Best value hitch platform bike rack?

[Mustonen]

A couple weeks at the local bike park we stopped for a snack and a beer. Subsequent laps I was cleanly hitting a lot of stuff I was passing up or barely clearing just before the break. Maybe it was just getting my legs under me, but mostly I think I gave slightly less of a shit.

[snowaddict91]

A couple weeks at the local bike park we stopped for a snack and a beer. Subsequent laps I was cleanly hitting a lot of stuff I was passing up or barely clearing just before the break. Maybe it was just getting my legs under me, but mostly I think I gave slightly less of a shit.

But which rack did you use to get your bike there? Did you consider it a good value?

[Touring_Sedan]

A couple weeks at the local bike park we stopped for a snack and a beer. Subsequent laps I was cleanly hitting a lot of stuff I was passing up or barely clearing just before the break. Maybe it was just getting my legs under me, but mostly I think I gave slightly less of a shit.

Bingo. A couple of sniffs and I find myself having a much better time and giving significantly fewer fucks about how fast or slow I am. Taking the seriousness out of it makes bikes fun again.

[Mustonen]

But which rack did you use to get your bike there? Did you consider it a good value?

A Yakima Dr Tray. I really like that rack and would buy it again, but might not submit it as being a “good value.” It was a bit expensive and some of that expense was to purchase ease of use rather than just straight functionality that your standard value-conscious shopper might prioritize. But some of y’all motherfuckers are suggesting all kinds of expensive shit.

Key piece of info missing from many/most discussions like this is over what time period? Money really only makes sense when you consider the time element, otherwise you’ll always see something a little different each time you squint at it.

[Kootenai]

I realize saris isn’t the number one choice around here, but they’ve got a 50% off sale on a bunch of racks and accessories, including the swing away


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Do you have a link for that sale? couldn't find it.

[Jong Lafitte]

Bingo. A couple of sniffs and I find myself having a much better time and giving significantly fewer fucks about how fast or slow I am. Taking the seriousness out of it makes bikes fun again.

Did U get that flask from a welder outta steamboat springs?


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[Touring_Sedan]

Did U get that flask from a welder outta steamboat springs?


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No, they came in a 5 pack from Amazon.

[JimmyCarter]

Do you have a link for that sale? couldn't find it.

They sent to me in an email

[TrueNorth]

Anybody use the Saris MHS rack (the one in the email screenshot above, similar to 1up)? I've wanted the 1up for a while but just too expensive to get it in Canada, and the Saris would be much cheaper with that discount.

edit - just read the rest of this thread and saw that Saris is going bankrupt. Also, that MHS rack looks very heavy - about 30 lbs per tray plus whatever the base weighs.

[klauss]

I realize saris isn’t the number one choice around here, but they’ve got a 50% off sale on a bunch of racks and accessories, including the swing away


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You have the SwingAway? I sometimes use a 4 bike tray rack and looks like this isn't recommended for 4 deep - school bus length. Same weight capacity as the yakima though and yak says the backswing works with their 4 bike tray racks

[JimmyCarter]

You have the SwingAway? I sometimes use a 4 bike tray rack and looks like this isn't recommended for 4 deep - school bus length. Same weight capacity as the yakima though and yak says the backswing works with their 4 bike tray racks

I saw that and got one anyway. Says it’s good for 250 lbs of rack plus bike weight (same as the Yakima) which looks like plenty. I should be on the low end of the bike weight range for it so I’m optimistic the leverage/ extension doesn’t change that (waiting for one of you physics types to tell me why I’m fucked)

[rod9301]

A Yakima Dr Tray. I really like that rack and would buy it again, but might not submit it as being a “good value.” It was a bit expensive and some of that expense was to purchase ease of use rather than just straight functionality that your standard value-conscious shopper might prioritize. But some of y’all motherfuckers are suggesting all kinds of expensive shit.

Key piece of info missing from many/most discussions like this is over what time period? Money really only makes sense when you consider the time element, otherwise you’ll always see something a little different each time you squint at it.

You have no idea what ease of use is until you use a one up.

I have both and one up is so much better, there's no comparison

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[Mustonen]

You have no idea what ease of use is until you use a one up.

I have both and one up is so much better, there's no comparison

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Sure, cool. I didn’t see the one up with the nifty twisty receiver tightener for easy/secure on and off, which was the clincher for me and I like that part. But I like my Yakima and you like your one up and that’s pretty rad, right?

[Mustonen]

Double post

[singlesline]

A point in favor of the value of the 1up…

…I’ll probably be able to salvage this with $200 worth of parts. The wife’s car, not so much


hoping they don’t total it, but I’ve heard nothing but horror stories about body shops around here talking 6 months to do anything.

[El Chupacabra]

What did she back into?

[singlesline]

Rear ended by a plumber’s van. Stop and go traffic but he just stopped paying attention, veered halfway into the shoulder and plowed into her, dashcam footage doesn’t look like he braked at all. Said he was looking at his GPS. Luckily it was fairly low speed.

