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1up Quick Rack Quick Review.

938K views 4K replies 632 participants last post by  rlee 
#1 ·
Just received my 1up quick racks. I must say that pics do not do this rack justice! It is simply beautiful. Well engineered. I love looking at it. I also love the super low profile of the rack. With one rack on and folded up, I can still open the hatch. With two racks on and in the midway position i can open the hatch. Everything is as easy as the claims. I was able to install the rack and add on without reading the instructions in less than 3 minutes. The hitch connection is very secure. I think i'll put a lock on it still since i'm not fully sold that the hex key is theft proof and I don't want to take it on and off repeatedly.

Price wise it is a little on the pricey side, especially since i can get a really good discount on yakima and thule products.

I considered the following other racks before purchasing this for my 2010 Touareg TDI:
Kuat NV
Yakima Holdup
Thule T2
Saris Cycle On Pro
 
#2,630 ·
@jonshanda
Nope. A 1/4-20 Flathead screw will use an English sized hex wrench (Allen is a brand name for hex wrenches). A M6x1 Flathead screw will use a metric hex wrench. It's that simple.

If you wanted a mix and match (Metric thread/English wrench or vice versa), that would be some crazy custom automatic screw machine header job to make those fasteners.
 
#2,640 ·
That is what I was thinking, but didn't know forsure. I quick scan of Fastenal and McMaster provided me insight.

I really don't mean to dog on 1up for their choice, but it would just make common sense to me. I have only had to adjust the rack a few times, but seeing as I have no real use for english hex wrenches, it was a pita to find the right size.
 
#2,632 ·
Just FYI, I have been involved with the design and manufacturing of steel fabricated stuff for decades. Metric fasteners and taps/dies are readily available in the US and have been for a long time. Honestly, for a bicycle accessory there is no excuse not to use metric hardware, since it's a real convenience for the customer who typically will have metric tools. Where the domestic industry is lagging, with some reason, is switching to metric-sized raw materials. Rolled, drawn and extruded shapes like tubing (and hitch receivers), as well as sheet and plate stock are still manufactured in inch and US gauge thicknesses. That's because the tooling to manufacture this material is huge and expensive (think giant rolls in a steel mill), not just a few hundred dollars in taps and dies, or new sockets. Speaking of sockets, I think the whole world still uses 1/4", 3/8" etc inch-sized square drives.

That said, buy the right sized allen wrench and spray paint it orange, keep it in the glove box and it's not a big deal.
 
#2,643 ·
I'm a big 1up supporter, but really wish they'd done the original design in metric fasteners--big mistake using inch as far as I'm concerned. If they changed now it would be a mess since your newly purchased add-on could have different fasteners than your original base rack. They'd almost have to change to an all-new series.
 
#2,645 ·
I'm a big 1up supporter, but really wish they'd done the original design in metric fasteners--big mistake using inch as far as I'm concerned.
I really don't get the whining... the only fasteners I touch are the tamper-resistant bolts where you use the 1up-suppplied tool and the wheel spacers that will use either a 1/2" or 13mm wrench just fine?
 
#2,649 ·
what do you guys think of using a security chain like this:
Security Maxx Chain 3/8

I have carbon wheels so I would need to lock up the front and rear wheels along with the frame. I was thinking of getting 2 x 10 ft chains with a two bike setup, one going from the hitch through the rear wheels, and through the frames back to the hitch. The other going from the hitch through the front wheels, and through the frames back to the hitch. Overkill? these security chains seem better than the cables.

or perhaps even just 1 x 15 ft chain attached to a ulock at the hitch
 
#2,650 ·
A chain offers the best security. I use a Kryptonite New York Noose 1213. The benefit of a noose chain is it doesn't have to be as long. The New York noose is 4.25 feet long and weighs 10.55 lbs, 12 mm links. The chain you are looking at is 10 mm links so will still be pretty heavy per foot. 15 ft of chain is going to weigh a lot and be hard to route through the wheels/frame/hitch.

I "noose" the chain around the top tube and lock the free end of the chain to the hitch. Ulocks for the wheels. Three keys to worry about which is the down side.

