Yakima Holdup Evo 2 Bike Carrier

Sturdy, easy to use, but concerns about secure attachment, locking mechanism, and longevity of locking mechanism - needs improvement. Lock and key system is not obvious when it locks, if not used right, it can get stuck on your car and you need to disassemble the mechanism. Safety pin is too small and insecure. But, super easy to use and steady on car. Recommend watching youtube videos to fully understand how to use the hitch mechanism. Be sure to push down the wheel arch support firmly *behind* the peak of the wheel, next to the fork, else it may not work.

I bought the HoldUp Evo 2 rather than the Thule equivalent partly on price, partly on bulk (the Thule takes up more space on and off the car) and partly because I wanted to be able to add the Plus 2 extension to the Yakima so I could take four bikes. Overall it has been a good purchase, although I mainly use it for two bikes at a time - one of which is an E-MTB. The rack goes on and off the hitch-mount easily (once you've mastered the art and as long as you're strong enough to lift it). I like the fact that it locks onto the hitch-mount too, and the 'wobbling' problems that some people have mentioned when driving can be avoided if you wiggle the rack around a bit as you're tightening it onto the hitch-mount.On the downside it does have a couple of weak points in ... MoreI bought the HoldUp Evo 2 rather than the Thule equivalent partly on price, partly on bulk (the Thule takes up more space on and off the car) and partly because I wanted to be able to add the Plus 2 extension to the Yakima so I could take four bikes. Overall it has been a good purchase, although I mainly use it for two bikes at a time - one of which is an E-MTB. The rack goes on and off the hitch-mount easily (once you've mastered the art and as long as you're strong enough to lift it). I like the fact that it locks onto the hitch-mount too, and the 'wobbling' problems that some people have mentioned when driving can be avoided if you wiggle the rack around a bit as you're tightening it onto the hitch-mount.On the downside it does have a couple of weak points in its design/construction. First, if you have 29 inch wheels you need to be very careful to position the front wheel clamp as close to the forks as possible (ie well over the arch of the wheel) to avoid the front wheel bouncing out of the wheel holder. Before I realised this I once got home to find one bike hanging off the rack and held on only by the rear wheel strap and the fact that its handlebars had become entangled in the bike next to it when it moved. User-error probably, but something to be aware of.More problematic for me has been that although the rack is advertised as taking the weight of an e-bike, the plastic bolts built into the rear wheel clamps don't seem strong enough. I've had two of those break in the year that I've had the rack, and I've ended up replacing them both with a stainless steel bolt which I bought from Bunnings. This has only been a problem when I've been carrying my E-MTB, not the standard bike. It's not an expensive fix, and perhaps something the factory should consider.Another problem I've had has been the built-in lock cable jamming in its housing so I was unable to use/move it. Living in Brisbane I was able to take the rack into the Yakima supplier and they fixed it for me, but it was irritating nevertheless.I should say that the customer service I've had from Yakima with these problems has been great, both in replacing broken parts and in fixing the lock when I went in to see them. However, given the price of the rack it would have been good if the design was such that the problems didn't occur in the first place.I would give this a 5 for its overall usability but marked down to a 4 because of the niggles I mention above.

Disapointing

As a happy owner of the original Yakima Holdup (the grey one) for about 10 years, I had no hesitation at ordering the new Holdup Evo to be able to load my fat bike with easy. I received the rack yesterday and it was a big disappointment; the tongue and spine are huge and bulky compared to both previous versions of the Holdup; wheel trays don't go in all the way (to avoid scratching I assume since there is no plastic protection as in previous versions); the arms have no friction or dented mechanism to hold them in place so if you're not holding them, they're either at 0 or 180 degrees, no mid points; the cable locks are extremely short, locking the frame requires some serious pulling on those cables; the distance between trays is just short from appropriate for fat ... MoreAs a happy owner of the original Yakima Holdup (the grey one) for about 10 years, I had no hesitation at ordering the new Holdup Evo to be able to load my fat bike with easy. I received the rack yesterday and it was a big disappointment; the tongue and spine are huge and bulky compared to both previous versions of the Holdup; wheel trays don't go in all the way (to avoid scratching I assume since there is no plastic protection as in previous versions); the arms have no friction or dented mechanism to hold them in place so if you're not holding them, they're either at 0 or 180 degrees, no mid points; the cable locks are extremely short, locking the frame requires some serious pulling on those cables; the distance between trays is just short from appropriate for fat bikes, if you load a fat bike in the rear tray, you really need to choose between having handlebars and seat posts touching and scratching or having the rear triangle of the bike hitting into the ratcheting mechanism of the front arm; the straps for the rear wheels is just long enough for 4.8 in tires, that added to a new mechanism that doesn't use a lever to tight the strap but a mechanism in which you need to pull from the end of the strap after passing it through the buckle, make for a very loose feel; finally, with bikes all "secured" in place the amount of front to back play of the bikes within the trays is scary and will likely end up scratching your bikes if you don't allow enough clearance between them (remember that you are limited in the amount of clearance you can reach between seat posts and handlebars by the rear triangle of your bike hitting on the front arm of the rack).I only tried the rack with my fat bikes so I don't know how does it perform with regular 29, 27.5, 26 or smaller tire/wheel combinations but if your need is to transport any of these, why not buying the regular Holdup (non-Evo) that is cheaper and it doesn't have any of the issues this one has.

