Hitch mount bike rack

[Bull_Dozer]

Looking to get a hitch mount bike rack - not sure whether to get a North Shore Bike Rack or a tray style rack (Yakima, Thule, etc.). It's for a Honda Accord so I think I am limited to a 1 1/4 hitch, so I think I can only get the NSR2.

Anyone have any input?

[lowside67]

I just bought the Kuat NV Core and having just used it for the first time for a day trip to Whistler, am SUPER impressed. The build quality is excellent, the tilt and fold up functionality works great, and it is quick getting the bikes in and out! While it's not exactly a long term review, so far 2 thumbs way up from me.

Mark

[Bull_Dozer]

Originally Posted by lowside67

I just bought the Kuat NV Core and having just used it for the first time for a day trip to Whistler, am SUPER impressed. The build quality is excellent, the tilt and fold up functionality works great, and it is quick getting the bikes in and out! While it's not exactly a long term review, so far 2 thumbs way up from me.

Mark

Which shop carries these, and how much do they cost?

[lowside67]

The only place that I could find it in Vancouver was by "mail order" from "RackTrendz"... these guys are actually local but do not allow local pickup; however, shipping IS free. Actually, they aren't shipped, they are hand delivered by the guys who run the site. I was a little sketched out at first but I wanted that rack and went for a leap of faith; surprisingly, it was a very positive experience - I ordered it on a Thursday afternoon and they hand delivered it Monday morning after phoning me Sunday to schedule a time on Monday.

Mark

[yellowdogx]

Not sure how the accord hitch receiver mounts, but a friend made a 2" receiver for my car (Hyundai) and it is awesome with a NSR4 on the back of the car. Maybe have a look under your car and see if there is enough substantial material down there to get a custom 2" hitch made?

[Bull_Dozer]

Originally Posted by yellowdogx

Not sure how the accord hitch receiver mounts, but a friend made a 2" receiver for my car (Hyundai) and it is awesome with a NSR4 on the back of the car. Maybe have a look under your car and see if there is enough substantial material down there to get a custom 2" hitch made?

Yeah I have no idea about hitches... just going to go to U-Haul and see what my options are. I punched in my vehicle information on their website and it looks liked 1 1/4 might be the only option.

[Sublime]

http://bb.nsmb.com/archive/index.php/t-146530.html



Sublime
01-09-2012, 02:24 AM
1up usa. Expensive, with a crappy website..., but hands down the nicest, most well thought out bike rack i have ever used. Comes fully assembled. Reasonably light. Literally takes 10 seconds to instal, or take off, on the hitch. Loading a bike once rack is on hitch adds another 10 seconds to your rack time.

Greatest rack out there.

Www.1upusa.com

[ito]

Originally Posted by Sublime

http://bb.nsmb.com/archive/index.php/t-146530.html



Sublime
01-09-2012, 02:24 AM
1up usa. Expensive, with a crappy website..., but hands down the nicest, most well thought out bike rack i have ever used. Comes fully assembled. Reasonably light. Literally takes 10 seconds to instal, or take off, on the hitch. Loading a bike once rack is on hitch adds another 10 seconds to your rack time.

Greatest rack out there.

Www.1upusa.com

I bought 1 1/4" tray and an extra tray so I can fit two bikes. It is lightweight, cost $498, shipped, to my home in Utah. Arrived on time and took seconds to install. Included was an adapter for a 2" hitch and a box to pack it back up if I am unhappy. They do a pretty amazing satisfaction gaurantee and it is a hell of a lot nicer than any other rack I've ever used (Thule, Yakima, Kuat). Well worth the extra money it cost over the other companies' offerings.

[lowside67]

Here is my setup. One photo "ready to drive" and one showing the tilt-down feature which is a must for anybody with a hatchback!

Mark

[ReductiMat]

I've been using the 1Up for the last three years.. it's great. Major problem now in that he stopped shipping to Canada (last I checked anyways). Also, you wouldn't want more than three trays on here if you were hauling DH rigs around.

[craw]

I had a 2" hitch put on a Mazda 3 a few years ago by http://www.ehhitch.com/. I had to promise that I wouldn't tow a trailer or a boat with it. I ran a two-bike Thule rack for years without issue.

The reason they put the smaller hitch on cars is because the bigger hitches have a bigger load rating and there's a risk of ruining the car's chassis.

Also consider the effect on ground clearance.

[Bull_Dozer]

Originally Posted by Sublime

http://bb.nsmb.com/archive/index.php/t-146530.html



Sublime
01-09-2012, 02:24 AM
1up usa. Expensive, with a crappy website..., but hands down the nicest, most well thought out bike rack i have ever used. Comes fully assembled. Reasonably light. Literally takes 10 seconds to instal, or take off, on the hitch. Loading a bike once rack is on hitch adds another 10 seconds to your rack time.

Greatest rack out there.

Www.1upusa.com

I've read nothing but positive things about this rack but to me it looks kind of homemade, and I'd rather not have to screw around with the shipping. Looking for something that I can pick up locally just do avoid all the shipping hassle.

[craw]

Originally Posted by Sublime

http://bb.nsmb.com/archive/index.php/t-146530.html



Sublime
01-09-2012, 02:24 AM
1up usa. Expensive, with a crappy website..., but hands down the nicest, most well thought out bike rack i have ever used. Comes fully assembled. Reasonably light. Literally takes 10 seconds to instal, or take off, on the hitch. Loading a bike once rack is on hitch adds another 10 seconds to your rack time.

Greatest rack out there.

Www.1upusa.com

Wow that rack looks underbuilt. Not sure if it's fair to mention that all the bikes pictures are road bikes and 29ers? To me that suggests that much heavier bikes just weren't on their design radar, nor part of their desired demographic. If the rack was burly enough to handle 4 40lb bikes you can be sure they'd want you to know about it.

[ReductiMat]

Originally Posted by craw

Wow that rack looks underbuilt. Not sure if it's fair to mention that all the bikes pictures are road bikes and 29ers? To me that suggests that much heavier bikes just weren't on their design radar, nor part of their desired demographic. If the rack was burly enough to handle 4 40lb bikes you can be sure they'd want you to know about it.

It handles two DH rigs just fine.

The pictures doesn't do it justice. It's as if the entire thing was CNC'd out of a block of aluminum.

The thing I like about this over my buddies Kuat are the aluminum arms that hold each tire as opposed to a plastic covered arm holding the front and a plastic tie down on the rear.

That said, you can't go wrong with either.

A word of warning, if you get the Kuat, don't bother using the locking cable. You only need a slightly sharp butter knife to get through it.

[RNH-Richmond]

Originally Posted by Bull_Dozer

Looking to get a hitch mount bike rack - not sure whether to get a North Shore Bike Rack or a tray style rack (Yakima, Thule, etc.). It's for a Honda Accord so I think I am limited to a 1 1/4 hitch, so I think I can only get the NSR2.

Anyone have any input?

Yeah, your Accord will only take a Class I hitch (1-1/4" receiver, 200-250 lb max tongue weight) like most passenger cars these days. That will handle hauling 2 bikes on a platform with no problem though.
Like a lot of people, I'm a fan of the Thule T2, but there are decent racks for less money out there too. The Thule Doubletrack or even the $200-ish SportRack EZ2 are good examples.