Comparing Thule Camber, Range, Yakima Fulltilt, and Ridgeback Bike Racks

Question:

on the Yakima Ridgeback, Can the cradles be rotated on the rack arm, and can they be moved along the rack arm to adjust the spacing of the cradles? Also, what is your opinion of the Yakima Ridgeback versus the Yakima Full Tilt, Thule Camber and Thule Ranger ??

asked by: Lee S

Expert Reply:

Yes the cradles of the Yakima Ridgeback part # Y02458 can be rotated as well as adjusted in and out on the arms to allow for different spacings.

So the big difference between this rack and the FullTilt part # Y02462 is that the Fulltilt does not use traditional frame cradles and instead has straps that attach to bottom of arms that hold the frame to the padded arms directly. The Fulltilt would have the nicer cradle setup based on this so it would be what I would recommend.

The Thule Camber part # TH9056 is essentially the folding version of the Thule Range part # TH9057 which due to the folding feature cannot be used on an RV where the ride quality is rougher like the Range can. So with the Range you gain ability to be used at rear of RV but you give up tilt function.

Both of the Yakima racks can fold down and use a different strap design than the Thule. Both strap designs are easy to use and work well but since I have a tendency to lose things I would recommend going with the Thule design where the straps cannot be removed from the cradles.

I attached review videos for all four bike racks for you to check out as well.