New Bike Rack - NSR4 or Hang5

NS rack wrecks your bike , they're way overpriced for what you get IMO and they 're HEAVY = bad for your mileage.

Never heard of The Softride but it appears to be the same thing and probably just a pale imitation.

This is the best rack Ive ever had in my live :

http://kuatracks.com/en/products/bike/the-nv/

Rated for offroad, lifetime warranty, very sturdy/no rattle/slop , looks pimp , comes with an integrated lock and even has a freaking bike stand for parking lot wrenching ;-)

It sits quite high and I actually believe I even get more clearance with that thing at the back of my truck than I did with my old NS.

Every time I review one of these threads I rue the day I got rid of my Honda Element. Bikes inside, wheels on, strapped to the sides. But the seats were shitty and combined with the standard tranny it was killing my back. I do miss that utility though. That car was an actual sport UTILITY vehicle unlike many of the poofy ones.

GladePlayboy: Do you know if the Jackknife 2 will fit 2 DH bikes w/40mm forks like Fox 40s or Monster Ts? The trays look awful close together. I sent Swagman that ? [HTML_REMOVED] haven't received an answer yet…..

Not 100% sure, but I would damn well hope so!!! I ordered it for my DH bike(s). Since it is based on the Arbutus rack which could easily handle 4 DH bikes I would think that this shouldn't be an issue. If you are having trouble getting a hold of Swagman I have had good success on their FB page.. always quickly answer my questions.

NS rack wrecks your bike , they're way overpriced for what you get IMO and they 're HEAVY = bad for your mileage.

Never heard of The Softride but it appears to be the same thing and probably just a pale imitation.

This is the best rack Ive ever had in my live :

http://kuatracks.com/en/products/bike/the-nv/

Rated for offroad, lifetime warranty, very sturdy/no rattle/slop , looks pimp , comes with an integrated lock and even has a freaking bike stand for parking lot wrenching ;-)

It sits quite high and I actually believe I even get more clearance with that thing at the back of my truck than I did with my old NS.

I like most of the racks like the one you mention where the bikes sit upright. The problem is when you want to leave the rack setup to carry more than two bikes the rack becomes huge.

It is the same for the 1Up, the NV, the Thule or the Yakima.

Nothing is perfect for all situations.

Every time I review one of these threads I rue the day I got rid of my Honda Element. Bikes inside, wheels on, strapped to the sides. But the seats were shitty and combined with the standard tranny it was killing my back. I do miss that utility though. That car was an actual sport UTILITY vehicle unlike many of the poofy ones.

threads like this make me glad to have a pick up :P I always thought elements were cool too though. Driving a muddy logging road in a friends suv with a tray type rack destroyed my brakes once, basically shot mud straight at the brakes/hubs the whole way up. And a buddy drove across Canada with a NSR rack, brand new bike. Wheel was spinning and hubs were destroyed!

threads like this make me glad to have a pick up :P I always thought elements were cool too though. Driving a muddy logging road in a friends suv with a tray type rack destroyed my brakes once, basically shot mud straight at the brakes/hubs the whole way up. And a buddy drove across Canada with a NSR rack, brand new bike. Wheel was spinning and hubs were destroyed!

Spinning wrecked the hubs!? I just got a NS4 rack haven't even got to use it yet. I may bungee the wheels on longer trips just to be safe.

I like most of the racks like the one you mention where the bikes sit upright. The problem is when you want to leave the rack setup to carry more than two bikes the rack becomes huge.

It is the same for the 1Up, the NV, the Thule or the Yakima.

Nothing is perfect for all situations.

good point, I drive a Tacoma so I only need the 2 racks and can always load more bikes in the truck if I need…

NS rack wrecks your bike , they're way overpriced for what you get IMO and they 're HEAVY = bad for your mileage.

BS! I have NS 6. Driven with it to Moab and all over BC. I rarely take it off of my van. The bikes are fine. Really, the wheel spinning destroyed the hub? Stop buying huffy's and you wont have a issue. If your really worried about the hubs, stick a bungie through the wheels. If the rack is so heavy that effects the fuel milage then it sounds like the issue is with the car not the rack.

Best damn racks built!

nd a buddy drove across Canada with a NSR rack, brand new bike. Wheel was spinning and hubs were destroyed!

You mean just the front wheel right (as the bike rests on the rear)? Only so called issue I have with my NSR2 is the aforementioned slop. I'd really like that to go away.

I do believe this is the main reason why I miss my truck:

I'm so glad I got one of the last Arbutus racks.

Just got word back from Swagman that the Jackknife 4 will fit 4 DH bikes without issue. Since it is based on the Arbutus design this is the answer I expected.

I saw that one as well, it looks great. Again the issue is with fenders on the front wheel. Not certain it would accommodate them well or would perhaps break them. Also it is available starting in April. I am going to be without a bike rack as of tonight. Need to have something in place a little earlier. Although it doesn't specifically say, but it looks like it might not work for 24" wheeled bikes, which I have for my boys. So that also puts it out of the picture.

I have ordered the Hang5 from MEC. MEC has an excellent return policy, so if it does not work for our bikes or vehicle I can return it. At which point I would likely get the NSR4. I will take some pictures and advise on how it works out once I receive the rack.

Did you get the rack yet… pictures? What's the verdict?

Yes, I did get a rack. I started with getting the Hang5 from Softride. I ordered it through MEC after verifying that I could return should it not work for my requirements. My thinking was simple. I had already seen NSR4 rack around and knew it would work, but wanted to see the Hang5 in person to see if it was perhaps a better rack. So, as I said, I started with the Hang5

Rack came in a few days later and was picked up from MEC in two fairly large and heavey boxes. Putting it together was relatively easy with the help from my 8 yr old son. After building the rack and folding it up and down a couple of times I realized this was not the rack for me. I it heavy and larger than it looked in the pictures. Also once it is folded down it is still huge, sticking out about 3 feet from the bumper. Might have been because it was new but it was too hard moving back an forth from normal to layback position. My wife wouldn't have been able to use. It would be a good rack for someone with a large vehicle with really good ground clearance that will not be folding or unfolding the rack often.

After several emails between myself and Alison and Malcom from North Shore Racks I went and picked up my new NSR4. Arrived at their place rack was assembled and ready to be installed. A couple of installation and loading tips and I was on my way. Alison was happy to hear of my comparison on the Hang5 and the resulting choice of the NSR4.

I am out on the island now, so pictures will have to wait until I get home. We took over both kids 24" wheeled bikes along with mine and the wife's. All bikes loaded easily and were steady on the rack.

After looking into pretty much every rack out there, I am quite certain I ended up with the best rack available.

NS rack wrecks your bike , they're way overpriced for what you get IMO and they 're HEAVY = bad for your mileage.

There is so much mis-information in these two lines I feel like I would like to add my .02.

Please define 'wrecks your bike'? I have one of the original NSR-4 racks, which means I have had it for about 6-7 years. I cannot count the number of bikes that have been loaded onto it and off of it, and not a single one was 'wrecked'.

Heavy? I think they weigh in the 50lb range give or take. If you look up your Kuat rack, it weighs 49lbs for the two bike version and add 30lbs for the 2 bike extension. That is 80lbs to carry 4 bikes. Your complaint that the NSR weighs too much is just flat out wrong. If an extra 50-80lbs really effects your gas mileage THAT much, perhaps you shouldnt take any passengers either?

Overpriced? The NSR-2 is $399, the NSR-4 is $550. Your Kuat NV is in the $500+ range for the two bike version, and the 2 bike add on is $350. Now lets discuss who is overpriced….

End rant