Küat Sherpa Hitch Rack - Review
The Sherpa offers a nice high ride height making it great for lower vehicles or if you need to traverse rocky terrain to reach your destination.
• Two bike capacity
• Minimalist, lightweight design
• Quick release fold up and tilt down
• Hand tightening cam system
• Included cable lock
• 2 inch and 1.25 inch hitch compatible
• Fits 20 - 29 inch wheels
• Lifetime warranty
• MSRP $449 USD
Construction
At just under 29lbs, the Sherpa Rack is on the lighter end of tray style hitch racks. Despite this light weight, the rack is still designed to carry two bikes up to 40lbs each. Adopting a traditional tray system, the Sherpa features two trays, each with a locking arm for the front wheel and an adjustable rear wheel sling with ratchet strap to secure the rear. The rack is constructed utilizing stout 6000 series aluminum that is CNC machined then hand TIG welded before receiving two layers of powdercoating.
Installation
Out of the box, the Sherpa does take a little assembly. Not difficult by any means, but worth considering if you aren't a keen follower of directions. All tools needed for assembly are included with the rack, which is great feature when un-boxing the rack in your driveway while your tool box is still in the house. Shipped in six separate pieces, the Sherpa requires about 30-60 minutes of assembly time. All the included bolts are bagged nicely and are easily discernible from each other. Once assembled, the only thing left over are the plastic adapters that allow the rack to be used with 20" wheels, something worth hanging onto if you are a BMXer or are looking to transport kids bikes. Installing the Sherpa is as easy as sliding it into your receiver hitch and expanding the wedge system, which keeps unwanted movement to a minimum. The included locking hitch pin is a useful addition if you plan to leave the rack installed for extended periods of time.
The pivoting rear wheel cradle allows for adjustability to fit bikes of various lengths, while the ratchet arm securely fits over the front wheel and holds it in place.
Using the Sherpa
Once the rack is installed, transporting bikes on the Sherpa is simple. Set the bikes on the tray, raise the arm over the front wheel and secure it as close the the fork as possible. This technique ensures the ratchet arm has little chance of moving from the top of the wheel. The rear wheel is then strapped down utilizing the rear ratchet strap that is mounted on a pivoting cradle, allowing the rack to accommodate a variety of bike sizes while still being minimal in size.
Once the bikes are secure in the trays, the rack is ready to rip. An included cable can be woven through the bikes and attached to the locking hitch pin, or can be used separately with your own padlock. This proved to be a nice feature when we were scrounging for a cable lock for our night on the town, but adversely made losing or forgetting the cable much easier. When not in use, the Sherpa folds up discretely and sits nicely on the back of the vehicle while also folding downward to allow access to the tailgate of the vehicle. We did find the rack was still a bit in the way, but this is a characteristic of all hitch mounted racks when not in use. Luckily, the Sherpa is much easier to take on and off.
Flipped up in its stowed form the Sherpa is small and discrete. The vehicle tailgate or hatch is accessible with bikes on or off by flipping the rack downward.
Issues
The Sherpa's biggest limiting factor is the fact that it can not accommodate bikes with long wheelbases. Küat only recommends using this rack for bikes with a wheelbase of 44.5" or less, which we would say is on the conservative side, but we did find that bikes with a wheelbase greater than 46" don't fit properly. If only the trays were a couple inches longer this wouldn't be an issue. We also found that the ratchet arms have a tendency to loosen up after extended driving on rough roads - it's definitely worth checking them occasionally if it's not a smooth ride to your favorite trailhead.
Pinkbike's Take:
 | As one of the lighter tray style hitch racks on the market, the Sherpa is a great option for riders looking for an easily maneuverable hitch rack or if your vehicle would be overloaded with the standard 45+lbs hitch racks on the market. Its simple design, miniscule size and relatively stout construction make it worthy of consideration, but there were a few things we found that restricted its use, especially the fact that it will not work with bikes that have long wheelbases. That being said, if you are still shoving your bike in the back of your vehicle the Sherpa may deserve a place on your holiday wish list. - Jordan Carr |
Author Info:
Member since Aug 7, 2013
Must Read This Week
Sign Up for the Pinkbike Newsletter - All the Biggest, Most Interesting Stories in your Inbox
PB Newsletter Signup
www.thule.com/en/ie/products/carriers-and-racks/bike-carriers/towbar-mounted-bike-carriers/thule-rideon-9502-_-950200
In fairness, I have a class 2 hitch (1-1/4) and these are naturally more difficult to get a solid fit. But much of play now seems to be coming from the tilt mechanism. What would work better than the cam would be the threaded hitch bolt like Swagman uses: www.etrailer.com/Locks,Hitch-Accessories/Swagman/S64029.html
PS. I love the North Shore Rack. I have the 4 bike version, but unfortunately I don't have a vehicle that will take a class 3 hitch. I may get one custom made though.
Mine will be up for sale in the spring....
My thoughts exactly, I told the officer that's what I can do. His reply was "It is illegal to drive with rack folded down with no bikes on" no win situation. I realize I was unlucky with this this particular officer, but that is the law. I am in Vancouver BC and there is quite alot of these racks around and hope it doesn't happen to anyone else.
And yeah, I can relate with some of you guys. we've lost a bike on the freeway before. It wasn't because the rack was faulty, it was because my friend was too busy schmoozin with my wife when he loaded his bike up. He didn't secure it correctly. I watched it spin down the freeway behind my van while going about 80. Watched a Jeep dodge it, then watched my buddy sprint into oncoming traffic, about 1/8 mile to his bike. That was a pretty crazy way to start the morning.
This rack does sit closer to the vehicle than the T2, which could be a problem for the ultra-wide bar crowd. But my bars are 685mm and don't come close to touching the car. In fact, I like how compact it looks and feels on the back of my car. The Thule T2 looked like a trailer hanging out back. I use this exclusively on an A4 and the pedals are close to the bumper, but with no worries of contact. However, to access the trunk with the bikes on, I need to be mindful of pedal position.
I do agree that this rack's pivoting mechanism does obscure the plate worse than the T2 though. But no run-ins with the law yet.
What isn't mentioned is that this is the ONLY rack available in white. Which matches my white car amazingly! This rack isn't only extremely functional and well built, but looks killer.
Who doesnt like a nice rack
...enough said