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The Kuat Beta keeps things simple at under 14 lbs, so it’s light enough to lift and install solo. The aluminum build resists corrosion and still feels solid on the road. No tools are needed—just slide it in, hand-tighten the cam system, and let the built-in anti-rattle wedge lock the rack steady inside your 1-1/4" hitch. When you’re done, pull the pin and store it without wrestling bulky steel parts.
Nothing ruins a trip faster than bikes banging together. The Beta’s soft anti-sway cradles secure each bike at three points—top tube and seat post—to keep them from rocking or scuffing. Hand knobs tighten the joints where the arms fold and the mast tilts, cutting out vibration during highway runs. Everything stays snug, even on rough pavement.
Grabbing gear from the back doesn’t have to mean removing the rack. With removable bail pins, the Beta tilts down easily when bikes aren’t loaded, giving you access to cargo runs or weekend coolers. It’s a small touch that makes daily use more convenient.
The dual arms support two bikes with a wide 11" spacing, then fold flat when not in use. The shank folds up too, keeping the footprint small for garage parking or closet storage. You can leave the rack on between rides or tuck it away neatly until the next trip.
With a 40-lb capacity per bike and a steel-reinforced 1-1/4" shank, the Beta is ready for two adult bikes without strain. It fits Class I and II hitches, and the gray powder-coat finish handles weather year-round. Optional hitch and cable locks add theft deterrence, and an adapter bar (sold separately) levels step-through or kid frames. The result is a rack that feels strong but never heavy.
Customer Satisfaction Score:
82% were satisfied with this product
18% of customers were not satisfied
Ratings & Reviews
Bike rack is great! I weigh 105 pounds and am over 50. It is great to have a bike rack that is easy to put on a car. Definitely lives up to expectations.
What I love about this hitch:
1. So lightweight that I can install and uninstall it by myself quickly and easily (female, under 5' tall and <100 lbs.)
2. It's STURDY
3. With the Kuat hitch lock, I feel more secure that the rack won't be stolen (sold separately). Universal brands of hitch locks, 1/2", do not fit. It seems to have to be this one
4. Easy to strap the bikes on, and the straps appear strong
5. Our 2 bikes didn't smack into each other on our test run of about 10 miles
6. On same test run, rack didn't move. We were fearful at first, but after a short while forgot it was on the car
What I don't like (minor annoyance, not about the rack itself):
The silly drawstring burlap bags that are included with Kuat's products for the small accessories!! They are bulky, scratchy, impractical, and I just want to throw them out! :)
I couldn't be happier with my purchase...from the price, to the rack itself, to the great service (and easy to navigate/informative website) at etrailer!
Best bike rack I have used. My last rack was so heavy and it made it quite difficult to remove it from the receiver. This one is as smooth as butter.
However, the design intent of placing the hole for mounting it to the receiver is flawed. The manufacture places it off center and expects you to use the small 3/8' pin provided to fit between the rack and the receiver for a 1-1/4' hitch receiver. The holes apparently line up perfect with a 2" receiver. This is a dumb idea. I am forced to drill the hole centered so I can use the 1/2' locking hitch pin I have. I don't want to buy a 3/8" locking pin since I need a 1/2" one for my trailer. This makes an oblong hole in the bike rack.
Note to Kuat: Center the dang thing or making unique sizes for each hitch receiver it a better plan.
We hauled our bikes around the eastern provinces of Canada last summer and they rode great on the rack, even on rough roads. The rack is easy to mount on the hitch and it swings down easily for access to the hatchback. The rubber straps seem durable and they are quick and simple to use for securing the bikes to the rack.
I got this rack instead of a similar (but more expensive) Thule lightweight rack, because the Thule was on back order and I wanted the rack for an upcoming trip. This one proved to be a very good value, but to be honest, I still think the Thule would have met my needs a little better. This rack delivered pretty much as promised, especially in the light weight. It was very easy to handle due to its light, aluminum construction, while not feeling at all flimsy. Everything is very solidly built, and fairly easy to use. Installation was simple, although folding and unfolding with the pins requiring removal and re-insertion is a bit more fiddly than the simple lever releases some other racks (such as the Thule) use. But it got easier with a bit of practice. The rack attaches to the receiver very solidly with the anti-rattle device simple to manually tighten once the hitch pin is in place. The bikes were very easy to load and secure, but I did find the “anti-sway” straps to be kind of ineffective. I solved this problem with three velcro straps - two to secure the inner bike’s frame to the rack, and one to secure the frames of the bikes to each other. A roll of half inch (or so?) velcro is incredibly useful for carrying bikes on a rack - I also use it to secure the handlebars to prevent any sway there when the bikes are on the car as well. Overall, a very solid rack, and a good value, if not quite as slick and easy to use (with designed into the rack locks as well) as the more expensive Thule aluminum rack. Four stars for the rack, but definitely five stars for all the people I dealt with at etrailer - definitely first class customer service at every point in the process.
