I have a 1up USA 2 bike rack and my brother in law has the Kuat NV. I would never trade him. The 1up is just awesome. I don't keep it on the car all the time, so the way it folds up to store puts it way ahead of the NV. Plus the black looks so good on our black vehicle.

Looking to get a quality sit on top hitch rack and these two always come out as the tip recommendations. , does the 1up double rack come with any lock/security? Curious as it looks like the kuat comes with that.

"Quality of construction and ease of use" are kind of vague metrics, especially as the kuat gives a little more for less $. Can you elaborate specifically what is better

The Kuat comes with a lock that fits in where the hitch pin goes thru the receiver, it is a loose fit and in my opinion it could be broken or cut very quickly and then unscrewed and taken out of the hitch. The 1up is secured by a special allen key that would make it more difficult to get the rack loose from the hitch. IMHO the locks, cables that come with the Kuat are to keep the honest people honest. Whenever I had to leave my Kuat bike/rack unattended I always used an after market cable and lock to secure it. I cannot stress enough after having both racks how much more I like the 1up. Hope this helps and let me know if you have any more questions

By quality of construction I am referring to the materials used, the 1up does not use any plastic in the rack.The 2" 1up has a solid, machined hitch mount as opposed to Kuats tube. The Kuat uses one wheel clamp and one wheel strap where the 1up uses 2 wheel clamps.

In terms of security for attaching the rack to the hitch, the other poster was right that there is a special allen wrench that you get (2) that makes it impossible to get the rack off unless you have that specific allen wrench. I even think I remember reading that if the rack is stolen off your car, if it was installed correctly, then they will replace it free.

As to securing the bikes to the rack you are correct that there is no built in security like on the Kuat NV. Others have written that the security lock on the NV is rather weak, but I haven't looked close at it to have an opinion on it. 1up does sell locks that do connect on the arms of the rack and go through the wheel in between the spokes. Personally, for when I am traveling with the bikes, I bought a 15 foot cable and a big heavy duty key lock and wrap that through both sets of wheels and both frames of the bikes and the rack itself and attach it all to the hitch. Gives me peace of mind and keeps the honest people honest, but makes it harder for those really trying to steal.

The 1up is seriously amazing. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, one of the greatest things is the ease of storage. I love how it folds up so small. Also, the two bike rack is tiered, so going over dips and such you have a lot more clearance. If you add on additional racks, they tier up too, unlike the NV which sticks straight out. If you end up with 4 bikes on the NV that is sticking straight out really far.

As to ease of use, I can load two bikes on the rack in probably 15 seconds. Sometimes when I drive up somewhere to start a ride I will leave the arms open some and I can throw my bike on and be gone in 5 seconds. All of that without the rack touching anywhere on my frame. Maybe the greatest ease of use example though is that my wife can bring the rack up from downstairs and install it on the hitch. On a side note, people have expressed concern about getting a flat tire and then putting the arms down on the tire. I got a flat after a race and drove 120 miles home with the arm down on the flat wheel and there was no problem. Anytime I take someone new with me and they see my bike rack they always comment on how nice it looks, how easy it is to use and ask me lots of questions about it.

Yes it is pricey, but compared to the dollar value of bikes that a lot of people put on their bike racks it isn't really too bad. Let me know if there are other questions and I will answer anything I can.

I just pulled the trigger on one this AM. Thanks everyone for the positive reinforcement.

You will not be disappointed.

On a side note, here is my story on purchasing mine. I knew I wanted to buy a hitch mounted bike rack with trays. After reading hundreds of reviews I was leaning toward the 1up over the Kuat NV. Left on a trip to Phoenix with a hitch mounted 4 bike hanging rack that belonged to one of my brothers in law. Had on a road bike and three mountain bikes. Took me 45 minutes to load up trying to get all the bikes to fit on and then not completely get scratched up. It was a nightmare. Drove halfway the first day and was always worried about my road bike getting scratched up and what not. I actually grew to hate that rack on that little drive. The next morning I left early to continue my drive and when I made it to Vegas I pulled into a parking lot and called 1up. Made sure they could send me the rack and have it arrive in Phoenix before I needed to leave and come home. Then got online on my phone and purchased the rack so I wouldn't have to drive home with the hanging rack. Best decision ever.

Agree. Of all the bikes in my garage, I look on the 1up rack most fondly. It is just superb. I have a single and two add ons and they are the nicest bit of gear I own.

One negative of the 1Up USA rack.

If you use a single rack, it is very hidden (especially with a black anodized rack on a black car).

If you drive in traffic, a car following closely behind will not see the rack. Similarly, it you parallel park, it is easy for a car parking behind you to underestimate the amount of room they have.

I was apparently "bumped" at one point (I know I've never backed into anything) which bent my 15 degree plate ($45 to replace)

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I do the same thing as them, just slower

What's the word on getting the double rack vs getting the single rack plus the single add-on?

90% of the time I'd probably just have 1 bike on there for me, but want to have the option to add a second bike on for the girlfriend or guests or whatever. To that effect, going the 1+1 route seems like a more flexible option and it actually seems to be a little cheaper than just getting the double as well. Unless there is some big downside to it that's the way I think I'll go.

