oldwinger14

Count me in with another vote for 1-UP USA. I've had mine for two years and still love it. Super easy to install/remove. Takes about 2 minutes max. Loadng/unloading the bike(s) is a very simple task also and the bike(s) are super secure. The rackarack makes zero noise - no rattles, bouncing around, etc. while driving. Couldn't be any happier with it.

Blues_Angel

Another vote for Kuat. I have an NV 2.0 on my truck, and the wifey has a Transfer 2 for her car. Highest quality, and both look great.

C9H13N 

If you get a hanging rack and think it’s going to scratch your paint at the anchor points, a wrap or two of blue painters tape makes a good protective barrier.

Fendertele

Very pleased with my Kuat TS02. I transport one carbon bike and one aluminum bike with it.

jlockwood98

I don't believe so.

JoeBeach

What would be recommended for a sedan (no hitch)? I don't want to deal with a roof mount. Specifically for a Toyota Corolla.

klevin

Kuat Sherpa. Easy to mount on the vehicle since it's light enough, easy to load the bikes, and the bikes are very stable. Like other brands, it's easy to stow it vertically, or drop it a bit when bikes are on it to access the rear of the vehicle. We use it on a Subaru Forester. The weight matters on my vehicle since the receiver is only 1 1/4 and has a relatively low load limit.

redmartin

We own both the Kuat Sherpa 2.0 (wife's vehicle) and a 1UP (mine), and in my opinion, the 1UP is the way to go. It's roughly the same price, but it holds the bike more securely and it's just so well made. Also, the 1UP is angled so that bikes aren't all at the same height, and you can adjust the bikes left-right. No matter what bikes you have, you can fit them both on the 1UP (if you have a bike with really fat tires, 1UP has a solution for that too).

There is one more thing about the Kuat that bugs me. After about 18 months of use, my wife's Kuat started getting a little stiff and unbeknownst to me, one day the latch for the "lean back" feature didn't fully engage. We were driving down the road with bikes, hit a bump and the Kuat dropped back to the "lean back" position. Thankfully our bikes weren't damaged but it scared the ... out of me. I lubricated EVERYTHING on the rack and it's fine now, but I'll never fully trust it again. As anyone who has ever used a 1UP can attest, there is no way a 1UP will EVER drop like that. I did have to lubricate my 1UP, but just because the arms were getting harder to use. It's a "fail safe" design while the Kuat is not.

The 1UP is simply a superior product to the Kuat – better designed, better built, and comes fully assembled to boot (the Kuat requires assembly).

Ed

j2cervin

We went with a Yakima Fullswing for my wifes Flex. The ability to move the bikes completely out of the way without removing any of them is a lifesaver. I did worry about hanging my BMC and Orbea from it, but the top pad is pretty wide to distribute the contact point. Also, it is a large, fairly soft rubber so there isnt much worry about scratching. Kids bikes do require a tube adapter though.

Eiko

8th vote for 1UP. One consideration not mentioned yet. Colorado sun kills rubber and plastic bits over time. 1UP is all metal.
@redmartin mentions fat tires. Standard 1UP just barely fits my 3" Plus mtn bike. Any wider would need the wide tire solution.

I like that it's compact in it's solo configuration (my usual) but that a second carrier is easily installed. Not applicable to OP but if he ever wants to carry a third bike, that's also easy to install.

jwatt

If quality is what you're looking for, I recommend 1UPUSA. Their racks are all metal, very strong, with a simple elegant design. No frame contact with the bike, so there is no vibration into your carbon frames. Fast and easy to load and unload. As the name says, they are made in USA, and they are well made. No flimsy plastic parts. No small gauge sheet metal. Solid, with no flexing in use. Customer service is outstanding. You can actually call them on the phone, and speak directly with an actual tech or engineer. I have two 1UPUSA racks, one for each of two cars. I have used the racks to transport my (costly and treasured) high racer carbon frame recumbent bike and my heavy full suspension recumbent from Iowa to Florida (1400 miles, one way) and back as well as for other similar long trips, and I use them for short hauls to local trails near home. You can get a double rack for two bikes, or a single rack that accepts an easily bolted-on add-on module, therefore also carrying two bikes. I use the single-plus-add-on model because I often travel with just a single bike, and the single-alone configuration is elegant and minimal. I have used various other rack brands. Nothing matches 1UPUSA. I learned years ago that saving money by buying a so-so quality tool is actually more expensive in the end, because I often end up replacing it with the tool I should have bought to begin with. Quality matters. A bike rack is an essential piece of gear if you have nice bikes that you love. There is a reason that owners of 1UPUSA racks love their racks.

