{"id":125,"date":"2016-09-08T03:26:00","date_gmt":"2016-09-08T03:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redrocksreview.com\/index.php\/2016\/09\/08\/review-kuat-nv-2-0-hitch-rack-improving-on-perfection\/"},"modified":"2016-09-08T03:26:00","modified_gmt":"2016-09-08T03:26:00","slug":"review-kuat-nv-2-0-hitch-rack-improving-on-perfection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redrocksreview.com\/index.php\/2016\/09\/08\/review-kuat-nv-2-0-hitch-rack-improving-on-perfection\/","title":{"rendered":"Review Kuat NV 2.0 Hitch Rack – Improving on Perfection"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Almost 4 years ago I picked up a Kuat NV hitch rack<\/a> and have been a huge fan ever since. Prior to that I had been a roof rack user for 20 years, always getting new feet\/towers and kits with each new car.  I got a truck and was looking for a better way to carry my bikes, some friends had been talking about how much they liked their Kuat hitch rack and I had to try it out. Well in the last 4 years I put countless miles on that rear rack in snow, rain and cross country trips. It has been nothing short of amazing. I will never go back to a roof rack. The Kuat NV is built like a tank, easy to use with any kind of bike and it looks good. It is so nice and easy to use that when my wife got a new car, she got rid of her roof rack and stole my Kuat! Which gave me an excuse to check out the new Kuat NV 2.0; they have somehow managed to  improve on rack perfection.<\/p>\n

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The Kuat NV 2.0 beefs up the moving parts and improves on ergonomics over the 1.0. Before we compare the two lets just go over what makes this great. Starting off the arms are easy to adjust and fit skinny, fat and super fat tires.<\/p>\n

On a Schwalbe 2.35″ tire.<\/p>\n

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On a Maxxis 4.8″ tire.<\/p>\n

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The trays that hold the front tire cradle any size tire and are up\/down adjustable so you can avoid seat\/bar interference.<\/p>\n

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The rear wheel is secured with a ratchet strap.<\/p>\n

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To avoid shake there is a built in cam to wedge against your trailer hitch using an adjuster at the rear. By tightening the cam you totally eliminate any shaking or rattling in the rack.<\/p>\n

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I mentioned this 3 years ago and I’ll mention it again in this review, Kuat is awesome because they do not nickel and dime you for everything part. You buy a Kuat NV and all the accessories are included. You don’t have to buy a “lock kit” they include a locking hitch pin and integrated bike locks all keyed alike.<\/p>\n

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The bike locks that are integrated in to the rack are an improvement over the old model. Super easy to use and they hide away nicely.<\/p>\n

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It folds up, down and tilts extra down with a large lever. The lever even has ridges so you can push on it with your foot to lower the rack with one hand… while your other is holding your bike.<\/p>\n

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The Kuat NV 2.0 has a built in clamp which turns your rack in to a trailhead repair stand.  They even sell a kit to convert the head in to a full on stand, the Tri-Doc kit. Which I have and is ingenious. I’ll have a review of that in a week or two.<\/p>\n

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The Kuat people have thought of everything, maybe you don’t want to drive in the city with the clamp in the rack, so there is an include plug to keep water out and a hideaway for the allen key you can use to adjust your rack. <\/div>\n
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Do you remember how I mentioned that Kuat includes everything? They also include a fat bike kit for one bike with each NV 2.0. This is a strap extender and a strap for the front wheel. If you are like me you probably drive the fat bike more than your regular bike. I can head out more door to ride trails, but in the winter I need some pack on the trails so I will drive to a few spots for fat bike action.<\/p>\n

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While I loved the Kuat NV 1.0, the 2.0 has made it even better. They have beefed up some of the moving parts and improved the ergonomics. The original raise\/lower level was fine to use, but not as slick as the new one. The older lever was small and harder to reach.<\/p>\n

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The original lock was just long enough to reach through two bikes, but was tricky to reach the key.<\/p>\n

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The clamp on the new NV is fancier too.<\/p>\n

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While none of these things bothered me, the new setup is just so slick it is hard not to like the new model more.<\/p>\n

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What I am saying in this review is that if you need a rear rack, there is nothing better than the Kuat NV 2.0. It fits all types of bikes, has a rock solid design and has more features than you can shake a stick at. <\/p>\n

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Kuat Says: http:\/\/kuatracks.com\/products\/hitch\/nvtm-2-0\/<\/a>
With years of experience and feedback, we overhauled every feature and streamlined the look while maintaining the spirit of its predecessor. A re-designed pivot system, with foot assist, will endure a lifetime of abuse. Adjustable cradles allow for fast bike fit adjustments. Individual bike cable locks are longer, more durable and easier to use. Holding bikes with up to 4.8\u201d tires insure a true fit for any bike in your stable. Updated ratchet arm creates intuitive release and a more stable tow. The ground up re-design of the Trail Doc work stand delivers a pro level feel. These are only the highlights, resulting from 3 years of extensive development, making the NV 2.0 the most advanced hitch rack on the planet.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Almost 4 years ago I picked up a Kuat NV hitch rack and have been a huge fan ever since. Prior to that I had been a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/redrocksreview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/redrocksreview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/redrocksreview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redrocksreview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redrocksreview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/redrocksreview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/redrocksreview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redrocksreview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redrocksreview.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}