Also, good timing on posting. I'm in the market and these seem way better than than the other racks I was seeing.

Ready for anything with our 1Up and headed to IMC 2014!

I like the single + 1 or 2. I have two boys now so eventually I'll need another spot and may have to consider a double + 2. The single is just easy to handle. I have them hanging flat on the garage wall. Literally 1 minute to set up on the receiver.

I bought a single for my wifes car so that she wouldn't have to mess with the rack to get the hatch open on a daily basis. Thats initially what sold me on the 1up over the kuat and I'm quite happy with it.

Ok, now I see the catch, it's definitely not cheaper. I was taking the single price and then misread and added the price for a roof rack. So the actual price looks like it would be a single hitch rack, plus you need the add-on adapter, then another quick rack that is somehow even more than the original hitch one. Don't get me wrong, it looks like a good product, but that route is a little too rich for my blood at $757 for a 2-bike rack in the cheapest configuration.

The standard double hitch rack will have to do for me now, that's still pricey but a little more palatable.

According to their website, you can add up to two add-on's to the original rack. So if you get the single rack, you can get enough add-on's to have a 3 bike carrier. If you get the double rack then you can potentially make a 4 bike carrier. I was going through this decision a little over a year ago and decided on the double as it gave me more flexibility in the future in case I ever wanted to to have 4 bikes on the back.

Overall, really awesome rack. Expensive, but worth it. After I bought it I was left wondering why I waited so long to get one. It replaced a Thule Spare-Me rack on my Rav4. It takes less time for me to take the rack out of the back of my car, unfold the arms, attach it to the car and put on the bikes than it did just to put bikes onto the Spare-Me. Really fast and simple to use. Holds bikes of any size really securely and doesn't touch the frame which is awesome. It fits my 2001 Rav4 fairly well. I was originally worried it wasn't going to stick out far enough from the car that the pedals or bike would press against the spare tire. the only downside is the way the door opens on the Rav4 means that I cant use the rear door when the rack is on (and because of the spare tire, the rack cant fold up and out of the way against the back of the car).

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Matt

$299 +$199 = $498

See Rack Add Ons for the +1. Shouldn't be 2 separate items.

Edit: Nevermind. Didn't realize you were after separate roof rack.

Thanks. Helpful. Does it swing down to allow access to the rear suv door? Would think not as it might hit the ground. Not a deal breaker but can be convenient

Eta oh yeah, the kuat finish always bugged me a bit with a black car. Black rack would look better (although maybe the kuat easier to see and not hit....)

The Kuat NV is available in Gun Metal gray and Black. I believe they introduced black as an option last year.
I have the gray color on a white CUV because that was the only color option at that time. I really like the Kuat NV. I also see the 1UP as being very good rack as well.

Yes it swings down to allow access to the rear SUV door. The two bike rack loaded with two bikes will not hit the ground and allows the rear door of my Honda Pilot to open up. That is with two bikes on. I do not have any add ons but I would imagine they wouldn't hit the ground either if your car was high enough off the ground, like most SUVs, but I do not know that for sure.

There are 4 positions the rack can be in. 1. Up flush against the back of the car, 2. A 45 degree angle, which I use when I need to get in the back and no bikes are on, then 3. at the normal angle for carrying a bike, then 4. All the way down (maybe reverse 45 degree) to open the back with bikes on.

I always liked the combination of platform PLUS frame holder. To me, having the bike only held on the wheels is mechanically not sound. It just leaves me with the thought of a non-solid attach. I like the Saris Freedom Superclamp for being a platform rack yet have a frame attach. Weight is on the platform, lateral movement is on the frame.

Thoughts?

I thought the same thing but am very sold on the 1Up USA! We have the 2 + 1 +1 = 4 bike version....it is awesome! My wife has no problem using it with the kids and all their bikes. Just super!

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David
* Ironman for Life! (Blog) * IM Everyday Hero Video * Daggett Shuler Law *
Disclaimer: I have personal and professional relationships with many athletes, vendors, and organizations in the triathlon world.

Anyone ever done a comparison of the 1Up and the Inno hitch rack? My buddy has an Inno and its super easy to use with locks on the wheel loops as well as a built in cable to lock in the frames. Been wanting to get a hitch rack and always end up looking at the 1UP and Inno. Inno can be had for a bit cheaper, but never hear anything about it or see many of them on the road.

You were actually right, I don't want a roof rack but was adding up all sorts of dumb stuff that doesn't make sense at all. I didn't realize the add-on's were on a separate page and was trying to figure out what combo of products you needed to do the add-on.

All is well now.

In answer to your question that brought this up, if you buy the single and then add on I think it is cheaper than buying the double, but you are limited in that you can only add on two add ons for a total of three bikes. If you buy the double, you can add two add ons for a total of 4 bikes. So you are limited to three bikes max with a single. For many people, they wont ever need 4 bikes, so the single with add ons is the way to go. For people with families or that carpool with friends on group rides, they might want the 4 bike max.

I think with people that have them and their SO both riding they buy a single and an add on, but then an extra adapter and then they can have one tray on each car most of the time, but if they go somewhere together just take off the adapter and add it to the single. So many different configurations possible with this bike rack. You are not just stuck with a double or 4 like other racks.