Nice video, I use used inner bike tubes and cut them to strips and wrap them on areas where theyd have potential contact with the bikes beside it. I strapped them with velcro straps as well
I had a Recon Rack vertical rack (which were bought out by 1-up), and loved it once it was on the vehicle, for all the reasons you mention. But for me, the hassle of putting it on and taking off my vehicle, and the amount of space it needs for storage, were show stoppers. I sold it last year. Right now I have a Quickrstuff on order!
Honestly? There’s a lot to like about this rack in terms of ease of loading. I like the fact that your front tire can go flat and you are still secure.
A good review Clint! Now not only does one have to have multiple bikes...you have to have multiple racks! 😂 Question...you mentioned that when loading, you want to start with the left position. If you have all positions filled, how hard is it to remove a bike from an interior position? I definitely like the garage option for this rack, and the ease of removal for any bike position would be key. Thanks again Clint!
Great review, thanks! I'm in the market for something that would carry 3 mtn ebikes, or 4 family bikes. This seems the best choice. Odd that Alta says 3 ebikes would be too heavy.
I have the 7 rack from velocirax. Clint! Use a rubber band on the front brake lever. It’ll make this rack much better. The foam was way more work. I use our daughters hair bands.
I really like the concept, I’m just afraid that’ll I’ll drive into my garage with the bikes on the rack out of habit and ruin my bikes and car while tearing up my house. How high is the highest part of the bike when on the rack? I solved this issue for my Kuat NV 2.0 with the pivot V2, which is really sturdy and works with four bikes, but it really sticks out a long way on the back with the four bike extension.
Few thoughts... looks like a pain to store when not in use. Its bulky and quite big. For the extra trays of my 1UP I just keep them folded up and in the original box they were shipped in. The two-tray main unit goes into a wall holder and is pretty close/flush with the wall. Gas milage. With the front end of the bike sticking above the roofline, does it impact gas milage? When you lock up the bikes on the rack, be sure to run the cable through the chain tow loops of the hitch itself and not just locking to the rack. That way the bikes are locked to the frame of the vehicle which will be the most secure locking point. Love the lowering dampeners. 1UP/QuikrStuff needs to add them as well. Lowering the 1Up is just as much as a PITA as the QuikrStuff rack sounds.
As far as storage, yes, it is big and bulky but the way it doubles as bike storage in your garage is awesome if you use it. We keep four bikes on it all the time in the garage and really helps with garage storage. As far as gas mileage, I don’t feel like it affects gas mileage too much more than a traditional horizontal rack. But I also try to keep my speed limit to 75 mph which really helps for gas mileage for any rack.
Was checking this rack out a couple of weeks ago. The rack was on a pickup truck (5 bike version). Was impressed with how easy it was to get the bike on and off. I have your regular Kuat rack where you have to lift the bike level to put it on the rack. One of my bikes in a 55 lb ebike and is a pain.
@@LTBlightthebeam question tho: according to a another video I saw Alta rec's no more than 2 eMtn bikes even tho the limit is 300lb. So you could get 3 ebikes on a Velocirax. Not so (?) on an Alta rack.
You should consider reviewing the Lolo Rack. It’s a cool company in Portland that makes the racks here in the USA. I believe their design to be better. I’ve owned several racks over the years including Yakima, Thule, and the Kuat NV 2. The Lolo has been my favorite whether I’m just transporting 1 to 2 bikes, or my family of 4 mtbs.
Does the rack have a tightening mechanism when it sits in the hitch receiver? My current rack does not and wobbles all over the place. Thanks for the review.
Careful Clint, there’s a hand tool used for cutting copper that will slice through that cable lock like butter. I used to own a specialized evo carbon.
I have the same issue with my rear tire having a slow leak on the exact same bike(22 stumpy expert)I can’t figure it out! I assume it has to do with the rim tape,I’ll change it out when I need to re-up on the sealant!
Next thing I’m going to do is put in a Stans valve stem. I have a feeling that’s it because when I tighten the valve stem a few weeks ago and held for a while. Now it won’t, so I need to replace it.
You have to be careful that nothing comes close to rubbing. We used this rack the other day with 5 bikes and experienced some rubbing. I noticed that you have some foam noodles to help with that.
Anything less than 24 inch wheels is going to be dicey. You can do it if you put a foam pad on the wheel trays so that the fork doesn’t get scratched up. I think there’s even something about this on their FAQ section of the website.
No, this style of rack doesn’t put undue stress on rims. One downhill on a rough trail would probably put more stress on the wheels than a year of transporting.
I have the 5X. Found your video googling the bike shake on the Velocirax. I am probably over concerned but drives me nuts seeing them shake so much in the mirror. Concerned about extra wear on headset etc. Have you had any issues?
No issues on the headset. If you think about it, the amount of stress on a headset on a rough 10 minute downhill is probably a lifetime of stress on the rack.
Very useful and honest review. Thanks.
Nice video, I use used inner bike tubes and cut them to strips and wrap them on areas where theyd have potential contact with the bikes beside it. I strapped them with velcro straps as well
I had a Recon Rack vertical rack (which were bought out by 1-up), and loved it once it was on the vehicle, for all the reasons you mention. But for me, the hassle of putting it on and taking off my vehicle, and the amount of space it needs for storage, were show stoppers. I sold it last year. Right now I have a Quickrstuff on order!
Nice review!
Honestly? There’s a lot to like about this rack in terms of ease of loading. I like the fact that your front tire can go flat and you are still secure.
A good review Clint! Now not only does one have to have multiple bikes...you have to have multiple racks! 😂 Question...you mentioned that when loading, you want to start with the left position. If you have all positions filled, how hard is it to remove a bike from an interior position? I definitely like the garage option for this rack, and the ease of removal for any bike position would be key. Thanks again Clint!
