Kuat Sherpa 2.0 Hitch Bike Rack: Rider Review

Our "Rider Review" article series features the honest reviews from verified purchasers of Worldwide Cyclery. They contain the photos, thoughts, feedback & overall review you are looking for.

Kuat has made a name for offering what might be considered the nicest looking and operating bike racks on the market. With a selection for almost any price range, you can get a proper set up without paying an arm and a leg for a nice rack. The Kuat Sherpa 2.0 is favorite of ours, primarily for the reasonable cost and good looks, but also the reliability. Our buddy Scott recently made the purchase. Let's see what he has to say about the rack:

Scott's Review

When the large, heavy, cardboard box arrived I was disappointed because I knew that it wasn’t the new Tesla that I had put on my Christmas wish list. The box opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony was grand anyway with hundreds of guests and many kegs downed. The two dozen of us that finally figured out how to unbox the thing struggled endlessly to complete the assembly, but once complete the party raged on.

My friend’s four-year-old was finally given clearance to lift the unit onto the back of our Kia Sportage, which she easily accomplished due to the extreme light weight. The gray color did not quite match the car, as you can see in the image, so I have since repainted the car to match the rack.

After six of us worked together to tighten the anti-wobble bolt that takes all of the wobble out of the unit if tightened correctly, I was unable to prevent the locking bar/pin from rattling. After calling and talking with the chief scientist at Kuat about the problem for about three hours, I loosened the anti-wobble bolt, pulled the rack outwards against the locking bar/pin, and re-tightened the anti-wobble bolt. The scientists at Kuat should be given much higher salaries. We just can’t let them all go on strike again.

There is a sweet little lever to raise and lower the rack. You can push on it with your foot if the rack is up, or pull on the other side if the rack is down. Works great. I had a 1Up previously that did not work nearly as well. My wife has spent hours raising and lowering the rack since it is so much fun.

I took the wheels and cranks off of both mountain bikes to load them onto rack because my neighbor Joe said that this was required. He was wrong. That step is optional. It is much easier just to leave the bikes intact and lift them right onto the rack. I lost two wheels on the freeway with the first method and I think one of them took out a small sports car.

My two bikes are both 29ers and the rack hook-thing grabs the front wheels like a nice sumo wrestler hug – secure! The handy little rubber straps to secure the back wheels are probably more secure than the police handcuffs that I dealt with last week. We have to use the seatpost dropper on the larger bike to prevent interference when loading the bikes.

Conclusion

"So far, after a couple of hundred miles carrying two mountain bikes on the Kuat, we have not lost either bike, we have not scratched either bike, and we are planning the mandatory two month rack delivery anniversary party at a major resort in the Caribbean. Should be fun. I have decided to buy a new Kuat Sherpa 2.0 for all attendees since this is one of best bike racks I have ever used. Fast. Secure. Light. Nearly flawless." - Scott