Bike racks -hitch mount

[TMB]

I have decided that it is finally time to give up on the roof racks and looking at hitch mounts.

The two that seem to be, at least ubiquitous, are the Thule X2 and the Yakima Dr. Rack.

Any thoughts, experience, etc?

[happycampyer]

I'm waiting for the QuikRack to become available. It's designed by the original designer of the 1-Up USA rack, which is fantastic, but the QuickRack incorporates a bunch of improvements. Previously, I had a Kuat NV rack, but prefer the 1-Up to the Kuat. Lots of threads ath about hitch racks.

QUIK-RACK MACH 2 OFFICIAL SITE MADE IN THE USA

[joosttx]

I'm waiting for the QuikRack to become available. It's designed by the original designer of the 1-Up USA rack, which is fantastic, but the QuickRack incorporates a bunch of improvements. Previously, I had a Kuat NV rack, but prefer the 1-Up to the Kuat. Lots of threads ath about hitch racks.

QUIK-RACK MACH 2 OFFICIAL SITE MADE IN THE USA

I just bought a Kuat NV rack yesterday to replace my old Kuat which got trashed yesterday as a result of me being rearended. The nice thing is the Kuat sustained all damage and there is not a scratch on my car. I needed a rack this weekend so I got another Kuat. If I had the time I would bought a 1-UP because they are made in the USA and I ones I played with a very nice. Nicer in terms of durablity feel than Kuat.

[dgaddis]

Everyone I know who's ever had a 1Up says it's the best they've ever had, and they never buy anything else again.

I've got a Kuat, it's good.

[happycampyer]

I should clarify my post above. Years ago, I looked into hitch racks pretty extensively and ended up with the Kuat NV. It’s beautifully finished, and has a lot of great features (the built-in workstand is cool). I eventually sold it and replaced it with a 1-Up. The 1-Up met its end last fall in a rear-end collision, so I am in the market for a replacement. I would get the 1-Up again, but the improvements over it in the QuikRack have me waiting for it to become available.

Like joosttx, the 1-Up took the brunt of the impact, although the second tray did end up scraping the car slightly.

[dgaddis]

That QuikRack (terrible name) looks pretty sweet, and the price is a lot better than the 1Up.

They need a better picture on their homepage tho...that WalMart bike doesn't make a good first impression. The 1Up site looks WAY better.

QUIK-RACK MACH 2 OFFICIAL SITE MADE IN THE USA

[jscottyk]

Everyone I know who's ever had a 1Up says it's the best they've ever had, and they never buy anything else again.

I've got a Kuat, it's good.

I have 1Up on my Thule cross bars and have to say, I can't imagine buying anything else again.

[SpeedyChix]

1-up. Buy a hitch rack once and be done. Add-ons, adaptors for fat tires, alu machined in US.
The only other rack folks around here seem pleased with outside of 1-UP would be Kuat. It's a distant second.

Also use a 1-UP on the van roof for the tandem. SOLID, no sway.

[pdmtong]

I'm waiting for the QuikRack to become available. It's designed by the original designer of the 1-Up USA rack, which is fantastic, but the QuickRack incorporates a bunch of improvements. Previously, I had a Kuat NV rack, but prefer the 1-Up to the Kuat. Lots of threads ath about hitch racks. QUIK-RACK MACH 2 OFFICIAL SITE MADE IN THE USA

The ONLY reason not to get the QR / 1Up over the kuat/thule/yakima is price ...the former never on sale and the lattr three often can be found 20% off through REI etc.

I have a T2. Its nice but heavy. I take it off and have a furniture dolly I use to rll it from my driveway to the garage corner where it sits. The great thing about the 1UP is you can get a one bike version. that is really handy.

When my T2 dies, I will get a Quick Rack but I don't have enough use to warrant the effort and loss to sell/re-purchase.

[xjoex]

I am a huge fan of Kuat. I have the original NV and the NV 2.0. They are built incredibly well and hold any kind of bike. Between the two I have, they probably have 60,000 miles on them.







I dig that they include locks with the rack.


Also they sell parts individually if you need to replace something.

They have a neat adapter to turn the built in work stand in to a stand alone one. I use the "tri doc" as my rack in my desert place.



Their roof basket is pretty cool too,.


-Joe

[Drew]

And they certainly aren't putting as much stress on the bike as actually riding the thing.

As for the Saris - if you want to use something with fenders, that's the only way to go. That said, I don't like it because it's grabbing the frame. If you've got some dirt on the bike (and I usually do), put a clamp on it, then vibrate it for a couple hours while driving around, that can't be good for the paint.

Probably not as much stress as riding, I agree, but to get the thing secure and tight in a 1up, it was enough that I didn’t like it.

I had one of the Fox Kashima forks that had The Click of Death in the stanchions, and I am sure that it was caused by the 1up rack. Fox replaced the fork, it was a common issue... but I rode that fork hard for a year and it never clicked until the first trip using the 1up rack. Coincidence... maybe. Props to Fox.

