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Review: Yakima HoldUp Bike Rack Mod for 29ers

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I didn’t think it would be a big deal going from a mountain bike with 27.5-in. wheels to a one with 29s, but I was wrong in one area: when it came to transporting them on our Yakima HoldUp bike rack. According to Yakima’s site, the HoldUp fits 20- to 27.5-in. wheel sizes with tires up to 3.0 in. wide and 29-in. tires up to 2.5 in. wide. Our 2020 Cannondale Habit Neo 2s have 29x2.6 tires, which are wider than the accepted diameter by a mere 1 mm. The only conclusion I can reach is that the tire must be taller by a significant amount because the arm that secures the front wheel was not even close to clearing our 29x2.6 tires. In doing some searches, I could see that others have run into the same issue; they addressed it by having the arm come up just on the front of the wheel, but I just never felt that would secure the bike well enough, especially on rougher roads.
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In trying to put the Habit Neo 2 29er on the rack like it is supposed to go, you can get the arm past the front wheel while tilting the bike inward then swinging the arm past the wheel to secure the bike, as designed, by the front fork. That is an almostacceptable method of securing the first bike, but it is nearly impossible to do that with the second bike without it hitting against the first (inner) bike. So, I took a a step back and pondered my options before I had to put the current rack in the classifieds and invest in a new one.
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In looking at the HoldUp’s design, I realized it would be a lot easier to put both bikes on the rack if the arms were on the inside. To do this, you first have to remove the bike trays, which is quite simple with the tried-and-true righty tighty, lefty loosey method. Take the trays off and just reinstall them 180° so the arms are on the car side (front) of the rack. This needs to be done to both trays. After doing this, the straps for the rear wheel holders will not be on the inside, which does make them a bit more difficult to access, but that is easily remedied by taking them off and turning them 180° as well.

D7051DFB-A6AA-4CBD-B581-6C4421F76A8E_1_201_a.jpeg Rebuilding the rack can be done in minutes with just a few metric wrenches. I made this modification on the original gray HoldUp, but it can be done just as easily on the current black HoldUp and HoldUp +2. The only real downfall of this mod is that the arm will be on the inside of the front wheel and the adjustment button is a tad more difficult to access. The visual cue that you did it correctly is that the Yakima logo will be upside down when the rack is up and not in use (along with the, "Dude, you put your rack together wrong" comments).

According the Yakima website, the HoldUp Evo can accommodate a wheel up to 29x4.8, so I can assume it will not require this hack. If someone has used the HoldUp Evo with a 29er, please feel free to share your experiences in the comments section.
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Philpug
I started skiing in the mid-70s in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania; from then on, I found myself entrenched in the industry. I have worked in various ski shops from suburban to ski town to resort, giving me a well-rounded perspective on what skiers want from their gear. That experience was parlayed into my time as a Gear Review Editor and also consulting with manufacturers as a product tester. Along with being a Masterfit-trained bootfitter I am a fully certified self proclaimed Gear Guru. Not only do I keep up with the cutting edge of ski gear technology, but I am an avid gear collector and have an extensive array of bindings as well as many vintage skis.

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I thought it never bothered me, even with 26x4.8 fat-bike tires. Or true 29x2.6.

when I double checked, it’s because I have the Dr.Tray(with 3rd bike add-on)
 
While I doubt we will ever have 4 bikes on it, there are more than a few times, we needed the ability to carry a third bike. I found a Holdup +2 in Craigslist really cheap. I did the mods needed. I will attach it on the rack as needed. I am sure the driving dynamics will change dramatically.
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So I just got rid of my Yakima Holdup and replaced it with this

We need the ability to carry 5 bikes and were just not super happy with the versatility of the holdup (i.e. almost impossible to open the rear hatch with bikes loaded) and were looking for something that would hold our bikes closer to the car. After much research we settled on the Velocirax as opposed to several other vertical racks. The clincher for us was the hydraulics that make it easy to raise or lower the rack with bikes on it. We also liked that way it holds the wheels in place and the anti-wobble features built in. It just arrived today and will be sure to post some pics once it is fully assembled.

On the down side I dislocated my shoulder downhilling at Mt Bachelor last weekend so am likely done biking for this season and focused on healing before ski season.
 
