etrailer | In-Depth Review of the Yakima FullBack 2 Bike Rack

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Full transcript: https://www.etrailer.com/tv-review-ya...
Hey everyone, it's Evangeline here at etrailer and today we have Yakima FullBack trunk mounted bike rack. So this is a rack that attaches to your hatch or to your trunk and allows you to carry two to three bikes and that way, you're ready to ride. Usually I don't go with trunk or hatch mounted bike racks because there's a lot more contact with the vehicle and it's a lot more of a hassle to get them mounted onto the vehicle compared to if you had a hitch mounted rack but sometimes you don't have those options. In this case, this is actually my car and I haven't had the time to get a hitch on there or a roof rack and I need to carry around two bikes. Of my limited options, the Yakima FullBack is probably gonna be the more premium and the safer trunk mounted rack. There are some features on it where it just limits the contact with the vehicle making for a more distributed way of carrying around your bikes.

The reason this is a bit more of a premium option compared to other trunk mounted bike racks is the design here. So you can see how it has a top arm as well as a base pad with high quality rubber and that way you're less likely to scratch or scuff the exterior paint of your vehicle. You also have a cable lock with this rack that helps secure the last bike to the bike rack and there is a HUB design allowing you to adjust the arms up and down as well as adjust the entire rack to make it more of a custom fit for your car. This will fit differently depending on your car so for different makes and models, the length this will add to the back will be different, but for this Kia Seltos it sits 33 inches away from the bumper. Now this is a two bike version.

You can also get this with a three bike capacity. The cradles will sit about seven and a half inches away from each other. It also has features like the three touch points per bike on their frame and we'll talk about that later as we install the bike rack and the bikes. But right now this is what two bikes looks like on our Yakima FullBack bike rack. Let's take it outside and see how it performs in the real world.

Here on our test course, we'll start by going through the slalom. This is going to show us the side to side action which simulates turning corners or evasive maneuvers. Once we get to the alternating speed bumps, we'll see the twisting action. This will simulate hitting a curb or a pothole or driving over uneven pavement. Now lastly, we're going over some full speed bumps and you can see here the up and down action and this will just be like driving in and out of a parking lot garage or driveway so we can see here how the bike rack moves with our truck.

Comparing this bike rack with some other options for you if you don't have a hitch receiver which is always my first option, and if you don't have a roof rack, which is my second option then with trunk mounted bike racks this is definitely gonna be the more premium option. An alternative would be the Saris Bones. That one actually has a slightly more versatile fit for different vehicles. Double check our fit guide here at etrailer.com, put in your year, make and model and then we'll help find the right fit for you. That one may fit your vehicle if the Yakima FullBack does not. The downside to the Saris Bones is it has more straps, it doesn't have the same sleek look and it doesn't have a cable lock so that could be a reason why you might prefer the FullBack over the Bones, vice versa. We have both of them here at etrailer so you can check out the videos and see which one's the best for you. The installation of your trunk rack is probably gonna be the most important thing that you're looking for because every vehicle installs differently and because of that, Yakima has a fit for different cars with different instructions. You can also check that out for our different videos here at etrailer. So first thing you're gonna look for is the footnotes as well as the HUB setting. Depending on your vehicle, there will be a measurement from your bumper or your trunk or your license plate to where the base pad should go. In the case of our SUV here it says eight and a half inches, and that's measured from our bumper to where the base pad should sit. That's usually on a flat surface around the license plate area. Next, there's a HUB setting for your vehicle. So when you rotate the dial in the center of the rack, you can then rotate your top arm. So our HUB setting for this specific vehicle is number two so there's an e sticker there so you can see where