General Cycling Discussion - Yea or Ney? Yakima Mighty Joe 3 Bike Trunk Rack

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ruirui
04-12-04, 05:53 PM
what do you guys think about the Yakima Mighty Joe 3 Bike Trunk Rack? at first i was leaning towards the saris bone 3.. but now this has caught my attention. the guy at the lbs said this would be better than the bones, but i can't say for sure.

therefore, i'm hoping you guys can give me some inputs on this one. supposely this is the top of the line yakima truck rack. what u guys think?

rui:p

supcom
04-12-04, 08:02 PM
I have one of these (or similar) from Yakima. The biggest gripe I have about it is that Yakima uses these rubber straps that deteriorate rapidly in the sun. Do not leave them on the rack unless you are toting the bike around. They breakdown and the black rubber comes off on your hands when you go to use them. Makes a bit of a mess.

Another thing to watch for is the metal frame of the rack. I like to use a couple straps to hold the bike against the rack so it doesn't move around while driving. The metal rack could scratch the bike so I got some foam pipe insulation from my local home improvement store and tie strapped it to the vertical frame members. This provides a nice cusion for the bike frame.

Other than that, I've been using mine for about 1 1/2 years with no problems. I never remove from the car and have never had a problem with it loosening up.
ruirui
04-12-04, 10:08 PM
I have one of these (or similar) from Yakima. The biggest gripe I have about it is that Yakima uses these rubber straps that deteriorate rapidly in the sun. Do not leave them on the rack unless you are toting the bike around. They breakdown and the black rubber comes off on your hands when you go to use them. Makes a bit of a mess.

Another thing to watch for is the metal frame of the rack. I like to use a couple straps to hold the bike against the rack so it doesn't move around while driving. The metal rack could scratch the bike so I got some foam pipe insulation from my local home improvement store and tie strapped it to the vertical frame members. This provides a nice cusion for the bike frame.

Other than that, I've been using mine for about 1 1/2 years with no problems. I never remove from the car and have never had a problem with it loosening up.

wow... this is the first time i've heard about the rubber straps that breaksdown after long use. humm... now i'm really torn between the bone3 vs. the mighty joe.