Kuat  Sherpa 2-Bike Hitch Rack

I've got both hard-tail(26" wheels) and FS mtn(29er) bikes. They both fit on the rack in seconds. The securing system is tried and true.(Thule style) The "adjustable cam" system doesn't help if you use a 2" adapter for a 2.5" receiver. The hole doesn't line up well with the receiver's hitch pin hole. So the only lock that fits, is the one that comes with the rack. Unfortunately, mine wouldn't open. The locksmith I took it to, said it wasn't useable. I have a 2013 GMC that I can't use the rack with. Very disappointed with that fact. If you want a basic rack for your grocery getter, this would be okay.

This is a great bike rack: it's reasonably light weight (<30#) although it's really solid, super convenient to load and unload (takes me less than 5 minutes to mount the rack, find the bikes, mount them, and be on the road!), tilts with the bikes on, really good looking (the white model goes great with my white car) and the company is based in Missouri. I only wish I got as many compliments from people about my bike!

I bought this rack a couple of months ago and have had some time to observe its behavior on small road trips (~150 miles). First some background on my own selection criteria: For over a year, my wife and I have been toting around our cruiser bikes in the back of our Yukon Denali. This worked sufficiently for local trips and was the ultimate in security (at least, one would have to physically break into the vehicle to get the bikes if they could see them covered with blankets and get past the vehicle alarm). Our stops at places other than trail heads were relatively brief and we still had enough room to carry groceries etc. for these trips. However, we started to look further across the region to do some riding on trails elsewhere and with camping gear, so we needed a rack to recover the interior space - and along the way make it easier to load and unload. After some research on brands and types, I had just about settled on the Yakima Holdup 2" (trailer hitch). Support from the bottom vs. top frame was more robust in my observation (including keeping bikes better spaced and not bumping into each other), and avoided awkward adapters for female bikes. However, I had enough questions that I decided to go to my local bike store vs. Amazon for additional consultation. While the bike salesman coincidentally had the Yakima Holdup and showed me on his own car, he also spoke highly of the Kuat based upon friends' experiences. After a quick check on-line for reviews and price, and rushed by my wife a bit, and noting this was the last model in the store, we opted for the Kuat Sherpa without further research. (In hindsight I might have considered the NV or given some more weight to the Yakima concerning the 2" hitch capabilities). Generally, I am satisfied. The design is attractive, the primary support structure is welded and lightweight, the assembly was straightforward (if not trivial, helped with the videos), and our bikes load and unload quickly. However, there are a couple of points where Kuat could improve and keep me from giving them a perfect score as others have done - and as I wanted to do given their energy as a relative newcomer in this market and fresh innovation in attacking the bigger guys. Drawbacks for a 2" hitch is that the Kuat Sherpa requires an adapter from their 1.25" design (not a true towing hitch as others have noted), making for a relative weak point in the attachment to the vehicle. The clever cam adapter design fits snugly, but again as others have noted the hitch pin does not fit securely and wobbles (roughly 0.25" too small). There is a large sway when traveling, but the carrier appears designed for this (note on jet trips where the wings will flex). I didn't subtract points in my evaluation for this - Kuat says they have tested in the Ozarks (which having lived in can respect!), but apart from the hitch adapter deficiency, it does seem that the overall rack could be sturdier for distance travel, both aluminum / steel parts and plastic fittings. Speaking of the hitch pin, this leads to the second area of improvement needed: Security. The security of the Kuat is unfortunately severely lacking, seemingly done as something of a last-minute afterthought in their design process, with a weak key lock on the hitch pin (one user said in a review that theirs came off even when locked; I felt it would likely give if I tugged a little on it, but didn't want to break it!). The cable they included depended on the hitch pin, and as others also noted was too short and thin to be of much use other than a minor deterrent for quick stops. But even here I was surprised that after a couple of uses the end of the cable (where it is crimped together), the provided cable gave way. The local bike shop gave me a K- brand cable to compensate. Security as an afterthought for a bike rack is really unforgivable given the costs of our bike and the high rates of bike theft, not to mention the cost of the Kuat Sherpa bike rack itself at $400+! Given that I aimed to go to remote areas or cities and leave my vehicle with bikes attached for hours or even overnight, I ended up buying a couple of large, proven hardened steel bike chains to compensate, at close to $300 extra, looping them through the frames, front and rear tires, and locking to the vehicle. Calculating that while heavy, I did remain just within the total 100 pound rated carrying capacity of the Kuat Sherpa. Using the cable to secure the Kuat rack itself and another cable for the seats available as needed, I felt that I was able to compensate for the Kuat's native security weaknesses. (Other racks according to the bike dealer have special hitch cam attachments that require a special tool to unlock; not foolproof, but an added security touch that Kuat could consider as well.) I spoke with Kuat customer support on the above two issues, and while supportive and friendly, the fellow I spoke with was surprisingly unreceptive to forwarding my feedback about the hitch (which should be a minor redesign of just a part) and was only somewhat sympathetic sounding on the security. On the hitch, I am considering working with a local metal shop to make this part. A further design improvement they could make that would help both the ruggedness and the security is to weld (vs. simply screw) the hitch attachment on. As it is, someone with nefarious intentions who knows what they are doing could take most of the $400 Kuat Sherpa simply by taking out 3 screws where the hitch attaches to the Kuat rack frame, even if the hitch is locked (and come up with the remaining part through some other means). In summary - a good bike rack with sex appeal and simplicity, but one that could nonetheless accommodate further ruggedness in the design and security improvements (or yet another more innovative startup could address...!)

