Mountain Bike Racks

[40Man]

Those photos do look terrible! That’s some serious rust!

I think the rust tends to be an issue in more wet climates where the rack is used year round. Does your rack have any rust?

I used to live in your neck of the woods (Folsom), one of my favorite places I have lived outside of all the regulations and taxes (but man, it has grown, especially in your city!). Close to everything, and a clean area. We made a killing when we sold our house there, and now it has increased in value substantially more. Real Estate in CA is crazy!

The altitude change from 200' in Folsom to 6,000' in Tahoe also killed me when I started a ride. My body seemed to acclimate after riding 20 minutes and catching my breath.

I love Folsom Palace. Really nice owners and good upscale Chinese food. My wife and I were their first customers. Not a fan of Fat's at all.

 

[rick312]

I like that I don't have to deal with removal/storage of the front wheels. The 1UP clamps down on the tires well enough, I drove several thousand miles in November with my bikes as pictured and zero problems. No doubt that it can be a bit awkward lifting a 35 lb fat bike onto (and off) the roof, but I'm ok with my decision to go this route.

Thanks, I think my biggest issue is having to take the front wheel off. I have a skybox and seeing you have that and 2 bikes on the rack is pushing me to go that route.

 

[Moby]

To stabilize the bike in a one up even more you can get an optional fender attachment, that mounts to the tray and 'cups' the bottom of the tire and larger plastic inserts for the top of the arms. I have the top plastic inserts which I've used and like, but I get more front wheel shimmy than I'd like as I frequently have deep dish carbon race wheels on. I picked up a set of the lower mounts but haven't used them yet as the only racing last year were 2 COVID protocol mtb races (effectively 100 and 20 mile mtb TTs).

 

[smeagol]

Thanks, I think my biggest issue is having to take the front wheel off. I have a skybox and seeing you have that and 2 bikes on the rack is pushing me to go that route.

The roof box I had previously was too wide for this situation, I had to hunt down a box that was more narrow (~24" externally IIRC). With that said I am happy with the current setup, as I essentially have 2 low profile bike racks on there full time. I do have to drop it in low to fit the LX into my garage, but it *does* fit

 

[joltman]

Resurrecting this thread...

My father-in-law gave us a Thule bike rack with extension that's probably 15ish years old. I wanted to test fit it, make sure I still have all the locks/keys/etc. It fit on the 2" hitch no problem. However, the lock for that pin won't actually fit on the pin due to the plastic that's near the hitch pin hole. How are you all accommodating that? Hitch extension? Removing that plastic? I see the screws to remove that, but I would imagine it would leave a very large hole in the bumper. Any advice?

The Thule rack uses the bike's top tube to mount the bike. After reading this thread, I'm guessing I should go buy something to protect that tube. Any thoughts there? Some folks have said "protective sticker" but I'm not sure what that means . Thanks!

 

[40Man]

Resurrecting this thread...

My father-in-law gave us a Thule bike rack with extension that's probably 15ish years old. I wanted to test fit it, make sure I still have all the locks/keys/etc. It fit on the 2" hitch no problem. However, the lock for that pin won't actually fit on the pin due to the plastic that's near the hitch pin hole. How are you all accommodating that? Hitch extension? Removing that plastic? I see the screws to remove that, but I would imagine it would leave a very large hole in the bumper. Any advice?

The Thule rack uses the bike's top tube to mount the bike. After reading this thread, I'm guessing I should go buy something to protect that tube. Any thoughts there? Some folks have said "protective sticker" but I'm not sure what that means . Thanks!

I had a Thule and now have a Kuat. I fit both stock locks with no cutting. The Thule was a super tight fit. I know some people cut/remove the plastic as well

 

[joltman]

I had a Thule and now have a Kuat. I fit both stock locks with no cutting. The Thule was a super tight fit. I know some people cut/remove the plastic as well

So I should man up! Haha!!

 

[40Man]

So I should man up! Haha!!

Not sure, Thule may have changed lock designs...

 

[joltman]

Not sure, Thule may have changed lock designs...

Good news, the lock fits in that tight space. The bad news, I'm not sure how this pin and lock was ever considered safe. Check out this album. Am I being crazy? The first photo shows how far out the pin has to stick for the lock to attach correctly. Also, the pin can only go in on one side as it's not long enough for the other (which you can see in another photo). This doesn't appear safe to me because, in theory, the pin could vibrate itself loose. Also at the end of the album, you can see that the internally welded nut is exposed a bit. I'm not sure I want to take a risk that it would break on a 2000+ mile road trip.