I tried (borrowed) both a 1up and a Saris, each for a week. I bought the Saris. It’s lighter, the clamp system in the hitch is awesome. The 1up cam/ball system in the hitch sucks. It stuck together and had only been on my truck for a few days.

Saris Superclamp doesn’t clamp the frame. I am not sure what would work well with fenders. I have never tried one of their racks that clamps the frame. Superclamp only touches the tires.

The 1up clicker system was a little clunky. The Saris... drop the tires in the trays, rotate the arms, smack the clamps down, done. I don’t use the straps that go through the trays.

Saris uses a reducer gizmo to go between the small or large hitches. It is rock solid. You give up the folding race to get one that is light and doesn’t move. It uses a bolt to pull the rack tight to the hitch, then a lock goes on the end of the bolt.

I do not work for Saris. I just like the Superclamp. I haven’t used any of their other products. My only bitch about the Superclamp is that the crossbar is about 2” too short for modern long travel 29” mtb.

[Drew]

I see that they say "universal hitch mount" for either 1.25" or 2" hitches. How solid is it given this? does it just hold firm or does it rattle around?

Of course my desire to get a hitch rack is for going back and forth to AZ. That may all become moot soon if we are deemed to be National Security threats and can no longer go south .........

Rock Effing Solid. Bolts tight to the hitch receiver, with either size.

What you give up in folding clearance, you gain back in lighter weight and solid stability. And it is only about 6” longer than a folded up 2bike 1up rack. Also several pounds lighter.

[Drew]

I’m curious what you mean by “squeeze” the bike. The 1-Up rack retention arms hold the front and rear wheels. If they squeeze anything, they squeeze the tires. Not sure how they put stress on the headtube—they’re just holding the bike upright.

I found that when the 1up rack was tightened, whichever wheel was tightened second would “roll” a little bit and effectively shorten the wheelbase of the bike. The bottom of the tire, that is in the 1up tray, does not move. When the clamp was raised against the tire and “squeezed” back to tighten the bike, the clamp would push into the tire a little and roll the wheel back. I thought this would be a little hard on the steer tube and bottom headset race, to leave it loaded for a long period of time.

[VA_MEL]

If you want to take your rack on and off your vehicle regularly or move it between vehicles, the Thule Helium Aero racks are nice. My three-bike version weighs about 20 pounds and goes on in about 30 seconds without tools. Once on, it's steady with absolutely no noticeable shake or sway. Not the best option for big, heavy bikes, but fine for my road and gravel bikes. The anti-sway connection works to keep bikes from swinging and the bike attachment points are easy on the frames and not going to come open on their own. I've done a 10 hour drive at highway speeds several times with bikes on with no issues. Would definitely buy it again.

[happycampyer]

I found that when the 1up rack was tightened, whichever wheel was tightened second would “roll” a little bit and effectively shorten the wheelbase of the bike. The bottom of the tire, that is in the 1up tray, does not move. When the clamp was raised against the tire and “squeezed” back to tighten the bike, the clamp would push into the tire a little and roll the wheel back. I thought this would be a little hard on the steer tube and bottom headset race, to leave it loaded for a long period of time.

I'm currently using my trays as bike stands (since the hitch assembly was bent from the rear-end collision), so I just tried to recreate what you describe. Imo one would have to exert a lot of force on the retention arms in order to shorten the wheelbase of a bike or to put strain on the headtube or headset. When I close the retention arms, there is just enough pressure to hold the bike stationary, i.e., so it can't roll forward or back on the tray. I would be curious if anyone else who has a 1Up has a different experience.

[htwoopup]

I'm currently using my trays as bike stands (since the hitch assembly was bent from the rear-end collision),

You could probably save that 1 UP...they sell parts (I had to replace the side pieces that go onto the piece that you bent after once forgetting it was still on the car with no bikes and backing it into a stone wall). On their website under products/replacement parts. Much cheaper than buying a whole new rack from any manufacturer.

[happycampyer]

I could definitely salvage a lot of the parts, but the parts I would need to buy are a decent way towards the cost of a QuikRack (if it’s ever actually available). If the QuikDack isn’t available soon, I’ll probably cave and rebuild the 1Up.

[sbornia]

Revisiting this thread from a couple months ago...anyone have experience with the Rockymounts Monorail rack? I'm putting a 1.25" hitch on my GTI, and saw the 2-bike version of the Monorail as a pragmatic choice. I have Rockymount roof trays and they seem well-built. Most obvious drawback is that installation requires a tool and is not as quick as Kuat, 1UP, etc. I don't intend to keep the rack on all the time, so that could be annoying.

[Drew]

I wonder if it’s easier to do with MTB low tire pressures.

[Brandon White]

I put on a 1Up Roof Rack last week and I really like it. I can convert it to a hitch rack when I feel like installing a hitch on my car. I was on the fence between the NV 2.0 and 1Up - but the flexibility to go roof first, then hitch made it a no-brainer for me. I can always switch back and forth if needed, depending on my trip.