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# 1
Curt 2 Bike Platform Rack - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Frame Mount - Tilting
Bike rack has been great. We've taken it on several road trips. It makes taking the bikes somewhere close to the house an option now. Before this we had one of the strap on racks that take 15 minutes to get the rack and bikes onto the car, the thought of going anywhere with the bikes was really annoying. This thing takes 2 minutes to get on or off, so taking the bikes somewhere is a breeze.
I installed this rack onto a Curt trailer hitch which is mounted onto a 2017 Honda Fit. I have been using it intermittently for several months, probably about 5 times with one bike and twice with two bikes. I give some pros and cons below and then elaborate. Pros: easy to assemble, easy to mount and dismount bikes, easy to lock and unlock, how to put the rack into different positions is intuitive Cons: inconvenient to put the rack into different positions, inconvenient to mount the rack onto the hitch, rack protrudes about 15 inches from bumper when in flipped up position (seems very vulnerable to someone backing into it in a parking lot, very inelegant looking I say the repositioning is intuitive because there is really only one way you could possibly place the pins for each position. But removing and replacing two pins is much less convenient than turning a knob or a lever, like some racks do. Also many racks fold and flip in such a way as to look very unobtrusive when in non-use mode. This one looks like kind of a monstrosity. That does not really bother me but it might bother some owners. The part that does bother me is how far it protrudes from the car. I back into parking spaces whenever possible to avoid someone bumping into the rack and damaging it (which happened to a friend). My number one suggestion for Curt is related to mounting the rack onto the hitch. Make it easier to tell when the holes are lined up so that the bolt/pin will fit and thread. As it is now, if you insert the rack as far as it can go it is way too far in. Ideally, it would be exactly lined up. Failing that, maybe some kind of click or other feedback to know at least that you are in the neighborhood. It would also be great to have an attaching device that is easier to fasten and unfasten than is the bolt/pin. Tip for mounting the rack onto the hitch: I assumed that it would be awkward to hold, what is it 46 pounds?, while trying to line up the rack probe with the receiver. If you have a garage with exposed collar ties, my solution could work well for you. I looped a cargo strap over a collar tie. Then I hooked both hooks of a bungie onto that loop. The idea is that you hook one of the bike frame holders of the rack onto the bungie, suspending the rack a few inches off the garage floor. This takes most of the weight of the rack so that you can just pull up or down and forward until you line up with the receiver. Tip for mounting bikes. Don't put the little screw into the post that prevents you from completely removing the bike frame holders. Remove both holders. Position the first bike, slide the holder into place, position the second bike, slide the holder into place. I found this makes it much easier, because you avoid parts of the bike hitting the holder as you are trying to get the wheels into place. The trick is that if you are mounting only one bike, don't forget to put the second holder back on - or maybe just stick it inside the car right away.
# 2
Kuat Transfer V2 Bike Rack for 1 Bike - 1-1/4" and 2" Hitches - Wheel Mount
This is a solid product. Easy to assemble and simple to operate. A couple of issues make it less than ideal. First, because it is built to fit 1 1/4 and 2" hitches, the hitch pin holes do not line up correctly in a standard 2" trailer hitch. This means that you cannot use a 5/8" hitch pin. You can use the smaller pin, but you get the kind of fit you would expect -- it's loose and it rattles. If the cam system fails, the smaller hitch pin isn't going to help much. This is a huge design flaw in my opinion. Note that if you order the hitch pin lock that they say you need for this particular rack (HL2), it comes with a 5/8" pin that won't fit. Just dumb. My rack didn't come with the cable, so I contacted etrailer and after alot of back and forth, they said they would reach out to Kuat. That was a month ago. There is not a cap to snap over the cable lock, so when the rack is folded in the upright position, water leaks into the hollow bar behind the lock. It will sit in there forever unless you pull the rack and turn it upside down. I put a piece of duct tape over it -- the lock is no use to me since etrailer and Kuat can't seem to provide me with the missing cable.
The rack is great for a senior single. Lightweight to install into hitch and seems pretty sturdy. However the directions for assembly need help. 1.The Tire Hook Arm Assy and Arm Kunckle and Arm Installation: The pictures show assembling the Hook Arm and Arm Knuckle in one way. And Installing the Arm show the cutout of the Arm Knuckle for the screw another way. I think the 2 diagrams don't agree with each other as far as which side of the rack the arm is installed on. It added more time for assembly. 2. In the Hitch Shank Assembly, the holes for slipping in the bolt were not lined up - at all. Tried to wiggle, somewhat force it - no success. I finally figured out that the plastic wrap that was put into place to hold the Foot Pivot lever at a certain tension - wasn't really holding it at all. Once I pressed on the Foot Pivot tension lever, the holes could be aligned for an easy insertion of the bolt. I hope this helps
What our customers are saying:
"We just recently used the hitch bike rack, it was easy to put on and worked great.It makes traveling easy! Thanks for the quick shipping service too.Ill recommend your product to everyone. Thanks Rick"