, GA USA)
We needed a way to haul three adult-sized bicycles from our home base to various cycling paths. So I visited a number of local stores to see what my options were. I settled on the Yakima BigHorn 4 as the best option for my budget, then discovered through some online searching that I could purchase the next model up, the Yakima KingPin 4 bike rack for a bit less than the BigHorn 4 would run me in a traditional retailer.



The KingPin 4 folds features a fold-down mast, a must convenience to allow access to a vehicle's rear hatch or door. Although I would not consider a bike rack without this feature, be forewarned: once you lower the rack while it's loaded with three bikes (more about the fourth bike claim follows), you will be hard pressed to single-handedly reposition it and slide in the lock or bolt. There is too much weight on that pivot point.



I soon learned, therefore, that it was easier to have the mast folded up, not down, when loading the bikes.



The dual bike arms are a must, allowing for more stability and easier loading and unloading. The bike arms fold down as well, though this option, while useful, is not essential in many cases. (These folding bike arms are the main difference between the KingPin and BigHorn racks.)



A series of bike cradles and rubber "chainstraps" stabilize and anchor the bikes. You can slide theses cradles along the tubular arms to allow sufficient room to avoid any rubbing or scraping if you are carrying three bikes. (I looked as some less expensive racks that required hand-tightening one or more big bolts to tighten clamps that held the bikes. That system seemed like a royal pain and huge annoyance.)



Despite the name and billing, I'm less confident in recommending the KingPin4 for transporting four bikes. I think it's possible, but would require great care to avoid scraping paint or entangling pedals and spokes. Plus, I prefer using four "chainstraps" per bike for a bit of insurance, so if you want to carry four bikes, I would recommend springing for another set of these.



The unloaded contraption weights about 32 pounds, so it's not too heavy as you carry it from the basement or garage to install it. But be careful of the arms or you might shatter the glass in a door or an outside light. Also, you need to do a bit of assembly out of the box, so allow a good 30 minutes to set up and test the rig before using it the first time. The drawings in the instructions did not seem to match what I was actually looking at when I had everything before me on the floor, so I spent an extra few minutes considering the options. This assembly is not difficult---it's just that adage "never do anything for the first time" may stump one for a bit.



I am using this rack with a two-inch hitch, and I purchased a locking pin to replace the bolt that is shipped for attaching the rack to the hitch. I also run one of the cable bike locks through the bike frames and around the spanner between the arms to add a measure of security.



During our first foray, a 100-mile trip each way, the bikes and rack swayed just a bit from time to time, but overall, the sway was not a problem. Having a hundred extra pounds jutting up behind the rear window will change any vehicle's handling and hamper visibility through the rearview mirror, so be prepared to change your driving style as needed.



To conclude, the KingPin 4 has performed well. We could load and unload three bikes in about five minutes, and neither the Durango or bikes were scratched during transport. But, again, I would suggest that this rack is great for three bikes, but may be a challenge for carrying four.

 "Go DoubleDown" 2009-05-18
By Alfredo Mar
I drive a Honda Element and had been putting my bike in my vehicle for 2+ years. It can be a little labor intensive and can take an 15+ minutes of my day taking out my kid's car seats, folding up the rear seats, taking off the bike's front wheel (and then putting everything back again before the family can go out again). I finally talked my wife into letting me get a hitch mount rack and I'm glad I bought the DoubleDown. I almost made the mistake of buying "cheaper" and I'm glad I didn't; this thing is a well made cycling tool. I've kept the rack on for a few weeks now - it tilts out more than enough for me to open the back of my Element. Now, I have my bike with me 5 or 6 days a week for rides instead of just 2 or 3 times a week.



I was initially concerned because for the first 24 hours it sounded like the rack was rattling around too much but I simply hadn't tightened it enough. A few quick turns with the corresponding socket/ratchet and I can't even tell the rack is back there. I should also mention that Yakima provides a few tools to assemble the rack; all you really need is a screwdriver. You should have a few wrenches and maybe a socket set ready to make sure everything is nice and tight - it comes together in a few minutes. Assembly = piece of cake.



It might be a good idea to visit a store like REI to touch a few of these racks in person first - Thule makes a similar product. Shop around to see who might have the best prices and then come back to Amazon - You'll find a few vendors with free shipping.



*Well built

*Convenient

*Easy to assemble

*Well built (to me, that's the best part)

 "A very solid hitch mounted bike rack" 2009-01-04
By T-Diddy (Southern Cali)
When I first put the double-down 4 on my 2" hitch, I found it to be quite loose as well and was initially a bit disappointed. However, after I tightened the screw and washers that came with the rack, it was solid without much swaying at all. The upper arms folds down and the lower vertical arm folds down as well. The only negative in my opinion (and this just applies to both Yakima and Thule branded racks in general) is that they can to nickel and dime the consumer with every little acessory, whether thats a bike lock that works with the rack or a hitch lock that is specific to that rack bolt. At any rate, I have replaced my previous rack with this one and am quite happy. I guess you just really get what you paid.

 "Love it!" 2008-09-05
By Jason (Detroit, MI)
I bought this to transport my 26" commuter and a touring bike. It works great. My only complaint is that I have no way of getting my neice and nephews 20" bikes on. I haven't tried the adaptor because it seems pricey. Other than that, I love it. High quality and fits real tight in the hitch.

 "Yakima Double Down 4" 2008-08-05
By Marc E. Levy (Cherry Hill NJ)
Easy to assemble and install it is very secure and especially like the vinyl straps which will fit all bicycle types. We carry two road and two off road bikes which fit well on the rack without disturbing rear wiundow sight lines.


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