Yakima HighRoad: Tested
Rooftop-mounted bike racks are one of the most popular ways to transport your bicycle, whether a road or mountain bike (MTB). There are numerous incarnations of this pushy-lugging solution, ranging from those that attach to the bike frame, through to those that attach via the bike wheels.
The Yakima HighRoad has been around for a few years now (this writer owned the original version), and it has been one of the US brand’s most popular here in Australia, thanks to its ability to fit most bikes easily and effectively – especially carbon-frame bikes, thanks to its wheel-mounted setup (ensuring the frame is not damaged). This ease of use has been challenged lately, though, simply through the increasing length of today’s mountain bikes; it’s not uncommon for a big, burly enduro rig to have a wheelbase of 1280mm – and yeah, that’s considerably longer than even five years ago. So, what did Yakima do? Well, it took another look at the HighRoad and made it longer, plus added a few other tweaks, to ensure it was still up to the task of lugging our beloved trail-tearers. We recently spent a few months with the revised HighRoad…
Design
The revised Yakima HighRoad (weight: 8.2kg) now has an extended maximum wheelbase of 1320mm, ensuring it can carry all the latest – and longest – MTBs. It is also rated to carry a bike up to 20.4kg of weight on-road (off-road limit is 12.2kg) and now sports shiny new silver graphics. It still retains all that made the original version so popular: the adjustment-free front hoop for securing the bike’s front wheel via the TorqueRight knob, along with the sliding rear wheel clamp, and that low-profile design. It also includes universal fitment hardware for most roof bars and racks (excluding square bars of more than 38mm width).
The HighRoad wheel hoop fits wheel sizes from 26- to 29-inch and tyre widths ranging from 23mm to 100mm. There’s an integrated lock (dubbed the TailWhip), and you can convert the HighRoad fitment system to suit T-Slot crossbars (with the optional SmarT-Slot Kit 1) if you so wish. Dimensions are 1520mm long, 280mm wide and 165mm high.
In the field with the Yakima HighRoad
My initial fear that the HighRoad’s increased overall length would mean it may hit the rear hatch of our vehicle (a Subaru Forester XT) proved unfounded; there is ample clearance between the rack and the rear door. It is also very quick to fit, thanks to that universal fitment system; the heavy-duty straps and ratchet setup mean that, once fitted, it does not move. Loading a bike is very easy: we had our long-term Santa Cruz Tallboy MTB up and down off the HighRoad quickly and easily every time. It was when carrying this bike (and my own Rocky Mountain Instinct, which is slightly longer) that I was glad for that extra length of the rack; neither bike is ultra-long but would’ve still been close to too big for the previous HighRoad.
Loading the bike front-wheel-first, you must ensure that, firstly, the front tyre is against the forward arm of the front hoop, then you lift the rear hoop to secure that wheel and tighten the TorqueRight knob until it is secure. After that, it’s a quick slide fore/aft to position, and then tighten the rear wheel strap, and you’re done.
Unloading a bike is just as easy, with the front hoop adding an extra bit of stability as it can hold the wheel even when the rear hoop is down, thus making it easier to lift out and down in one motion once you’re ready to do so. The HighRoad’s low profile is also a boon when it comes to parking in low-heigh carparks and it’s very quiet when unladen and out on the open road.
The final word on the Yakima HighRoad
In short, the revised HighRoad continues the previous-gen’s excellent performance in terms of being a very easy, very simple, roof-mounted bike carrier to use. Not having to worry about damaging your carbon frame is an obvious benefit, and is backed up by a robust build quality and well proved design.
It may seem a small tweak, but that extra length added to the HighRoad is welcome in today’s world of big, long MTBs; even if your bike is not at the super-long end of the wheelbase scale, that additional room is still appreciated. For those looking for a roof-mounted bike carrying option, for whatever bike they have, the revised Yakima HighRoad is well worth consideration.
RRP: $429
See Yakima for more info on this and all its other bike carriers.
