Yakima HoldUp

The HoldUp is in many ways a hybrid of the Thule T2 and the Kuat NV. Nice looking and easy to use, it has a similar retention arm system and identical tilting features which place the rack in upright, level, and downward positions. Like the Thule, the HoldUp has retractable cable locks hidden in each support arm. Instead of a quill-style hitch insert, the HoldUp uses a threaded hitch pin to securely tighten the rack within the receiver.
Loading bikes is easy and the large front wheel trays accommodate all wheel sizes with some limitations, which I will address in the pros/cons. The support arms have been designed to clear wider fork blades and like the Thule, the bike trays can be adjusted side to side to eliminate any bike-to-bike interference, but again, the adjustment range seldom eliminates the problem. A feature unique to the HoldUp, the wheel trays can be folded inward when the rack is empty which reduces the size of the rack considerably. It makes for a nice, compact bundle.

The tilt feature is not as useful as I’ had hoped as it doesn’t tilt far enough to clear most hatches.

Upshots

One of the challenges with using this style of rack in rough terrain is the tendency for the front wheel to hop out of the wheel cradle. This plagued the T2 and Kuat NV on many of our test runs. The deep wheel supports of the Yakima never failed to hold the front wheel securely in place. The HoldUp is also slightly narrower than the other racks at only 64-inches wide. At $450 including locks, it is a good value and on par with Thule’s non-Pro T2 rack. The rack has a built-in bottle opener, so…yea.

Missteps

While the front wheel supports are deep, they are so wide that road bike wheels tend to feel loose in the cradle while fatbike tires simply will not fit. The rear wheel trays need additional straps to secure even plus-size tires, although that seems to be a common problem with all racks. The cable locks in each support arm are also quite short and rather thin. I don’t know if they would deter a would-be thief. My biggest complaint is with the release pin on the main pivot. It is difficult to reach and requires some fiddling to actuate. It has also pinched many fingers although now I’m getting a bit nit-picky.

My other hesitation with the HoldUp is with the somewhat uncertain build quality. With so many pivots and moving parts, the other HoldUp racks I inspected on friend’s vehicles felt a little knackered and developed a noticeable degree of slop and play at critical points. I don’t know how much rough usage they had endured, but there is a lot of complexity with the HoldUp, and that could be its weakness. The necessity to use a tool to tighten the threaded hitch pin is something I presume Yakima will address with the updated HoldUp, scheduled to arrive early next year.

Conclusion
As racks get more expensive, the HoldUp’s MSRP makes it a good value, although it is similar in feature to Thule’s T2 Classic at the same price once you factor in the cost of the addition of bike mount locks. I think the Yakima is a nicer looking rack than most and the compact size is attractive. When not hauling bikes, and folded and stowed upright, it looks really slick. Although it isn’t the best solution for fatbike use, it is nonetheless a nice rack and I enjoyed using it. Read More