Searching for a brand new bike rack? For those who ask your using buddies, earlier than it, you’ll be inundated with claims that this model or that model completely has the very best one. Thankfully, quite a lot of that stems from most fashionable bike racks being fairly good. However some are nonetheless higher than others.
Ever since Kuat unveiled its new Piston Professional X bike rack, it’s gotten quite a lot of consideration. I imply, why wouldn’t it? No different rack available on the market can supply the mix of real Kashima Coat and built-in LED lights. However is the elevated design well worth the elevated price ticket? After three seasons with the Piston Professional X, I believe I’ve the reply.
How Does the Piston Professional X Evaluate to the 1up Racks?
Let’s simply get this out of the way in which proper now – sure, manufacturers like Kuat are creating their very own racks little question impressed by the unique 1UP racks. I dare say that 1UP had the most important affect in creating what’s come to be often known as the tray-style hitch rack class. In order for you the best tray-style rack to make use of although, the Kuat Piston Professional X wins, no query.
The 1UP Equip-D mannequin nonetheless has the sting on specs like suitable wheelbase (56″ vs. 53″), complete weight (48.5lb vs. 63lb, although not a good comparability as a result of the 1UP lacks lights and locks), the provision of a single bike model, and the 1UP has an edge on value. Apples to apples, in the event you spec the 1UP Equip-D 2-bike with lights and a cable lock, the whole involves $1,072. Evaluate that to the Piston Professional-X 2-bike at $1,389.
Why is the Piston Professional X Higher?
So the Professional-X is heavier, dearer, and received’t’ match the longest-wheelbase mountain bikes. Would I purchase it? The reply is an emphatic sure, for a lot of causes.
In my view, a fantastic bike rack ought to make getting your bike to your vacation spot and again as straightforward as attainable. That’s what the Piston Professional-X delivers.
Proper out of the field, the Piston Professional X takes the lead with extremely straightforward meeting. Primarily simply two bolts with lettered tabs and corresponding slots, most customers should not have any hassle placing their rack collectively.
Of all of the tray-style racks I’ve used (together with 1UP), the Professional-X is the best to make use of. That features loading and unloading your bikes, elevating or reducing the rack, locking up bikes, and so on. Virtually every part may be completed with one hand (or foot) whereas balancing your bike (or child) along with your different.
A lot of that’s because of the hydro-pneumatic Onetap levers with that iconic Kashima Coat. At first, I assumed these levers could also be overkill at greatest, or a gimmick at worst, however they’re true game-changers. If you’re able to load a motorbike, merely squeeze the lever, and the piston pops the upright into place. They transfer pretty shortly, with one extending absolutely by the point you attain over to the opposite aspect to pop up the second upright.
From there, loading your bike is so simple as inserting your bike between the 2 uprights, and pushing the uprights in, squeezing the back and front tire. Like all of those tray-style racks, it helps to start out at one finish, then transfer the opposite, and verify either side once more that the tires are centered and every part is tight. In comparison with different racks, the ratchet mechanism has smaller ratchet tooth that means you get higher management of how tight the upright is on the tire.
If you’re able to take away the bike from the rack, as soon as once more you merely squeeze the One-Faucet lever and the uprights will absolutely open, separately. On my mountain bikes, I’ve discovered that they open simply sufficient to let the bike free, however not thus far that the bike will fall out of the rack – that’s a pleasant contact, particularly if you must park on a slope to maintain the bike from taking out your again window.
On bikes with skinnier tires or shorter wheelbases, it helps to maintain one hand on the bike as you pop open the final upright, however that’s the place the good thing about it being a one-handed operation comes into play. All of it works out to be the quickest and best bike set up/elimination of any rack that I’ve used.
Torture testing the Piston Professional X within the worst road-salty circumstances. Aside from a little bit of corrosion on two bolts on the underside of the race, it cleaned very effectively.Is it Sturdy?
However what about these hydro-pnuematic OneTap levers? Are they going to be sturdy in the long term? After greater than half a 12 months, and quite a lot of use (together with being lined in car-eating highway salt), I’ve no purpose to suspect that they received’t be sturdy – they nonetheless really feel like they’re breaking in.
Nonetheless, I did verify that Kuat’s lifetime guarantee will cowl the OneTap levers do you have to ever have a problem. In our expertise (together with buddies that don’t work within the bike business), Kuat has among the greatest customer support within the business, they usually have already got a complete elements catalog of replacements for the Piston Professional-X ought to you might have a problem that’s not lined below guarantee (like backing your rack right into a tree).
The FastFit Wheel Chocks match a full measurement 27.5 x 4.5″ fats bike tire with none further adapters or equipment.The Finest Wheel Dimension Changes
Kuat may have stopped there with the OneTap levers and had a fantastic rack. Nevertheless it’s the remainder of the main points that make it the very best tray-style hitch rack.
