Alta Rack Vertical Hang hitch bike Rack

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Alta Rack Vertical Hang hitch bike Rack
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flag mac-dillon
O+
Posted: Apr 6, 2018 at 0:02 Quote
I've had my rack for a little over a month now, and the one phrase that I would use to describe the rack is nuke proof!

Based out of Salt Lake City the team from Alta racks refers to the rack as a 4 season general purpose rack and rightfully so with features and applications that include a camp friendly fold out table, a hammock application, and an easily removable bike stand arm. The rack does as well include features that would allow for you to haul your ski/ snowboard equipment, although I have yet to to try those out.

Since Ive begun using my rack I haved it fully loaded a few times, and when fully loaded all the bikes fit perfectly and free of rub. Loading and unloading is made easy with the rack design that guides the front tire to the left. I have found that it is designed to load from right to left and unload from left to right.

I have had the rack on the back of my tacoma for around town use, a road trip down south, and down some 4x4 trails in Virgin, Ut. All of the anti sway features e.g. the locking pivot, the hitch stabilizer and the strap holds have heald the rack firmly in place and have reduced the bike sway to nearly none at all. Additionally the Voile strap feature that secures the bike by its wheels to the rack keeps the bike from bouncing in the rack at all.

Clearance is unreal. The rack is designed with two clearance positions that raise the rack in an upward fashion out of the receiver. I have left mine on the lower clearance setting and I have yet to experience any drag or contact with the ground from the rack.

There have been no issues with bike compatibility. Ive had a 700C touring bike in the rack, a 650b wheel and a 29e, all have fit comfortably. Safety has been addressed as well with a welded in D ring that serves as a bike lock attachment

I would also highly recommend the mounted bike stand arm. It works just the same way a professional shop stand arm does. Mine has come in handy on a couple of occasions.

To be able to compare this rack to others I carried a Kuat for a summer and a North Shore for a summer following the Kuat. In relation to the Alta rack both racks had trouble with swaying at pivots and from the receiver.
The Kuat did a good job of making sure very few parts of the rack touched the bike, and there was very little contact from bike to bike, although there were a lot of times that seats had to be dropped due to the opposing bikes handlebars interfering with the seat and seat post. In any sort of off road scenario the Kuat would shake violently and it would nearly always drag across the ground if I attempted to cross a wash or find myself climbing any offroad obstacles.

I experienced similar sway related issues with the North Shore. Sway from the North Shore came from all of its loose(ish) pivot points. The rack offered very little off road clearance, and very little security for the bikes in the rack. Racking bikes some times felt like piecing a puzzle together between moving bars and cables on order to rack a new bike as well as spinning pedals and cranks to prevent from bikes bashing. The prongs that hold the bike on the rack are extremely limited to only holding single crown mountain bikes, my double crown dh (2017 YT TUES) would not fit, and neither would a road bike. The prongs, although they are covered with a durable rubber to protect the bike are designed to hold your bike at the bottom of the head tube and with the crown of the fork. In just a season the black paint on the crown of my fork rubbed raw. Although my trail bikes fit in the prongs and were "heald" in place there were no built in features designed to protect the bike from bouncing. On two occasions My bike experienced some shock from bumpiness of the road and the bike bounced from the prongs.

Every issue I have experienced with my first two racks has seemingly been addressed and corrected in the Design of the Alta Rack. Overall every element of the rack has ben extremely durable, versatile, and user friendly. I'd rate the build as a 5 star build and a must for anyone wanting to carry bikes on their car safely and securely.
flag ALTA-RACKS
Posted: Apr 13, 2018 at 13:25 Quote
We are so stoked to hear that, thank you for the review.

mac-dillon wrote:
I've had my rack for a little over a month now, and the one phrase that I would use to describe the rack is nuke proof!

Based out of Salt Lake City the team from Alta racks refers to the rack as a 4 season general purpose rack and rightfully so with features and applications that include a camp friendly fold out table, a hammock application, and an easily removable bike stand arm. The rack does as well include features that would allow for you to haul your ski/ snowboard equipment, although I have yet to to try those out.

Since Ive begun using my rack I haved it fully loaded a few times, and when fully loaded all the bikes fit perfectly and free of rub. Loading and unloading is made easy with the rack design that guides the front tire to the left. I have found that it is designed to load from right to left and unload from left to right.

I have had the rack on the back of my tacoma for around town use, a road trip down south, and down some 4x4 trails in Virgin, Ut. All of the anti sway features e.g. the locking pivot, the hitch stabilizer and the strap holds have heald the rack firmly in place and have reduced the bike sway to nearly none at all. Additionally the Voile strap feature that secures the bike by its wheels to the rack keeps the bike from bouncing in the rack at all.

Clearance is unreal. The rack is designed with two clearance positions that raise the rack in an upward fashion out of the receiver. I have left mine on the lower clearance setting and I have yet to experience any drag or contact with the ground from the rack.

There have been no issues with bike compatibility. Ive had a 700C touring bike in the rack, a 650b wheel and a 29e, all have fit comfortably. Safety has been addressed as well with a welded in D ring that serves as a bike lock attachment

I would also highly recommend the mounted bike stand arm. It works just the same way a professional shop stand arm does. Mine has come in handy on a couple of occasions.

To be able to compare this rack to others I carried a Kuat for a summer and a North Shore for a summer following the Kuat. In relation to the Alta rack both racks had trouble with swaying at pivots and from the receiver.
The Kuat did a good job of making sure very few parts of the rack touched the bike, and there was very little contact from bike to bike, although there were a lot of times that seats had to be dropped due to the opposing bikes handlebars interfering with the seat and seat post. In any sort of off road scenario the Kuat would shake violently and it would nearly always drag across the ground if I attempted to cross a wash or find myself climbing any offroad obstacles.

I experienced similar sway related issues with the North Shore. Sway from the North Shore came from all of its loose(ish) pivot points. The rack offered very little off road clearance, and very little security for the bikes in the rack. Racking bikes some times felt like piecing a puzzle together between moving bars and cables on order to rack a new bike as well as spinning pedals and cranks to prevent from bikes bashing. The prongs that hold the bike on the rack are extremely limited to only holding single crown mountain bikes, my double crown dh (2017 YT TUES) would not fit, and neither would a road bike. The prongs, although they are covered with a durable rubber to protect the bike are designed to hold your bike at the bottom of the head tube and with the crown of the fork. In just a season the black paint on the crown of my fork rubbed raw. Although my trail bikes fit in the prongs and were "heald" in place there were no built in features designed to protect the bike from bouncing. On two occasions My bike experienced some shock from bumpiness of the road and the bike bounced from the prongs.

Every issue I have experienced with my first two racks has seemingly been addressed and corrected in the Design of the Alta Rack. Overall every element of the rack has ben extremely durable, versatile, and user friendly. I'd rate the build as a 5 star build and a must for anyone wanting to carry bikes on their car safely and securely.

 
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