Review on 🚲 Kuat Racks NV 2.0 Bike Rack - Top-Notch Stability and Versatility for Your Bikes by Ryo Flora

I was looking at the various stands available today. I have visited many bike shops in my area to see them in person and also did a lot of research online. I have a DH bike that weighs over 50 pounds so I don't need racks that weigh 45 pounds per bike. The NV 2.0 is £60 per bike. I also liked the quality of the product. Looking at online reviews, or actually handling it over the weekend, I realize it's designed for serious use. I'm a car freak and have worked with cars and metalwork for a while. I found the rack design to be very good and "overbuilt" in places compared to models that cost about $150 less. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. Or you. I've narrowed it down to the last two racks. NV 2.0 and Thule T2 Pro XT. There are many direct comparisons of these two racks on the Internet. After weighing all factors, I decided on NV 2.0. I'm very, very glad I did. I have attached photos of the rack when I opened it. Installation is really as easy as shown in the video. I found that by placing the rack upside down on the box it came in and picking up the trays one side at a time, it became much easier for me to manage. The photos in this review show how it comes together. Also satisfied with the packaging. Most companies don't account for the abuse that can occur when shipping a 60 pound box. I give Kuat credit for a brilliant job boxing the squad. The shelf is not damaged at all. And the box is strong enough to hold it when assembled. I thought about assembling it with the hitch mounted center but decided to do it in the garage. I like the Trail Doc Station option. This played a role in my purchase decision. It's surprisingly strong and has tension adjustment at all points of movement. I find it very convenient to use for roadside assistance. But how can you fit such a large trunk in the limited space of our garage? I used an inexpensive furniture truck ($15), a 2" truck bumper hitch ($18), and then a 3/4" plywood base, a 2X12 piece, and a 2X10 sheet of wood I had laying around. . The wood is attached to the wagon with deck screws of the correct length so that all three pieces are bolted together. I then drilled four mounting holes for the trailer hitch. Uses 3 1/2 "screws" to attach it to the cart. The rack "rides" on a cart with no counterweights, but to be able to move it without worrying about tipping over I used some iron pipe racks and added four 25 pound weight plates. If you don't have weights, you can use a bag or two of playground sand or quick-acting concrete. Secured with a hitch pin and now with counterweights, it's easy to move. You can lower it without tipping over and it raise it to the stowed position etc. I even rolled it straight to the car and pulled the pin to put it on the car hitch. Hope this helps someone. It was an inexpensive alternative to getting it out of the way, when not in use.As a final note they include KUAT a nice box that contains three keys, a locking pin and a cap if you don't use proof paper to make it look like this n beautiful, as well as a set of thick tire belts. Registering a product was simple, easy and fast. The decision phase and after the purchase. It's been great every time. I am very happy with the decision to use this shelf. Good luck with your decision. And by the way, you also get a bottle opener if that's important to you. Early in the morning I installed a strut in my trailer hitch. Very easy change from trolley to car trailer hitch. I rode there with the strut in the up position. Being able to tilt it down when I needed to get in the trunk to fill up was very useful. Everything was tight, smooth, nothing dangled or wobbled. Freeway speeds are not mentioned. Let's just say it's over! I only did mpg measurements with the rack. Went back to it with a bike and the difference was just 1mpg. The last photo in my review is the counter as I approached the house. You may have noticed the rope. It turned out to be overkill, but I felt more confident since it was my first use. The stand has proven itself very well. I told the bike salesman that I had never mounted a bike on it. In no time at all we set up the bike, buckled it up and mounted the front wheel mount. This is a big frame with 27.5 plus wheels. I could probably lower the front wheel holder to the setting. One day at home, after a long day, I wanted to leave the trunk on the car. I figured the best thing would be to just take it off. The handle you use to retract the post into the hitch didn't move at all. I loosened it and then unlocked the pin and loaded the rack into the storage cart. Immediately rolled into the garage. In my opinion, this trip alone paid off. I usually have to either take the bikes apart to store them in the back seat and trunk, or put them in the trunk with the wheels out and ropes everywhere. The fact that you can put the bike on and off the rack in seconds is amazing. The bike in the picture only weighs about 29 pounds. I will be using it on my DH bike which is about 60lbs this coming weekend. I also didn't have any pedals on the cranks, so I ran a cable lock through the crank and locked it back on me. It worked great. Update 12/26/18: I have now used one rack for three different bikes. Works great. I've added a photo of a silver bike on a rack. One of the main reasons I chose this rack was the weight limitations. 60 pounds per bike. The bike I knew I would get close to is the Specialized BigHit. It has an inverted dual-crown fork and weighs exactly 58 pounds. I was impressed with how the rack handled the double crown fork and the weight of the bike. Very happy with this stand. A significant improvement in the quality of life and being able to load and unload a bike in a minute or less is amazing! This saves time that can be used for driving. Update 12/31/18: I rode on 12/29 and had to make some changes to the cables. At first I thought I would just do it from a transport position. This blocked the access I needed. Then I remembered the Trail Doc option. I put my bike on the ground. Raise the hitch and extend the dock. Twisted the clamp to get to the seatpost and problem solved! It worked like a charm. Some versatility has been added to the clutch. I've added three used photos from footprint documents. The bike weighs about 32 pounds. Great feature. Update 24th February 2019 - The stand has been used many times and still works like clockwork. I've ridden over 100 miles with two fat bikes on board. One with 26x4.0 the other 26x4.6. They weigh about 40-45 pounds each. I lowered the tire mount for the front wheels to the minimum. I used the included phat tire kit for a bike and then added my own velcro straps, each cut to 36 inches so they wrap twice and stick together. For added security, I used multiple 24-inch heavy-duty cable ties on each wheel. Also. Probably overkill, but it turned out great. Added three new photos with fat bikes. I had to quickly repair the gearbox on a red fat bike. I didn't want to dump black - so I thought outside the box and used the Trail Doc system with the post in the 'down' position. It turned out great (as shown). A very handy feature. This shelf is great! - John