# 1Up USA Bike Rack Paint Rubbing Off



## trollersteve (Sep 8, 2017)

I got the new Equip D 1Up USA bike rack last week and used it for the first time this past weekend. When I got back, each of the trays were showing wear from the tires through the paint. On the trays that held the front tires the paint was worn the whole way through to the aluminum in multiple spots. If it is this bad after ONE TRIP I can't imagine how bad it will be after a season. I called 1Up and they said they don't warranty the paint and told me to just touch it up with automotive paint. For the trays being powder coated, their prep process has to have some shortcomings to allow this to happen this easily. Any suggestions for remedying this? Textured bedliner paint maybe?


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## irv_usc (Mar 16, 2011)

uh studded tires?

I would just touch it up and then place some sort of rubber mat as a cushion unless you're riding studs year round?


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## trollersteve (Sep 8, 2017)

No studs in the tires. Just regular, 2.5" Maxxis Assegai tires on the front of both bikes. For almost $800 I didn't expect to have to deal with an issue like this after the first use. I'll have to look at rubber mat options. Maybe even outdoor textured tape.


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## fredcook (Apr 2, 2009)

I'd call 1up. I have a couple years+ of abuse on my 1up (including one rear end collision)... no indication of any finish coming off. It's mounted on my SUV year 'round and hauls bikes 3-6 times a week.


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## trollersteve (Sep 8, 2017)

fredcook said:


> I'd call 1up. I have a couple years+ of abuse on my 1up (including one rear end collision)... no indication of any finish coming off. It's mounted on my SUV year 'round and hauls bikes 3-6 times a week.


I already called them and emailed them pictures. They said there is nothing they can do and suggested I use automotive touch up paint.


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## SoDakSooner (Nov 23, 2005)

That's disappointing. Mine have held up very well and it's less than a year old. I would think that as new as it is they could at least send you new trays.


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## RacerLex (Jan 20, 2010)

Looks like you got a rack that was powered coated at 4PM before a 3 day weekend. 

I noticed some wear marks on mine and put this clear helicopter tape to protect the finish. Has held up for years now. Same tape I use on my frames.



https://www.amazon.com/ISC-Racers-Tape-HT2308-Helicopter-OG/dp/B000O65W9Y/


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## 87vr6 (Aug 20, 2020)

Their response is not surprising. 

I sent a polite email last fall to them, and received a pretty rude response back. 

I'm guessing (but not making an excuse for) that due to their extreme backorder issues (which is actually what I emailed them about), that they're probably rushing things, and maybe applying a thinner powder coat. 

That being said, I have the same rack you have, since the beginning of October '20, and mine shows no wear like yours.


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## .WestCoastHucker. (Jan 14, 2004)

some people will cry over anything...


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## socojay (Jul 11, 2018)

No warranty huh? They just bought a ton of bad press with your post and they deserve it. Go buy some high performance vinyl from a sign shop and cover it up. I never liked their stuff because it looks like it is made in Eastern Europe, now I am pretty non plussed about the coating. Love my Thule Helium platform.


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## REZEN (Aug 7, 2020)

Not that it helps you right now but they trays are supposed to be powder coated, much more durable than paint per their website:
"Powder coat finish on trays, hard-coat anodized finish on hitch bar, and all other parts anodized"

However, I too agree that if it truly was not other damage such as rocks in the tires, then warranty should apply.

IF they do not warranty, you an at least get the trays stripped, and re-powder coat them. I applied 3M clear protective tape to mine before using...


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## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

Yikes, I would not be happy with that at all. I just purchased one as well; glad I went with the silver and maybe I'll add some vinyl to the trays when I get it. QuikRStuff could give them a real run if they would get their prices down.


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## BAMABANG (Oct 27, 2020)

Shame on 1up.....i'd be PISSED if that happened after the first use. I was looking at a light weight rack for my wife's car and 1up was high on that list........not anymore


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

Is that paint, powder coat or anodizing?


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## the-one1 (Aug 2, 2008)

Cleared2land said:


> Is that paint, powder coat or anodizing?


Should be powder coat.

Either way, that's shitty quality for being used once.


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

.WestCoastHucker. said:


> some people will cry over anything...


It's not crying. 1up charges a premium for their rack, so the customer service sure as hell better match the price paid.

I had been waiting to see what happened with Cal's new rack and since the price went up, I had settled on getting a 1up. 
But honestly if this is the kind of BS customer service I can expect, I'll stick with my T2.


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## plummet (Jul 8, 2005)

Here's a test you can doo to determine if its abrasion with a tyre with giggling around with grit on it or if the powder coat has not keyed in correctly.

Get your finger nail an scribe it across the wear mark from worn through to powdercoated surface. If the powdercoating chips away easily then they have not prepped the surface correctly before powdercoating, or the powdercoating has been done at the wrong temperature.

If the powdercoating stays intact with the finger scratch test then that typically means the powdercoating has keyed in correctly. If this is the case then you simply have a case of wear and tear. Perhaps you placed the bike on there with a lot of grit on the tyres and then drove for hours with it giggling around. In that instance you have effectively created a sanding, sand paper situation. It will not be warrantable.


