Bike Carrier 1UP vs Kuat ?

Nice looking racks, all of them. I think it would boil down to individual preference and budget. I checked all three of them on the web. It looked like the last two - NV and Core were made by the same company, please correct me if I am wrong. It would not be the first time. The 1Up's looked ok too, just not as sleek or stylish as the other manufacturer.

I did seem to appreciate the double swing up arm's on the 1UP versus the one swing up arm and the tied down method on the other vendor. I am not sure which one would be the best though. I am not a regular biker, so you have to take my comment's and opinion with a grain of salt.

I do honestly believe that when it is all said and done, it is going to end up being the end user's discretion. I have no doubt that budget will fall in there somewhere, it always does no matter how much money one makes.

Enjoy the ride, and don't forget the head gear.

1UPUSA.com :: Quik Rack Aluminum
Products » The NV | Küat
Products » NV Core | Küat

 

I have a Schwinn hitch mounted rack that I bought when a local store was going out of business for $10 back in 2003. The only issue that I have is that it is only good for 2 bikes and it would be nice to be able to carry 3.

My point, I'd buy the least expensive hitch mounted rack that meets your needs.

Best of luck.

 

PriusGuy,

I would steer clear of Kuat personally. We purchased a Kuat Alpha from them a few years ago to be used on both of our Prii with 1.25" Curt hitches and the quality is poor. The anti-sway mechanism is extremely poor in its design and completely uneffective. Also the locking mechanism was broken and although it has been returned to Missouri twice for repairs they never fixed it so we essentially can't cable lock the bikes to the rack.

When I asked for my money back they said ship the rack to us and we will fix it we don't refund money. Ummmm you had two chances to fix it already why didn't you fix it then? It isn't cheap to FedEx a bike rack to Missouri from North Carolina and Kuat doesn't pay for that either. So its been collecting dust in our garage for over a year now.

Both Justin and Peter seem like nice guys on the phone and via email but their customer service is poor at best. If you are thinking of spending that much for a bike rack you would expect better customer service. When it comes to Kuat = Buyer Be Ware.

Happy driving,
Chris

 

Actually, the 1Up offer's a rack that holds two bikes. It is a pricy beast. FWIW, I still like the design of it better than the other first choice. Haven't looked at the Thule racks.

1UPUSA.com :: Double Quik Rack Silver

Good luck with your choice and enjoy the ride!

 

If you care about weight, then you should consider the Kuat sherpa, which I have, at 29 lbs. You also get a hand tightened cam (onto the hitch). I have diamond and u-frame comfort bikes with fenders and still manage to make this work. That said, if I were buying today, I'd seriously consider the Saris Freedom, weighs 21 lbs. and straps from below, in the center: http://www.saris.com/en/bike-racks/vehicle-racks/hitch-racks/freedom.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_images.tpl&product_id=258&category_id=8

 

Care to elaborate?

BTW. To minimize spam you need about 10 posts or something before you can link to an external website.

 

Hmmm. I am not sure why you say that. I have found this forum to very informative. I see where more than one individual including myself responded to your post's. I too would appreciate it if you would elaborate on your statement.

Perhaps you need to ask this sort of question in a bike rack forum rather than a "Prius forum".

Good luck to you and I hope you enjoy your Prius.

Ron

 

Here's a nice video of the "Saris" racks that ggood mentioned. It seems the link was broken when I tried to click on it, but such is life on the www

REI - Product Video

 

Yeah I like the compactness of the Thule, *but* it doesn't looks like it would carry weight as well as the others. I think I'd be a bit wary about loading up a couple of heavy bikes on that thing!

BTW. What type of bikes are you carrying and what do they weigh.

 

That certainly will help.

You can search for one.. lots of hitch mounted bike rack discussion on here.

I would go with Yakima or Thule. I have a 2013 Yakima Hold Up. Though not happy with new cable design, it's a solid rack and Yakima has been around, easy to repair if needed and good quality. It is heavy though, 45+ pounds but a solid rack.

BTW, your question is worse than the responses.. as in it's vague. What kind of requirements, # of bikes to carry, types, touch less? etc..

 

and its on sale now, for only $199. good idea to read the review comments, though, since some people say they had problems fitting 2 bikes on easily.
http://www.saris.com/en/bike-racks/vehicle-racks/hitch-racks/freedom.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_images.tpl&product_id=258&category_id=8