One of many challenges to the tray-style rack design is accommodating completely different wheel sizes within the uprights. For those who’re solely carrying one bike, and also you by no means change tire sizes, this isn’t an enormous deal. However in the event you’re always shuttling the household round, or buddies, or identical to to experience greater than only one style, it turns into fairly annoying to should bust out the instruments to maneuver the upright tire help on some racks.
Manufacturers like Saris have a minimum of eliminated the necessity for a software on racks just like the MHS, however it’s nonetheless time-consuming and annoying to unthread the rod, transfer the bracket, attempt to realign the holes, after which thread all of it again collectively once more – solely to search out it’s best to have used the following set of holes.
The Kuat FastFit Wheel Chock System then again, is just good. With a fast one-handed squeeze of the 2 tabs, you’ll be able to shortly change the place of the wheel chock, and simply as shortly lock it again in place.
There’s additionally a pink warning indicator that permits you to know you haven’t truly locked the FastFit into place. For those who see pink, simply push the chock up or down till it latches and disappears.
I’ve to offer credit score to Kuat for the shaping of the wheel chocks as effectively. Relatively than a easy tapered steel bar, or plastic piece, Kuat makes use of a sculpted steel construction with internal helps that basically seize onto the tread of your tires. Even with out the uprights tremendous tight, these wheel chocks appear to carry higher than different tray-style racks, whether or not transporting highway bikes, MTB, fats bikes, or an e-commuter.
The uprights have six pre-set positions to suit wheel sizes from 18-29″ and tires as much as 5″ vast, with the holes labeled on the surface rack place. higher nonetheless, that decrease place is definitely designed for use with bikes operating full protection fenders as effectively!
Suitable with Many Full Protection Fenders
On the entrance upright, you don’t have to fret about it since most entrance fenders cease effectively wanting the wheel chock. However on the again of the bike, full protection fenders typically make transporting bikes on tray-style racks tough, or generally not possible with out injury.
The Kuat Piston Professional-X system depends on a decrease gap that locations the wheel chock across the 3 o’clock place on the rear wheel which is beneath the top of many full-coverage fenders. When you’ve got fender extensions or longer fenders you should have points, however I used to be ready to make use of it with full protection SKS fenders on my e-commuter with out clearance points.
Technically, Kuat requires the usage of their fender package to be used of this function. That fender package is bought individually and consists of two velcro straps for $20. These straps are supposed to present further stability to the bike whereas on the rack.
Truthfully, I haven’t used the official fender package – I merely discovered another straps that I had mendacity round to strap down the wheel on the backside. If I used to be touring longer distances, I might have added a strap on the wheel chock too.
eBike Suitable Too
I also needs to point out that in the event you’re utilizing this rack for ebikes, you is perhaps within the ebike ramp accent as effectively. A little bit of a pricy improve at $98, the ramp means that you can wheel your bike as much as the tray for simple loading. To make use of the ebike ramp, you’ll be able to open the uprights to their open place, then proceed to open them additional. Ultimately, the piston ratchet will begin working in reverse, holding the upright in a low place so you’ll be able to connect the ramp.
The Authentic PedalPivot is Nonetheless One of many Finest
For those who’re acquainted with Kuat racks, then you definitely’re most likely acquainted with their glorious PedalPivot. It’s already a fantastic design, so there wasn’t a necessity to alter it right here. The PedalPivot means that you can use your hand or your foot to function, which is extraordinarily helpful when your palms are full with a motorbike, gear, or in any other case. It’s simply accessible from the highest or backside of the rack, provides easy operation, and is tucked away to maintain it from getting broken or stuffed with mud.
Tiered Bike Positions
Like the very best tray-style racks on the market, the Piston Professional-X provides tiered trays making it straightforward to hold a number of bikes with out interference. You possibly can nonetheless modify the lateral positioning of the bikes based mostly on how you place them within the tray as effectively, making it very straightforward to hold any mixture of bikes with out trouble.
Followers of all steel building may even be proud of the construct of the Piston Professional-X. The entire main elements are comprised of steel with stainless {hardware}, and completed with a powdercoat that they declare received’t fade over time.
Built-in Locking & Safety
The rack is secured to the car utilizing their FlatLock Hitch Cam which prevents the rack from wobbling. The FlatLock Hitch Cam makes use of a safety bolt, with the suitable safety software stashed in a lockable holder on the finish of the rack. One of many solely bits of criticism I’ve heard about this rack is that the safety software can rattle round contained in the locked housing. With every part rolling round inside my Ingredient, I’ve not seen any noises associated to it, however a minimum of certainly one of our readers talked about that they added some rubber to the lock housing to forestall the software from rattling.
The included hitch lock is burly trying, however nonetheless works with the Pivot V2 latch.
