I’ve Been Using the Kuat Bike Rack for 3 Years, and I Recommend It to Almost Everyone (2024)

I put off buying a good bike rack for too long. When I first started cycling and mountain biking, I balked at the idea that a bike rack could cost $500, $600, $800 or even more than $1,000. So, naturally, I bought one that cost $200. That turned out to be a $200 mistake because, 1) the rack was so finicky and hard to use that it made me dread going for a ride, and 2) it promptly broke.

When it was time for a new bike rack, I told myself I just needed to fork over the cash for a good one and I wouldn’t regret it. Sure enough, three years later, I’m still using my Kuat Sherpa 2.0 bike rack—even after it got hit by a car and warped in a tiny Miami parking lot (it was a simple fix).

In my Kuat bike rack review, I cover all of the need-to-know information about this hitch bike carrier and will help you decide if you should buy it for yourself.

What is the Kuat bike rack?

Kuat is a manufacturer of racks and carrying accessories for outdoor gear. The company makes several different types of bike racks, as well as racks for skis, snowboards and kayaks. Kuat also manufactures hitch accessories and some storage/carrying solutions for trucks.

The bike rack I’m reviewing in this guide is the Kuat Sherpa 2.0 bike rack. It’s a popular bike rack due to its middle-of-the-road price, yet supreme durability and ease of use. If you show up to a triathlon race, you’re guaranteed to lay your eyes on more Sherpa racks than you might see in your life after that point. (I say that from experience as a triathlete who uses a Sherpa bike rack.)

The Sherpa is a tray-style (as opposed to hanging-style), hitch-mounted bike rack that carries a maximum of two bikes weighing up to 40 pounds each. It’s simple to use and thoughtfully built with the needs of cyclists in mind, which is why it receives such high remarks from customers and gear experts alike.

Kuat Bike Rack Features

The Kuat Sherpa 2.0 has a number of features that make it well worth its $630 price tag. Let’s take a look at some of the standout components.

Aluminum Construction

Amanda Capritto for Family Handyman

The Kuat Sherpa bike rack weighs in at a surprisingly low number: just 35 pounds for the 1.25-inch version and 32 pounds for the 2-inch version. This makes it easy to take your hitch receiver in and out, a welcome feature if you’re someone who takes your bike rack off when not in use, or moves it between different vehicles.

Expanding Cam System

Amanda Capritto for Family Handyman

One of my favorite things about the Sherpa rack is its expanding cam system. When you insert the rack into your vehicle’s hitch receiver, there’s a knob you turn to the right in order to tighten the fit to the interior walls of the receiver. This eliminates movement and rattle in the hitch receiver, making for a quieter ride and peace of mind knowing your bike rack isn’t bouncing around as you drive.

Folds Up and Tilts Down

Amanda Capritto for Family Handyman

If you leave your bike rack on your car when you’re not toting bikes, you can fold it up to reduce the length of the rack. I highly recommend taking advantage of this feature, particularly in parking lots, where a driver may hit the rack. The rack also tilts down to allow access to your vehicle’s trunk. This feature is absolutely clutch, for lack of a better word, because it means you can reach into your cargo area without having to take the bikes off of the rack.

A feature I never use but is worth calling out is the foot-assist pivot. When the rack is in its folded-up position, you can use your foot to release the pin and fold the rack down with one hand. I suppose this is a helpful feature if you have your hands full, but I guess I’ve never found myself in a situation where I can’t put something down and use two hands to fold the rack down.

Locking Hitch Pin and Bike Lock Included

Amanda Capritto for Family Handyman

The Sherpa rack securely attaches to your vehicle, thanks to the including locking hitch pin. A locking hitch pin ensures that no one can steal the rack off of your vehicle when you’re not around. Kuat also includes a cable lock with the rack to protect your bikes from theft. The cable lock integrates with the rack and uses the same key as the locking hitch pin.