 

[Scotch]

 

[40Man]

Good news, the lock fits in that tight space. The bad news, I'm not sure how this pin and lock was ever considered safe. Check out this album. Am I being crazy? The first photo shows how far out the pin has to stick for the lock to attach correctly. Also, the pin can only go in on one side as it's not long enough for the other (which you can see in another photo). This doesn't appear safe to me because, in theory, the pin could vibrate itself loose. Also at the end of the album, you can see that the internally welded nut is exposed a bit. I'm not sure I want to take a risk that it would break on a 2000+ mile road trip.

Mine had a threaded pin and different lock.

 

[coleAK]

I’ve had Thule, yakama, 1up, and kuat. For > 2 bikes vertical can’t be beat. I’ve had a North shore for 6-7 years, best rack I’ve ever owned. Light weight, dosnt hide the tail lights, stores easy, works on the camper

 

[hedd]

I just switched to a velocirax and am very happy with it. I also have a Yakima holdup 4 and the yakima backswing. We have a truck camper that we use for bike trips often. The holdup 4 kept shaking the arms loose (I replaced 2 and it happened again). I am not convinced that it was a rack problem as the the rack was on a double truss 40" hitch extension and then the rack itself is also very long. This just created a huge lever arm and any bump was really amplified. The 4 bike tray rack is just very long off the back especially with the yakima backswing adapter. That tray rack and swing is VERY heavy. I put helper airbags on the LC partially to compensate for that yakima tray rack when loaded with people and gear.

The Yakima worked pretty well on the LC but after some use with the velocirax I prefer it and I can carry 6 bikes. I don't need the swing on the velocirax as the rack pivots down and there is plenty of room to access the back. The only negative I have found is that it is heavy lifting it back up with 6 bikes.... The velocirax is approved for RV's. We just took it 1000+ miles and it worked really well.

 

[Itsky]

that looks like a sweet rack @hedd!

 

[coleAK]

I have to respectfully disagree. Back in the day, most bike racks touched the frame, but over the bike community and rack manufacturers have realized that frame mount bike racks are bad for your bike. Granted, the only place the NS really touches is the headtube, but there are a lot of racks that don't touch the frame at all...


I've mentioned it in another thread, but my buddy junked his NS after it rusted out. It also caused damage to the paint on two of our bikes. According to him, they wouldn't do anything for him. He took his NS to a scrap yard. I'm not sure if the rust was a powder coat issue that has been fixed, but their lack of service for him is what spoke to me. (only a 2 year warranty and void if you ever take off the pavement)

I"m not sure what the customer service is with other brands of shuttle racks, but I have been blown away by Kuat's customer service. Thule was also very good.

When you have racks that are just as functional (Recon, velocirax, LOLO (only touches handle bars, Alta, Yakima Hangover (only touches fork) ) I've seen threads where the NS has bikes bump off the rack on bumpy roads (mine didn't fall off, it just got scratched to hell). The NS also doesn't work with road bikes for the roadie folks. Alta is expensive, but they have a lot of cool accessories (pull out table, hammock, etc.)

I know a lot of people like the NS, but IMO, there are currently much better options for a shuttle rack. The NS is lower profile (as is the LOLO), which is a nice feature, but the frame touching trade off is not worth the risk of damage from rubbing with the NS.

I personally think that the attachment straps for the Velocirax, Alta and Recon are much better than the NS or LOLO.

North Shore Rack -- Major Rust Problem

I purchased a North Shore Rack 4-bike carrier in June 2014 and have found the rack to be great for hauling my Salsa Mukluk, Ibis Ripley and friends' bikes. The rack is simple to use, very versatile in the types of bikes it carries. Only problem is, it is a complete rust bucket -- it has...

www.mtbr.com

North Shore Rack Review: Rust - Pinkbike Forum

North Shore Rack Review: Rust in Bikes, Parts, and Gear

www.pinkbike.com

If I wanted a shuttle type rack, I'd probably lean towards Lolo if I wanted to get a compact rack and Alta if I wanted the best features and warranty. The 6 bike LOLO and NS are about the same price, and the NS is a bit cheaper for the 4 bike.

Alta has a lifetime warranty, which is a great selling features, has ski/snowboard adapters, bike work stand,, mobile floor stand, table, hammock, etc. Pretty cool, and a lifetime warranty. Price is high for the larger racks.

