Planemaker

I'm getting ready to take the plunge on a 1 Up USA bike rack. I just can't find anything that I don't like about this rack (the lack of hitch pin is bothersome but, I can deal with it).

Those of you who have this rack what are your dislikes?

I know they cost a lot but, the price is not an issue.

rumrunn6

yeah ppl swear by them. what do you mean no hitch pin?

Planemaker

​​​​​​A pin that goes through the receiver hitch and the bike rack. Prevents it from falling out if there is a failure. I think they use a strap to.accomplsh the same thing.

rumrunn6

hmmm just took a quick look on etrailer & youtube. curious, so I might look again later

Cyclist0108

What put me off a couple of years ago when I bought my rack (Kuat Sherpa 2.0) is that the two founders had a falling-out, and now have two separate, competing companies with almost indistinguishable names, and it looked like it was going to end in litigation.

https://forums.mtbr.com/car-biker/1up...t-1055205.html

Anyone know if this was resolved?

One guy claimed to address all the (very minor) failings of the first generation racks, and the other guy was claiming rip-off, etc.

I have to say I think the design is simple, elegant, and superior to most things on the market. They might be incompatible with bike pannier racks or fenders.

Marcus_Ti

I've only read reviews. The attachment mechanism is meh. The lack of a hitch pin is a WTF, and locks for the bikes is rather punk as well for the $$$.

In the $500-600 range you have many great choices. I chose a Kuat NV2.0 (also MUSA), which combined with the luck of a 20% off code form Competitive Cyclist brought the cost down to $470USD.

EdwinHeadwind

My buddy has the 1up and it works flawlessly and looks great. But when I went rack shopping, I chose the Kuat Sherpa 2 instead. It also works and looks great, plus it's lighter and has more security features and a (slightly) lower price. Its only drawback for some might be the tire width limit of 3".

Canker

The only real issue with the 1up is the tilt mechanism. I've had a single for 3 years now and with the single it isn't really a problem. I finally bought an add on and now with two trays it becomes a bit of a problem, harder to reach but still not really an issue. Get up to 3 trays or 4 though and it would start to be a pita.
https://www.1up-usa.com/product/ez-pull/
They make that as a half butted get around but you have to choose how many trays you want it it work with. You can't run 3 trays with it one day and 4 the next.

The lack of a hitch pin isn't an issue. I'm paranoid and have a chain attaching my rack to the car just in case but it has never been an issue. The lack of security for bikes also isn't really an issue. I mean no rack has good security built in and I wouldn't trust any of them for more than a few minutes if I can't see it. All of them can be defeated easily including the cable lock I use.

As for the feud between the owner of 1up and the original designer it is over if you read through the HUGE thread the new company the original designer started failed. In short he came up with a new and better design but never actually made anything and is now just trying to license it to somebody else.

woodcraft

My son has one, & recently it didn't hold his kid's bike w/out hitting the frame,

but I think that is a matter of adjusting with tools.

Marcus_Ti

True, my point was though...for $500-600USD, only getting a bare bones rack is punk.

I'm no expert in vehicle law, but it does make me wonder about the legality of using a rack without a hitch pin to secure it to the reciever (even if there is an anti-sway cam system). It just strikes me as a bad idea.

Cyclist0108

Can't you just drill it and put in a hitch pin?

Marcus_Ti

I'd guess not, given the cam mechanism in the tongue.

Cyclist0108

My Kuat has what I think is the same cam mechanism, and has a locking hitch pin.

It is handy to have a way to lock the rack to the car to deter casual theft.

Marcus_Ti

Similar...but Kuat designs theirs around having and using a pin....1up does not appear to.

Cyclist0108

I didn't even pick up on that when I was comparison-shopping. I bought the Kuat Sherpa 2.0 and it has been great, but I always wondered how much richer and more fulfilling my life would have been with a 1up rack.

