1up Heavy Duty

[hemismith]

Anyone have a 1up Heavy Duty? It's not clear but it sounds like there is nothing to keep the wheel from rolling off the end when you're putting it on the rack, until you swing up the end brackets, so it can be a little tricky to put on the rack by yourself. Edit: I guess you could just swing up the front end bracket to the vertical position. Not sure why or the views didn't think of that.

Also the tray spacing is apparently only 9", which is really small, although I know it's tiered. Do you have problems with clearance with two bikes?

That aside, my other big concern is the lack of a hitch pin. Several people have mentioned that it's gotten loose with travel. Some people use a cable lock to secure it to the vehicle I guess.

At any rate, I'm down to getting that or the RockyMounts Gigawatt, which my local dealer has. My main issue with that one is the weight, the 1up is much lighter and folds up.

 

[levity]

We have the previous version Super Duty rack (75 lb. rating each tray) that we’ve used without issue for six months to carry two Fuel EX-e bikes. I think it’s the same as the previous ‘Heavy Duty” version except with reinforced trays. We had to buy the 1Up to replace a nice Kuat rack in order to clear a trailer tongue. We’ve used it on a Sprinter van and a Honda minivan.

The bikes are easy to load/unload - easier with two folks but my 120 lb wife can manage it alone. No problem fitting two bikes facing opposite directions. We do use a Velcro strap to help secure the back of the front wheel to the tray to reduce some minor wobble, and the bikes appear very stable driving. The rack itself seems more rigid than our Kuat.

Like you we were also concerned about the wimpy hitch pin. We added an anti-rattle/anti-wobble U-bolt clamp to stabilize the rack in the receiver as we do with all our attachments. Tightening this after the knob that tightens the ball insert makes for a solid, secure setup. We’ve checked the ball knob when traveling and have never seen it loosen (unlike the Kuat ball knob).

The 1Up hitch pin has a lock, but it can be snapped off by knowledgeable thieves. For this reason we add a cable lock at trailheads to at least discourage or slow them down.

So far we’re super happy with the 1Up rack. Overall we like it more than previous Thule and Kuat racks we’ve owned.

 

[hemismith]

We have the previous version Super Duty rack (75 lb. rating each tray) that we’ve used without issue for six months to carry two Fuel EX-e bikes. I think it’s the same as the previous ‘Heavy Duty” version except with reinforced trays. We had to buy the 1Up to replace a nice Kuat rack in order to clear a trailer tongue. We’ve used it on a Sprinter van and a Honda minivan.

The bikes are easy to load/unload - easier with two folks but my 120 lb wife can manage it alone. No problem fitting two bikes facing opposite directions. We do use a Velcro strap to help secure the back of the front wheel to the tray to reduce some minor wobble, and the bikes appear very stable driving. The rack itself seems more rigid than our Kuat.

Like you we were also concerned about the wimpy hitch pin. We added an anti-rattle/anti-wobble U-bolt clamp to stabilize the rack in the receiver as we do with all our attachments. Tightening this after the knob that tightens the ball insert makes for a solid, secure setup. We’ve checked the ball knob when traveling and have never seen it loosen (unlike the Kuat ball knob).

The 1Up hitch pin has a lock, but it can be snapped off by knowledgeable thieves. For this reason we add a cable lock at trailheads to at least discourage or slow them down.

So far we’re super happy with the 1Up rack. Overall we like it more than previous Thule and Kuat racks we’ve

Thank you very much. I saw some mention of those u-bolt clamps but can’t visualize how they are used.

 

[levity]

Very effective. $10-15 on Amazon.
This one even offers colors to match your bike

 

[hemismith]

View attachment 145059
Very effective. $10-15 on Amazon.
This one even offers colors to match your bike

Oh I see, thanks!

 

[Lightme]

I have the Super Duty. Definitely a technique to loading/unloading but you adapt. Happy with it.

 

[Picard12]

View attachment 145059
Very effective. $10-15 on Amazon.
This one even offers colors to match your bike

Does this trailer hitch pin work?

 

[yoterryh]

Warning, long post.

Over many years of mountain biking (from 1986 to now) I have owned a few different racks. My first was a Rhode Gear Cycle Shuttle trunk mount. It was cheap but functional, but I never liked the way precarious way it attached to the car. Next I owned a Yakima roof rack which required removal of the front wheel. This was very stable, with great performance and I used it for years, but you always needed to be careful of the overhead height. When I got a van I added a Yakima hitch mount rack. This rack was ok, though I didn't love the way the bikes hung from their top tube and I needed a Yakima "tube top" accessory to facilitate hanging multiple bikes. Some time later, I replaced this with a Yakima Swingaway rack. It had the same shortcomings as the old Yakima but had much greater functionality with the ability to swing it out of the way. Even though it was rated for 4 bikes, I could never fit more than 3 and 2 was really the optimal number of bikes for it to carry. In order to carry more bikes I added a front hitch receiver and a Thule tray-mount rack. But it was the Yakima Swingaway that was my primary rack for several years.

