Jasonuncloned

Hi Everyone,

New to the forum and owning a bike rack in general, so please bear with me here.

I am thinking of purchasing a used Yakima roof rack for my 2002 jetta wagon. It has lowrider mounts for it. I'm also considering buying 2 sets of what looks to be an older version of the Yakima Boa bike mounts, like these: https://www.yakima.com/racks/bike-rac...02065/boa.aspx

My concern is, do these offer less stability because they don't have a full length tray like the steelhead or other similar fork mount trays have?

Or is the stability really derived entirely from the fork mount in front, and to a lesser degree the wheel strap?

I'm assuming that the real advantage to these would be for cars with limited crossbar spacing which I don't have a concern for.

I have a fairly large Trek Navigator 300 comfort bike, and I don't want something that it will not be stable on. On my previous car I bought an old factory Trek roof rack with an upright tray and the thing was so unstable I didn't trust it to ride around the block, let alone doing 80 mph on the highway.

cachehiker

I have a pair, haven't used them enough to comment on their durability but I'm pleased.

The real advantage to them is cost. They don't seem any less sturdy than a mount with a full length tray to me. It also seems pretty easy to swap them out for my ski mounts every winter. OTOH, I don't have that much experience with other rack systems and mounts.

The real disadvantage is the bar spacing is restricted. You can't use them if you've got a Toyota Matrix or similar ride that limits bar spacing to around 30". The rear wheel support sits so far forward that you can't tighten the strap because the rear wheel is resting on the roof. You can't set the crossbar spacing too wide either.

This is worse if you're mounting it on a rectangular barred Thule rack like I am. I have the bar spread set just short enough for my road bikes, about perfect for my for my mountain bikes, and just long enough to accomodate a medium mountain frame. Wheelbases longer than that have go on the hitch rack in the back.

Of course my bike usually rides inside. I have a Subie Forester and can carry 5 people and 5 bikes (two on top, two in back) plus camping gear (small cargo pod on top) if we're not getting all fancy schmancy.

Speedwagon98

I have the Boas, and love them. They hold the bike just as well as a full tray(I've used those too). I like them better on my wagon, because of the smaller profile they offer(don't have huge trays up there). If you have the length, go for the Boa. The rear wheel strap only keeps the bike from flopping around(I lost mine and used zip ties for a long while). The fork mount is what keeps the bike upright and locked in.

TromboneAl

I got some used Boas at a garage sale, but it turned out that they wouldn't work with my bar spacing. Anyone want to buy them?

apclassic9

aside from the spacing issue, they work great.

Jasonuncloned

Thanks for the info everyone! It's good to get a little reasurrance with something like this. I'm bummed that I didn't get the set I wanted though. There was an ebay auction for FOUR sets of them! It sold for $90 all together and I got sniped with about 15 sec. left and I didn't have enough time to bid again. I'll have to keep an eye out for them still to see if I can find a different set.

timestable

Would you happen to still have the Yakima Boas available?

If so...

How many do you have? I am currently needing 3 of them.
Are they fully functional?
Do you have the SKS lock cores & keys for them?
What conditional are they in? Can I get pictures of them?
What are you asking for them price-wise?
Whereabouts in California are you located?

Let me know what you think and hope to hear from you soon.

Bryan K
Pittsburg, CA

skinwalkerindustries@gmail.com