Disappointment

Ordered this hitch rack along with +2 rack on 5/15/20. This rack was available for store pickup, +2 was back-ordered until 6/3. Picked up this rack and upon assembly/installation noticed that a piece was broken. Contacted Yakima direct as we couldn't get anyone at our local store (due to Covid unfortunately). After back and forth with Yakima, they agreed to send out the replacement part (which ended up taking several weeks to receive after a few reminders). The replacement part received was not correct. Went back to the store where REI requested we purchase a new one, then wait for a credit for broken rack. After lots more "back & forth", they finally ordered the rack on 7/5 for a 7/10 arrival. On 7/9 I was sent an email stating this product is no longer available. ... MoreOrdered this hitch rack along with +2 rack on 5/15/20. This rack was available for store pickup, +2 was back-ordered until 6/3. Picked up this rack and upon assembly/installation noticed that a piece was broken. Contacted Yakima direct as we couldn't get anyone at our local store (due to Covid unfortunately). After back and forth with Yakima, they agreed to send out the replacement part (which ended up taking several weeks to receive after a few reminders). The replacement part received was not correct. Went back to the store where REI requested we purchase a new one, then wait for a credit for broken rack. After lots more "back & forth", they finally ordered the rack on 7/5 for a 7/10 arrival. On 7/9 I was sent an email stating this product is no longer available. Instead of issuing a credit on my card used to make the original purchase, they issued a store credit. In the meantime, the +2 rack was delivered, which is now worthless as I don't have the original rack to attach to. It now means another trip to the store to return +2 rack and to try to get the store credit changed to a return on my credit card. We have wasted assembly time, several trips to the store, lots of phone calls - well over two months time on a product that our family has been unable to use along with the $800+ we're currently out. Overall a huge disappointment from Yakima and REI customer service.

Great bike rack in theory, but not properly built

I'm going to start out by saying that I love the concept of this bike rack. Hitch-mounted, tray racks are awesome for easily and securely carrying a wide variety of bikes. And Yakima made a rack which is easy to install and use. However, due to some design oversights, they have not engineered the highest quality product, so after 9 months of light to moderate use, my HoldUp Evo has broken. I purchased the rack at the end of September 2019 to transport my full-suspension mountain bike, and I used it about 5 times before winter came and I stopped biking for the season. I stored my bike rack inside my garage all winter long. In May 2020, when biking season came back around, I started to use the rack again. I used it about 12 times in May with no issues, and then ... MoreI'm going to start out by saying that I love the concept of this bike rack. Hitch-mounted, tray racks are awesome for easily and securely carrying a wide variety of bikes. And Yakima made a rack which is easy to install and use. However, due to some design oversights, they have not engineered the highest quality product, so after 9 months of light to moderate use, my HoldUp Evo has broken. I purchased the rack at the end of September 2019 to transport my full-suspension mountain bike, and I used it about 5 times before winter came and I stopped biking for the season. I stored my bike rack inside my garage all winter long. In May 2020, when biking season came back around, I started to use the rack again. I used it about 12 times in May with no issues, and then decided to take the rack on a road trip across the US for approximately 4 weeks. Normally I take the rack off of my car after each use, but for the road trip both the rack and 2 bikes were living on the back of the car. About 2 weeks into the trip, after a day of riding, I was unfolding my rack to put the bikes back on and I heard a pop. A plastic piece fell off the bike rack, and after some investigation I discovered that it was the through axle used for rotating the front basket and wheel-holder of the rack. I am not quite sure how this happened, because I was unfolding the rack as I always do and did not encounter anything unusual in the process, such as resistance to rotating. So now I was halfway through a road trip with 2 bikes and a bike rack which was half-broken. Using some duct tape I was able to successfully limp the rack through the rest of the trip. When I got home I disassembled the rack to see what actually happened to it, and I found some frustrating oversights in the design of the rack. Most of this bike rack is constructed using metal components (not clear on what material is used, maybe a steel or aluminum alloy), which are a bit heavy and seem quite robust. However, there are a few key components which Yakima opted to construct using plastic (also not clear what exact materials, but some hard plastic), and I am not sure why these parts were chosen to be plastic as opposed to metal. The most obviously flawed piece is the plastic through axle which broke on my rack. This is a crucial piece for proper and safe functioning of the bike rack, but it is not very strong. As mentioned, the front wheel basket and wheel holder rotate around this piece to fold up and store, and this piece also holds the wheel basket and wheel holder together with the main beam of the bike rack. It is approximately 3/4" in diameter. Additionally, there is a roughly 1/2" hole drilled directly through this plastic piece perpendicular to the direction of the axle, where a bolt slides through to hold the through axle in place. You don't need to be an engineer to understand that drilling such a large hole through this piece will compromise its integrity, and therefore reduce the material's overall strength. Well, right along this hole is where my through axle sheared into two pieces (see picture). I understand the concept of using plastic as a replacement material for easier construction and weight savings, but for such an expensive, heavy, and seemingly robust bike rack, this was not a smart design choice. Additionally, there are plastic pieces used to fit the front wheel basket onto the main support piece. When the plastic through axle broke, part of these plastic pieces also sheared (see red circle in picture), which illustrates another poor material choice for more important moving pieces on the rack. These two parts are some of the only plastic used on the rack (aside from less integral parts), which begs the question as to why they are plastic. I try to keep my bike rack as clean as possible, and I always wash it and lubricate the moving parts after use (as Yakima recommends for their racks). Somehow this rack still managed to break in under a year though. I have called to request new parts to fix the rack, but honestly I think that I will be replacing these pieces with some custom built metal alternatives, to avoid having this issue in the future. For a $550 bike rack, I honestly expected higher quality construction and a longer life.

