Yeah, I like that .I'm gonna look around today and see if I can see one up close. Is that heavy duty or super duty?
Hitch mounted bike rack
- Thread starter Pnw425
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Yeah, I like that .I'm gonna look around today and see if I can see one up close. Is that heavy duty or super duty?
I have the 1-1/4" version so it can also be used on our sedans. I carry two bikes max so the lighter version works for me.
Another vote for 1-Up. I have the single/double version (base unit holds one bike and I ad an extension for 1 more) as it is only myself and my wife. And when I only need one it is a lot lighter than any other option out there - weight not being an issue at all for the LC but for me when I am putting it on off. I had a Thule 4-way rack a few years ago and it was a beast to move around the garage and put it on/off.
I also like how easy it is to adjust the positions of the bikes and to put the bikes on/off. Super fast.
It may not look sexy with cool colors and curves but it is incredibly functional and very popular with the MB crowd.
The one thing I am not sure about with mine as it is a few years old is whether the trays will easily accommodate fatties. I'm looking to get a "pedal-assist" MB possibly later this year and they all come with fatter tires than what are on my two 29'ers.
I also like how easy it is to adjust the positions of the bikes and to put the bikes on/off. Super fast.
It may not look sexy with cool colors and curves but it is incredibly functional and very popular with the MB crowd.
The one thing I am not sure about with mine as it is a few years old is whether the trays will easily accommodate fatties. I'm looking to get a "pedal-assist" MB possibly later this year and they all come with fatter tires than what are on my two 29'ers.
Switched to my summer tires and got the bikes out for the first time this year. I took some pictures of my North Shore. Here are some pictures of the rack in action with our 4 bikes for a size reference, bike/size/wheel: fuel/xs/26, s-works epic/m/29, process/m/27.5,trance/s/27.5
sorry for the dumb question but I am interested in the 1up bike racks and wondered what size hitch our 200 series have?
They have 2 options: 1.25" or 2"
They have 2 options: 1.25" or 2"
copy thanks!
when i was shopping that was the picture that sold me on 1-up USA. So solid and it goes up to keep the departure angle.
2” is correct for 200 series
fwiw, my 1UPs receiver tightening mechanism didn’t survive rough gravel roads. Also noticed some movement of my heavier bikes in the rack while driving. Not sure I would recommend it for more extreme use. It is nice around town and my friends that have them really like them. I have the original 1.25 inch. Would like to try a 2” version and see how it compares.
Not sure why all these racks guys seem to want to reinvent how to keep a bar in a receiver. A grade 8 bolt for the win. I like my old Thule T2, now classic, simple, bullet proof, clears the upper and lower tailgates.
Looking at the recon now after reading about for the first time in this thread as my t2 is getting old and some of the plastic parts are wearing. It looks like it has potential.
fwiw, my 1UPs receiver tightening mechanism didn’t survive rough gravel roads. Also noticed some movement of my heavier bikes in the rack while driving. Not sure I would recommend it for more extreme use. It is nice around town and my friends that have them really like them. I have the original 1.25 inch. Would like to try a 2” version and see how it compares.
Not sure why all these racks guys seem to want to reinvent how to keep a bar in a receiver. A grade 8 bolt for the win. I like my old Thule T2, now classic, simple, bullet proof, clears the upper and lower tailgates.
Looking at the recon now after reading about for the first time in this thread as my t2 is getting old and some of the plastic parts are wearing. It looks like it has potential.
Recon is local to me, those racks look nice. Kind of more than what I want to spend, but looks very well made.
Has anyone tried the Thule Vertex XT?
Another 2 guys I know up here sold their 1ups for a north shor
Most of the guys I know with 1ups for more than 2 bikes have gotten rid of them due to durability issues or size issues. All have switched to north shore or recon.
Most of the guys I know with 1ups for more than 2 bikes have gotten rid of them due to durability issues or size issues. All have switched to north shore or recon.