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

I understand the situation and if this can be demonstrated that poor powder coat preparation could be the culprit, then I think this could be considered a warranty issue. But but first, you would need to present a valid case to argue your points back to Customer Service. On the other note, these are high quality racks with a premium price attached. Cosmetic and warranty issues aside, I would be looking for installing some protection. Helicopter polyurethane type tape would be a good start.


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## joeduda (Jan 4, 2013)

trollersteve said:


> I already called them and emailed them pictures. They said there is nothing they can do and suggested I use automotive touch up paint.


Was debating between a 1 up and Rockymounts. This made up my mind, for the high price they demand they should have better customer service than that.


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

Try getting warranty on your new bike's paint chips.


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

Cleared2land said:


> Try getting warranty on your new bike's paint chips.


If I can show it wasn't prepped correctly they will warranty it as it's a defect., Also Powdercoating vs. paint = apples to oranges.


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

that looks like BS. racks are in a tough environment and paint will never last on them, but it should be a year or two before it peels like that (it shouldn't peel at all). that rack looks like paint prep and curing was less than ideal.

should warranty that


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## Blatant (Apr 13, 2005)

Can't blame the OP for being pissed. Photo is a 1Up that's been mounted and used for roughly 6 years. That's outdoors in Phoenix and stays on year-round. Obvious sun fading and dirt, but the only little nick in the tray is visible to the right.


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## MtbrWNoMtn (Sep 10, 2020)

ohhh no, have one on order. Splurged for "the good one" so not happy seeing this.

Make it right 1up. You get the business cause folks posting images of near perfect old racks. Bare metal showing on a black rack after one use is unacceptable.


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## 87vr6 (Aug 20, 2020)

Yeah, I've had mine since October '20, it's been on a 2500 mile roundtrip with two bikes, and multiple uses otherwise... There's a little marking from the knobs, but nothing is worn through.

Your product is defective and you should do all you can to hold them accountable for it.

IMG_20210125_113152 by Ron Wroblewski, on Flickr

IMG_20210125_113200 by Ron Wroblewski, on Flickr


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## Finch Platte (Nov 14, 2003)

Boo, OneUp. Lots of us are really disappointed in your response. I've had people ask me what kind of rack I have and I tell them it's a OneUp, but I'll advise them to steer clear of the painted racks. At least until you make this right.

As others have said, your racks aren't cheap, and your customer service should echo that.


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## Finch Platte (Nov 14, 2003)

87vr6 said:


> Yeah, I've had mine since October '20, it's been on a 2500 mile roundtrip with two bikes, and multiple uses otherwise... There's a little marking from the knobs, but nothing is worn through.
> 
> Your product is defective and you should do all you can to hold them accountable for it.
> 
> ...


If I were you, I'd complain about that hose kinking up like that. No excuse for that happening.

And you might want to get a refund on the weed killer as well.


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## J_Westy (Jan 7, 2009)

Finch Platte said:


> Boo, OneUp. Lots of us are really disappointed in your response. I've had people ask me what kind of rack I have and I tell them it's a OneUp, but I'll advise them to steer clear of the painted racks. At least until you make this right.
> 
> As others have said, your racks aren't cheap, and your customer service should echo that.


Agreed! Total BS. C'mon 1up -- stand behind your product.

I didn't like when they switched from anodizing to powder coating in the first place.

I'm bummed that I was rear-ended and had to get a "new" rack with the powder-coated trays (luckily the insurance paid and I didn't have a bike on at the time.) It's still sitting in the box, but maybe I should tape on some non-skid stair tape first?

P.S. If anybody needs spare parts, I kept the pieces that were salvageable.


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## avlfj40 (Jul 14, 2008)

I didn't realize that 1up had value engineered black anodize out of their product.

If the coating flakes off it's definitely a process error.


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## J_Westy (Jan 7, 2009)

avlfj40 said:


> I didn't realize that 1up had value engineered black anodize out of their product.
> 
> If the coating flakes off it's definitely a process error.


Probably "value-engineered" as well, but was said to be because the process control to get a consistent black was troublesome as well complaints on sun-fading.


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## Ogre (Feb 17, 2005)

J_Westy said:


> Probably "value-engineered" as well, but was said to be because the process control to get a consistent black was troublesome as well complaints on sun-fading.


It's funny because I the faded black 1up racks look good to me.

I'm a little frustrated about this because I've been thinking about getting a black one and now I'm second guessing it.


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

It's a bike rack. All things considered, I think it still eclipses the other racks.


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## Ogre (Feb 17, 2005)

Cleared2land said:


> It's a bike rack. All things considered, I think it still eclipses the other racks.


Oh... wasn't really questioning whether I would get a 1up or not. Just whether it's worth paying extra for black when it might have paint issues. I'll probably get the black and put some kind of protective wrap like someone mentioned upthread.

