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| Image courtesy of Inno Racks |
Okay readers, I am in the market for a two bike hitch rack. I thought I knew what I wanted, then I started looking online.
Whooo-boy! Are there a lot of zealous One Up rack users!
Anyway, I gotta admit I am suffering a bit of sticker-shock regarding what these things cost. I get it now though. The prices are the prices. I think I'm settling in on spending something either side of 1K. Preferably under.
Here are my parameters for purchase:
- Two bike carrier, 2" receiver hitch compatible.
- Lightweight construction. Mrs. Guitar Ted has to be able to wrestle this thing.
- I prefer a no-touch rack like a One-Up, or like system.
- Integrated locking system for security
- It'd be nice if I could put my fat bike on it, but this is not a deal-breaker.
What I do not care about:
- Ramps
- Heavy duty for e-Bikes ratings
- Lights
- Add-ons for more than two bikes.
- Made In USA. (Nice but not necessary)
- Where I buy it from
I've looked at Kuat, One-Up, Quick-R, Inno, Yakima, Thule, and some other brand I cannot recall right now, but they weren't too great anyway! In my looking at online reviews and sites for racks too many focus on stuff I don't care about like hauling e-Bikes, modular benefits, add-ons, and what not. I just need a two-bike rack, and I will buy one before mid-April because I am going on a trip to Kansas, if everything works out. And that will lead me to......
Oh yeah! We made it to 100 episodes in just over 4 years. My last podcast I was involved with took like a decade to reach that milestone, so I feel pretty good about our work on the GTP show.
The new episode features Ryan "Uncle Dudley" Dudley. We talked about a lot of stuff, but the main point was his producing an event called The Legends Of Gravel.
this is a casual gathering planned to be a celebration of some of us old geezers who have been at the forefront of the gravel scene back when this Modern Era of gravel got going in the mid-2000's.
The show can be accessed on several podcast platforms, but here is the Spotify Link in case you want to give this a listen.
We also got around to some other stuff after Uncle Dudley signed off. There was some 32"er news, and a few other tidbits. Please check out the episode, and keep in mind we can really use 5 star ratings, and subs to the podcast, or sharing it on your socials. These are the best ways to support N.Y. Roll and I in our efforts.
Plus, we are asking for listener questions. Just email any questions you may have to g.ted.productions@gmail.com. We'll do our best to answer those in the next episode.
19 comments:
The dark side of 1UP: 1 Up is heavy and I have seen a few that do not work out of the box and the OEM answer was deal with it. When in reality I had to adjust the spring tension for the latch for the owner. Also, their anti wobble bolt with nut has a tendency to seize up. Other than tat, they appear to be reliable in function and use.
Personally, Kuat Sherpa or NV is what you can get any local LBS. I have a sherpa and I like it very much. Occasional use I would push the Sherpa.
https://saris.com/collections/hitch-racks are made in Wisconsin. When I'm ready to replace my heavy Thule, I will probably go with a 1UP USA or Saris.
In my area there are a lot of used racks on marketplace much less expensive than new. I’ve had good luck with Thule.
Listening to it now... Congrats on reaching 100 episodes so quickly!
I have an old school Thule rack that's been serving me faithfully for about 7 years. I had a Kuat before that, which was disappointing in terms of durability (specifically corrosion resistance). It was their first model, so perhaps they've upped their game a bit.
I also had a Kuat previously and was dissapointed in its durablity. I currently have a Thule T2 Pro XTR and absolutely love it! It fits all my bikes, including a fat bike with 27.5X4.5 tires. It has wheels to roll it around which sounds silly but I used it all the time. Makes it so you don't have to lift/carry it to the vehicle.
I have a 1UP rack with an additional tray for a second bike. The secondary tray is modular and you can remove it if you want with an 8mm internal hex wrench. I like them because there is some “rise” to these racks such that the bicycle wheel isn’t on the same plane as the exhaust pipe of your vehicle. This is especially important if you’re transporting bicycles with carbon wheels. I’ve seen some horror stories online of folks melting their fancy wheelsets due to the combination of bicycle rack choice and the car in which it’s mounted to. If you have an angled exhaust pipe (either pointed down or away) this is a non-issue
I have a Kuat NV, while my wife has a OneUp, so I have a lot of experience with both.
