Author: PRW

Pick up a copy of Mountain Flyer for a great review of the Hold-Up from Yakima, a hitch mounted tray style bike rack.

Yakima – HoldUp 2

With so many different types of bikes (and front axle configurations) on the market, it’s increasingly difficult to find a rack that can accommodate them all, and more and more, I’m finding receiver hitch racks to be preferable over roof systems for the day loading convenience and versatility.

Yakima’s HoldUp 2 is a hitch rack that makes transporting bikes easy. With the HoldUp 2’s simple two bike tray design, a bike is easily set in the adjustable wheel tray as an extendable arm is tightened over the front wheel of the bike. The rear wheel is then strapped in place, and you are off to the trailhead. An optional two-bike extension increases rack capacity to four bikes but doubles the rack’s length. A separate cable lock is included to keep bikes secure for short periods of time.

Built from steel, the HoldUp 2 is a solid (and very heavy) piece of equipment. Its stout design makes it trustworthy: the bikes are securely fastened to the rack and, another benefit of a hitch rack, kept out of harm’s way for those who occasionally pull into garages and forget that a bike is on the roof. When not in use, the HoldUp 2 tilts upward, and the trays and arm fold into themselves to minimize the width of the rack.

Traveling with bikes can always turn into a bit of a headache without the right rack system, and if your ride time is suffering due to bike hauling problems, the HoldUp 2 will get you on the trail in a snap.

–J. Carr

For more from Mountain Flyer

For more on the Yakima HoldUp

Pull-Behind Gear: Trailer offers ‘Massive Capacity’

By GearJunkie’s Stephen Regenold.

We had four grown men and a stationwagon. We had mountain bikes, backpacks, paddles, life jackets, shoes, and all the food and extra gear required of a weekend away.

We had 200 miles to drive. Fortunately, we also had a trailer.

The RackandRoll trailer from Yakima, a unique gear-hauling creature, offers massive capacity for bikes, boats, and other bulky gear.

Two wheels, an aluminum chassis, and a trailer tongue comprise the skeletal system. Yakima includes a set of its rack-mounting bars, which affix on the trailer to create a blank slate of a platform for attaching carriers of all sorts.

Our trailer, a loaner from a local Yakima sales rep, came ready to go with four bike mounts and a large gear box in the middle. We rolled our mountain bikes onto the trailer and cinched them on for the ride.

When empty, the RackandRoll weighs about 160 pounds — light for a trailer. My immediate concern was with bumps and high speeds on backcountry roads. If we hit a rut would the trailer bounce or go airborne with our bikes and gear taking a jarring hit?

Happy to say that did not happen. Yakima includes independently adjustable suspension on each wheel with about 4 inches of travel. The company uses motorcycle shocks that offer “about twice” the cushion of what’s used on standard trailers, Yakima cites.

On our drive, a four-hour journey to an adventure race, more than once I winced when we hit a bump. But looking in the rearview mirror I could see the trailer sucking up the bump and keeping our bikes stable at high speed.

You can haul up to 300 pounds of gear with one configuration of the RackandRoll trailer. It comes in two sizes and allows for the attachment of not only bike racks and gear boxes but boat mounts, ski racks, and most any other accessory that normally sits atop a car.

Convenience and extra gear capacity are the advantages. You can easily mount six bikes or multiple boats on the trailer.

But all the capacity will cost you. Starting at $2,149, the Yakima trailers are a major investment. This price gives you the trailer and crossbars, but all mountable accessories are extra.

The trailer is about 6.5 feet wide and 11 feet long. It mounts to a vehicle hitch with a 1 7/8-inch tow ball and includes a standard electrical hookup for stop, turn, and running lights.

On our trip, the RackandRoll performed as advertised, tracking straight, rolling smooth, and hauling our equipment so seamlessly we often forgot it was there.

—Stephen Regenold is founder and editor of www.gearjunkie.com. Connect with Regenold atFacebook.com/TheGearJunkie or on Twitter via @TheGearJunkie.

For episode No. 4 in GearJunkie’s “Off The Map” video series, sponsored by Yakima, we travel to western Minnesota in search of some of the most obscure rock climbing on the continent. The episode, “Bouldering the Great Plains,” highlights the unlikely and rare rock — and the rare climbers who pursue it! — on a landscape dominated not by mountains but wheat fields, dirt roads, and old farms. Climb on!

Does your gear take up too much space? Have you ever had to leave your favorite piece of gear or your second favorite child at home? Firstly, shame on you and more importantly get yourself a cargo box.

Reclaim your car.