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Loading four bikes doesn’t need to be a wrestling match. The RidgeBack’s removable ZipStrips pop free so frames slip right over the dual arms—no straps in the way. Each bike secures at three points, two on the top tube and one on the seat post or downtube, keeping movement in check. Soft-padded anti-sway cradles prevent bikes from rocking or rubbing together, so finishes stay clean and frames stay steady mile after mile.
Grabbing your cooler or hiking gear is easy even with the rack installed. The RidgeBack tilts down when the bikes are off—just pull the front lever and lower the mast. It snaps back upright with an audible click when you’re ready to roll. No tools, no pins to fumble, just quick access to the rear cargo area whenever you need it.
A snug hitch fit keeps rides quiet, and Yakima’s SpeedKnob makes it happen without tools. Turn the knob to deploy an internal wedge that tightens the rack inside the receiver—no wobble, no metal rattle. Lock the red knob when you’re done to secure the connection. The tethered hitch pin adds backup safety and won’t get lost when you remove the rack.
When the ride’s done, hit the TriggerFinger lever and the arms fold down in one motion. The sloped arms keep bikes clear of the ground when loaded, then tuck neatly away for parking or garage storage. At 35 lbs with 25" arms, it’s easy to handle and small enough to keep on the vehicle between rides.
The RidgeBack carries up to four bikes at 40 lbs each, using a gray powder-coated steel frame that stands up to weather, road grime, and years of hauling. It fits both 1-1/4" (Class II only) and 2" hitches with a removable sleeve, making it a simple, durable choice for families or friends who ride together often.
Ratings & Reviews
The bike rack was received very quickly and is good. I have a 1.25" receiver and it fits very well. The rack does not hold my grandson's trek bike though... I think that I may need an adapter to transport his bike.
Ordered the Yakima bike race and lock. Yakima is easy to use and simple to install. The process was simple and efficient and everything arrived as expected. This is the second order from etrailer for me and I recommend ordering from them without reservation. Great service!
I liked this rack for normal shaped adult bikes. Unfortunatley, kid bikes and several full suspension bikes are difficult or impossible to fit on this rack. It is also difficult to fit 4 bikes on the rack that are different shapes. Hindsight, I woud have gotten a tire mount rear bike rack instead.
Bought the Yakima RidgeBack bike rack, works great hold bikes secure and is easy to mount on hitch. The easy part was a key factor to purchase, because its been my wife who has been using it with her friends.
Works great
One year later and I am just as happy as I was the first time I used this bike rack. From roads bikes to my big fat tire bikes, this rack handles it all. Spending the few extra dollars to get this model has been worth every penny as I like being able to open my liftgate when the rack is on the car. I have recommended this rack to multiple people over the year and recommended etrailer due to the service I received.
We could not be happier with our Yakima bike rack. Easy to use and handles our 2 bikes with ease. A bit heavy for my wife to attach, but we get it done no problems. Additionally etrailer was great to work with and their website is fantastic.
I am so impressed with this product. It is my second bike rack. Only reason I had to buy a new one with someone rammed into the back of my car and caused damage.
Looks like a very good quality rack. Sturdy, very little movement, and no rattle at the hitch after tightening the hitch lock. 2 bikes (1 fat & 1 hybrid, 80 lbs total) went on easy, and tight hold-downs that also came off easy when I needed. Rotating hitch lock pulls a metal wedge inside the hitch to lock it in place pretty tight, and the partial hitch pin then secures it in place. This is a bit awkward relative to just securing with a full size RV hitch pin, but it's a tighter fit, and it includes the convenient lock, so a trade-off. I only have 2 bikes so no issue with loading 4 bikes, which would be tight. Both my bikes have angled cross-bars but loaded fine without adding tube top adapter. Tires easily clear the bumper and exhaust pipe of 2006 Pathfinder. Thanks to Linda H. for tube top research for my config, and modifying my order. Delivery to Dallas was 2 days after order was placed.
The rack itself is fantastic. Not too heavy, easy to attach to hitch, and very easy setup. The only real downside is if your bicycles don't have a standard frame, you'll need to buy the Yakima Tube Top Bike Adapter Bars (~$50 each) in order to be able to mount them on the rack. I will say that smaller bikes (for my 9 year old) can be a challenge to mount with larger bikes as you'll need to finagle the handle bars and such to get them to line up but once you do it a few times you figure it out.
This is a great bicycle rack that is well built.
When I received the rack, the box was damaged from shipping and the lock keys were missing. I contacted the staff at etrailer and they were incredibly quick to provide a solution. Awesome customer service! Will gladly do business with etrailer again.
