Yakima AnkleBiter Deuce Bike Carrier

Price Paid:  $100.00

Summary:
I have had this rack for 2 years and I love it. For mountain and road bikes, for trips aroound the block or 8 hrs. to northern Vermont, this rack holds the bike steady at speeds >80mph. I just got married so I'm going out and buying another one.

Strengths:
I love not having to remove then re-align the front wheel for every ride.

Weaknesses:
None.

Similar Products Used:
Steelhead - Wheel has to be removed

Summary:
I question the design of this rack. Although the materials are solid, my rack does not keep the bikes perfectly parallel to each other or perpendicular with my car. Attempts by the bike store to adjust them have been unsuccessful at fixing the problem. When the rack arm is in the lock down position w/o bikes, the arm strikes/rubs the tray.

Given these experiences, I would go with a more traditional rack.

Strengths:
Fairly fast to mount a bike. Seems Solid.

Weaknesses:
Bikes mounted are tilted.

Similar Products Used:
None

Summary:
$100. I have the Nissan version and the Deuce, which are slightly different, but both excellent. I have not had any problems clamping the Ankle Biter and feel it is a very secure rack both from a build standpoint and also for theft protection. I don't have anything negative to say.

Strengths:
Easy to use, strong, well built, and secure.

Weaknesses:
none that I've found so far.

Similar Products Used:
None

Summary:
I have been trying to find a way to get some more room in the clamp, but haven't found anything yet. For the $100.00 I paid I think Yakima should lengthen the screw, or include a longer screw in the package. My bike cost $2800.00 and I almost lost it because of one small screw. I wouldn't recommend the anklebiter for oversized cranks, but it is a great rack when it fits.
I feel confident that the rack would work very well with a smaller crank, or longer screw.

Strengths:
The anklebiter is a great rack for a bike with an oversized downtube where the lockjaw won't work. Easy to assemble and easy to load.

Weaknesses:
Yakima states that this rack works well with oversized crankarms. I have oversized Ultegra cranks and I had to adjust the clamp to it's all out position in order to get it to lock down on the crank. It worked well for the first 50 miles, but when I pulled out from a reststop the retaining screw had worked loose from the screw in pin and the bike fell over the driver side. The only thing that kept the bike from flying into traffic was the wheel clamps. I spent 15 minutes searching the road for the small screw that gave way, and carried the bike inside for the rest of the trip.

Similar Products Used:
None