The Kuat is a better value, since it comes with these features standard while you have to pay for upgrades on One Up.
-Fat bike tire fit
-Easy access fold up lever
-works with fenders-locking hitch pin
The Kuat also has more spacing between bikes, and allows front tire height adjustment. Putting multiple bikes on the OneUp, can be a jig saw puzzle if you have wide drop bars.
I also had a terrible experience with OneUp customer service, after the rack strut bent when hauling an XL bike with a full frame bag (XL Piolet). I don't blame them for the failure, but they handled the entire situation poorly.
I had Kuat Sherpa, 1st version, it got wobbly after a couple years.
The wobble was in pivot to fold it up, the hitch wedge was worked well.
Replaced with a 1up, no wobbles.
+1 for the Saris. Mine was light and easy to take on and off. I still regret selling it each time I have to lift the back busting Yakima
I own an original Kuat NV that is over 10 years old and is still growing strong. I’ve been able to fit anything from 32mm to 4” tires without an issue. I’ve not experienced the corrosion issue others have mentioned. I will say Kuat’s customer service is A+. My NV was originally for a 1 1/4” receiver hitch when purchased and the knob to tighten the rack in the hitch started to fail about four years after purchase. I contacted Kuat and they sent me a new part with instructions to replace for free, no questions asked. I recently switched to a vehicle with a 2” hitch. When I contacted Kuat explaining my situation, they were able to send me a new part to swap the 1 1/4” part for a 2” part for a nominal fee.
I had a Yakima, didn’t care for it but it worked okay. Replaced it with a Kuat Sherpa around 4 years ago. Works great! Used it to transport my bike across the country (TX to NC) with no issues. Lost the integrated cable lock, was able to order a replacement from Kuat (had to wait for a restock around 2 months) No rust, works the same as day 1. I’m sure there are better racks but mine does everything I need. I would store it inside if we had winter here but we don’t really on the Texas Gulf Coast. We’re an hour and a half from salt water but in high humidity and I have one slightly rusty screw.
I've had good luck with this, even fits 32" wheels with the fat tire adapters: https://saris.com/products/superclamp-ex-2-bike
+2 Saris anecdote: my sister and her family bought a 4 bike model. They're teachers and at that time they would travel the country during the summer months. I think on their 4th year, somewhere in the middle of nowhere out west, the main hitch L- bracket cracked. My sister called SARIS to inquire as to what to do and the first thing they asked was if everyone was ok. Then they asked where they were (this was pre-smartphones) and where they were headed. SARIS located a shop that could weld, gave them directions to the shop, and paid for the repair. Then they arranged to puck up a new rack at their next destination with a dealer, no questions asked. My sister still has and uses that replacement rack some 12-13 years later.
Another vote for 1UP. I’ve had my two tray rack for over 10 years. Love it. It’s made 4 trips to Emporia and annual trips to the North Woods of Wisconsin the past 6 years. It’s rock solid.
We've had good luck with our 1up racks. Both my wife and I have them for our cars, and almost all our friends have them. Two years ago, we were in Dubuque and riding the Heritage Trail and a guy with a 1up T-shirt struck up a conversation with me. Turns out that he recently retired from the company, and that he likely built my rack.
For mine, one of the trays can convert to a rooftop rack, too.
Late to listening to episode #100.
First, GT you missed making another Tolkien reference.
Any time I come across #111 I think/say “eleventy-one”. You will have another chance soon
Also, Mr Roll, Tour de France stages have been televised, start to finish, for decades most lately on NBC/Peacock (including Paris-Roubaix) as have many other major road races (finding them is the U.S. can be difficult). Some of the best action happens in the first 20-60 minutes as the breaks are trying to get away. Then that makes how the peloton manages the gaps interesting.
@shiggy person - On the televised TDF - Meh. Still is akin to watching paint dry. My opinion....
Mostly pointing out that Mr Roll’s reasoning was off. I love to “watch” the full races, but usually while doing something else, and a good commentary team (the main reason NOT to watch NBC’s U.S. team) is essential.
Infinitely better than watching golf, baseball or most nascar races IME.
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