- Thread starter
- #33
I ended up going with the North Shore Rack over the Recon for a couple of reasons.
1. Weight- My wife also rides and needs to transport bikes on her vehicle so being able to switch the rack between vehicles was important. The NS rack is relatively light compared to the recon and moving it around is a breeze
2. Access- The NS rack allows me access into the back of the vehicle with both the lift and the tailgate doors. (without bikes attached) Plus i like that i can fold down the NS rack when not in use. I also had some concerns as to whether the large pivot on the Recon would interfere with the tailgate.
3. Bike support - I like that the NS rack holds the bike by the frame. While the front tire caddy on the Recon looks to be easier to load I was concerned, perhaps unnecessarily, about extra wear on the bike hubs from jostling around on long road trips.
4. ColeAk's ringing endorsement.
I really like the stout look of the Recon and had a little buyer's remorse when I first ordered the NS rack but after it arrived and I put it to use I have been super happy with everything about it. Two thumbs up.
1. Weight- My wife also rides and needs to transport bikes on her vehicle so being able to switch the rack between vehicles was important. The NS rack is relatively light compared to the recon and moving it around is a breeze
2. Access- The NS rack allows me access into the back of the vehicle with both the lift and the tailgate doors. (without bikes attached) Plus i like that i can fold down the NS rack when not in use. I also had some concerns as to whether the large pivot on the Recon would interfere with the tailgate.
3. Bike support - I like that the NS rack holds the bike by the frame. While the front tire caddy on the Recon looks to be easier to load I was concerned, perhaps unnecessarily, about extra wear on the bike hubs from jostling around on long road trips.
4. ColeAk's ringing endorsement.
I really like the stout look of the Recon and had a little buyer's remorse when I first ordered the NS rack but after it arrived and I put it to use I have been super happy with everything about it. Two thumbs up.
I was interested in the 1UP and now this is giving me pause. I wonder if anyone with the 2" version have the same issues.
Anyone here have the Kuat hitch mounted bike rack? Buddy of mine is an avid biker, and he highly recommends the Kuat tray style rack. He says it's very well built, doesn't scratch the bikes, and doesn't rust like the others he's tried.
- Thread starter
- #36
If I only needed to transport 2 bikes I would be all over the Kuat. They are really nice and have a built in work-stand.
I've re-assigned the 1UP to duty on my girl friend's Outback after managing to unjam the lock to receiver mechanism. It seems to be working better in the Outbacks 1.25" than it did with an adapter in the 2" receiver. We also don't take the Outback for extended travel down rough gravel roads.
The 1UP is a well crafted American made product. I don't want to be too negative about it. But I did find that the 1.25 version wasn't ideal for extended off road travel with a 2" receiver.
I’ll mention that I have been an avid cyclist for almost 30 years. I started out fairly competitively raceing criteriums and early mountain bike series. After 2 car vs bike collisions (neither my fault) that could have been very bad but luckily weren’t for the last 15 years have only ridden off road. About 5 years ago I switched from racing DH and CC, and 2 years ago sold all my bikes to go with one. We some multi day ultra endurance’s and a ton of trail riding (with my wife and kids). About 4 months of the year we ride 5-7 days a week and I haul 4 bikes all over AK, on my LX and camper. Over the years I have extensively used most rack brands/types, I’m also highly active in the local cycling community.
For hauling mountain bikes you can’t beat the north shore. It is one of those products that just makes sense and honistly I couldn’t imagine using a tray style again for many reasions already mentioned. For 2 road bikes the kuat, 1up, Thule, and yakama all work well. Honistly if I still toted around road bikes and only had to transport 2 bikes I would get a 1up because all things equal it’s made in USA, so that gets the nod.
Really you can’t go wrong with any of the racks mentioned. All the people I know that have changed from 1up, kuat, any of the tray style to the vertical shuttle rack (recon or north shore) had more than 2 bike tray racks.