superdex

I love love love love my Swagman Semi 4.0. Kuat and 1up are nice, but way out of my budget, so I chose the Swagman. SUPER happy.

https://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Bike-...S64698-99.html

The 4.0 is a bundle of the 2-bike mount with the 2-bike addon (they arrived in separate boxes). price/features/functionality is unbeatable. I didn't think I'd use the built-in cable locks and literally the third time I used the rack I needed to lock the bikes up. Ha!

strangdang

One thing to watch out for. It seems it became a selling point for all these tray rack manufacturers to claim that their racks don't touch the frame. The way they do it is for the anti-sway bars to come down on the tire instead. So if you wanna transport a bike with fenders you're SOL. This whole thing about the rack not touching the frame has gotten way overstated. If the rack itself is made well with no flex or swaying of the bike, there's no problem with the paint. If you use a hanging rack you've just gotta tie down the wheels so there is no movement.

allroy71

I am looking at the 1up myself, would be my first hitch rack. Right now, there is a 2 week processing time!!

dkatz1

I have a Thule helium....works great. Light weight, very easy to put on and take off, etc.

Koyote

Now you tell me! I wish I had known this before I drove my fendered bike to the shop last week using my Thule tray-type rack.

strangdang

Did you have to put the bar down on the fender, and did it do any damage? I’m looking for an older type rack where the bar comes down on the top of the frame, because I transport old cruiser bikes.

Koyote

Got this idea from my shop: take a bit of pipe insulation and slice it open lengthwise, and then slide it in-between the tire and the fender...So, under the fender, so that it fills up the area between the tire and the fender. Then put the bar/clamp down on the top of the fender.

I've driven it as far as 80 miles that way, with no apparent damage to the fender - which matters to me, since they are Honjo fenders with the hammered polished finish, which are pretty and expensive.

Bothrops

Good tip! I have a bike with fenders and a Kuat rack and use acoustic foam between the fender and the Kuat arm.

Viich

I have a hitch basket with 4 bike holders. It works, but is a little bit of a kludge.

My wife saw the 1Up racks in a video we watched with the kids (Syd & Macky - they're pro Mtn Bikers with a YouTube channel. Entertaining most of the time)

I think we're getting them (yes!). She wants it to be that easy to put the bikes on. I was surprised at how easy it was, I hadn't seen them in a video like that before.

sovende

I have a 3 bike version of the Hollywood "Road Runner" hitch mount hanging type rack. Their current models are for 4 or 5 bikes. They do have a system that minimizes the to and fro sway of the bikes while driving but I rarely use it. Another reply mentioned painter's tape as a level of frame protection which is prolly not a bad idea 💡. Not knowing the frame configuration or the type of wheel sets of the OP's bikes it's hard to recommend a specific type of carrier. Personally, while the hitch mount, tray-type carriers may have many benefits, I think they are just too bulky 😳 especially when NOT mounted on my vehicle and therefore consuming space in my garage 😬. My Hollywood folds down into a manageable "L" shape that stores nicely. I'm quite sure there are many opinions on the topic 😉. I'm glad I have what I have 👍.

Viich

I don't have this. Yet.
https://www.1up-usa.com/product/rack-stash/

Kapusta

Here is a better (though longer) solution:

Move the bar that clamps the rear wheel down far enough to hit the wheel below the fender. Then use a strap the hold the rear wheel to the tray.

The bar on the rear wheel pushing forward will keep the front wheel in place, but will NOT keep the rear wheel down. That is what the strap is for.

I tried something similar to the fender suggestion with my fendered bike on my 1UP. There was no way In hell I was going to clamp it down hard enough to be truly secure with that setup.

I boggles my mind that people would spend $500 on a bike rack to avoid touching the frame just to go and clamp it on something way more delicate than the frame. I’d use a $40 Walmart hanging rack before that solution. Far less likely to damage the bike.

My 1UP experience with occasional (1-2 times a year) fendered bike use is that it IS possible to use it safely and securely, but if a fendered bike is going to be in regular rotation.... choose a different rack.

prj71

It boggles my mind that people would $4000-$6000 on a nice bike and then put it on a hanging rack and risk scratching the paint off the frame or scuffing it up if a carbon frame.

Tray rack is the best way to go.

Kapusta

You missed the point. A tray rack that clamps over a fender is a terrible idea. There are tray racks that do not clamp over the fender. 1UP is a really bad choice if you transport full fender bikes often. The two main advantages (ease of use and not damaging the bike) are lost.

But to your specific point...... I'd rather use hanging rack on a CF frame (which I have done for tens of thousands of miles with zero issue) before I'd clamp my 1UP over my fenders. YMMV.

Maybe the issue is that unlike tray racks, hanging racks are not idiot-proof, so results will vary more.