Geoff
7/7/2024
Still works perfectly! Very glad I bought this rack.
The Yakima Ridgeback bike rack is a top quality rack. It's a very sturdy rack, easy to put on and use. The transaction was very smooth and easy. I placed the order late afternoon and received a notice a couple hours later with the shipping info.
Kevin T.
7/27/2016
I still love the rack. Its still holding up and working well. I have had bikers ask me where I got it and how much it was. I gave them your website so Im sure you may have sold some from my referral.
Fantastic unit! Only 4 stars because the Yakima sticker continues to peel away and require reapplication to every couple of months. Get 3 months in between if I use a heat gun. Other than that this is trouble free and works great with both 1.25” hitches and 2” hauling 2 adult road bikes and two kid mountain bikes with ease.
Daniel
7/18/2023
Overall holding up well. Occasionally the runner bike post pads pull-away too much and require refitting. Also, the vinyl graphic in some places wants to pull away requiring the occasional heat gun to lay flat again. A year later 910 for the product bring a flexible, strong, and easy to use. I switch it between a 1.25” and 2” hitch on two cars several times a year hauling 2-4 bikes at a time. Love that!
got the bike rack super fast. Had a ton of questions beforehand and etrailer staff were very responsive. The bike rack seems durable and does fit tightly in the hitch. My only concern is the obvious swaying of the bikes when they are attached to the rack - i expected them to not sway as much. We take it on our long bike trip this weekend so we will see what happens. Love that it locks into the hitch
Julie G.
9/29/2016
Thanks for checking in. Still love it. Just wish that kid bikes fit better on it.
Good - will hold 4 bikes. the tie downs are easy enough to use. The folding portion helps to get it out of the way when opening the tailgate.
Bad - after 10,000+ miles with 4 bikes the portion that hooks to the hitch bent under the weight. Kids bikes are heavy but it should have stronger material. Don't expect to take it on and off as the multi-size hitch is a pain to use on larger carriers. Getting women's bikes on are difficult. Had to flip it upside down to get it to fit.
Descent overall. most of it is built sturdy. I've seen a lot worse for same or more money. I'll likely cut off the bent portion and weld on a new larger receiver hitch that won't bend.
Jenny N.
8/9/2022
You mentioned that the shank of the bike rack had bent and I would like to ask you some questions. How heavy would you say that the bikes are? What type of vehicle are you using the rack on? Would you be able to send a picture of the bend? There is a possibility that the shank could be covered under warranty - I would recommend not welding on a larger receiver to it. It would void the warranty on the rack.
Bryan
8/9/2022
Used it on a suburban. A mix of bikes. One kids bike9 year old, One trek mountain bike, One roadlight trail bike, one more cheaper mountain bike probably the heaviest a no-name off the shelf bike Not high end super light bikes. Regular run of the mill stuff. Ran 2 8,000 mile RV trips with the Suburban as a tow vehicle and bikes on the back of it. Rack is currently at my shop. Not here. Can get a photo for you later. I haven’t had time to get to it yet
Jenny N.
8/9/2022
I would like to see the pictures when you have a chance as I would like to reach out to Yakima about the rack.
I have the Yakima fullback trunk bike rack and it was really good for my Honda Civic. Now when I traded in the rhe civic for an MDX i need a hitch trailer and a new bike rack. Luckily I find both in etrailer and ordered them. I’ve been using them for a year now and so far it was good. I only use two bikes for this rack so far. I made a mistake because I didnt know there was a full version of this similar to my other trunk bike that comes with built-in security cable. Next time i have to do more research. But dont get me wrong. This is a good tilt bike rack too. Check out the yakima swing arm also.
Bryan G.
9/15/2021
I’ve been using it more and most of the time it is installed on my SUV. Also, I bought a locking cable accessory also from Yakima to lock my bikes. So far the bike rack is working good and I have spray some WD40 lubricant to the hinges as a maintenance and keep it on top shape.
I bought a 2015 Subaru Outback and had a Subaru factory installed 1-1/4 hitch added to my purchase. I did not know at the time that Subaru designed the hitch to fit basically only their branded products.
I went to several bike stores trying to find a 4 bike hitch supported by my Subaru. I even took some home and tried to get them to work and none did.
I went on the internet and googled some solutions that were either completely wrong or was a solution by some engineer who customized the bike rack.
Luckily I reached out to etrailer and spoke to their phone rep. He had heard about challenges with the Subaru hitch and recalled there were a couple of 4 bike hitches that would work. He said he would get back to me.