In your case, I would get a noose for one bike and then two short pieces of chain to tie the wheels and the frame of the second bike to the first bike. If you don't buy kryptonite chains and buy from the company in your post, make sure you get the chain covers for the chains. There are other bicycle lock companies than Kryptonite. You may want to check out Abus.
 
#2,651 ·
A chain offers the best security.
Agreed. They are heavy though, so I don't like to run one while driving so it doesn't damage the bikes. I only use the chain when I have to park over night at a hotel or something like that.

I happen to use a 12mm OnGuard Beast Chain:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0090C4X0C?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

with a pair of OnGuard 8046 Boxer mini U-locks.
OnGuard 8046 Boxer x4 Disc Lock with Pouch Reminder 5 8" | eBay

Obviously with the advent of battery powered angle grinders (ever watch Storage Wars), all manners of security are only a deterrent. But with a chain you at least deter thieves of opportunity that can nip through a cable in <5 minutes with a wire cutter or a few seconds with a small bolt cutter. And also remember that your lock point to the car probably becomes the point of least resistance -- like the safety chain loop on the hitch, the hitch itself, or the cross-bars on your roof. With my little U-locks, I'll lock the chain right to the chainstay of the bike(s) so the thief would have to cut the bike. Bottom line, bring the bike inside if you can!
 
#2,652 ·
I went with the toughest chain my local hardware store had (yellowish colored links, highest load capacity). That chain requires 48" bolt cutters, which I figure not too many criminals carry w/ them. I then took an intertube and slid it over the chain, and wrapped the ends with gorilla tape so just one link sticks out each end.

Total investment is less than $20 and should keep away 99% of a$$holes.
 
#2,662 ·
The left to right steering wobble is from the wind hitting the front wheel from the side. The front wheel sits on a concave tray so as the wheel moves 15-20 degrees to the left from the wind the concave tray makes it return(steer) back to the original straight position. As you drive faster the front wheel gets into a back and fourth rhythm which is what we're calling 'wobble' here. Again, myself and maybe a few other are the only ones who have noticed this. It's mostly annoying than a problem and it seems to happen on larger 29ers. I'm pretty sure it's due to not getting enough overlap from the two pivoting bars since the contact point is much lower on the larger wheel. A front wheel strap will minimize the issue but I don't like the idea of having to grab a tie down every time I go for a ride. Perhaps there's a way to retrofit a Yakima or Thule type ratchet strap on there to hold it down tight.
 
#2,665 ·
that will probably work perfectly. I wish I had known about them so I could have saved 8$ for shipping! Now I might try to come up with something homemade that does the same before spending the extra $$.
meh, for 42$ for 3 of them, its not worth messing with. they better work though:nono:
 
#2,672 ·
Nah...
making it tighter against the tires did not improve the crazy wobble I was getting past 50MPH. I think this would help more on a 27.5 or 26er. The Inno tire hold rack I'm using now hits my 29er wheels higher up on the wheels closer to 2 o'clock position and I get very little to no wobble. It's the same design more or less, just flimsier. Still waiting to hear back from customer service about the adapter. I might order up another rack if the say it fits larger wheels.
 
#2,673 ·
I have an XL 29er. I know exactly what it is. It wobbles. It attaches to a non-solid part of your bike. That is why. The wobbling is epically less than the trail vibrations you get. It isn't going to hurt your bike.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk
 
#2,675 ·
Good point. I'm only hypothesiszing how it might effect your fork if it's not solidly held. My earlier point was that if you go on 2-4 hour long trip and the fork is fluttering back and fourth the entire time it's creating a little bit of friction in one area of your fork bushings which is a little different then going for a bike ride where the forces are very vertical and linear - not a twisting motion. Even if that's not an issue I like to look back and see my bike solidly attached and not see the wheel fluttering around. While the tire is not a solid part I'm placing my bet that 29ers with longer wheel bases wobble more due to the rack contacting the tire at a lower point. My Inno tire hold rack overlaps closer to the top of the wheel doesn't wobble nearly as much.
 
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