Kuat NV 2.0 tray-style hitch rack gets overhauled for bigger tires, easier use

As a new owner of a 1UP rack, I was worried when I clicked on this article. However, this just looks gimmicky. Given the Kuat is at a similar (or greater) price point, there is an obvious decision between the two (luckily it’s the one I made!).

I don’t think it come stock with 4.8″ tire acceptance, you need to spend $16 for each tray to do fat bikes

Once you have a made in USA 1up nothing else cuts it. No wobble B.S. No crap. 1up’s straight up hold your bike more stable than any other rack. I’ve done everything short of autocross my car with my 1up and bike on the rack and never worry that it’s going to wobble, break, drop off.

I’m pretty happy with my Kuat NV rack, purchased it about 6 months ago (it’s not the 2.0 version but I really like it. I’ve had similar from Thule (Apex Swing), and an old school Yakima 2 bike tray mount. I didn’t like the Apex swing away model it was heavy, awkward and required purchasing a horizontal bar to accommodate the non traditional shape of the bike frames I have (kids bikes, 29er triangle frames, etc.). I was kinda pissed that after buying a $500 rack I had to spend $50 per bike on a bar to hold the frame on the rack. For me, I wanted a bike rack to be solid, not wobble, be super easy to get the bike on and off, and also fold out of the way so I could get into the trunk easily. The NV although expensive, does all those things.

I didn’t know about 1UP at the time, but just looking at them, I think the 1UP racks are better for certain kinds of vehicles — something more burly like a truck, a sports mobile or an SUV. For what I personally wanted, the NV was a better match. I believe the 1UP would just look funny on my little car. I had my local rack dealer encourage me to get the Thule T2 which has the handle and is rock solid also, but again for what I wanted, aesthetic mattered and I didn’t like how the T2 looked. I have to look at the thing every day.

One thing I’ll say, I used to take my other racks on and off the car a lot. In 6 months, I’ve taken the NV off once and a day later I put it back on. It’s on my car all the time and I use it 3 or 4 days a week to ride local trails or to take a ride with my 9 year old on bike paths. We live in the city and I can’t ride local streets with him, it’s too chaotic.

The NV rack is completely solid in my opinion, AND I like how it looks. I have a 2″ hitch model on a Volvo V60 that is a smaller car, and not as big and burly as my 4Runner. so I wanted a rack that matched that aesthetic a bit more. The NV does that, works like a champ and I get stopped all the time people asking me about it. I live in N. California so weather is not much of a concern, but so far I’ve been extremely happy with it. If I were shopping for one now, I’d get the same rack because it meets my needs. You have to decide what matters most to you. Just because the shop owner likes X rack, doesn’t mean you will. Get what you want.

Sorry for the long reply, but I was on the fence for months about what rack to get, especially since they are so expensive. Hopefully this will resonate and help someone else make a decision faster.