Written by: J.A. Caldwell

Introduction:

Over the years we’ve looked at several hitch mounted bike racks. We’ve checked out popular offerings from Yakima, Thule, and Saris. In this review we’re taking a look at a relative new comer to the bike rack market, Küat Innovations (pronounced Koo-at). Küat has included some innovative features into their racks that we think many riders will find helpful.

Küat offers a variety of bike racks in their lineup. In this review we’ll be taking a look at their tray style NV 2” 2-bike rack (there is also a 1.25” hitch version). Available only for the 2″ version, Küat also offers a 2 bike extension for those looking to carry more bikes with the NV rack.

The Product:

The Küat NV rack connects to the hitch mount on your vehicle. If you do not have a hitch on your vehicle already, you would have to get one installed first to be able to run this style of rack. We are reviewing the 2” version of the NV but they do make a 1.25″ version. The rack features are the same between the 2″ and 1.25″ version, except the 1.25″ version can not be equipped with the extra 2 bike attachment.

History:

Küat launched their first bike rack in 2008. Since then they’ve added more racks to their lineup. Their vision is to create the best racks on the market with strength, style, and the rider in mind. With the NV they wanted to create a platform rack that was easy to use and secure. They also wanted to create a rack that allowed for multi-functional use by including a repair stand into the design. No longer would riders have to pack a repair stand along on each trip and find stable ground. The vehicle is the anchor point which allows for use in just about any terrain scenario.

Features:

• Carries up to 2 bikes (can hold up to 4 with extension). 1.25” version can only hold 2 bikes.

• Carrying capacity for the 2” model is two 60lb bikes for 120lbs total. With the extension the 2” model can carry four 40lb bikes for 160lbs total.

• The NV can fit a wide range of bikes (20” to 29” wheel sizes) handling skinny road bikes to large downhill bikes.

• The NV makes minimal bike contact with the bike’s wheels and not the frame.

• Küat integrated a quick release lever in the racks tilting mechanism that allows the rack to be stored upright, down flat for use, and tilted down for rear vehicle access without having to remove any bolts from the rack.

• Küat includes an integrated adjustable repair stand called the Trail Doc.

• The rack comes with built in security cables and locking mechanism.

• The hitch pin comes with a lock and removable sleeve for pin hole size variances.

• Hand tightened cam system locks the rack into the receiver with a wedge (chrome wedge in the above picture) for secure fit.

• Küat offers a lifetime rack warranty.

Weight:

• 50lbs
  

Dimensions:

Installation and Bike Mounting:

When you receive the NV rack it is in several pieces. Küat includes all the hardware and tools needed to put the rack together. Assembly is very straightforward and is documented clearly in their instruction manual. Some of the key steps are outlined below.

First you need to lay out the rack on the ground in its assembly orientation.

Then you slide the 10mm bolts through the arm and through the rack center to the other side and attach with a lock nut. Once fully tightened the lock nut is recessed and secured.

Once all the bolts are tightened on both arms you need to insert the Trail Doc repair stand. Now you’re finished with assembly and just need to mount it to your vehicle.

The steps you have to perform to install the rack and mount your bikes are as follows:

1. Install the rack into the hitch and secure with hitch bolt and lock.
2. Hand tighten the hitch knob until rack is firmly secured.
3. Use lever to fold the rack down
4. Rotate the arm down and release the rear wheel strap
5. Load your bike into the trays
6. Secure your bike with the arms and wheel straps

Bike Securing:

The NV rack has built in security cables and a hitch pin lock. Küat includes 3 pair of keys (the locking hitch pin and cable lock use different keys) giving you 2 spare sets with a nice bottle opener key chain. The security cables come out of each rear wheel cap and are magnetically secured in place when not in use.

Küat’s method to secure bikes to the rack is simply thread the cables that come out of each rear wheel area through the rear triangle of each bike and attach in the middle with the lock. Unfortunately the doesn’t secure the wheels of the bike very well and the cables themselves are too short when securing 2 bikes. For our testing with a medium Ibis Mojo SL and a small Morewood Shova LT we had to strain the cables to barely meet enough to lock. With 2 downhill bikes this would be almost impossible to make the cables reach.

Adjustability:

The NV rack is highly adjustable allowing for use with 20” wheels all the way up to 29” wheels. To hold 20” and 24” bikes you’ll need to install a wheel adapter that comes with the rack.

The front wheel tray and arm are contoured to hold road width tires securely as well as mountain bike tires. We tested tires widths up to a Schwalbe Muddy Mary 2.5 (which has a very wide width that is comparable to a 2.7″ Maxxis tire) and they all fit fine.

The front wheel arm rotates into place and ratchets down to the secure it in place. The ratchet detents on the NV are much smaller than other racks we’ve tested. This allows you secure the front wheel locking arm without having to push as hard to get the final click.

