Küat Alpha Bike Rack Review

June 8, 2009 by Bill Lobe
Filed under Gear, Gear

It’s pronounced “KOO-ATT”

I used to think a rack is a rack is a rack. I only cared about mobility, not caring if my bike got scratched or how easy the rack was to install, I just wanted to get to the trail. For years I’ve been tossing bikes in the back of my trusty Toyota, but as my bike wealth grew with my income (marginally), I started looking for ways to transport bikes without damaging them or scratching my truck. When my bikes started costing more than $1000 as so, so many of them do these days, I felt a nagging sense of neglect tossing them willy-nilly into the bed. I’ve tried most or all the tricks: the two-by-four with fork mounts, putting fork mounts on the side of the bed, disassembling the whole bike and squeezing it into the hatchback, roof racks, trunk racks, you name it, I gave it a shot. Right now I’m kicking myself for not trying a trailer hitch rack with my pick-up, for some reason it just didn’t make sense. I have a camper shell on the truck now and I’ve been digging rides from friends with HUGE vehicles when we go for rides, so maybe that’s why. For about a year or so, my buds have been telling me to try one of the hitch-mounted bike racks that have gotten so popular lately. I never considered buying one when I could just mooch off them. Besides, I like being able to drop my tailgate any time I want and sit idly on the back of my truck like the dumb yokel I am.

I did my time as a bike mechanic at the LBS and installed countless racks on more yuppie SUVs than any of you could ever imagine. Not my proudest moments, and I never found a rack I was really impressed with. Most were heavy, ungainly, unsteady, too big or small, or worse, horribly unattractive. I did start noticing the hitch-rack trend gaining popularity, and I feared inevitable hernia operations from lifting the beasts onto our customers like-sized vehicles. Then I lifted the Küat Alpha Rack.

kuat alpha bike rack 210x300 Küat Alpha Bike Rack Review

Wifey one-arming while wearing a Baby Bjorn!

My wife can lift this rack with one hand and hold it out to the side (see photo!) It has all the basics you would expect from a decent rack: holds three bikes, swivels on two pivots for easy storage and trunk/tailgate access, adapts to a 2” or 1-1/4” receiver, and built in locks to keep the bikes safe when you hit the bar after a ride. Furthermore, it’s made from 6061 T6 Aluminum (bike-building material!). It’s the easiest rack to install I’ve ever had the pleasure of sliding into a receiver hitch (all the others were NOT pleasant). Just plug it in, twist the Cinch-Tight system (Kuat‘s term for “knob”) and you’re done. All this and it weighs 16 lbs. I can’t quote the weights of all the other racks I’ve lifted, but I feel confident they’re upwards of “ridiculous.” It also doesn’t hurt that it looks good, compared to the rest anyway–I put it on my truck last week, and that’s where it’s staying. Since it’s aluminum it won’t rust, plus it comes with a lifetime warranty.

The hardest thing about Küat is their name, which is aptly explained in the front of their brochure. The brand name is a combination of the founders’ names, I have no idea what their names actually are, and I have a hard time believing any of them have an umlaut….maybe they’re Mötley Crüe fans. If you only want to carry two bikes, you can go even lighter with their The Beta rack (11 lbs.). The final rack in their current lineup is the NV bike rack, the lightest platform rack (with a repair clamp!) on the market. Keep an eye on these guys, you’ll be seeing more and more of that goofy name if they keep up the good work.