Great rack, can't find replacement bolt!

I really like this rack, loading and unloading are super easy. Folding it up when not in use is even easier! Bikes have always ridden securely on the road. It is a bit heavy, but its also well built.Got home yesterday to find the bolt under the front tire that goes through the pivot had fallen out. I can't find a replacement anywhere, even from yakima. This is really disappointing. I think it's an M8 x 160mm with washers and nylon nut.Yakima, please help!

Rusts after one year

For the price of this rack you would expect better build quality and durability. It squeaks when opening up the arms and folding the rack down. The rack is also rusting after less than a year. It's disappointing. I should've gotten a Thule.However it is light and compact. It doesn't take up much space. The twist knob to install is great too.

Unfortunate Design Flaw

This is a great rack except for a pretty obvious design flaw that has appeared in my rack and my roommate's, so it seems like a common problem. The front wheel cradle rotates down into place and back up to the folded position. It rotates around an axle. On either side of the cradle arms where they meet the axle is a plastic spacer of some kind, which is supposed to stay in place (there are notches to hold it in place) while the cradle rotate freely around it. The plastic spacers actually insert into hoops on the metal cradle arms (see photo). Well, these plastic spacers tend to bind to the metal hoops, meaning that when the cradle is rotated, the plastic spacers rotate with it. They are therefore forced out of the notches that are supposed to hold them from ... MoreThis is a great rack except for a pretty obvious design flaw that has appeared in my rack and my roommate's, so it seems like a common problem. The front wheel cradle rotates down into place and back up to the folded position. It rotates around an axle. On either side of the cradle arms where they meet the axle is a plastic spacer of some kind, which is supposed to stay in place (there are notches to hold it in place) while the cradle rotate freely around it. The plastic spacers actually insert into hoops on the metal cradle arms (see photo). Well, these plastic spacers tend to bind to the metal hoops, meaning that when the cradle is rotated, the plastic spacers rotate with it. They are therefore forced out of the notches that are supposed to hold them from rotating, which causes them to pop outward, and actually the plastic piece on the end of the axle pops off. or in one case it shredded off the notches. I completely disassembled them, lubed them with silicone, but the design is such (plastic inserted into the metal hoops that aren't exactly round) that they still tend to bind. One of the spacers actually got shredded and was ruined, while the other pops off the end. As I said, the exact same thing happens with my roommate's rack. This seems like an easy thing to re-engineer and fix! Yakima customer service is great and they sent me a new rack on warranty but the new one does the same thing. I gave the old one to my daughter and while they still function, it is annoying. We have three Holdup EVOs all doing the same thing!

Worth every penny

I had purchased this bike rack because I was tired of the cheaper ones with hooks and straps that damaged the back of a car. When I received this, I was not disappointed at all. This rack stayed in place perfectly, held the bikes securely, and handled bumpy roads and different terrains amazingly. And even when there were no bike in it, the option to fold it up nice and compact against the back of the car was the best. One of the first things I did to put this rack to the test was a cross-country trip to Utah and I never worried about the bikes or had to check on them at all. I even recently got rear ended on the highway, and this rack actually saved my car from damage. Unfortunately, the rack was damaged beyond use but it could have been so much worse. Even the ... MoreI had purchased this bike rack because I was tired of the cheaper ones with hooks and straps that damaged the back of a car. When I received this, I was not disappointed at all. This rack stayed in place perfectly, held the bikes securely, and handled bumpy roads and different terrains amazingly. And even when there were no bike in it, the option to fold it up nice and compact against the back of the car was the best. One of the first things I did to put this rack to the test was a cross-country trip to Utah and I never worried about the bikes or had to check on them at all. I even recently got rear ended on the highway, and this rack actually saved my car from damage. Unfortunately, the rack was damaged beyond use but it could have been so much worse. Even the bikes were okay. I am already planning on replacing it with another one when I have the money. Buy this rack, you will be so happy.