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The best bike rack for a rear van hitch
Kuat NV Base 2.0 Hitch Bike Rack
KUAT NV 2.0 with Trail Doc (built in bike work stand arm)
Bikes are expensive these days and you want to know they are safe as you are transporting them behind your vehicle. In a van you often can’t see your bikes, which makes the security even that much more important. Let’s take a look at the Kuat NV 2.0 bike rack I have been using for the past couple of years as of this post.
If you are a cyclist, you probably check out bikes being transported on the cars around you. While you are checking out their bikes you are probably also looking at which bike rack they are using.
While transporting my bikes in the back of my car, I started noticing a lot of people using the Kuat bike racks. I began researching them and talking to people who owned them. I heard nothing but great reviews so I decided to take the plunge.
Like any quality made product, they aren’t cheap. When you are transporting bikes that cost into the thousands of dollars, you want to make sure they are secure and safe.
The Kuat NV Base 2.0 really has a solid hold on your bikes. I know this because I originally used this on my Prius and could watch the bikes in my rear view mirror over thousands of miles.
Now that they are behind my van and out of view, I know that they are secure. The bike rack in the picture above is attached to the Kuat Swing Arm. This allows me to swing the bikes out of the way so I can open both rear doors. That was a great addition.
Bikes are very easy to get on and off the rack. Once they are on, the tire is held securely in the front wheel cradle while you fasten the front and rear wheels.
Security
I want to comment on the built in security features of this bike rack. As I listed above it comes with a hitch pin and a built in cable lock for each bike. In my opinion these locks work great at keeping honest people honest, but they will not stop a determined criminal. Hitch pins can be snapped in seconds with a long pipe. The cables can be quickly cut with bolt cutters or a battery powered cutting disc. While these are great in certain areas and for certain situations, I would not count on them as a longterm security solution. I use the Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit Chain Lock to secure my bikes inside the house and on my Kuat NV Base 2.0 bike rack. Make sure you budget for security.
Features
- Load capacity 120 pounds.
- Handles wheelbases up to 48 inches.
- Handles tires up to 4.8 inches.
- Rack weight 51 pounds.
- As of this review it gets 4.8 out of 5 stars on Amazon.
- Comes with a built in cable lock for each bike.
- Hitch lock included.
- Front wheel ratchet style tensioner with easy release.
- Rear wheel ratchet strap.
- Available in 2 and 1.5 inch hitch sizes.
- Hand tight secure hitch cam system.
- Foot assist rack pivot system. Tilts up when not carrying bikes and back to allow hatchback doors to open.
- Front tire cradle is adjustable so bike seats and handlebars don’t touch.
- Expandable to carry 4 bikes.
- Fits 20 to 29 inch tires. Adaptor required for 20 to 24 inch tires.
Our Conclusion
This has been and will continue to be our sole bike rack for transporting our bikes to our next adventure. It is very easy to mount and secure the bikes to the rack. The bikes are very secure and steady as we drive down the road. We like the foot assist lever for tilting the bike rack up into the storage position or back when we need to open the rear door or hatchback of our vehicles. We would definitely recommend this product to anybody with road, gravel or mountain bikes. With the 120 pound weight limit you can easily carry two e-bikes too. We hope you find the rack that works best for you.
Click this Amazon link for current product pricing
If you have any questions or comments about this product, please submit them in the comments section below.
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