# Thule T2 Pro XT vs Kuat NV 2.0



## Endoismynamo (Mar 5, 2014)

My wife is giving me an anniversary gift this year of a rack to replace my aging Hollywood 4-bike rack. I'm looking for something that is

a) easy to use
b) ideally can be used in 2 bike or 4 bike configurations
c) durable and well constructed
d) not too difficult to raise and lower

Does anybody have experience with both of these? I would love to hear from people that have experience with both of the racks if possible. They both get great reviews, with the Thule seeming to be a tiny bit better in terms of ease of use, but I've also read some complaints about security with the Thule (both in terms of the entire rack connecting to the vehicle as well as in terms of the flimsy bike cables). 

Thanks for any input!


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## zombinate (Apr 27, 2009)

I think both are fine racks. That said a couple things.
The Thule is often found to be easier to tilt, having the engagement handle at the end, rather than via the push/pull lever at the base of the Kuat.
The Kuat has, in my experience, less play. It moves less than the Thule. In both cases the bikes are held to the rack, we are talking about the rack movement here. For me, the Kuat "feels" like it holds the bikes better.
I have had no concerns about the Thule securing at the hitch, nor any concerns about the kuat pin system. Both use nearly identical anti-sway mechanisms.
I think the locking cables on each are not to be trusted for anything but a mild deterrence, the Thule might be slightly less robust, but cables are easy to compromise regardless.
I own the first gen NV, and use the work stand all the time. For this reason, I'd likely get the NV 2.0, but as a gift, both would be fine.


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## tyreless (Aug 30, 2019)

I checked out both of these at the store, and personally I liked the all metal Kuat over the more plastic Thule. I'm sure the Thule is fine, but the Kuat really feels solid.

After a summer with the Kuat, the one thing that kind of bugs me is that in four bike mode, it can be tricky to reach the release mechanism to tilt the rack back. This might be self-inflicted because one of my "bikes" is a bike trailer, which sits too low to directly reach the release handle while supporting the weight of the bike rack. Having the release handle at the end of the rack would be kind of handy, otherwise you need a companion to help out, or be a little clever with a stick. It might not be a problem with four bikes. It two bike mode it works great. When lowering the rack the Kuat foot peddle is really easy to use.

I will say that four bikes makes the car a lot longer than you'd think, which requires more attention while parking, and really decreases your exit angle when going down steep driveways, so be prepared for some scraping. Plenty of clearance in two bike mode.

I totally agree about the security locks. They'll keep your bike on your car if the thief doesn't bring tools. I would not leave my bike on the rack for extended periods of time with only the stock locks. I use Kryptonite locks and run a (better) secondary cable through my bikes to ensure that I've secured all the wheels, tied all the bikes together, and basically make it as frustrating as possible for a thief.


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