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| Kuat Piston Pro (Image courtesy of Kuat) |
And I am getting really tired of watching reviews on car racks! My goodness! Some people should not be on camera. But I slogged through several of them, considered the advise I received on the comments from the post over the weekend, and I have arrived at some thoughts so far.
It's coming down to a few things which I think are important, and a few things I just have opinions about which are maybe no big deal to some of you readers here.
First, I am getting away from as much plastic bits as I can. This maybe isn't a big deal, but plastic generally doesn't hold up great and well.....I just don't want it on my rack. This steered me away from more traditional rack brands like Thule, Yakima, and some of the Saris stuff out there.
Secondly, I think the One-Up style rack is superior, and every good rack company has their take on this iconic design out now. In my opinion, One-Up's more "ala carte" way of selling isn't really easy to navigate, for me at any rate. I do appreciate their videos on the site explaining every detail of their product line. But other companies have caught up and have easier ways to understand buying their product than One-Up does. Again....my opinion.
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| Saris MK2 (Image courtesy of Saris) |
My price point is a little shy of what I see for features and what is available. Sheesh! These things are spendy! So, it is important to me that this rack lasts a while, is supported by a company with good customer service, and that will be around a while. I know there are no guarantees for any of those wishes, but this eliminated a couple of companies which are either too new or not well known.
Details matter. There were a few things I hadn't thought about going in. Things like bike placement on the rack, ground clearance, and locks. I used to own a Thule T2 Pro, and it had a few things I would have missed had I not been reminded I liked those thing. Locks being one of those.
Where I Am At With This So Far:
Okay, so what is tripping my trigger so far? Well, right now I am really leaning toward a Kuat Piston Pro. The reason why mainly has to do with a few things. One- It is easy to use. This really comes down to being functional for Mrs. Guitar Ted. If she can get along with how it works, and I feel this model from Kuat is super-easy to use, than that is a passing grade from me.
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| One Up rack (Image courtesy of One Up) |
Saris is close, but lacks the ground clearance and has more plastic bits than I would like to see. So while their modular system is cool, it isn't what I need or would ever use, and so I'm out on this company.
That's where I am at so far. If I get any other advice or see something which sways my opinion, I'll let y'all know, but for now the Kuat Piston Pro is looking like a front runner.
Stay tuned.
13 comments:
Have you been hands on with either of these racks? If not, camping or outdoor stores should have working displays.
I was looking at 1up racks before I got my Thule XTR. I had always heard rave things about 1up, but as you say the buying process on their website was not great. I found out the local REI had the Thule XTR in stock, so I went and checked it out and person and bought it there. Its a shame, most of the 1up racks I have seen in the wild look great.
Hopefully your Kuat serves you better than the one I had.
1UPs webpage does not do them any favors, their website is clunky, and depending on the rack you want it feels al a carte. They make a good rack, but their website is confusing. I seriously was looking at them a few months ago, and was willing to over look their Customer Service issues I am aware of, but their webpage put me off.
@Tyler Loewens - Hold on there! The Kuat is the front runner now. I haven't bought anything just yet.
@teamdarb - I have seen N.Y. Roll's Kuat, but not the model I am looking at. I've seen One Ups before, but I have not actually tried one out.
Unfortunately our retail stores with racks here locally do not carry either brand. I'd have to go an hour and a half away to see a Kuat IF that shop has the model I am interested in.
@N.Y.Roll - Agreed.
I have a 1UP USA rack, and it does work well. And I have one tray for fat bikes and rendered bikes, and another in the standard narrower configuration.
Things I love are the way it holds bikes by the tires and how adjustable it really is. And if I need a third tray, which I got initially for three bike capacity, I bolt it on. Or if I only need one bike I can remove the second and third and just have one if I am solo.
But there are things I don’t like and wish I could change. Like the 100% English/SAE hardware when all bike tools are metric; the rack is heavy enough that mounting and storing it is a real hassle; adjusting for wheel diameter changes like 26 to 29 requires a bit of time and those standard (sae) wrenches; it squeaks when mounted, and needs to be lubed periodically at the hinge and mounting points; and it was/is expensive. Did I mention it was hheeeaaavvvyy?Had there been more options 10 years ago we would have gone that direction, but it’s what we have and it works so it became our “lifetime” rack.
Good luck in your quest.
Agreed x2. I have many friends with 1UP racks, but every one of them that needed help (that wasn't a retailer) said the service was terrible. One shop owner I know that runs them has had great luck... but I don't own a shop, and the fact that seems to matter makes me question their commitment to retail paying customers.
@tntmoriv - Thanks for the honest feedback. I did not know that One Up used SAE fasteners. That's a negative for me.
I do like the function of the 1Up racks. Several friends have them, mostly older models. They have become more difficult to use with age, but that may be a lack of owner maintenance (the releases get hard to work).
More concerning, though I haven’t seen it in person, are reports of them breaking and the entire rack falling off. The aluminum seems to fatigue and crack in places where it is difficult to see.
Makes a heavy steel rack more attractive.
I am not in any way associated with any of these companies but will just provide my anecdotal observation. While I am in agreement with you that I would normally steer clear of anything plastic, none of the plastic parts have chipped, broken, or otherwise failed on my sister's 13 yo Saris rack. It is rock solid, rattle free, and easy to use. My nephew has a 1-up rack that rattles and always looks like it's about to fall off the car (but never has). The 1-up rack is definitely lighter than the Saris. Good luck in your decision making.
I agree with ENB on Saris, I have no rattles. Never broken a plastic part. Likely because the design permits a little bit of sway so the bikes don’t absorb as many car vibrations and shutters. I am not nice to it and have never done maintenance. It doesn’t look as techy cool as other racks, it just works. Parts are also replaceable if you have issues.
Was similarly choosing between 1-up and Kuat around 2018. At the time, 1-up actually offered an industry discount (I remain a long-time bike mechanic) but the 2 bike rack was still much more expensive than the Kuat Sherpa I ended up buying from QBP. The sherpa's light weight (about 35lbs) is much appreciated since it moves between 2 vehicles frequently. The ratcheting front wheel and rear wheel zip tie wheel securing mechanism parts are easier adjust for the racked and fendered bikes we are also transporting (I often add a velcro strap arond the front tire/ratcheting arm on bikes w long front fenders). The one-up's all metal construction is appealing but the plastic parts on the kuat are holding up well on a rack that lives outside (but in the Bay Area where there is not a lot of "weather"). I had a bike stolen off the back of the rack and the thief just sliced the rear wheel zip tie. I called Kuat to purchase a repacement and they imediately sent out a new part for free so kudos to kuat's customer service.
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