Product Description
The NV comes fully equipped with front and rear tire ratchet system, hitch lock and integrated bike cable lock. "Holy smokes, a built in repair stand for pre-ride prep, post-ride, clean up, or looking smart." Decked out with Kuat's hand tight cam system, this rack is available for 2" and 1.25" receivers. After equipping your ride with NV, you will need to haul more people due to increased friendship as a result of coolness. Simple storage with lever action pivot for rapid, folding, tilting, and hiding. Lifetime Warranty
Product Details
- Size: 2-Inch
- Color: Black Chrome
- Brand: Kuat
- Model: N101
- Released on: 2011-08-05
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 15.00" h x 15.00" w x 38.00" l, 66.93 pounds
Features
- Built-in Repair Stand
- Integrated Cable Lock and hitch lock included
- Hand Tight Cam System
- 2" and 1.25" receiver options available
- A Posh 13" Between Bikes
Most helpful customer reviews
30 of 30 people found the following review helpful.
This is the best bike rack I've owned
By Arty
I've ownded an old Sportworks T2 (now Thule T2) for the past 5-6 years. It's been a great rack that's served me very well. Unfortunately, the backbone finally wore out on the rack and needed to be replaced. Sadly, Thule doesn't sell this part anymore, so you have to replace the entire rack now. They also don't sell replacement bushings for the hinge, which is a shame because the bushings wear out rather quickly when you add on the 2 bike extension. As a result I was in the market for a new rack. The T2 worked very well for me, but after seeing some friends have some catastrophic failures that involved very expensive bikes I decided to look around to see what else is out there.
When I saw the NV, I was really impressed. And after using it for a few months, I have to say it's the best rack I've owned.
The anti-rattle mechanism on the T2 was really poorly designed. I don't know anyone who has a hitch that it works properly with. The mechanism on the NV is much better and works really well. This is really important, because when the rack bounces around it wears all of the other parts out which leads to failures. I've seen these happen first hand and they're never good.
Also, the hinge on the NV is much better. The T2 hinge is overly complicated and a bit delicate. If you just run 2 bikes, it's fine. But if you run 4, it gets sloppy rather quickly; and slop is the kiss of death with these racks. The NV hinge is really simple, overbuilt, and works very smoothly. I vastly prefer it to the hinge on T2. That said, there is one issue with it. The stop on the hinge was designed for only two bikes. If you run the 2 bike extension, the extension will contact the ground when you tilt the rack down. You can use the plastic end cap on the bike stand to support it, which works pretty well but isn't ideal. It's not a big deal, but it's something to be aware of if you tilt the rack down with 4 bikes on it. Another note is that the hinge and main backbone with the arms sit higher on the NV than the T2. I shuttle bikes off-road frequently, and the end of my T2 used to bottom out in certain cicumstances. It was even worse if you had to back up in a weird spot. The extra ground clearance provided by the NV is really nice in this regard. I've also had the rack on a 4Runner and a 3/4 ton Chevy pickup and haven't had any issues with tailgate/hatch clearance.
Also, the bike cross arms are much sturdier on the NV. The cross braces that hold the T2 arms to the backbone sometimes warp, bend, and break. Losing an expensive bike at 65 mph on the highway isn't so much fun when the brace breaks or warps and slides off the end of the backbone. The arms on the NV are really strong (more on that later) and due to the way they're attached, they attach much more securely to the backbone. I also don't understand the previous reviewer's concern about tires wearing the paint off the arms. The paint on the rack is really sturdy and appears to have a glossy protective coat on top. Besides, if you secure your tire properly with the strap (which is really important anyway) then the tire won't rub against the paint at all. I will give the T2 the nod here for the rear tire strapping mechanism though. Even thought Thule cheapened the design vs the better old Sportworks mechanism, it's still pretty good. That said, it's not a big deal. Both the NV and T2 will secure your rear tire really well.
One other note. The cable locks on the NV are nice feature, but the cables are short. You can only run them through the frame or maybe one tire at best. They're good if you're only going to be away from the bikes for a couple of minutes; otherwise, I'd invest in a really good, long cable lock or chain. At least they're better than the locks on the T2, which are a joke. Still, it's not a selling point on either rack. And if you really care about your bikes, you won't leave them on for extended periods of time whether you have a better cable or not. Then you're just begging to get them stolen.
All that said, what really sold me on the NV is what happened on my last big road trip. We had a two day drive to get back home and stopped at a hotel overnight to get some rest. When we woke up in the morning, we discovered that someone had backed into the rack in the parking lot despite the fact we had swung it upright. The impact had cracked a couple of the arms on one side and twisted the whole rack on the main pivot. Unfortunately, we had no choice but to load up all 4 bikes on the rack and take our chances. The rack went another 500 miles with almost 160 lbs of bikes on it and didn't suffer any further damage nor did it fail.