In about a 1/2 hour I got an email about the Yakima RidgeBack. I was hesitant because so many had failed but with the free return policy I gave it a shot.
I am not real mechanically inclined but in about an hour I figured out how to mount it on my Subaru (it takes less than 5 minutes now that I know how). I used the rack dozens of times, even hauling 4 bikes on it.
This is the second product I have bought from etrailer and could not be happier. They are fast, responsive to questions, and get it right.
I
Pete B.
5/11/2018
The product is working out okay. The springs in two of the strap support mounts have broken. Though they still work its a bit of a hassle releasing the bike from the mount. Still really like the mount. Good solution to the limited amount of racks available to the 2015 Outback with factory installed hitch.
Fits great, easy to install, fits my 2018 Wrangler with 35" spare mounted on back. Still can't access cargo area, but I assumed that going in.
So far all is good. Easy assembly out of the box. Customer support from strainer is terrific. Had a question on modifying the adaptar to fit 1.25 hitch and they answered a call immediately. Product is sturdy. Looks great. And is very easy to operate. Highly recommend
First trip with 3 bikes. Nary a wobble. The anti-sway strips appear to make a big difference.
Michael E.
6/2/2023
I like everything about it, except: the rack get slightly looser in the hitch every time I use it, and I am constantly re-tightening it.
It’s relatively heavy but super easy to install and use. No rattles from hitch or bike areas. Red Yakima stickers on the vertical beam are low quality, not firmly attached, and I expect them to peal off. Otherwise, very happy with the rack.
So far took it on a road trip to the beach with 1 adult and 1 kid bike (24"). I couldn't get the 20" kids bike to work with the Adapter bar so will have to return that. But the install and locking without tools is a breeze- one of the main reasons I went with Yakima. Used on 2025 Honda CR-V.
Brooke M.
6/6/2025
A road trip to the beach sounds like fun! Which beach did you go to? We can help you with that return, too. Let me take a look and make sure that's being handled
Shopped around for different bike racks at different places locally and online. Prices varied quite a bit. I decided to check Etrailer because I have ordered from them before, they have a great selection and their prices are fair and quite often, as low as any you'll find. In this instance, their price was the lowest and they offered free shipping. And for a bike rack, shipping costs are not insignificant. This Yakima RidgeBack4 turned out to be a good choice and I have been extremely satisfied with it. I also purchased the HandCuff Bike Lock as an accessory and it was easy to install on the rack. I would without question recommend Etrailer for your next purchase.
Sits firmly in 1.25” hitch. Doesn’t sway or rattle. One weirdness: the Yakima logo decal peeled off immediately. I tried to get it to stick with no luck. It is now completely gone.
Check out my other review on the hidden hitch for a 2015 BMW 4 Series for the majority of the review, but this thing is great. Easy setup and install, does all the things it's supposed to do. Mounting and removing bikes is a snap with the included clips (big difference from some of the cheaper variants with nylon ratchet straps). Fits very snugly in my 2" receiver, and pretty solid on the highway and over bumpy roads.
Ryan
12/20/2023
One year update - still working just fine BUUUUUT if anyone at Yakima is listening, the red, dorito-shaped tensioner is utter crap. Its nearly impossible to get a good grip on to fully tightenloosen. And you may as well peel off the stickers the day it arrives, since like the other reviews have said they remove themselves in a month or two of use. Other than that, this rack still works great. Took it on a 1500 mile road trip last summer and held up very well.
Mike L.
12/20/2023
fatal design flaw. the 'V' straps to secure the bikes are great. the bike rack is solid. the fatal design flaw is with the red speed knob and the metal fin sticking out below it. it is very difficult to turn the knob tight enough to secure the bike rack, and the metal fin at the bottom which appears to be for design purposes only is in the perfect place to slice the skin off your finger as you turn the knob. our unit worked first two times, but third time loosening the knob did not release the bike rack from the car. this is a known issue, yakima has an article on their website on what to do when loosening the knob does not release the bike rack from the vehicle (it requires mallet and lots of wiggling, took us over an hour to get the bike rack separate from the vehicle). after purchasing this top of the line yakima, I purchased a different bike rack that was a fraction of the cost, that uses a bolt to secure the bike rack to the vehicle, and it works so much better than the yakima. I am in contact with yakima warranty and they have offered to send a replacement red knob. knowing what I know now about how the red knob sometimes skips when turning and fails to loosen the 'wedge' that secures the rack, and how the fin at the bottom slices skin if not careful to avoid it, I would have never purchased this bike rack.
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Debra
9/6/2023
It has been a year since purchasing my Yakima bike rack and I am still loving it. Built well and works well.