I do like the modularity and the idea that you can use it on a roof-rack with T-slots as well.

honcho

I've admired 1up racks from a distance as their utilitarian design appeals to me. However, I already have a large assortment of racks to use that accommodate the varying styles of bikes in our fleet of uprights, recumbents and tandems. I'm partial to both draftmaster and Saris hitch racks for their ability to take both a recumbent and a upright/diamond frame at the same time. Kuat is overpriced Chinese stuff though both Yakima and I believe Thule are sourcing their racks from China as well. However, since it's winter and I don't like salt laden spray drenching the bikes as we travel to warmer places to ride, I've been sucking it up and cramming the bikes in the minivan.

Canker

The 1up requires a special hex wrench to remove it from the car. Not saying it is hard to get one of those wrenches but it is enough to stop a casual theft. They also have a spot built in to the rack to put a padlock that blocks access to the that bolt.

The padlock is there to stop thieves. The chain is to stop my paranoia of the cam mechanism failing. The padlock on the hitch is there because I had it and needed something to attach the chain to the hitch.

Ogsarg

What about the Quickrack? Supposedly like the 1Up but better.

https://www.quikrack.com/quik-rack-mach-2-bike-rack

Canker

That is the original designer's new version and also not available and never will be unless some other manufacture licenses it.

Somebody brought up another issue with the 1up but didn't really explain it. The rack works great with 26er or bigger wheels but if you want to put something with smaller wheels on it you need a wrench to adjust the rack. The quick rack mach 2 pretty much fixes all the issue people have with the original 1up so it is a shame it will probably never be available.

Kapusta

I have a 1UP rack. There is a lot to like about it. One of the biggest likes for me is that it is very easy to put on and take off the second tray. This is key because most of the time I only need to keep one on the car. The advantage of this is that when a single one is folded up (not in use), it does not block the rear hatch of my wagon.

One big drawback: it kind of sucks if you have full coverage fenders. The way the rack holds your bike it will crush the rear fender if you try to use it as designed. What I have to do is move the stabilizer bar to the very lowest position so it goes just under the rear of the fender. Problem is, that won't keep the bike in the rack. So I also need to use a strap for the rear wheel. This would not even be that big of a deal to me, but moving the stabilizer bar is more work than it needs to be. The Quickrack Mach 2 addressed this problem nicely. To bad it is not getting off the ground.

I just use a padlock and short piece of chain to lock the rack to the car and add security in the event it wants to slip out (I don't trust a Velcro strap).... though in the several years I have been using it, it has never come loose. I don't think the lack of a pin is a problem. Very easy and fast to install and remove. I have the 1-1/4" rack and use an 1UP adapter to use it with a 2" receiver hitch. The way the adapter works makes it very solid and there is zero play.

tFUnK

I have the 1up single rack. Works great, no complaints for my use case (regular road, cx, 26er mtbs). As others have mentioned, it is not great for small tired bikes or bikes with fenders, lacks a hitch pin, and can be tricky to lock a bike securely onto the rack. None of these have been issues for me but ymmv. It takes me 10 seconds or less to install /remove the track from my car and under a minute to load /unload a bike. I sometimes use a strap or cable lock to connect the hitch receiver to the rack for reassurance. I also use a cable lock for the rare times that I leave my bike unattended while getting food.

PaulRivers

They sell a fender cushion:
https://www.1up-usa.com/product/fender-cushion/



Not entirely a solution to the problem though...

Kapusta

cyccommute 

I don't know their rack from Adam but they did make the best solution to Lawyer Lips ever devised...the 1-Up Quik-Nut. It makes the fiddly screwing in of the quick release nut a lot less fiddly.

Kapusta

I thought about that, but there are a few problems:

The block would need to conform to the shape of the fender (both in cross section and in curvature) and need to be the exact (or very close) thickeness as the gap between the tire and fender.... so I would have needed to make a custom size for each bike, and for each tire size i might run on that bike. Then there is the problem that if you are running low on tire pressure, you could still crush the fender. Then there is the issue of how to get it in place (not as simple as you might think). Then there is the issue that if you forget it is in there when you take the bike off you can loose it.

I decided that my solution is much easier and fool proof.