The number one concern when considering a roof-mounted bike rack is the security of the cycles on the rack. Out of sight is not out of mind – just the opposite! But with the Yakima Boa, consumers are finding out they really can turn their bikes over to the Boa and forget them.
The Boa is Yakima’s most affordable system, composed of a rear tire tray and a front fork skewer that locks easily. Both fit any factory crossbars, round or square, and the tire tray pivots to create flexibility while you load other bikes or cargo onto the roof. This Boa is happy to squeeze tires of all widths, from road slicks to knobbed chubbies. And the unit fits crossbars from 32 to 50 inches apart, so if that describes your vehicle, this is a great choice. Since the two units comprising the system are very small, and uninstall quickly, they can be removed and stored with ease before you hit the road, trail or mountainside.
Who Should Buy a Yakima Boa Bike Rack
The cyclist who mainly transports their ride short distances will do very well with the Boa. Because it does not feature a long tray like other Yak’s, it may not provide the same stability on long trips or over tough roads. But because of the price and convenience, great installation and storage features, this unit is adorns the roofs of bikers everywhere.
The Yakima Boa Bike Mount's unique design will not constrict your budget, unlike the feathery fashion accessory that shares its name. It's especially stupendous for mounting bikes to a Load Warrior basket, but works great on crossbars too. And Coach doesn't use the word 'stupendous' loosely. Coach does, however, use the word 'meathead' quite loosely. Features Pivoting wheeltray enables it to fit any crossbar spread between 32" and 50" Aerodynamic fork block fits round and square crossbars Fork attaches quickly and easily to lockable skewer (locks sold separately) Disc brake compatible This product can only be shipped within the United States. Please don't hate us.
Pivoting wheel tray enables it to fit any crossbar spread between 32 and 50 inches
Great stability with sleek fork block design
Quickly attaches with locking long-throw skewer
Lockable with SKS cores, sold separately
Mounts equally well to round or square crossbars
Gets the job done
Review Date: September 18, 2008
Reviewer: D. Whiting,
This product works great for me. It fits my car and bike just fine with my Yakima rack at 32" bar spacing. I've used it with two different road bikes (one is a 'normal' size, one a smaller size) and it worked great for both.
I'm not sure what the other reviewer was expecting out of this product. I wouldn't call any of the Yakima rack products extremely secure. If someone wanted to take my rack, they could pry the clips out and walk off with it. Also, all the rack bike mounts I've seen use the tension between the fork and the skewer to secure the bike. Apply enough force and you can probably pull it out of the mount. I'm never going to leave the bike on my car anyways, so it's moot.
It works great and the price is right. As long as your bar spacing is in the acceptable range, you're fine.
Poor security, measure bike and vehicle before buying
Review Date: December 12, 2007
Reviewer: Anonymous,
Before buying this mount, measure the distance between your bike's fork dropouts to the rear wheel. Then look at the recommended crossbar spacing for your vehicle in the Yakima Q Clip instruction booklet. If the measurements are not similar (ie. rear wheel not centered over the rear crossbar, short roofline and long wheelbase bike), then the rear wheel will hang far behind the rear crossbar and there's a good chance that the rear towers will shift forward when transporting your bike. This can result in roof damage from the shifting clips and the bike's rear wheel contacting and scratching the roof.
The Boa is Yakima's most economical rooftop bike mount and it shows. If you live in a low crime neighborhood and remove your bike and rack when you are away from your car, this mount will probably work just fine for you. Or if you absolutely need to minimize the footprint of the rack when it's off your vehicle.
The Boa pod is mostly made of glass-filled polymer. There is a flimsy plastic cover that is secured by the skewer and covers the heads of the 3 hex mounting bolts. Unfortunately, even when locked, this cover can easily be pried and cracked open by hand revealing the 3 bolt heads. I complained and Yakima responded that they only provide theft deterrence and cannot guarantee against theft. This does not even approach deterrence.
The Boa mount comes with Yakima's universal locking skewer with a polymer lever, stainless rod, and round steel nut. If the skewer is closed and locked but the handle is in the wrong orientation and there's insufficient tension, then it's a simple matter to rotate the handle counterclockwise to loosen the nut and steal your bike. The lever and cam are plastic and will deform and wear with use. When no bike is loaded, the only way to secure the mount is to tighten the nut further and then close and lock the skewer. However, adjusting the nut defeats the purpose of providing a long-throw skewer.
Adding a long tray converts the mount into a Copperhead mount. However, given the security concerns, I returned this mount and purchased a Yakima Steelhead mount instead. The Steelhead has a clamshell clamping design and is mostly metal. It comes with a stainless metal skewer that has a special locking pin and e-clip on the nut. When the skewer is locked, the clamshell cannot open and the skewer nut cannot be removed even if it is not tightened and tensioned against the mount body. As with the Boa, make sure that the skewer lever rests against the crossbar when locked so that it can only be turned clockwise tightening (and not loosening) the nut.
If you don't want to spend much more than the cost of the Boa but want to use your SKS lock cores, consider purchasing a Steelhead body (new or used) and a Rocky Mounts Lariat tray. You will need to drill a hole in the tray to mount the Yakima head. The Rocky Mounts crossbar mount is compatible with Yakima's round bars and comes with all hardware, and their wheel strap is also less expensive than Yakima's.
If you are using or considering Yakima Q Towers, I have a separate review of that product on Amazon.
Gets the job done
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