Amanda Capritto for Family Handyman

I still recommend purchasing a heftier bike lock to secure your bikes if you plan to leave them unattended. I lost a bike to theft once, so I may be a bit paranoid now, but I use the included Kuat cable lock plus three Kryptonite U-locks to secure my two bikes.

Adjustable Ratchet Arm

Amanda Capritto for Family Handyman

Locking your bike’s front tire into place couldn’t be easier. I can adjust the ratchet arm with one hand and fit it to my bike’s tire. Then, (with two hands) I press down on the arm to tightly lock the tire into place.

The ratchet arms can accommodate wheel sizes up to 29 inches, which covers just about all types of bikes, including mountain bikes. They can accommodate wheels as small as 20 inches, but any wheels in the 20- to 24-inch range will require an adapter.

Folding Tire Cradle and Rear Wheel Straps

Amanda Capritto for Family Handyman

The back wheel of your bike straps into the Sherpa like the closure on an early 2000s pair of rollerblades. But first, you have to fold up the rear tire cradles. They fold down when not in use to avoid unnecessary damage.

A common complaint about the Kuat Sherpa is that the rear wheel cradle can’t accommodate tires larger than 3 inches in width. While the 3-inch maximum covers all standard tire sizes, even for mountain bikes, the rising popularity of E-bikes and fat-tire bikes means this rack won’t work for all cycling enthusiasts.

The tire cradles and straps are the one weak point of this bike rack, in my opinion. Whereas the rest of the frame is constructed from aluminum, the rear tire setup is all plastic. Plastic, naturally, doesn’t have the longevity that aluminum has. Still, after three years of heavy use, the rear tire cradles and straps are working just fine.

How We Tested It

Amanda Capritto for Family Handyman

The Kuat Sherpa has been with me for three years and thousands of miles. The first part of its well-traveled life saw it on the rear of my trusty Subaru Outback, on which I toted bikes to several triathlon races throughout the state of Florida, to Ironman 70.3 Augusta, to South Florida’s surprisingly abundant but obviously man-made mountain biking trail systems and to many other places in the Southeast.

Now, my Kuat Sherpa rests in the hitch receiver of my Winnebago Revel, in which I live full-time. (Well, actually, it sits in an extender, which sits in the receiver, because the rack itself was not long enough to allow the rear van doors to open.)

I’ve toted several bikes with the Kuat Sherpa over the years, from a Trek hardtail (RIP, the one that was stolen) to the Marin hardtail I have now and my partner’s Specialized hardtail, my Cervelo triathlon race bike and my Felt road bike. All of these bikes have fit snugly into the rear tire cradles and under the ratchet arm for the front tire.

On pavement, gravel and rutted dirt roads alike, the Sherpa has remained snug in its receiver and has continued to perform fantastically. This product is a rare one: I truly have no complaints. It has met my needs and hasn’t given me any trouble.

Pros

• Lightweight aluminum construction
• Durable
• Locking hitch pin and cable lock included
• Folds up and tilts down
• Fits all standard adult wheel and tire sizes
• Accommodates two bikes up to 40 pounds each
• Easy to use
• Easy to remove from vehicle

Cons

• Kids’ bikes will require a wheel adapter
• E-bikes may be too heavy for this rack
• Fat-tire bikes will not fit
• Trays are not adjustable

FAQ

Where are Kuat bike racks manufactured?

Kuat Racks is headquartered in Springfield, Missouri, however, manufacturing takes place overseas in China and Taiwan.

How much weight can a Kuat bike rack carry?

It depends on the specific rack. The Kuat Sherpa 2.0 bike rack, reviewed here, can carry a maximum of 80 pounds (40 pounds per bike).

What Other Reviewers and Experts Had to Say

Customers have left stellar reviews of the Kuat Sherpa 2.0. On Backcountry, the rack has an average of five out of five stars, with real-life buyers saying it makes it easy to load and unload bikes and is sturdy and well-built. I agree with one reviewer who wrote, “This thing is extremely well built and should last for many years to come. Do yourself a favor: Don’t waste your time or money on something cheap trying to save a few bucks… buy this one! Enjoy!”

