Landing in Australia for the first time this Summer will be Yakima’s new Fullback 3 bike rack (try saying that quickly 8 times in a row!) The beauty of the Fullback 3 is that it can be fitted to practically any shaped car on the market. This rack is a fresh take on the classic strap rack design. It’s construction is rugged and the rack itself is loaded with modern features and innovative, user-friendly functions. As the name suggests, this rack is designed to hold up to 3 bikes. The carrying arms on the Yakima Fullback 3 are fully adjustable and can even be folded completely down when not in use. Keeping your bikes fastened safely in place, and vehicle damage free at all times was key consideration for Yakima’s design team when they created the Fullback. Yakima’s Anti-sway Cradles minimize bike-to-bike contact. Once installed the rack is held firmly in place and it has proven itself incredibly sturdy during the few months that we’ve been testing it on the back of [R]evolution wagon. All if the contact points where the rack or the straps touch the vehicle are fully rubberized, meaning there will be no rubbing, scuffing or damage caused in any way whilst the rack is fitted.
It features a built-in bottle opener, perfect for cheers’ing the end of every ride!
Security was another key design factor and Yakima have gone to great lengths to deter bike thieves/make it practically impossible for some scumbag to steal either the bikes that are fitted to the rack, or even steal the rack itself when it’s mounted to your vehicle. Located inside the left carry arm is a retraceable cable lock which can be wrapped around the bikes and then locked in place. A set of keys comes in the box with each rack making locking the rack a breeze. The rack features a security strap, it’s about 1 metre in length, one end wraps around the bottom of the rack and at the other end is a kind of foam ‘T’ knuckle. This is actually a genius design. The way it works is when you’re fitting the rack to your car, once the rack is in place you open the boot and place the ‘T’ end of the security strap inside the car, then close the boot. When the boot is locked there is no way to remove the strap as the ‘T’ end is still in the car. And the strap itself features a tough metal wire insert meaning it can’t be cut. So basically, the rack can’t be stolen from the car!
To fit the rack to your vehicle you first expand the rack using the large twist adjusters located in the middle portion on the rack. You can adjust the ‘open’ angle of the rack at this point in order for it to fit the shape of your vehicle.
You then use the 4 adjustable straps to secure the mount in place. As I mentioned earlier, the straps feature rubber coated hooks so they won’t harm the finish of your vehicle. Now the unique thing about this bike rack is there are no side straps – it’s held via top and bottom straps only. Your bikes are then loaded to the carry arms and held in place using ‘cradles’. And there you have it, it’s that simple to install the rack and fit your bikes.
The Fullback 3 has an 18kg per bike capacity, meaning even those heavy DH bikes can be carried, and the rack comes with a limited lifetime warranty. But do you want to know the absolute best thing about the Fullback rack? It features a built-in bottle opener, perfect for cheers’ing the end of every ride!
Photos // Dave Camilleri
Price // $449.00
Browse // www.yakima.com.au