I've had this rack for about 1 year now and am very happy with it. The rack is really well engineered--sturdy, light weight and easy to put on and take off of the hitch. I've used it with both one and two bikes with no issues. The only negative about the rack is that the pin that locks it to the hitch is a non-standard size (smaller diameter) and the pin doesn't have a tether, so it would be easy to lose and I think the only place to get a replacement is from Kuat.
Excellent carrier! Zero sway and solid as a rock.
Only downfall is the pin that goes through the hitch. Kinda hard getting the spring part on and off of the pin. I pinched my hand a few different times. Wish there were a better pin system.
Ralph
8/24/2022
Still excellent! I just used it again today. 100 recommend.
I looked at a lot of bike racks and the Kuat was one of the very best. Lightweight and a reasonable price. It folds nearly flat and easy to store in the trunk. I'm using on a Toyota Prius and one pleasant surprise was I can open the hatchback without moving the rack or the bikes.
Genek
5/24/2015
Great...the Best Bike Rack Out There. Easy to use ad Lightweight. Very glad I purchased it.
Wow! Quick delivery, great products! The hitch fit my Mini perfectly, the instructions were impeccable, and the recommended bike rack the perfect complement to the hitch- I am a very happy man! Thank you ETrailer...
George L.
3/20/2018
My initial enthusiasm has not waned...I’m so happy with my purchase...absolutely no regrets!
The quality of the bike rack was excellent, but I was unable to use it because I couldn't open and close my trunk (Honda Accord 2012) when the bike rack was closed. It may have worked if I had a different trailer hitch, but I didn't want to spend the extra money on a new trailer hitch. Unfortunately, I will need to return the bike rack.
Heather A.
9/5/2024
Hey Wanda, do you have a OEM Honda hitch on your Accord? Sometimes the OEM hitches can be more recessed under the vehicle. You could use an extender but you want to be careful. The 1-1/4" hitches have a lower capacity and an extender will cut that in half. You can use part # hes6 to extend the hitch. If the tongue weight capacity of your hitch is 200 lbs then this extender will make it 100 lbs so be careful.
I love my Kuat Bike Rack and the trailer hitch I bought from etrailer. The main thing I appreciated was Mike H and Victoria B, with their indepth knowledge and good advice. Putting a trailer hitch and bike rack on a Mazda Miata is not easy - but the pieces Mike and Victoria recommended all worked great. Thank you for being a great company!
Bcb
10/12/2017
Love my bike rack! It still feels quite sturdy after a year, and easy to use.. I like how I can fold it down to take up less space in my tiny garage. Thanks!
I have this rack on a 1-1/4" hitch fitted to a KIA Soul. It's my first hitch/rack so I don't have anything to compare it with but I find it very easy to use. It has loops on it that allow the rack to be locked to the hitch - peace of mind when left on the car.
One of the best things about it is its ability to swing away from the hatchback door. That has been useful frequently. I also use the rack as a bike stand to work on the bike.
If you're new to bike racks like this, be advised that you may want to secure the front wheels of the bikes; they tend to move around a LOT if untied. I think this would go for any rack of this style.
Shimon I.
8/31/2018
Super! Loading the rack and the bike takes just a few minutes and expands my biking range tremendously.
Very light rack. It works just fine. I wish it included an integral cable lock.
Well-designed bike rake.
This hitch totally fit my needs. It is super light weight and fold up to store very easy in the back of my CR-V or on the shelf in my garage. It holds the bike securely and the price was absolutely right on. I use it on my Honda CR-V.
Great service- free shipping was upgraded and I received
It in 4 business days, bike rack is wonderful
I shopped around for this rack and etrailer
Had the best price never have the words "Great Rack" been
Truer - and this is a girlie thing but it looks great
On my car
I am very pleased with our Kuat bike rack. It is everything as advertised by etrailer and I will definitely make additional purchases with this company.