[El Chupacabra]

Glad she's OK. Cars and racks are replaceable...

[singlesline]

Even though I knew she was totally fine, it was surprisingly unpleasant watching the dashcam footage and knowing what was about to happen.

[carlh]

Good luck they totaled my car for a similar looking amount of damage. At least they paid me top dollar for it.

[Stuntmonkey]

Bumping this. I have a a thule roof rack and it's fucking janky as shit for holding a $6k bike. Is the Thule T2 still the front runner for hitch mount?

[east or bust]

get a 1up and never look back


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[alfajores]

I sold my 2nd KUAT NV 2.0 4 bike rack last summer and bought the Quikr Rack 2.0 as a 3-pack.

NV 2.0, often discussed and lauded as a great rack and you already know all of those; but here are my downsides:
The pivot is really big and the rack has a lot more protrusion off the back of the vehicle. If you are in a vehicle with a hitch below your bumper and you have an egress not worthy of the Rubicon trail, you might find yourself scraping the rack on your Whole Foods parking garage ramp. I did in my 2015 Outback, often.
We got rear-ended in Chicago OFTEN. Several times a year. Only twice damaging the rack. It was totaled once and I got a new rack and hitch, but kept the old one and fixed it to sell to a buddy at a big discount. Kuat sells parts and you can rebuild the rack.
The trays are not stadium, so there is a lot more handlebar/seat interference than you would imagine.
The base system is a two-tray and not a solo, meaning you will never have a single bicycle rack.
No clear license plate mount nor light option to add brake lights.

Final verdict on value: b+. Resale is high and they last if you do not get rear-ended. If you do, take the old rack back and buy the parts to refurbish it. Sell it to a kid for cheap and make their year. I ordered my first one from Moosejaw and leveraged a brief activejunky.com double cash back while also getting Moosejaw bucks enough to buy a set of skins for my skis. Total original purchase was a good deal.

Quikr Racks Up and downsides:
Upside:
Starts with a single rack
No tools needed for anything!
lowprofile on the vehicle hitch so clearance isn't an issue
Stadium bike trays!
Each tray is separate and you can have 1-4 bikes
Can fit wheelbase of almost any bicycle, including your e-cargo bike!
Sturdiest bike rack I have ever seen
Stores and folds away much smaller than other racks
License plate holder included!
Made in the USA, Grand Junction Colorado to be precise.
Supports the person that has the patents for the 1UP racks but made a better rack and doesn't make a ton over the 1UP licensing disputes (remember 1up.com vs 1up-usa.com?).

Downside:
price $$$$ Priciest rack I have owned
The wheel retention slides a little less smoothly than 1UP
The Backlog of racks. Get ready to wait 6-9 months
No accessories like 1UP yet (jerry can holders, trays, Mechanic stand, etc)
The giant reflective tape is super thick and doesn't sit flat at the corners of the rack
Key matched locks are crazy expensive.

Final Verdict: C+, the price is really high. This rack solved three big problems for me found in the Kuat NV 2.0: handlebar seat issues, poor egress clearance, and my wife didn't like it in our garage. This rack solved all three, at a premium.

[El Chupacabra]

Bumping this. I have a a thule roof rack and it's fucking janky as shit for holding a $6k bike. Is the Thule T2 still the front runner for hitch mount?

Which Thule roof bike rack do you have? If it's a Sidearm, that's the same ratcheting arm style as the T2 Classic hitch rack. The newer T2 Pro is different.

And by front runner, are you looking for "best value" hitch rack as the thread title says? Or "best rack, price is not a factor"?

I still like the North Shore Rack for hitch racks, and if patient, you can find them used and save a bunch. In that style of vertical rack, I've looked at others from Yakima, Alta, Recon, etc, and I still like the North Shore best. Fewest moving parts. Burly. It will rust if you leave it on in winter, so don't do that.

I still like the old Thule T2 for the "best value" in a 2-bike hitch rack, because you can buy a used one for peanuts, refurb whatever needs replacing, and it'll be fine. It's not the best rack ever, but it's the best cheap rack.

Kuat has an orthodontist level 1up style rack with Kashima color piston doohickeys, for something like $1300, if you want your rack to match your Yeti switch suspension stuff.

[adrenalated]

We've had a Kuat NV 2.0 Base on our car (2012 Forester) for a few years now and I really like it.
-Clearance has not been an issue, but we usually take the #liftedtundra for rougher roads and our nearest Whole Foods is almost 300mi away
-Handlebar/seat interference has also not been an issue but I do have to put the dropper posts down.

I checked out the Thule and Yakima options that were available at the time and thought the Kuat seemed better made and easier to use than the comparable options. Wasn't willing to spend the $$$ for the bougie options.

Only issue we've had with the Kuat is the rear tire strap came out of the slot that holds it in place and I had to partially disassemble the rack to put it back in. Not a huge deal. I also think ratchet style straps in general suck and wish they would do more of a Voile strap style deal.

I also generally think that if clearance is a major concern - especially for hauling more than 2 bikes - then a vertical rack is the way to go.