While I doubt we will ever have 4 bikes on it, there are more than a few times, we needed the ability to carry a third bike. I found a Holdup +2 in Craigslist really cheap. I did the mods needed. I will attach it on the rack as needed. I am sure the driving dynamics will change dramatically.
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Thanks for the info on tweaking the rack to fit a 29er. I ran into the same problem in picking up my new Specialized levo. Whats strange is Yakima's site says the newest HoldUp will accommodate a 29" wheel up to 3" wide. I thought they may have lengthened the arm on the new ones and i could buy the new longer arm but when i called Yakima they said there was no change. Guy on the phone was not that helpful and said i should look at their new On Ramp rack specifically for E-bikes (which does not look appealing to me with the vertical bar/clamp-that can wear/rub on paint). Im still suspect that the new one has a longer arm but havent found anyone local where i can measure. With your fix i wont have to do that so thanks for posting the solution!
 
(...almost impossible to open the rear hatch with bikes loaded)
This was not an issue until we got the new S.S.SkiTalk, a 2018 GMC Yukon. We could have a bike in the inner most tray and fold it down on both the 2017 VW Alltrack and 2008 GMC Yukon and open the gate with out any issues, but for some reason, that is not the case with the newer Yukon. I thought about options like the $299 swing arm or an $80 4" hitch drop down (which still didn't solve the problem) but then we cannot put the Yukon in the garage with the rack on.
So, we will have to load items in the hatch, close gate then put the bikes on the rack. Then reverse the process when we arrive at the trail head. Fortunately, the vast majority of our riding is right from the house so the rack does not get used that much.
 
This was not an issue until we got the new S.S.SkiTalk, a 2018 GMC Yukon. We could have a bike in the inner most tray and fold it down on both the 2017 VW Alltrack and 2008 GMC Yukon and open the gate with out any issues, but for some reason, that is not the case with the newer Yukon. I thought about options like the $299 swing arm or an $80 4" hitch drop down (which still didn't solve the problem) but then we cannot put the Yukon in the garage with the rack on.
So, we will have to load items in the hatch, close gate then put the bikes on the rack. Then reverse the process when we arrive at the trail head. Fortunately, the vast majority of our riding is right from the house so the rack does not get used that much.

You are in luck I have a solution for you. When we got our new Tesla we discovered that the hitch system was unique in that it essentially clipped on with a locking mechanism to the car vs being permanently attached. As a result it has a unique limitation called vertical tongue weight of 120lbs, which meant our Velocirax which was awesome was too heavy at 93lbs. So we sold that to a friend and bought an Alta Racks rack, which is much lighter. It also provides more rear hatch and ground clearance for the rack too. This makes accessing the trunk easy on pretty much any vehicle. They also have a version specifically for Sprinters so you can open one door with bikes loaded :)

Here are some picks of the new rack.
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as you can see the rack angles away from the hitch creating space and ground clearance.

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Another plus is much better rear visibility and stability compared to platform racks.

the rack also has the ability to use tie downs to provide added stability when carrying heavier bikes or e-bikes. It is expandable to 6 bikes and you can bet wheel baskets designed for fat tires. It even has a wheel choke that I added to better accommodate my son’s bike with 26” tires. At under 70lbs this rack is lightenough that I can carry two bikes on the Tesla and a full load on the MDX. At this weight I can also move between cars without any help.

the last thing I will say is that vertical racks hold the bikes closer to the car which is important on larger vehicles and are much more stable. Not only does this decrease vehicle length with the rack attached it also improves suspension and fuel efficiency not mention how much easier it is to load and unload bikes. Once you go vertical there is no going back.

FYI these are not cheap, but they do come with a lifetime warranty and the build quality is amazing. These racks are literally bullet proof :)
Home Page - ALTA RACKS
 
While I doubt we will ever have 4 bikes on it, there are more than a few times, we needed the ability to carry a third bike. I found a Holdup +2 in Craigslist really cheap. I did the mods needed. I will attach it on the rack as needed. I am sure the driving dynamics will change dramatically.
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What wheelbase does the 29er have in this post? I’m trying to decide if mine will fit or not before purchasing one of these original grey Yakima Holdups. According to this post, it IS possible for the front wheel to fit under the locking arm. But I’m still left wondering if the rack is long enough and I’m guessing fitting a 29er size Small won’t be the same as trying to fit a 29er Large or XL. Thx
 
What wheelbase does the 29er have in this post? I’m trying to decide if mine will fit or not before purchasing one of these original grey Yakima Holdups. According to this post, it IS possible for the front wheel to fit under the locking arm. But I’m still left wondering if the rack is long enough and I’m guessing fitting a 29er size Small won’t be the same as trying to fit a 29er Large or XL. Thx
That is the Cannondale Habit Neo2 Size medium.
The wheelbase is 120.5 cm
 

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