The rear wheel security strap can slide along the full length of the tray. This allows for easy securing of long and short bikes alike. We tested up to a bike with a 47” wheelbase and there was plenty of room to spare. The wheel strap snugs up by hand tension alone. Some competing racks have integrated a ratcheting system to enable the system to tighten the wheel tighter but this simple design has worked well enough in the field for us.

The rack spacing between the bikes is very wide. At about 13” between the two trays riders won’t have to worry about the rack arms or the bikes touching each other much. In our tests it is still possible to have a bit of saddle and handlebar overlap, however.

If you do want to remove a tray to lighten your load and carry only one bike, removal is easy. Just simply loosen the 2 10mm bolts and the 2 arms detach.

Construction Quality:

The construction quality of the NV rack is good. The rack pieces all came in a nicely painted grey finish with orange anodizing on the aluminum parts. The arms utilize large tubing with solid looking welds. The 10mm bolts and lock nuts used to assemble the arms are nice quality and the tolerances of all the parts fit together without issue.

The front wheel trays are made out of heavy duty plastic and the rear straps have aluminum spines for added strength. The hitch tongue itself was solid and the wedge helped secure the rack very tightly in our receiver. The only minor play that is noticeable was in the tilt mechanism. This play was only evident when trying to shake the platform up and down and didn’t pose any problem when driving down the road or holding the bikes securely. On the road the rack was solid without any significant sway or bouncing.

It should be noted that you will need to watch your entry and departure angles while driving with a hitch mounted bike rack. The rubber knob on the NV used for hand tightening the cam system to lock the rack in the hitch is easily susceptible to being chewed up if it scrapes the ground.

Form and Function:

The NV is easily one of the best looking racks we’ve ever seen. The orange anodizing pops with the grey rack and adds a bit of style. The NV is not one of the smallest racks we’ve tested. It’s full length trays add a bit of width to the rack.

The rack is easy to load and unload. The arms rotate into place easily and the smaller ratchet detents make getting the arm tight much easier. The arms are rubber coated so they shouldn’t rub the finish on forks harshly.

The tilt mechanism on the NV is nicer than a lot of racks we’ve seen because it is lever operated with a spring assist. To lower you simply pull the lever down and the rack pivots into place and the pivot bolt snaps into the hole for the position. The lever stays attached to the rack and never has to be pulled out or re-inserted to rotate the rack through its positions. To lower the platform past horizontal for rear vehicle access you just pull the lever and the rack tilts almost to the ground away from the vehicle. Simply lift the platform again and it clicks into place without having to touch the handle. The spring loaded lever is really handy for lifting and lowering the rack one handed.

The repair stand is easy to use and operate. Simply release the QR and pull up the stand clamp until it clicks into place. You can easily rotate the head by pulling the lever and twisting the head. The clamp only has 8 angled positions for different orientations so its not quite as infinitely adjustable as we’d have liked.

The rack clamp has a metal hand crank to open and close the jaws. The clamp can open enough to fit between a .75″ to 2.75″ tube. It has rubber jaws to help the jaws grip the tube properly and securely without damage. When not in use just turn the clamp parallel to the rack and slide it back into the rack. Once fully inserted the clamp head is held in the lock position by the same spring loaded clip and the QR so it can’t fall or detach while driving.

We found the repair clamp to work great for quick repairs and adjustments. We wouldn’t want to do any heavy wrenching on the stand as it isn’t built for this use but for light duty wrenching it works great.

Safety:

Depending on your vehicle the rack could pose some safety concerns. The rack holds the bikes close to the rear of the vehicle so license plate visibility and tail light visibility can be diminished. The NV does not come with license plate relocation hardware. Rack width shouldn’t be an issue with the rack being wider than your vehicle but do make sure to check the dimensions for proper fit.

Possible Improvements:

Locking Cable – As we mentioned previously in the securing section the locking cables are really too short on the NV. Our test bikes did not have overly long wheelbases and still were barely able to fit. Two large downhill bikes would unlikely be securable through the triangle.

Locking Cores – The cores for the hitch pin lock and the cables are different. We’d like to see the same key be used in both cores for simplicity.

More repair clamp head angles – We’d like to see the clamp have more angle detents for additional options.

Tighten up the tilt mechanism tolerances – The tilt mechanism tolerances used in the spring assisted lever could be a bit tighter to lose some of the play in the platform.

Price:

• $499 2” 2 bike rack
• $349 2 bike extension

Conclusion:

Overall the Küat NV rack is a great rack. It features some really thoughtful design elements that should benefit riders greatly. With its built in repair stand, highly adjustable design, and security features the NV is definitely a rack that should be put on anyone’s list who is looking for a nice hitch mounted bike rack.

There were only a few little things we’d like to improve upon with the NV. They don’t detract from its current total package outside of maybe having to bring along an extra security cable.

To find out more about Küat’s other products and find a dealer where you can purchase your own NV, check their website.