Here is my NS with heavy use after 6-7 years. No rust. There is way more surface rust on my LX receiver then the rack. Also here is my Kona Process (Pike ultimate probably only 10k of those miles) that Has been on my NS for no joke probably ~25-30k miles, most of those on our camper not my LX. And my son’s trance X that has been on the NS for ~10-15k miles. His Transition scout before the trance has no marks and sold it, No problem. I’ve also done some rough Forrest service roads with the bikes on the NS when we fall hunt off bikes. I’ll add I pull the rear tire straps down tight and the bikes don’t move much.

 

[RyanR]

Been super happy with our 1UP rack. After a year on the back of our RV (full time RVing not occasional trips), even with careful washing and covering our 2 specialized S-Works mountain bikes were bleeding rust out of every bearing, discs completely rusted, rust bleeding out of calipers (we did a lot of beach camping) but our 1UP rack looks brand new. Our 2020 Chevy Silverado High Country Dually and 2020 Grand Design Momentum 399TH were rusted all to hell too. The 1UP rack is literally the only thing that was outside that was unscathed by all the salt air.

 

[stonepa]

Been super happy with our 1UP rack. After a year on the back of our RV (full time RVing not occasional trips), even with careful washing and covering our 2 specialized S-Works mountain bikes were bleeding rust out of every bearing, discs completely rusted, rust bleeding out of calipers (we did a lot of beach camping) but our 1UP rack looks brand new. Our 2020 Chevy Silverado High Country Dually and 2020 Grand Design Momentum 399TH were rusted all to hell too. The 1UP rack is literally the only thing that was outside that was unscathed by all the salt air.

Holy crap. I have a few S-Works myself (Crux, Enduro, FatBoy) but they never ever go near salt. Not even my S-Works Fatboy. That’s bike abuse man!

 

[RyanR]

Holy crap. I have a few S-Works myself (Crux, Enduro, FatBoy) but they never ever go near salt. Not even my S-Works Fatboy. That’s bike abuse man!

Yeah, I have the Enduro wife has the Stumpjumper. We tried to be meticulous with cleaning and lubing but man that salt air when you are right out on the sand will just ruin anything. Once we noticed the corrosion starting we started keeping them inside in the toyhauler under the bed if we were actively riding them but the damage was done. Once we finished out travels it ended up being nearly $2500 between both bikes to tear them completely down and replace everything that had rusted. They still kind of look like crap even after all of that but they ride like new again. Painful!

 

[40Man]

Here is my NS with heavy use after 6-7 years. No rust. There is way more surface rust on my LX receiver then the rack. Also here is my Kona Process (Pike ultimate probably only 10k of those miles) that Has been on my NS for no joke probably ~25-30k miles, most of those on our camper not my LX. And my son’s trance X that has been on the NS for ~10-15k miles. His Transition scout before the trance has no marks and sold it, No problem. I’ve also done some rough Forrest service roads with the bikes on the NS when we fall hunt off bikes. I’ll add I pull the rear tire straps down tight and the bikes don’t move much.

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Sounds like they have improved from the original design, and I am glad yours has held up well. I understand a company can have a bad batch of powder. It was the complete lack of standing behind the product that stood out to me. My buddy scrapped his old NS. Didn't even offer a discount on a replacement.

As we saw in the slider thread, even some high quality Bud Builts are prone to powder issues. They stood behind their product, and I have been a long-time customer that will continue to support them. Similar experiences with over the top customer service from Kuat and Thule.

The NS was innovative, and future innovation with wheel mounts are even better (Recon, etc.), many with lifetime warranties.

I don't group ride anymore, and retired from racing, so the Kuat makes sense for me. I've learned from good and bad experiences to support manufacturers that reasonably stand behind their products.

 

[coleAK]

Sounds like they have improved from the original design, and I am glad yours has held up well. I understand a company can have a bad batch of powder. It was the complete lack of standing behind the product that stood out to me. My buddy scrapped his old NS. Didn't even offer a discount on a replacement.

As we saw in the slider thread, even some high quality Bud Builts are prone to powder issues. They stood behind their product, and I have been a long-time customer that will continue to support them. Similar experiences with over the top customer service from Kuat and Thule.

The NS was innovative, and future innovation with wheel mounts are even better (Recon, etc.), many with lifetime warranties.

I don't group ride anymore, and retired from racing, so the Kuat makes sense for me. I've learned from good and bad experiences to support manufacturers that reasonably stand behind their products.

When my teens move out and I only carry 1-2 bikes regularly I’ll most likely go back to a kuat. These days I rarely haul <3 bikes and sometimes 6 or 7. I’ve had a good experience so far with NS. They are a small business in BC, good guys and avid riders. I replaced some hardware this past winter and it did take me calling them to get a response. But they were helpful and I had parts within a week.