The included lock cable it lots lengthy to lock up two bikes (by means of the frames and all 4 wheels).With regards to locks, the Piston Professional-X consists of each a stainless-steel hitch lock, and a versatile 12mm cable that’s lengthy sufficient to simply lock up two bikes together with the wheels. The lock cable then locks into the physique of the rack, with the identical key used for the hitch lock and safety software. The design implies that you must retailer the lock cable in your automobile if you’re not utilizing it, however it additionally means you get a properly-long cable as a substitute of some built-in system that isn’t actually lengthy sufficient and is a trouble to make use of. Granted, it’s probably not as safe because the chain lock provided on the RockyMounts, however it ought to be sufficient for fast pit stops or in safer environments.
There are Lights, Too!
In any case of this, I haven’t even talked about one of many different signature options – the built-in lighting. Now, you might be considering, “I don’t really want my bike rack to have lights.” That’s what I type of thought, till I began paying consideration. So many bike racks block the lights of the car, particularly when carrying cumbersome mountain bikes. For those who care about your treasured cargo not being smashed by drivers who “couldn’t see your brake lights,” including further lighting to the rack makes quite a lot of sense. Notably, in the event you go away your rack on the car year-round as I do, which implies folding it up, which actually blocks the tail lights.
Kuat isn’t the primary model to incorporate mild choices on their rack, however the LED lights on the Piston Professional-X are seamlessly built-in – no ugly add-on kits, or having to route further wires by means of your rack. Because of a magnetic plug and magnetic wire clips, the rack is simple to energy up, even in the event you’re utilizing the Piston Pivot V2. Additionally, the QuickConnect Add-Ons are pre-wired that means you’ll be able to merely add on the third or 4rth bike tray, they usually’ll join and sync mechanically (the three and 4 bike variations have the identical 4 lights for added visibility).
Because of their positioning and form, the LED lights may be seen when the rack is up or down, and performance as tail lights, brake lights, and switch indicators. The one factor that appears to be lacking is a set of mounting holes for a further license plate. I haven’t been hassled for my plate being obscurred by the rack, however it looks as if if police needed to, they’d have a purpose to cease you.
Learn how to Add Trailer Lighting to Your Automobile
The Piston Professional-X requires an ordinary 4 pin trailer wiring plug, however what in case your automobile isn’t wired for trailer lighting? It is dependent upon the car, however on my Honda Ingredient, including a trailer lighting package was fairly straightforward. With some Googling, I discovered that my Honda Ingredient SC was partially pre-wired, with a port within the again within the spare compartment. I had to purchase a Curt 56029 Customized Wiring Equipment ($34.05, Amazon), and join one plug to the rear, and join the controller below the sprint.
It took lower than an hour, and the toughest half for me was deciding tips on how to route the rear wire exterior the car to the rack since I’m utilizing the Kuat Pivot V2. With a view to permit the rack to swing outwards to the left, the wiring needed to accommodate that. Kuat sells a wiring extension for $30, however I ddn’t need a bunch of additional wiring to take care of, so I discovered a technique to rout it down by means of the tailgate, below the car, by means of a gap in body and out from the left backside of the rear bumper. With the magnetic clips offered by Kuat, the wiring works completely, permitting full use of the Pivot with out having to the touch it each time I take advantage of the rack (and and not using a wire regularly dragging throughout the paint on the bumper).
Pivot V2 Suitable
I confirmbed with Kuat that the Piston Professional X is suitable with Pivot V2, with as much as 250lb of weight. That’s not at all times the case with swing-away adapters, so it’s nice to see that Kuat’s racks are suitable with their very own adapter, which solely enhances the expertise. With the Pivot V2 mounted, I don’t even should flip the rack right down to entry the tailgate on my ingredient, and if I need extra room out again, a fast flip of a latch and launch permits the entire thing to swing to the aspect. Very similar to the rack itself, the Pivot V2 is the best to make use of of any swing-away adapter I’ve tried.
So What’s the Catch? The Value…
Now for the elephant within the room, the value. There’s no escaping it. The Piston Professional-X is pricey. Actually costly, significantly if you wish to carry three or 4 bikes. Pricing begins at $1,349 for a two bike model (add $749 for the 3-bike, or $1,289 for the 4-bike). That’s $2,638 for a 4 bike rack. Sure, that features the locks and lights which different manufacturers promote individually, however it’s nonetheless certainly one of (if not the) costliest hitch racks on the market.
However there’s a purpose for that. Kuat needed to construct the last word tray-style hitch rack, and it looks as if they’ve succeeded. The Piston Professional-X is stellar in virtually each regard, and is a stand-out for its ease of use, built-in options, and magnificence – which is strictly why it landed an Editor’s Selection Award. At this level, I count on most bike racks that I’ve used to have a minimum of one main flaw or annoyance, however the Piston Professional-X is nearly good. So long as you’ll be able to afford it.
