Kuat Alpha Bike Rack - Best Hitch Bike Rack?

It's light, it holds bike securely, it folds up compactly. Basically, it does everything you wish your current bike rack would do.

I remember the day that these two crazy guys came into our bike shop looking for advice on how to build the perfect bike rack. I never thought they'd do it.

You see, there are already so many high-quality bike racks on the market. Why make another.

But these two blokes were determined. They wanted thought the current racks were too heavy, too wobbly, too big to store....

And they built their own. Let me introduce you to the rack that puts Yakima, Thule and Saris to shame. Please meet the Kuat rack, invented and produced in my hometown.

The first time that Luke and Brian carried their finished creation into our bike shop, I was so excited that I started trying to sell their prototype. We ordered 5 of the new Kuat Alpha racks and sold them all the first week. Everyone loved them -- we loved selling them and our customers loved buying them.

In one innovative move, the Kuat Alpha single-handedly created a tidal wave for the established bike rack manufacturers to run from.

These two guys - avid mountain bikers themselves - wanted a rack that would make other riders jealous and truly met the cyclist's needs. Oh, and at a competitive price.

Let me touch on some of my favorite features about the Kuat Alpha rack.

Long Live The Kuat Alpha Rack!

Kuat Alpha Bike Rack

Amazon.com

The Kuat Alpha Rack

Lighter

The Kuat rack was born out of Luke Kuschmeader's and Brian Atkinson's frustration with their current bike rack. Like most racks today, they were heavy and clumsy and wobbled after you mounted them to your receiver hitch. Plus they hurt like heck if you dropped them on your toe.

These two dudes decided that they needed a lighter rack. And they delivered. The Kuat Alpha is so light - a mere 13 pounds - that you can easily carry it with one hand. (Ok, with a couple of fingers on one hand)

Small women love using the Kuat because they are so light and for the first time ever they are not dependent on the men in their lives to install the bike rack for them.

Compact

The Kuat adds a simple little joint to the receiver bar, allowing the entire rack to fold up compactly. This allows the bike rack to be stored in small spaces - like the trunk of your car.

Most other companies don't build their racks this way because they tend to wobble. Kuat used a small tightening screw to ensure it is secure.

Stable

Speaking of stability, Kuat uses a basic wedge-type tightening bolt system like you find on most high-end receiver bike racks to make sure that their rack is secure with no wobbling.

I always loved it when a customer asked for help installing a Kuat rack. No tools. Just slide in and turn a knob. It is awesome.

Also one of the key features of the Kuat design was their stability strap design. They brought in a lot of different strap models during the prototype phase to get opinions on it. In the end, Luke and Brian designed a strap that was small enough to work on any bike but aggressive enough to keep the bike from swaying.

I hate swaying bikes.

Secure

Ok, so you don't want to have your bikes stolen, either. The Kuat Alpha comes with a locking hitch pin as well as a locking braided cable to keep the bike locked to the rack.

Only the most determined thief is going to touch that.