On REI, the Sherpa has an average rating of 4.6 out of five stars. Customers call it “exceptional” and “worth every penny.” The few negative reviews mention issues with assembly, as well as component breakage (specifically the plastic parts). Kuat offers a lifetime warranty on manufacturer defects, so component damage may be covered depending on the exact circ*mstances.

Other in-depth reviews on the Kuat Sherpa 2.0 by gear experts present similar thoughts to what I’ve written about here: The Sherpa is a great all-’rounder for cyclists who stick to standard tire and wheel sizes. But for folks who have (or plan to purchase) bicycles that stray beyond those standards, the Sherpa won’t work. Again, the maximum tire width is 3 inches, the maximum wheelbase is 47 inches and the wheel range is 20 to 29 inches with 20- to 24-inch wheels requiring an adapter.

Product Comparison

Kuat itself offers several other bike racks, and then there are other brands to consider, such as Thule, Yakima, RockyMounts and 1Up. Here’s a look at two popular alternatives:

Kuat NV 2.0

The NV 2.0 is Kuat’s higher-end tray-style bike rack. It looks a lot like the Sherpa 2.0, but upon further inspection, you’d notice some pointed differences. For instance, it can handle bikes weighing up to 60 pounds in comparison to the Sherpa’s 40-pound-per-bike limit. This means it can handle some lighter-duty E-bikes in addition to rides with steel frames, if that’s your jam.

Additionally, the NV 2.0 supports wheelbases up to 50 inches (as opposed to 47 inches) and can accommodate tires up to 5 inches in width with Kuat’s Phat bike kit. It also includes an integrated bike repair stand, which allows you to easily give your bike the TLC it deserves after a day on the trails (or wherever you ride). This rack is compatible with an extender so you can carry four total bikes if desired, and you can adjust the individual bike trays to make more space for bikes that don’t sit well together.

All of these extras come with a price, literally and figuratively. Literally, the NV 2.0 costs about $850, so $200 more than the Sherpa. Figuratively, you’ll pay the price in weight: The NV weighs 52 pounds compared to the Sherpa’s 32 or 35 pounds.

Thule T2 Pro

The Thule T2 Pro X, in particular, is often compared to the Kuat Sherpa 2.0. It has similar specifications: The T2 Pro X is a tray-style rack available in a version that fits 2-inch and 1.25-inch hitches, accommodates wheels from 20 to 29 inches in diameter, fits tires up to 3 inches in width without an adapter and it folds up and tilts down.

This rack can hold slightly more weight than the Sherpa at 50 pounds per bike, and it fits slightly larger wheelbases (about 49 inches). It comes with a locking hitch pin but no integrated cable lock.

One big difference between the Thule T2 Pro X and the Kuat Sherpa 2.0 is that the trays on the Thule rack are adjustable. This means you can slide the trays laterally and lock them in custom positions to better fit your bike and/or center your bikes behind your vehicle. It’s also compatible with an extender that allows you to hold up to four bikes, whereas the Sherpa doesn’t have a compatible extender available.

Final Verdict

While the Kuat Sherpa 2.0 bike rack may not be the right choice for everyone—no product is perfect for every consumer—I do believe it is one of the best and is a great option for most people.

If you ride road, time trial or mountain bikes with standard wheel sizes and tire sizes, the Sherpa 2.0 is a moderately priced, durable bike rack that is supremely easy to use and should last a lifetime. If you need to carry kid’s bikes, E-bikes or fat-tire bikes, I recommend looking into other options, as the Kuat isn’t the best equipped to handle those rides.

Where to Buy the Kuat Bike Rack

The Kuat Sherpa 2.0 is available at most outdoor retailers and bike stores for about $630. You can find it on the brand’s website, as well as Amazon, REI and Backcountry. There’s a good chance you’ll find one at your local bike shop, too.