Great review, thanks! I'm in the market for something that would carry 3 mtn ebikes, or 4 family bikes. This seems the best choice. Odd that Alta says 3 ebikes would be too heavy.
I have the 7 rack from velocirax. Clint! Use a rubber band on the front brake lever. It’ll make this rack much better. The foam was way more work. I use our daughters hair bands.
I really like the concept, I’m just afraid that’ll I’ll drive into my garage with the bikes on the rack out of habit and ruin my bikes and car while tearing up my house. How high is the highest part of the bike when on the rack? I solved this issue for my Kuat NV 2.0 with the pivot V2, which is really sturdy and works with four bikes, but it really sticks out a long way on the back with the four bike extension.
Few thoughts...
looks like a pain to store when not in use. Its bulky and quite big. For the extra trays of my 1UP I just keep them folded up and in the original box they were shipped in. The two-tray main unit goes into a wall holder and is pretty close/flush with the wall.
Gas milage. With the front end of the bike sticking above the roofline, does it impact gas milage?
When you lock up the bikes on the rack, be sure to run the cable through the chain tow loops of the hitch itself and not just locking to the rack. That way the bikes are locked to the frame of the vehicle which will be the most secure locking point.
Love the lowering dampeners. 1UP/QuikrStuff needs to add them as well. Lowering the 1Up is just as much as a PITA as the QuikrStuff rack sounds.
As far as storage, yes, it is big and bulky but the way it doubles as bike storage in your garage is awesome if you use it. We keep four bikes on it all the time in the garage and really helps with garage storage. As far as gas mileage, I don’t feel like it affects gas mileage too much more than a traditional horizontal rack. But I also try to keep my speed limit to 75 mph which really helps for gas mileage for any rack.
Was checking this rack out a couple of weeks ago. The rack was on a pickup truck (5 bike version). Was impressed with how easy it was to get the bike on and off. I have your regular Kuat rack where you have to lift the bike level to put it on the rack. One of my bikes in a 55 lb ebike and is a pain.
Check out Alta Racks. Similar shuttle style rack that has more customization options.
Also the Alta Racks baskets are moveable
@@LTBlightthebeam question tho: according to a another video I saw Alta rec's no more than 2 eMtn bikes even tho the limit is 300lb. So you could get 3 ebikes on a Velocirax. Not so (?) on an Alta rack.
You should consider reviewing the Lolo Rack. It’s a cool company in Portland that makes the racks here in the USA. I believe their design to be better. I’ve owned several racks over the years including Yakima, Thule, and the Kuat NV 2. The Lolo has been my favorite whether I’m just transporting 1 to 2 bikes, or my family of 4 mtbs.
Thinking about buying one, but very hard to find reviews. Look very well built from what I can tell.
Does the rack have a tightening mechanism when it sits in the hitch receiver? My current rack does not and wobbles all over the place. Thanks for the review.
It does indeed
Careful Clint, there’s a hand tool used for cutting copper that will slice through that cable lock like butter. I used to own a specialized evo carbon.
Unfortunately, that’s the case with any built-in cable of any bike rack. They are just a slight theft deterrent for quick stops.
I have the same issue with my rear tire having a slow leak on the exact same bike(22 stumpy expert)I can’t figure it out! I assume it has to do with the rim tape,I’ll change it out when I need to re-up on the sealant!
Next thing I’m going to do is put in a Stans valve stem. I have a feeling that’s it because when I tighten the valve stem a few weeks ago and held for a while. Now it won’t, so I need to replace it.
I looked at this rack and from what I read, a hitch with a 500 lb TW capacity is required. That Honda Passport has a 500 lb TW hitch?
You have to be careful that nothing comes close to rubbing. We used this rack the other day with 5 bikes and experienced some rubbing. I noticed that you have some foam noodles to help with that.
I just got the 5X. No rubbing with the extra space in between!
Curious if you can load smaller wheels onto the rack? Kids bikes?
Anything less than 24 inch wheels is going to be dicey. You can do it if you put a foam pad on the wheel trays so that the fork doesn’t get scratched up. I think there’s even something about this on their FAQ section of the website.
How does it not torque the rim out of wack after 1000 miles? They way it hangs looks like it would be hard on the rim?
No, this style of rack doesn’t put undue stress on rims. One downhill on a rough trail would probably put more stress on the wheels than a year of transporting.
Did you ever get that slow leak figured out/fixed?
Yes. I had to tighten the valve core again. It just has to be tighter than normal.
I have the 5X. Found your video googling the bike shake on the Velocirax. I am probably over concerned but drives me nuts seeing them shake so much in the mirror. Concerned about extra wear on headset etc. Have you had any issues?
No issues on the headset. If you think about it, the amount of stress on a headset on a rough 10 minute downhill is probably a lifetime of stress on the rack.
That being said, this is not my every day rack. It is my bike trip rack. I use a Quickrstuff Mach 2 for my daily carry.
That does make sense. I have a 1up single I use but right now it’s mtb season for the kids so the velocirax is permanent for now.
I can just imagine how well those plastic straps will fare in that Florida sun.
They are a pretty durable rubber. But yes, after a couple years it’s probably a good idea to replace them. Fortunately Velocirax sells accessories
Can you use this bike rack with fat tire e bikes?
Yes, you can carry that tire bikes up to 5 inches with different wheel brackets that they sell
www.velocirax.com/product-page/fat-bike-tire-brackets
Do you still have to lift the bike up to place the front tire?
Not much. You really just roll the front tire onto the rack after you lower the rack down.