Product Spotlight: Yakima HighRoad Rooftop Upright Bike Rack

It’s hard to believe that the Yakima HighRoad has been around for nearly 10 years. Released in 2017 and with a slight update for 2024, the HighRoad remains a top of car bike rack best seller. And that’s for good reason: its ease of use and wide bike compatibility make it the right choice for most riders. 

The HighRoad has been a regular on my roof rack since its release. It is one of the quickest and easiest racks to load a bike onto. No front wheel removal required; the wheel hoop simply works, and works well.  It even fits tires up to 4” wide and wheelbases up to 52” long. Front fenders and bikes with wheels smaller than 26” won’t work here, but most mountain and road bikes fit great. Universal mounting hardware is included that should fit just about any crossbar, but I’m partial to the additional SmarT-Slot kit that mounts seamlessly to T-slot crossbars for $25. 

The rear mounting hardware can lock to the crossbars and a locking cable comes out of the end of the tray, but the locks themselves are sold separately. The extra loop on the wheel hoop allows you to use a U-lock to lock the bike to rack while parked. 

Compared to the similar Yakima FrontLoader, the HighRoad fits bigger tires, heavier and longer bikes, and has sleeker mounting hardware. The FrontLoader has an adjustable front wheel hoop, allowing it to fit smaller wheels down to 20”. The FrontLoader is also a great choice and has been in the product catalog for a longer period of time, while the HighRoad is positioned as Yakima’s premium top of car bike rack. 

Check out the Yakima HighRoad here (and sometimes at a discount here), and feel free to contact us with any questions!