This rack is sweeeettttt! You could tell the minute you took it out of the box. Quality is outstanding, Went together easily. The white looks really amazing on the car. Love the way you can open the back door when it is on. My bike sits well on it and will avoid the scratching my other rack caused. This is my third bike rack, it by far surpasses the other two racks.

Pros: Really like the rack. Very easy to use. Set your bike up there and lock it down. Assembly instructions were easy to follow and assembly was easy. You only need two tools and Kuat includes them and the tools are not some cheesey little wrench stamped out of sheet metal either. Allen wrench was also large so you could get some leverage on it. Installation was easy for me as it comes with the two inch receiver adapter installed. Rack is very light too. The only confusing thing was that the hitch pin flops around int the hole because it has to be adaptable for both 1 1/4" and 2" receivers. Customer support recommended to install pin THEN pull rack snug against it THEN tighten the rack down. The Tilt back feature is awesome if you own an SUV or truck. Works like a champ. Drove with it on my XTerra for 1,800 miles on a trip with no problems. It lives on my XTerra nowJust ensure you check the hitch tightening handle/bolt. Cons: The cable is not long enough to loop through both wheels and bike frame of one bike (let alone two!) to get back to the locking hitch pin. I bought a 7 foot cable at a box home improvement store and integrated it with the cable provided to lock both bikes. Heck even with that, it will only keep honest criminals from stealing your bikes anyway. I still bring the bikes in the hotel room at night when travelling. Another minor improvement for Kuat would be to provide stainless steel hardware instead of cad plated screws, bolts and washers (I'm upgrading it myself). Follow the instructions and ensure that you keep the hitch tightening handle tight so the rack doesn't start to wobble. It holds the bike snug and I felt 100% confident in it. Also looks cool because it is not the traditioanl black like the competetion. You won't be disappointed.

I've been using this rack for about 4 months and I LOVE IT! I had tried a roof top rack on my Subaru, but I'm a 50+ year old, 5'7" woman, and I wasn't able to get my 29er Stumpjumper up there without nearly killing myself every time. This rack is light enough that I can very easily take the rack off my car when I'm not using it, and in less than 5 min. I can put the rack back into the hitch mount, put my bike on it, and I'm off. If the rack is already in the hitch mount, it literally takes me less than a minute to load up and secure my bike. The rack has an adjustment so that it can be tightened once in the hitch mount, and my bike is very secure when using the ratcheting arms to hold it to the rack. I'm using it on a Nissan Xterra now, and have taken the rack off-road, with my bike loaded on to it, and it's very stable. My bike is a little longer than the Xterra is wide, so it extends about 4" beyond the right side of my Xterra when loaded on this rack. That's not been an issue for me. This Kuat rack has given me the independence that I'd been looking for. Now I can take off whenever I want, and I don't need to find someone to go with me so that they can help me load my bike. I haven't found anything about this rack that I don't like.