For hauling mountain bikes you can’t beat the north shore. It is one of those products that just makes sense and honistly I couldn’t imagine using a tray style again for many reasions already mentioned. For 2 road bikes the kuat, 1up, Thule, and yakama all work well. Honistly if I still toted around road bikes and only had to transport 2 bikes I would get a 1up because all things equal it’s made in USA, so that gets the nod.
Really you can’t go wrong with any of the racks mentioned. All the people I know that have changed from 1up, kuat, any of the tray style to the vertical shuttle rack (recon or north shore) had more than 2 bike tray racks.
Pardon the newb questions. I had a roof rack style bike rack (Yakima) when I had my Acura TL. Didn't really like it b/c I everytime I went biking I had to lift 2 bikes over head, take off the front wheel, and it took a long time to secure the front and rear to the frame. And even then, I was afraid the bikes were going to come off each time I drove.
This will be my first rear hatch rack, and I want to make a smart buy.
For the Northshore vertical shuttle rack:
1) How easy is it to put on and take off the rack from the hitch?
2) How easy is it to secure the bike to the hitch?
3) I checked Northshore's website. Is says their NSR 4 bike is not meant for road bikes. I have 1 mountain bike. My other bike (Specialized) has "skinny" tires. My daughter has larger "kids" bike, and my wife's bike is not a mountain bike. So does this mean the Northshore rack will not hold my other bike and wife's/daughter's?
North Shore and Recon racks exist to haul 4 or more, heavy (30-40 lb) down hill biased mountain bikes, frequently (say multiple shuttle runs on the same day, a few days a week) on bad roads. There is a niche of bikers for whom this is extremely important and will search out such capabilities, pay extra for it, and deal with 70lb+ racks. But it is overkill for most users. Both racks take advantage of a mountain bikes design in ways that are less than compatible with other bikes. North Shore's FAQ mentions problems with road bikes tire to fork crown distance while Recon 's FAQ mentions problems with thin tires. That doesn't mean you can't work around those issue for other bikes, but carrying non mountain bikes isn't the intent of the racks designers.
For your use case, I'd look at a tray type rack, that holds the bikes by the wheels rather than any sort of frame hold. Kuat, 1up and Thule all have models that do this. A full width tray really increases the flexibility and adaptability to different size and style bikes. The wheelbase of my road bikes is probably 3-4 inches less than my longer travel mountain bikes for example. So I'd avoid the carriers that look trayish but have fixed wheel baskets at both ends.
Personally I found the Kuat too complicated and I vaguely recall it not working as well with the 200 Series tail gate configuration as the Thule. I'd rarely use the work clamp feature, but it adds weight. But that was probably 8 years years ago and it was the companies first product revision that I tried. They are on a new design now and offer more basic carriers that might work better for me. I'd shop it against the Thule T2 as medium duty rack. Somewhere between the NSR/Recon and the different 1UPs.
The Thule T2 is heavy and largely bullet proof. I use mine 1-2x a week for 8 months a year to haul up to 4 heavy full suspension mountain bikes around. I've had it for 8 years now. (edit, I just remembered I bought right after trading in my '94 80 series for a 2010 LX) I usually run without the extra 2 bike extension. With the extension it does get long and I can see the advantages of the NSR/Recon approach.
For lighter duty the 1UP is a very decent option. It is well thought out. For one bike it is awesome. It can be taken on and off your car in minutes.
Even the 1.25" version was OK for light duty 2 bike use. I bought one to try out because the Thule is heavy and when I lived in an apartment it was really a pain to pull the Thule on and off and store. But I'd look at the 2" or another manufacture if you plan to take it off road or say travel across the country with one. I'd view 1UP as a very high quality carrier for casual use. It wouldn't be a mistake to buy.
For security, I loop a decently thick cable through the chain eyes on the hitch, through my bike frame and tires and use a large padlock. I've not seen a carrier built in security system I'd trust.
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