Over many years I observed various racks in parking lots at trailheads and became aware of 1Up USA. I saw these racks frequently and liked what I saw! I resolved to give them serious consideration when the time came to replace my Yakima rack

I now have the 1UP 2" Super Duty Double rack often used with the 1Up RakAttach 2.0. I purchased both in December 2022 after buying my first EMTB, a Canyon Spectral:On CF8. I've been very happy with the rack overall and have hauled my Canyon and my buddy's Marin on multiple occasions. The rack is beefy and more than capable of handling two EMTBs. I typically haul the Canyon and my Intense analog bike with the "RakAttach 2.0" on my camper van when traveling. The RakAttach swing away feature is of primary importance so that I can easily access the rear doors of my van as needed. If I'm heading out riding for a day trip, I use the 1Up Super Duty rack without the RakAttach on my Ford Edge.

My observations are that the rack alone is very secure with zero wobble, but when using the RakAttach, the connection between the RakAttach and the van's hitch receiver *always* loosens up! I'm now in the habit of checking it frequently and I plan to buy a hitch tightener (see post above) very soon.

Hauling two bikes is easy, but I always need to lower the saddle of one or both bikes to make them fit. As the original poster observed, it can be slightly tricky to balance a bike while loading, especially a heavy e-bike, but it is easy to ratchet up one of the retaining brackets slightly in order to balance the bike until both brackets are engaged and tightly holding the bikes.

Other minor issues. These products are HEAVY! The RakAttach in particular is difficult to load because of the weight. Next, after using for a few months, I noticed at some point that the anodized (?) coating of both my black trays had become scuffed and scratched showing the silver metal underneath. I realized that this must have been from a rock lodged in the tired tread vibrating and rubbing in transit. Finally, another minor issue was that one of the retaining arms became overly tight and was binding. This was easily remedied, once I realized which of the bolts needed to be loosened.

Overall, I'm very satisfied with my 1Up products. Though it was expensive I think this is the last rack I'll ever need to buy!

 

[Greeno]

I purchased the 1UP HD rack about two months ago to replace my older Thule XT 2 Pro that I had for probably 6 yrs or so.
I bought the single version so I could use it that way as I usually meet my buddies when riding or go solo.
I also have the extension to make it a dual set-up when needed and takes about 10 minutes to install or remove.

I had a lot of side to side movement on the Thule when on bumpy roads and ended up breaking off a couple of the support arms at the weld which sucked but was able to repair.

The HD rack works fantastic as the wheel support arms are narrower than the SD and fits my 2.8” tires snugly and causes zero movement.
My neighbor has the SD rack and his bike moves around more than mine using a simular bike.
As far as any hitch wobble is concerned the allenhead bolt used to tighten the rack stays tight hasn’t loosened up once, I check it occasionally.
Plus with the hitch bolt lock installed no one can really steal it once it’s on.

I agree bikes are close together and the seats need to be dropped down to not interfere with the bars but no rubbing or banging around that I have seen.
I ended up making my own version of the rack release lever instead of having to stick your hand underneath to tilt it.
The version I made works when the single rack is used or the double, kinda simular to the one 1UP sells for $99 but mine works for both situations and cost me maybe $30 and an afternoon to build up and paint and looks like it belongs there.

Great rack so far and I use it multiple times a week.
So far so good.

 

[levity]

@Greeno : “ . . with the hitch bolt lock installed no one can really steal it once it’s on.”

I hope you don’t find out that this is not the case!
(it can “walk away” in less than 30 seconds)

On a happier note photos showing your rack release lever mod would be nice to see!

 

[Greeno]

I will post up a couple of pics tomorrow of the release lever mod.
As far as the hitch lock bolt goes I will take a pic of that as well and you can explain to me how the rack can be jacked.
Looks pretty bullit proof to me, maybe you know something more than me, please let me know.

 

[Greeno]

Here is the pic of the hitch lock. dont see an easy way to defeat this without going banshee on the whole rack.

Here's a pic of the single rack with the extension piece I made.

I dont think 1UP makes an extension piece for just the single and it requires you to reach underneath to release the mechanism, I wanted a handle exposed on the end kinda like my old Thule.
If you do purchase a 2, 3, or 4 rack extension piece it is only usable for those specific set-ups.
Cost is I think $100 apiece for whichever one you pick.
Mine I can use for my single or double rack and since I have to manually add the second rack I dont mind adding the extension for the handle at the same time. Materials cost me maybe $30 and an afternoon of my time.

I had some 1/4" alum plate that I cut to 12" x 2 3/4" and drilled four holes.
Next I got some 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" alum angle and cut a piece at 9" and drilled two clearance holes for the 3/8" all-thread and the 1/4"/20 bolts going into the existing lever bracket and then drilled and tapped two 1/4"/20 holes into the existing lever bracket so I could fasten the angle bracket to.

To add the next extension rack I just unbolt the top plate, and disassemble the handle to allow for the additional all-thread pieces, add on the next section and install the all-thread and the handle and your good to go, takes 10 minutes.
The add on extension also has a lock/bolt to keep it where it is.

The 3/8" all-thread for the single set-up are 7 1/2" in length.
The extension pieces are 9 3/4" long joined together using some rod couplings.

Her's the old Thule rack and my bike and you can see the support arms that broke twice on me and then the pic of the 1UP rack with bike and hopefully this lasts a long time.

1UP rack and bike.

Only complaint I have so far is the notched alum bracket rail at the bottom where the wheel brackets engage against.
It would be nice if these were made of steel to minimize any wearing down of the grooves on the top where it engages.
I know you can buy replacements but if/when the time comes I will make my own replacement bracket out of steel as well as the catch bolt the engages the mechanism.
Here is the wear so far at 2 months.

Something to keep an eye on I wouldn't want it to jump a slot or two and loosen up when transporting my bike.