Today we are going to show you the Sherpa from Kuat, part number S102. The Sherpa is a platform style bike rack that grasps your bike at the wheel instead of the frame, eliminating stress on the frame. Because the wheel mounts are positioned closer to the ground, loading and unloading your bikes can be done with ease. Large wheel mounts and pivoting cradles make positioning a snap. And the ratcheting wheel hooks and straps let you secure your bike quickly and easily. The rack itself folds up conveniently for storage, aligning with the rear of your vehicle to eliminate clearance concerns when it is not used. You can also tilt the rack down, even when bikes are loaded to get to the rear of your vehicle. 0:35
We are going to show you how to convert it from a 2 inch to a 1-1/4 inch, since that is what we are going to be using in this review. Using the Allen key it comes with, you simply just unscrew the converter. Then you can remove the converter and it is ready to install. First off, we will put the bike rack into the receiver hitch. After we put the rack in the hitch, we are going to go ahead and secure it with a pin and lock. Once we have secured the bike rack into the hitch, we will tighten down the anti-rattle knob. 1:07
Now we will go ahead and show you how to put a bike on there. Fold down the arm. Extend it out. Next, undo the ratchet strap by pushing down on the clip. Then roll the bike on. Secure the front tire first with the arm. Then secure the rear tire with the ratchet strap. Next we will show you how to put on a childrens bike. It is pretty much the same process as before, except this has an adapter that goes on the arm to secure the front tire. Next we are going to put the cable lock around it. Loop it around the front bike. Put it through the second bike. And then attach it to the lock and pin. And there you have it for part number S102, the Sherpa from Kuat. 2:11
Today were going to talk about getting your bikes together with your vehicle so you can go riding. Over here we have a variety of different bikes, the mom and dads bikes, and the kids bikes. Obviously, they have all different types of frames and sizes. What we are going to do here is figure out what kind of bicycle rack works with your type of bikes. To start off there are three different types of bicycle racks, i guess you could say three different configurations. One is the single arm version, on the left hand side here. It is pretty much the original design bicycle rack, not much has changed besides clamps and the hinge part at the bottom. It is the most economical one, for the most part it is the most tried and true piece of equipment. The next one in the center here, is called the two armed version. Basically, it is more stable, has two points of contact on the bicycle rack. It has pretty much been around as long as the single arm version, again it has proven technology, and pretty much there is not much to it except for the width on them. And then the last version is the wheel mount, which is relatively new. It grabs the bikes by the wheel and the frame so you have three points of contact compared to the other two.