After a few months of use, here’s my review: - Assembly: 3 stars. Quite complicated, but the instructional video is excellent. I did need to refer to it constantly on my iPad, though. - Mounting on Car: 5 stars. Light enough for me to get it on and tighten easily. - Locking mount to car: 0 stars. Kuat needs to get MasterLock to make their hitch locks. Mine broke after first use. As you can see in other reviews, it happens more often than not. While a larger 5/8” replacement lock is easily available at any hardware store, the smaller lock (3/8”?) needed for the Sherpa is not made by anyone but Kuat. - Customer Service: 5 stars. I called Kuat to rant about the lock, and immediately got through to a calm staff member who apologized and sent another lock. - Mounting bike: 5 stars. Only issue is that I have a heavy bike to lift. Rack secures bike easily and tightly. - On the road: 4 stars. I don’t take it long distances, but I think the bike and rack would do well. My problem is that I have a low car (Honda Accord), and the plastic tightening grip hits the ground on slight rises. I’ve tried to turn it so it’s horizontal, but it appears to be designed to end up perpendicular. - Storing the rack: 0 stars. Definitely designed to be left on car. It takes up a lot of storage space and is best hung on a wall, if you have that much spare space. There is no easy way to lean it on the ground because the entire weight ends up on plastic parts.

It's a great rack. The tray style with the arms makes it easy to fit almost any style of bike unlike those with arms that go through the frame, which can be a pain for mountain, tri, stepthru, or kids bikes. I'll compare with the Thule T2 and Yakima holdup in the same price range. You get: A lot lighter. At 30 lbs I can carry it in one hand and my wife can load it on her car no problem. Looks nicer, not just welded black tubing. Better fit and finish, all the moving parts feel secure and well built. The bikes wobble a bit less in the rear view mirror. It fits my road bike, full suspension mountain bike, and the wife's hybrid just fine in any combination. Very secure. You lose: A true 2" receiver. It just has an adapter to 2" which is fine but you will never be able to get a 2 bike extension on it due to the limitations of the 1.25" hitch interface. Apparently the pin holes won't line up perfectly with the 2" adapter so they give you a smaller diameter hitch pin that will still work. The lock is just a cable that you run through the bikes then to the hitch pin lock. It's a bit awkward getting the cable to the hitch pin and locking/unlocking with the bikes on the rack. It lists a 40 lb weight limit per bike. That is really heavy, but with some very long downhill bikes the rear tire might hang a bit far off the edge of the rack. You can't adjust the trays forward and back because they are welded in place. For most purposes if you require the ability to put in on a class 1 (passenger car) hitch I think it's the one to get. If you only want to put it on 2" hitches and want the ability to expand to 4 bikes I'd get the Thule or upgrade to the Kuat NV.

This is my first Kuat after several Yakimas and Thules. It's at least as good if not better. They took no shortcuts; it's extremely well-built. Assembly is easy. My 5', 90# wife is able to put it on the car by herself with no problem, yet it still feels like a heavy duty piece of equipment. Very little movement of the bikes even at highway speeds and/or rough roads. Highly recommend.

I chose the Sherpa mainly because I like removing my rack from the car between uses, and so weight matters. At 29lb, the Sherpa is the lightest tray-style rack by far - all the others are closer to 50lb. If weight is a primary consideration, and you want a tray-style rack, search no more. This is your rack. Otherwise, you might compare to the competition. The Sherpa is very well made, but it has some quirks. For starters, the design of the tray/arm allows the bike to rock lengthwise. The front wheel just doesn't seem very secure in the tray. I solved this with a $4 velcro strap from the hardware store, which I use to strap the front wheel to the tray. I will note that I drove my bike all the way from Whistler to Seattle without said strap and the bike made it, so you may be fine without, but it's disconcerting. Second, the locking scheme is weak. Kuat includes a cable that you can loop around your bikes and then secure to the locking hitch pin. Fine in concept, but it can be a real pain reaching the hitch pin to lock the cable when the bikes are on. Personally I would be much happier with a ring/loop/hole somewhere on the front of the rack so I could just use my own cable lock. Lastly, the knob to secure the rack is both difficult to tighten and difficult to loosen. (Admittedly, not an issue if you leave the rack on your vehicle.) Kuat could learn something from the knob on the Yakima Ridgeback, which has nice ergonomics and a built-in lock.