Kuat has a great customer satisfaction policy for original owners. I’ve broken the tire scoop and arm on mine. I sent them a picture of the damage. They sent me the replacement parts no questioned asked. No shipping cost. Great customer service goes a long way for me. And, they make a great product.
It really is! I’ve been using it SO frequently too that I can’t even imagine not having that capability at this point. Perfect for race day bed of truck access
@@WaltDoesBikes sweet! Mine is arriving today after a year of wanting it badly and seeing everyone enjoying them. I live in my truck and it's just too big of a pain to "extract" and assemble my bike from the bed anymore.
@@WaltDoesBikes it's worth it if you have an outdoor passion, wanna go places without limits and want to be minimal. I've been doing it for 2 years with stints of van living and travel trailer living before that. It takes some sacrifices and mental preparedness but well worth it! Feel free to reach out if you got any questions and there's definitely lots of tips on RU-vid on how to create what's best for you!
@@profoundwill43 most definitely will! I’ve researched tons of pros and cons. I’m considering purchasing property here in SD county anyway and then would likely move onto it in a trailer during construction so that might be a good taste for it also 🤘🏼
Thanks for the info, I wasn't sure which one I should get but after seeing your review I came to my decision to go with Rocky Mount backstage. Thanks. And made in the USA its the right choice as well. 🇺🇲🤙🏼
Glad I could help with the decision making process! No rack out there is perfect and if you have the million bucks I think the 1UP is probably the best move. But the RockyMounts has served me well for over 10,000 miles now. Enjoy!
Oh and one more thing i didn't add to my comment is I have his same setup with my deck system which is one important reason why I really like the Rocky Mount system as we. One more thing I need to add always have your lock on where the cable goes to because someone can unscrew it and pull the top rack off your truck .🇺🇲🤙🏼
Curious on the durability of the Rocky Mounts. I have the Kuat now and it's a hunk of junk. I've had to warranty parts multiple times (mainly the piece that holds the front wheel down, and the cable lock). Granted Kuat has been fantastic on the warranty, but it's getting old having to replace parts every couple of years (I do drive long distances, so I may be tougher than most people on the rack).
Hey! That was really gonna be my key point. I’ve have no problems with durability per se and I’ve put around 20k miles on the rack give or take. Main issue is some fork rub with the arm locking mechanism on a disc brake bike. But the rack has help up well and nothing has broken, knock on wood. But I also try and treat it reasonably when I swing it out and not put weird stress on it that I know will test limits.
Do you think the rack has a significant impact on your truck's departure angle while driving off road? I don't want to worry about the rack scraping the ground and risking damage while I'm driving over rougher terrain. I am aware that high-clearance overlanding bike racks exist, but not with the swing-away feature that is absolutely essential to me. Do you have any insight to share in that regard?
Yo! Daniel, sorry for the major lag it's been hectic over here. There is a noticeable difference. I haven't been in any major binds where the departure angle has been so important but it's definitely an additional couple feet of clearance you need. Since the Ranger sits pretty high in the rear already it hasn't been a problem over any more mild terrain. But I'd imagine a steep enough pitch to flat land could cause issues, if you're able to work the trail at an angle maybe? Overall, the RockyMounts has been messing with my front forks on disc bikes and I'm starting to get pretty frustrated, I probably need to release an update on this. Still love the rack for 100 reasons but the arm is not as easy on bike paint as the Kuat was.
The form factor is a big deal for me. I believe the closer the bikes are to the vehicle the less the wind resistance (and it looks better). I’m going to be mounting this on the Rivian R1S (electric SUV) so the more aerodynamic the better.
If you’ve got the $$$ the 1up swing rack might be better. I still use this, just be careful with fork rub where the arm meets the fork. You can always have the arm only contact the tire to eliminate that.
Great minds think alike! That's the exact setup I have. Just a note, after some time I actually would have preferred sticking with the Kuat I think or shelling out the cash to go with the 1Up. The arm on the RockyMounts is rubbing my fork pretty badly on all disc brake bikes which is a problem and can mess up the paint. Food for thought. Happy riding!
Sort of, it triggers my rear proximity sensor…it’s pretty obnoxious but I have the option to push a button that turns off the noise. However, at this point I can see the rack and I know that the back of the rack aligns with the red hash on my backup cam so I just back it up to that point. I probably leave a couple extra inches of room because of it but nbd.
@@WaltDoesBikes Thanks. I don’t have proximity sensors but would like to be able to still use the camera for parking. Now I need to decide to go ahead and get the Backstage or wait for the Afterparty to be released?
@@ZR2AL oh see idk about the after party. I do have some gripes about the locking mechanism after I’ve had this rack long term. It rubs my fork pretty badly and has actually work some paint off on one of my bikes. I’m trying to figure out how to fix that
To be 100% honest I do feel like the quality of the Kuat was a bit higher. Particularly with the latching mechanism for your tire/fork. I’ve noticed a bit of a rub mark forming on the fork of my road bike over time because it’s just not quite as secure. Also, locking was nice with the Kuat being integrated. I always have to have the RockyMounts cable stashed somewhere. Adds 30s if I want to lock the bikes up.
@@tylerranes9391 oh dude, 1up is far superior to anything I’ve ever seen. Latching mechanism is the absolute best v. the single arm. I do believe they just came out with a swing away version as well. A friend of mine has the standard version that just drops down and it’s SO STURDY. I have heard they’re pricey, though. Quality costs though, no lie.
@@WaltDoesBikes to fix that problem if it's a real concern just add a towel underneath problem solved if your looking not to scratch it, I personally don't worry about that I use my mountain bike hard I worry more about all the rocks that hit it when riding nothing last or looks great forever when you really riding on the trails. 🇺🇲🤙🏼😁
I do not believe you are supposed to run 4 bikes on here. From my understanding per the website it’s 2 bikes max at 60lbs per tray. I’ve personally never run fat bikes on here; just skinny road bike tires but I’m pretty sure you can go up to 5” fat bike tires.
Correct! It's from my Mt. Whitney video where we climbed and descended Whitney Portal Road and hiked Lone Pine Lake. Also made our way out to Mammoth and stopped in at Crowley.
@@WaltDoesBikes oh wait until you hear this which I forgot to add. I brought my on Amazon right when it got shipped to me the box was in bad shape so I contacted the seller and told him how I received the box he said to open it and if anything was wrong or missing he would work it out with me so I opened and started putting it and I saw one small dent on one of the bike stand then I saw what looked like two screws that's cracked the inside of the rock facing the truck so I took photos and sent it to him after he saw it he said it would need to be sent back or he could refund me 50% which he refunded me $410.48 I replied ok thats fine so let do that so we not need to get Amazon involved, but really inside I said what an awesome idea I got for this awesome rack and you can't even notice the little damage that was caused. How about that for luck. 😅🤣
You must not live in California to have all that stuff in your truck in my state of California that shit shit would be gone like pronto. or if you do live in California obviously you must live next to Nancy Pelosi. safest neighborhood in the country.