Tray-style bike rack recommendations

I'm looking for input on a new tray-style hitch rack. I picked up a 2" hitch and assumed that I could find an adapter for my 1.25" HoldUp Evo, but they don't make them. You can buy a replacement 2" tongue , but they are out of stock everywhere. Considering selling it and buying a new one. I've owned a Yakima Hold Up and Hold Up Evo so far, and while I've been relatively happy with them, they rust and have a cheap finish with lots of plastic for an $850 rack. 

New rack needs to fit 2 bikes and be compatible with ebikes, kids' bikes and fat bikes. Bonus for being expandable to 3-4 bikes in the future. Thule XTR is the frontrunner at the moment. New Yakima stage is also an option, but I'm hesitant given the cheaper finish of my previous Yakima racks. Does anyone have experience with Kuat or OneUp?

Thanks!

Happy with my Kuat, really like my 1Up roof rack and would love to try their tray rack. Basically no plastic and hardware is all pretty standard so very serviceable and durable. Compact and less bike-bike interference due to the angled design.

I sold my Kuat NV 2.0 after it got fairly rusty with only a few years of use. Other issue is that it wouldn't hold my kids' bikes with 16" wheels. I replaced the NV 2.0 with a 1Up heavy duty double and two add-ons. 

The good: The 1Up rack is all metal, seems super durable and I hear rust isn't as much of an issue (we'll see). It holds bikes down to 16" wheels and can be expanded with add-ons so you can carry 2, 3 or 4 bikes. Another bonus is that each additional tray further from your bumper is higher than the next one closer to your bumper. This makes it easier to load bikes without saddle / bar interference and also increases your ground clearance as compared to Kuat and Thule style racks (if that matters to you for clearing water bars, off-road use, etc). You can also get a license plate holder for the 1Up rack so you can avoid tickets for obscuring your plate. 

The bad: The raising and lowering mechanism is harder to use than the competition (Thule and Kuat). I don't find it "difficult" to raise and lower the rack but it is clearly not as clean / easy as with those other brands. My wife finds it difficult to raise and lower the trays when she wants to use the rack. So something to keep in mind. 1Up racks are also  more expensive than the competition (by probably hundreds of dollars, depending on what you're looking at).

Kuat is the worst high-end rack I have used. Doesn't hold the bike well enough on rough roads. I would second OneUp. That is a lifetime rack.

Posted by: heathen

Kuat is the worst high-end rack I have used. Doesn't hold the bike well enough on rough roads. I would second OneUp. That is a lifetime rack.

^^This. I had a Kuat before I got my 1Up. The Kuat was sloppy and shaky and didn't hold the bikes well. I've had my 1Up (2 trays) since 2014 and haven't had a single issue with it. I wouldn't look at anything else to be honest.

Thirding advice to avoid Kuat if you will be shuttling on rough FSRs. The 1-up is the only tray style one I've seen that seems to stand up to that use. The Thule ones will hold the bikes securely but there is too much plastic in them so over time on FSRs they will disintegrate.

My 1-Ups were bombproof and beautiful to use for the 6yrs I used them year-round (a 2-tray rear rack, and a roof tray).  I live 400m from the ocean, roads are salted every winter, and  drive on all manner of highways and FSRs.

I now carry my bikes in my truck's box under a locked canopy, using a self-built rack.   Otherwise I'd be using the 1-Up for sure.

As an aside:  I've used my buddy's NSR for weeks at a time, when my wife and I borrow his camper van for trips. It's OK, but I don't understand the attraction other than the 'look at me' spectacle.  The 1Up is so much better in my experience, unless you really need to carry 5+ bikes.

I have NSR-4, my dad has a 1Up. I'd take his 1Up any day of the week!

Also Rocky Mounts has a very 1Up-esque rack now.

Another vote for the 1up, I love how I can keep the single on and don't need to fold it down to access the rear hatch, but can add on in a minute. Simple and rugged. But yeah if it was up to 4 the release mechanism would get awkward. And somewhat lame for road bikes with fenders. 

I seriously don't understand the math on how they are supposed to be more expensive than the competition. Cheaper than the Kuat NV 2.0 that has been mentioned. Biggest bummer is getting them to Canada.

Lack of Canadian distribution = high cost once youve paid shipping and duties.

Posted by: tashi

Lack of Canadian distribution = high cost once youve paid shipping and duties.

Shipping costs will be high yes. There should be no duty on a 1UP as it is made in US of A.

Good info, thanks. 

All I know is I couldn’t stomach the shipping and dollar conversion when I priced one last so I keep my eye on the used market and snag whatever comes up weather I need one or not. Still kicking myself for passing on the  $250 2-bike hitch mount that came up here, that was a rare opportunity. 🤦🏼

I went from a Kuat to a 1Up recently because my Geometron wheelbase is too long for a Kuat rack. I like the 1Up better in every way EXCEPT I find that it rattles loose from the hitch pretty easily. Note that this is a 1.25" version; perhaps a 2" would be better but no one makes an off-the-shelf 2" receiver for my old Subie. Recently, I did about 15 mi of rough forest service road here in NM and had to pull over to tighten the rack a few times in that duration alone. I may add some friction paste to the interface (vs. grease) of the rack and hitch, and may also add some Loctite to the threads of the bolt used to tighten the rack. Just one data point to consider.

When I bought my single I think I paid 55USD shipping and got a $100 bill from Fedex for duty/fees etc. Wasn't doing that again. 

For the add-on and a few other bits a friend brought it across the border, no duty and free shipping (well, I bought them lunch). 

And FWIW my 1-1/4" hitch is still tight after a few years, but that's often one bike and paved roads.