Another 1 UP Rack question

[Ralph]

Not clear to me from search or 1 UP's web site regarding my question.

Going to order their rack system for being able to haul 2 bikes most of time, and 3 bikes some of the time. Do not envision ever hauling 1 bike outside of vehicle, can always put one inside. But never know.

Is best option to buy the 2" heavy duty rack with a "Quick Rack" addition. Or best to buy a single rack with additions for 1 or 2 more as needed. For two bikes, has your experience been that a 1 1/4" 1UP is stable enough, (on some past racks, I din't think 1 1/4 was stable enough), or is 2" best choice. (1 1/4" receiver hitch less noticeable on vehicle is reason I ask)

Does it fold up out of way when on vehicle and not being used? Does it fold down to access rear when bikes are loaded?

If buying the 2" double system, is the one bike quick addition all I need to order. Did you order from their web site, or a outside vendor?

In the past, I always kept at least one vehicle around our house that would haul 2-3 bikes inside, but have decided that's kinda wasteful just to haul some bikes, when not needed for passengers. Thanks

[dustyrider]

If I was certain that I would be carrying more than two bikes most of the time, I'd go for the 2". I've hauled a lot of bikes and would just want the .75" peace of mind.

I'm currently running the 1.25" with one bike. 95% of my riding starts with just me. I ride the road bike out of the house, so the hitch rack is for the mtb. It does fold back out of the way. It's not the easiest to fold when a bike is on the rack, but it does keep it out of the way when not in use. Don't waste the money on the black. The silver teeth that lock the wheels show signs of wear super quick and I imagine would look bad on the black...

You can call 1up and speak to an actual person which is nice, but you can only get stuff from them. It's not like the local REI has parts for the rack. Mine was shipped without the security bolt installed, basically a paperweight without their special bolt. And it being USA made means everything is sae...

[malcolm]

I love my 1-up and every time I load my bike or remove/replace the rack on my car I wonder why I waited so long and used so many other racks before I bought. They are just plain superior to any other hitch mounted rack in every way. Only negative is I'm not sure how they would work with fenders, but I understand that have a package that solves that problem. Mine folds up when not in use but still sticks out some. It will tilt out of the way of the cargo door with or with out bikes. It is a load to lower and raise with bikes on it. I never completely fold mine when on or off the vehicle but there is a folding option that makes it pretty small for garage storage not sure what good it would do on the vehicle though.

To answer your question in my opinion if it were an option I would always opt for a 2" receiver over 1 1/4. More options for everything. The way the 1-up secures into the hitch receiver, with a ball that wedges into the corner of the hitch receiver I suspect the 1 1/4 will be as are almost as secure as the 2". I'm not sure you have the option for more than 2 bikes on the 1 1/4 though and many other manufactures certainly don't give the option for 4. I'm not sure about 1-up but I suspect they don't.

For me the 2" just makes more sense. It's going to be close to if not the same price for the hitch and it gives you many more options for accessories and trailering.

[daker13]

I'm considering buying one of these myself, so these answers are helpful--thanks Ralph.

At the risk of hijacking the thread, I have another 1UP question regarding cost. I ask as someone who's never owned a 'real' rack (besides the strap-on variety) . I'll need to mount a hitch on my Forester, which looks to be about $150 if I do it myself, and then the basic 1UP is $300, for a grand total of around $450--not cheap. But for another rack, say a roof-mounted one from Thule or Yakima or whoever, I'll need crossbars for around $100-150, plus around $250-300 for the rack itself. (I'd want a good quality one for road and mtb, and I prefer to buy new for safety's sake.)

In other words, though the 1UP is often described as an expensive bike rack, I really don't it see being that much more expensive than the others. Is there some decent, less expensive option I'm not seeing? It seems like I'm going to have to spring for a hitch post or cross bars no matter what, and that's going to bump up the cost.

[p nut]

I'm considering buying one of these myself, so these answers are helpful--thanks Ralph.

At the risk of hijacking the thread, I have another 1UP question regarding cost. I ask as someone who's never owned a 'real' rack (besides the strap-on variety) . I'll need to mount a hitch on my Forester, which looks to be about $150 if I do it myself, and then the basic 1UP is $300, for a grand total of around $450--not cheap. But for another rack, say a roof-mounted one from Thule or Yakima or whoever, I'll need crossbars for around $100-150, plus around $250-300 for the rack itself. (I'd want a good quality one for road and mtb, and I prefer to buy new for safety's sake.)

In other words, though the 1UP is often described as an expensive bike rack, I really don't it see being that much more expensive than the others. Is there some decent, less expensive option I'm not seeing? It seems like I'm going to have to spring for a hitch post or cross bars no matter what, and that's going to bump up the cost.

Most name-brand rack systems will be around that much. Used is an option, but ~$500 is about the cost of a new rack system, roof or hitch. One other thing to consider is the MPG hit. Roof racks are about 10-20% hit, in my experience, where the hitch rack is 5-10% (and almost zero with no bikes on).

For the hitch receiver itself, consider U-Haul. I had them do my Outback, which cost $160 with lifetime warranty. On my other car, I decided to do it myself, and ended up breaking off the welded nut inside of the frame. Not fun.

[daker13]

For the hitch receiver itself, consider U-Haul. I had them do my Outback, which cost $160 with lifetime warranty. On my other car, I decided to do it myself, and ended up breaking off the welded nut inside of the frame. Not fun.

I did the Uhaul price estimator, and it came out to around $300, but that might've included some unnecessary options.

Thanks for the reply.

[malcolm]

I did the Uhaul price estimator, and it came out to around $300, but that might've included some unnecessary options.

Thanks for the reply.

If you are just getting the hitch for accessories, no towing you can skip the wiring harness and save some $$