# 1
Kuat NV 2.0 Base Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Wheel Mount - Matte Black
When I ordered this rack, I was thinking " Wow, this is a lot of money for a bike rack." Now that its assembled and I loaded it with 4 bike's (don't ask me what the bike's cost) I'm thinking "Wow, this is a lot of bike rack for the money". Awesome product and customer service.
This rack definitely has some pros and cons (as do most racks). A minor frustration is that despite ordering the rack and add-on at the same time, the keys don’t match so if locking three or more bikes you need two different keys (this has only really irritated me when it was raining). As other reviewers have mentioned, this thing is heavy. Neither my wife nor kids can lift it to put it on or get it off the car by themselves. The downside is that given the size of the rack it is not real convenient to just leave it on the car. When the rack is in the up position, it is impossible to get in the back so it is necessary to lower the rack each time you want to get in. The other downside is that the rack significantly cuts down on visibility when backing up. All that being said, the rack is rock solid and the bikes are very secure. The rack is great for extended trips. When loaded and tipped down, it is great to be able to open and access the back. The spacing of the bikes is great and I don’t have to spend 15 minutes figuring out how to slide four bikes in just the right spot to make them all fit as I did with my old rack. Best of all the bikes are only sustaining damage on the trail, not on the back of the car! Despite some minor annoyances, I highly recommend this rack. As for assembly, my 13 year old put it together by himself in about 20 minutes (I promised him i would include that fact).
# 2
Hollywood Racks Road Runner Bike Rack for 5 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Tilting
So, one year in, this works well for the price. I have successfully hauled around 5 bikes a couple times now including a couple vacations. Bikes got there securely despite 4+ hours of driving at interstate speeds, including one harrowing stretch on bumpy roads with 70 mph speed limits (wow Texas, seriously?) where the car got significant amounts of "air" at random intervals. Getting the bikes on and off is still a major pain. I had to buy the adapter for 3 womens/children's bikes. My own full size mountain bike barely fits on, too, the pitch between the bars seems a bit challenging and requires me to contort the bike dramatically to get it on and off. If you are trying to actually get 5 bikes on here, figuring out the bike handle tetris game is not easy. Will take you a bit. It still takes me ~15 min to load 5 bikes up every time. On short trips I sometimes skip the tiedown through all the bike wheels and it's fine, although I wouldn't do it for long trips. My biggest regret here is not buying one where the rack will pivot out to allow access to the rear minivan hitch with the bikes attached -- this means this is the last thing to pack in the car and the first thing you unpack, every time on vacation. It requires planning and forethought. The rack does fold down nicely which we used extensively on vacation once the bikes were unpacked, just don't drive around that way. On my Honda minivan the bottom of this sags a bit when fully loaded with bikes, to the extent I scrape hard every time exiting my slightly inclined driveway. We found a few other low spots along our way, from restaurants to other businesses, that resulted in similar cringe-inducing moments. We drove it on the beach quite a bit, after a healthy wash with the pressure washer there is some mild rusting where the handles rotate, but the rack is otherwise in good shape.
Bought several bike racks and trailer hitches from etrailer. They followed up to make sure all was good. I would highly recommend buying from them. Good people and they care about the customer!
# 3
Kuat NV 2.0 Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Wheel Mount - Gunmetal Gray
What an awesome rack. The modular aspect of it is fantastic. Sometimes it’s just my and my wife, no need for a 4 bike carrier. Other times, another couple may want to go with us, not a problem, add on the extension to make it a four bike rack. I’ve never timed it, but I don’t think it takes more than 15 minutes to add the extension. The hitch tension wheel (sorry, don’t recall what KUAT calls it) is great. Pin the hitch, hand tighten the wheel and you’ll think that the rack was part of your vehicle. No swaying or bouncing around. The cradle and hook system is quite secure, I’ve never felt unsure about it. The built in cable locks are nice if you are overnighting at a hotel, great peace of mind that your bikes will still be there in the morning. The drop mechanism is spot on, the hatch clears when you drop it down, if only by a smidge causing my wife to gasp once or twice that her paint would get scratched by a handle bar. Naturally, lifting the rack back up with 4 bikes loaded on it can be a chore but the rack never claimed to defy the laws of physics. The only downsides: the rack is too heavy and awkward to handle with the extension. If you have the extension on and loaded, there is a lot of weight back there. This rack is for my wife’s Expedition, no small vehicle, and if I change lanes too quickly, it will definitely give you some sway. I could only imagine what it would feel like in a smaller vehicle. Obviously, with the extension on, it adds quite a bit of length to your vehicle. However the last 2 points are easily managed simply by remembering the bike rack is on there.
You get what you pay for.... the Kuat NV 2.0 Hitch Bike Rack isn't cheap, but it is exceptional quality and looks great!! Kuat seemed to incorporate every detail you can imagine: it securely fits and tightens into the receiver so there is NO wobble, the rack folds down/away from our Expedition so we can access storage with the bikes loaded on the rack, the integrated cable/lock is very secure, the bike stand is a great feature to make adjustment, it is well built and should last for years. We love our Kuat NV 2.0 Hitch Bike Rack!
# 4
Swagman XTC4 Bike Rack for 4 Bikes - 2" Hitches - Frame Mount
Rack is very sturdy and heavy duty. Instructions were terrible. Locking hitch pin would not thread correctly and ended up damaging it. Thankfully the threads on rack were fine and I was able to use the non-locking threaded pin. Would like a replacement locking pin ASAP
If you've done any research or read any of the other comments on either this rack, or this seller...rest assured they really are as good as everyone says! I ordered my rack on around 4pm est on a Friday afternoon and within an hour I received an email that said they have shipped my product AND upgraded to priority shipping. Can't say enough positive things about the customer service! When the rack arrived, it took me a little over half an hour to get it set up. Probably would e been faster if I were even slightly mechanically inclined (or if didn't I didn't have to borrow a socket wrench from my neighbor). We finally had an opportunity to load up the bikes and head out for a ride today. As others have said, the first time you load up your bikes, it's kind of like a puzzle to get them situated. Took about 15 minutes. This rack is awesome! Very sturdy and the bikes were very secure. Only racks I have had in the past were rooftop fork mount racks. This is so much easier! On e we got to the trail (over an hour drive) getting the bikes off was a piece of cake. Afterwards, it was time to load them back up and it was less than 5 minutes to get them all on and ready to hit the road. There were other 4-bike racks on the website, but this one had enough great reviews that I felt comfortable making the purchase. After the fact, I'm very glad I did! I can't imagine the $800 rack can be that much better than this, and I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a 4-bike platform rack. I will definitely recommend this rack and etrailer.com to everyone I know.
What our customers are saying:
"Just to let you know I was very satisfied with my orders for a hitch, wiring harness, bike rack and extension. I have a 1995 Dodge Ram van and some of the parts are hard to get elsewhere. I received all my orders proptly and will recommend you to others. The pricing can't be beat. Thank you. Sincerely, Frank"