I got a bed cover for my truck and can no longer haul my bike in the truck bed. A buddy of mine has a Kuat Sherpa hitch rack and loves it. Any good or bad experience with this brand? The only negative I can see is that they are pretty pricy. My SHIV won’t work with the typical rack that holds the bike by the frame.
Thanks in advance for any help.
I understand camper shell type covers, but I’ve never understood a bed cover. We have a campershell on ours. We can fit a couple of bikes inside, more with creative packing, but it makes removing them a pain if you want to ride.
So, we got a Kuat Sherpa. I’ve got a 2" hitch, but we got the smaller sized rack with the adapter since we didn’t figure on carrying more than 2 bikes back there. And, because when we replace the truck, we might not have a 2" hitch. If you get the model for a 2" hitch, I believe that you can add up to 2 more bikes for a total of 4.
Blah, blah, blah. It works great. Very stable. Very easy to use. Our shop said that it is one of the nicer hitch racks. I especially like that your bikes are supported by their wheels and not hanging by one of the tubes.
I got the bed cover to keep the stroller, baby bed, and suitcases out of the rain when we go on long car rides. Now that I have a kiddo…its invaluable to not have to worry about my stuff getting stolen or wet all the time. The downside was losing the easy way to haul my bike around.
I’ve got a Kuat NV2 and I love it. Only downside is that the rubber/plastic straps that are supposed to hold down the rear wheels are not long enough for deep wheels. So, I made a little velcro strap to do it’s job and it’s fine. You could use anything really, or just not load up your bike with the race wheels on, but I’m too lazy to change wheels at the race site.
Outside the sticker shock, it is a great rack. I considered it my yearly donation to my local bike shop as you can find them a lot cheaper online/ebay. The hitch attachment makes for a very secure ride and the light weight makes it easy to take on and off. I also like the various tilt adjustments but mine is on a hatchback so not sure how those work with a truck bed door. No negatives at this point…it is a solid rack.
I love mine, just wish I would have gotten the NV for the add on feature. I find myself wanting to bring the MTB along with the wifes bike on long trips.
Will one of these work?
The Sherpa carries my Shiv perfectly!! Great rack! As far as quality of build, I definitely would say they are a few steps up from Thule and Yakima.
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I use the NV with my Shiv and it works great. They have extension straps that will work with an 808 rear if you need it. Very secure and Kuat has great customer service.
I have a Sherpa and it’s great. Super light compared to its competitors. The Sherpa is compatible with both hitch sizes. The only thing it doesn’t do is carry downhill mountain bikes with 3" wide tires. It’s also limited to 2 bikes.
If you need the downhill or 4 bikes, u need the Kuat NV.
My two bikes are a shiv and Trek Mamba. I’m thinking both of those would work.
Very cool! I pulled the trigger on one today.