Yakima StageTwo Bike Rack

Sparks vs. Snowflakes

I’d left my hitch rack folded out, bikeless, completely invisible from the Jeep’s high helm. The Jeep was seconds away from a perfect parallel park job until its off-road bumper latched onto the wheel arm of my rack, rearranging the trays into a metallic balloon dog.

The rack owed me nothing. It had countless trips to the hill and shuttles under its belt, progressing to occasionally hauling e-bikes exceeding the recommended weight capacity. The main pivot and wheel arms grew tiresome, developing irreversible play from hooning down logging roads at potentially irresponsible speeds. That rack eventually turned into the wrong tool for the job and was now on its deathbed, intertwined with a 4×4.

Detangling my Subaru from the Jeep proved impossible until a passerby brandished a concrete saw. I ignorantly inquired if cutting the rack would trash his presumably expensive blade, but he assured me the rotating beast ripped through rebar daily – easy peasy. Two older gents in the cafe across the street fell privy to an exclusive 30-second industrial art show; a 3-meter shower of sparks collided with the falling December snowflakes. It was time to start thinking about a new bike rack. Serenity now.

The Wishlist

There are tonnes of different bike rack styles, but the fold-up tray style suits my needs best. When I’m not transporting bikes, I’m looking for a rack that barely adds to the length of my car, doesn’t obstruct my vision, and doesn’t detract from precious gas mileage.

When bikes need to be transported, my rack wishlist reads, in no specific order: It must be able to carry at least two bikes, of all sizes and weights – kid rigs to XXL full-power e-bikes. It has to hold the wheels securely, without touching the frame or fork. The main pivot and wheel arms should be burly enough not to clank around on rough roads, while being user serviceable. It should be able to pivot rearward to allow full access to the hatch. Finally, loading bikes on and off has to be intuitive and quick. Yakima’s StageTwo rack fits this bill.

Yakima StageTwo Specs

• Two sizes – 1.25″ and 2″ hitch carriers
• Carries two bikes, the 2″ version is expandable to four bikes
• Fits wheel sizes from 16″ to 29″, tires up to 5″ wide
• Max wheelbase length of 1320mm
• Max weight capacity of 70lb per bike (2″ version)
• 3-position tilt allows for hatch access, folding flat against the car without bikes
• Adjustable, offset wheel trays keep bikes from contacting
• Quick installation via wobble-free, lockable SpeedKnob
• Integrated cable locks and lock loop

Installation

Installing the StageTwo was fairly breezy. The burly, powder-coated spine cleanly slotted into the 2″ hitch receiver and snugged up tight with a few turns of the keyed dial. Yakima uses their SKS (Same Key System) here, sharing the same key as the built-in cable lock living stealthily within the wheel arm. In ten minutes, I had bolted the heavy-duty wheel trays to the spine and attached the wheel arms using the included 6mm tamper-proof hex key. In the event of bikes bumping into one another using the standard tray mount point, Yakima provides an alternate offset mount, spacing the bikes futher away from one another. I’ve been fine with the regular mounting point so far.

Day To Day With The StageTwo

Pulling the hand lever to unlock the rack from the flush position into bike mode feels tight after nearly a year of use. I initially chalked this up to tight manufacturing tolerances. I’d prefer the keyway to slot into each position without having to line it up visually, though perhaps some grease could remedy this. The silver lining is how solidly the spine and main pivot is built – I haven’t detected a millimetre of play. I’m confident the keyway won’t pop out of its slot, even while bopping through potholes on secondary roads carrying two full-fat e-bikes.

Loading bikes on and off is a straightforward affair. Extend the wheel arm and place the bike in the tray. Yakima also sells an aftermarket ramp kit to roll the bike onto the tray rather than lifting, which stows away on the StageTwo.

Metal toothed tracks engage the arm with a solid clack, and I squish the tire lightly for maximum purchase. The rear wheel tray slides fore/aft to accommodate most wheelbases, and could be clocked offset if a bike runs longer than 1320mm. I’d prefer to see a rubber rim guard on the ratchet strap instead of bare nylon, to protect carbon wheels.

Driving with bikes on any surface feels solid and safe. Again, I can’t stress enough how strong and stout the rack feels. I’ve hit a few unexpected holes, only for the StageTwo to shrug it off. There is some flex, but the bikes stay put, the latching mechanisms have remained tight.

Driving through deeper water bars has resulted in some light scraping on the replaceable bump stop below the hitch dial – a nice touch to combat wear, just be mindful of departure angles.

Each wheel arm sports a built-in cable lock, which realistically is more of a theft deterrent than actual protection. Yakima has built a central lock loop into the spine, allowing the use of a much burlier lock of your choice.

The jury is still out on tail light visibility with the rack folded up. I’ve yet to encounter irate drivers (few and far between on the Sunshine Coast), but I’m sure they’re obstructed when viewed from certain angles. Yakima sells its aftermarket SafetyMate LED light and license plate mount for an extra $349 CAD. I’ll continue to roll the dice on this.

Final Thoughts

The 1,200 CAD Yakima StageTwo 2-bike rack is built like a brick shithouse to carry, well, most bikes you can imagine – other than Yoann Barelli’s shred tandem. Yakima’s commitment to using burly metal parts ensures the StageTwo will provide safe transport to your rigs for potential decades. It folds away cleanly when you’re not using it, and might even be strong enough to thwart light impacts from other vehicles – although the jury is out on how it fares against the formidable concrete saw.

Yakima StageTwo 2″ Hitch Rack 1,200 CAD