When it comes to hitch mounted bike racks, there are two schools of thought. One is to simply never remove it from your car so you always have a way to quickly carry a bike. The other, is to install it only when you need it which certainly provides better access to the back of your car and possibly better gas mileage as well. However, if you do remove the rack when you’re not using it, where do you put it? Speaking from experience, generally it’s on the floor of your garage or out in the shed. But if you have the space on your wall, Kuat has a new way to keep that rack off the floor and beautifully display it at the same time.
Aptly named, the Kuat RackDock is a wall mounted docking station for your bike rack. It’s almost hard to believe the compact little box is capable of supporting up to 100lbs, but the Dock includes 3/8″ x 7.25″ & 3/8″ x 6″ self tapping lag screws for secure mounting to a wall stud. Note that a wooden stud is required for mounting – the RackDock cannot be mounted to metal studs or concrete. It also has to be mounted within 24″ of the ground.
Once properly mounted to the wall, the RackDock will accept 2″ or 1 1/4″ racks with the included adapter. Rather than require the hitch pin to be installed, the RackDock appears to have a magnetic release that requires pushing on the top of the face plate to release the rack.
The RackDock does have a 100lb limit, but that should be enough for most 4 bike racks. Kuat notes that the racks must be folded up when stored, and the RackDock will not support a rack loaded with bikes. Surely Kuat would prefer the RackDock to be used with Kuat racks, but it seems like any 2″ or 1 1/4″ bike rack would work (though you should double check with Kuat to be sure).
Offered in black or orange, the RackDock will sell for $89.