All in all, I've been extremely impressed with this rack. It's extremely well built and very well thought out. I'd highly recommend you give it a look if you're in the market for a bike rack.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful.
KUAT - THANK YOU!!! AMAZING RACK!!!
By CJL
Bike Specs: Cannondale RZ140 Lefty 2.4in wide tires
Wife Bike: Gary Fisher Marlin Hardtail
Vehicle: 2009 GMC Envoy 2" receiver
Wow -- This rack is LEGIT!!! Very easy to install and the tools to complete the rack are quality. This rack even has the knob that tightens your hitch to your receiver so your bikes dont wobble. This is the easiest bike rack I have ever had to put bikes on. The Kuat NV also looks super tight -- a silver with Orange and black - futuristic and sweet. I run a Lefty with 2.4 inch wide tires and it fits perfectly into the NV's trays. My wifes bike fits great too with a normal front fork. When the bikes are on the rack ther eis plenty of room for pedal and handlebar clearance. And you can move the back plastic strap for the rear wheel to whereever you please! WOW!!!!!!
Tips:
***If you have the receiver on your vehicle install into receiver and crank it down so it gives you a good work area. The directions say turn it upside down but trust me intall into hitch, tighten receiver on knob, then install.
***Make sure the stickers on the racks correspond to how the rack will look when you have no bikes on it and it is up for storage. One of the rear wheel racks has a KUAT sticker on it and if it is not in the correct position it will be upside down when you have the rack on your car but in the stored up position.
***Buy a large bike lock. Yes there are super sweet locking cables that come out of the rack arms and they are held in by magnets so they dont flop all over. They are super heavy duty but they will not adequately lock your bike for extended periods of time or when left in a big empty garage or lot. They are great for getting some dinner, grabbing a beer, or even running into your bike shop for some LBS fun. If you are going to leave your bike overnight or at a hotel or something then a good cable lock will perfectly compliment the locks that come on the rack.
***Have a friend help you build it. With two people it flew by. (Total time 20MIN) He was glad for the beer.
My wife told me to get a rack that was easy to use. And this is it. With two bikes on it the rack will still bend down so I can open the tail gate on my GMC envoy. Obvisiouly it is a little heavy getting the bikes back to driving position but you are lifting two bikes so it makes sense. The crank arms are very quality as with the rest of the rack. And the Trail Doc is super sweet -- I never knew how it easy it was to oil my chain when the bike was on a rack on flipped upside down on the seat.
Super happy -- Lifetime warranty, Sweet extra sticker, sweet beer opener key chain, sweet rack. Thanks Kuat. Just dont tell my wife how much it was!!
***UPDATE***
So I have had my rack for a year and it has gone on many trips both short and far. It fits 29ers perfectly as well. All the pieces are still in great shape. I had a user error issue in which I accidently left the locks out instead of pushing them back into their holes and the road ruined the locks. No worries as Kuat sent me a set of cables that were easy to reinstall. I take my rack off each time I use and I dont leave it on the SUV when I am not biking. With that said my only complaint (it is a small one) is that some of the nuts and bolts have started to rust. The rack and all other parts have no rust but some of the bolts/nuts do. Not a big deal but I wish it still looked as it did the day I bought it. But I guess that means I am using it. One tip for new racks would be to coat the bolts/nuts in a clear finger nail polish. My friend bought a thule rack the same time and has nothing but problems and his main frame of that rack is very rusted. I would buy this rack again and again. I know the price can cause sticker shock but it will be worth it when you transport bikes. My wife can even load her bike with no issues. Still a five star rack for sure.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful.
The KUAT NV Bike Rack
By Tail-Spin
The Kuat NV bike rack is awesome. It's relatively light, quick and easy to install. It's also very easy and quick to mount bikes. The hitch tightening device works well in removing slack between the receiver and the rack (thereby eliminating a source of swaying). Bike of different wheel bases can be easily accommodated as the rear wheel strap can be slid back and forth. We recently went on 1200 mile trip with the rack attached to a travel trailer bumper hitch without any problems. Our new bikes were unmarred. Our old rack would have worn the paint down at the hold down site. One note of caution: the rear bike's handle bar end was only 2 inches away from the back of the trailer although there was no evidence that it made contact with the trailer wall anytime during the trip. The bike repair stand is a great idea and comes in handy. I use it to clean and lub the bikes at home as it eliminates a lot of bending down. The integrated bike lock is a nice touch too. Its a little short but we were able to get both bikes locked in. The bike rack looks fanastic too!
I've looked at several platform bike carriers (Y**, T**, S**) but came back to Kuat because of its' basic design and construction. Kuat customer service has been great too. The one minor problem was addressed with 2 hours using e-mail and the part sent out the next day. The rack might seem a little spendy, it did to me initially, but I got to say now, that I am extremely happy with my purchase.
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