After asking an etrailer expert about the Kuat Beta bike rack, I ordered it online. It is just what I needed to transport our bikes (using a class 1 trailer hitch) behind our small car. It is lightweight, but seems to be well made.
Really happy. Shipment was originally delayed because the adapter bar was back ordered but I emailed and the folks at etrailer got it on its way. Arrived an hour ago and I’ve already put it on to check fit. Very glad I bought the Kuat. Light enough for me to get it on without help. The bikes seem to swing forward and back a bit so I’ll look into how I can fix that. But I’m excited to get the bikes out of town.
Arrived in two days so I can was very pleased. I put this rack on my Infiniti G37x sedan. Purchased this model because the aluminum frame is light weight and won't rust like steel in the rain. It took about 15 minutes to install and also fold up quickly when removed or placed in trunk. The rack locks in tight with no wobble or movement. I can also access the trunk with bikes mounted on rack which is nice. Note to buyers: you will need to purchase a hitch lock and bike lock as it doesn't come with the Kuat rack. This seems pretty consistent with similar rack options.
This is my first bike rack, but for the price I don't know if you can do any better. The rack is light and easy to use. The rack is completely stable at all speeds, and even when I drive fairly aggressively. The anti-wobble features work as well as you would expect. The rack has also done no noticeable damage to my bike, with the exception of the size sticker that is on the upper part of the seat tube. This is a sticker that I planned to remove anyway, so no worries there.
One word of caution though, and this goes for any "hanging" bike rack: if you have quick-release wheels, make sure the quick release lever is fully tightened and closed. On my way home the other day the vibrations of the road loosened the lever on my rear wheel and the wheel came off when I went over a small bump in the road at speed. The drive chain and my cable lock kept the wheel from smashing into the road. Now I know to check the tightness on the levers not just before I ride, but also before I transport the bike.
I love this rack. It is heavy duty but still light. I am impressed with the design of the anti-wobble feature, the folding mechanisms and the straps. I saw a comment somewhere that you can't drop the rack while loaded. It might not be recommended but I do it every time I load my bike and forget that my Chevy Sonic hatch is still up. I do it with only one bike on it and lower it slowly and it works fine. This is no fault of the rack but I did run into conflicts with loading my 29'er and my fat bike at the same time. They both have slanted top tubes which put the tires and bars in the same spot. It looks like I can rotate one of the pads and strap it to the down tube though. I am very happy with this rack.
We've been using this bike rack with a 1.25" Draw-Tite receiver hitch (also purchased from etrailer) on a 2012 Prius C for a month with no problems. As shown on the pictures, it fits two bikes very well, even one with a baby carrier. I chose this model based on recommendations from etrailer that it can be easily detached from the car without tools. True to their word, it is very easily detachable from the hitch and folds up nicely to fit in your garage/closet/storage area. Basically, it uses a hand tightened ball bearing mechanism to secure itself into the hitch receiver, and then uses a 3/8" hand locked pin as a safety device. You can install and de-install this rack in just a few minutes. During driving, there is little noticeable vibration from this rack, even on rougher roads or speed bumps.
The only downside is that the holes on the receiver hitch do not align perfectly with the holes on the bike rack (see picture). I believe a few other reviewers also noted this issue. There is enough room to fit the safety pin, but not quite enough to fit a 1/2" hitch lock. I called Kuat to ask them about this and the rep told me that not all hitches will line up with this rack. Kuat, coincidentally(?), sells a hitch lock that is also 3/8" (same size as the safety pin) and still fits.
I was looking for a light weight bike rack for my 2015 Honda Accord. Your videos stated that the Kuat Beta was light and easy to install. You were right. I opened the box, read the instructions, and had it installed in about 10 minutes. I don't use a rack lock. It is so easy to pop on and off the hitch that I keep the rack in my car trunk.
Daniel F.
7/7/2020
Very easy to use. Excellent product.
Great customer service and communication. Bike rack arrived as scheduled . Quality rack at a good price. Highly recommend this company. Will use e-trailer in the future
Condition: Like New
Notes: May have damaged packaging or minor cosmetic blemishes.
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Diane
1/19/2018
The bike rack is great!