I find it amusing that after 1ups patents expired everyone has a 1up clone with a ton of plastic bits. It's like they read the story but didn't understand the plot.


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## jonshonda (Apr 21, 2011)

I was/am a fairly early 1up adopter, and got one of the racks that was during a time where they were having serious issues with their powder coat supplier. Powder from my rack flakes off every time I wash it. It is very frustrating, irritating, and disappointing. 

I work for a US manufacturer of high end products, and within 5 years if there are paint issues, we fix'em, even though our products are in much more abusive environments then a bike rack on the back of a car. We know we use and manufacture quality products, and stand behind them. Seems like 1up charges the prices, but isn't performing as expected. And honestly if the owners/designers/engineers approved the CS agent telling a customer to use automotive touch up paint, they should be ashamed of themselves. If their quality powder coat doesn't hold up, how is automotive touch up paint (which is one of the least durable paints due to it not having a hardener) supposed to hold up. 

In conclusion of my long winded experience, my rack does still function as intended, and even though it's very ugly from use, I am tempted to cut all the corroded hardware off and replace the trays. My thought would be to put some grip tape or other UV and weather stable protection where your wheels go, and move on. It's not easy, but there is nothing else you can really do and dwelling on it will just make it worse. 

Heck, you could even make light of the issue and sell 1up wheel tray protectors.


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## slowlane_az (Nov 3, 2020)

Directly from the 1up site:

*SHIPPING AND DELIVERY
RETURNS AND REFUNDS
WARRANTY*
*WE HAVE YOUR BACK. 100%.*
*All 1UP USA brand products include 100% lifetime warranty protectionfrom factory defects or breakage under normal use.**
*Warranty does not cover conditions beyond 1UP USA's control, including but not limited to:

Theft
Vandalism
Collision
Product misuse
Chemical reactions
Oxidation from different coastal environments and UV variances**

I guess not 100%.... if you're within 60 days of purchase, return it and buy another one. Assuming you they still dont work with you and want to stick with a 1up rack.

I dont mind normal wear and tear, but like you said after 1 use a rubber shoukd not have worn through powder coat...I wouldn't be happy with that considering the cost of this rack.

If they still don't work with you, you can try filing a billing dispute with your credit card issuer. They'll usually file a billing dispute if the product isn't working as intended and you've attempted to resolve with the merchant.


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

^^^^ That kinda says it all.


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

Nevermind old post came up as last post


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## chadbrochills (Aug 9, 2018)

My Equip D is coming today. Think I might add some heli-tape to the trays to be safe. 

Also, they have a notice on their site that says 4-5 weeks for processing. I said whatever, and ordered in on Tuesday with 2 day shipping to get it ASAP. Wednesday morning I got an email saying it was being shipped that day for delivery on Friday. I even called to ask if the quote for 4-5 weeks processing was still valid, the person I spoke to said it was. WTF? I mean, I'm not complaining since I'm getting it pretty quick, but I wonder how many people have been turned off from ordering one because of that message?


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## Ogre (Feb 17, 2005)

chadbrochills said:


> My Equip D is coming today. Think I might add some heli-tape to the trays to be safe.
> 
> Also, they have a notice on their site that says 4-5 weeks for processing. I said whatever, and ordered in on Tuesday with 2 day shipping to get it ASAP. Wednesday morning I got an email saying it was being shipped that day for delivery on Friday. I even called to ask if the quote for 4-5 weeks processing was still valid, the person I spoke to said it was. WTF? I mean, I'm not complaining since I'm getting it pretty quick, but I wonder how many people have been turned off from ordering one because of that message?


Do us a favor and post up some thoughts on it once you have it. Very curious if it's worth the extra cash over the Quik Rack


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## chadbrochills (Aug 9, 2018)

Ogre said:


> Do us a favor and post up some thoughts on it once you have it. Very curious if it's worth the extra cash over the Quik Rack


Will do, although I have no experience with any 1up racks to date. I got it because seemingly every friend I asked for opinions on racks from mentioned them. I looked at them last Friday, held off due to the processing time disclaimer and actually bought a Kuat NV 2.0 from REI over the weekend. Had some second thoughts since 98% of the time I ride alone and only have one bike so I didn't really need a 2 bike rack. I did like the built-in repair stand on the NV though.

Watched this video comparing the old style vs. the Equip D and it kind of sold me on it. Apparently the ratcheting on the legs is smoother and I like the way the handle to drop it works better. One con, the trays don't fold up like the Quik Rack.


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## chadbrochills (Aug 9, 2018)

Got the Equip D single as well as the hitch last week and installed everything over the weekend. First impressions, this rack is really nice and minimalistic. I love that there's zero plastic bits on it because the living here in Florida, the sun destroys stuff quick IME. I got the 2" version so it has the slot for the receiver lock so you can adjust how far in/out it sits in the receiver.

I also went over to Lowe's and grabbed some skid tape to add to the trays. It was 2" wide so I had to cut the strips down to 1.5"w x 25"l and it was perfect. I've used it a few times since the weekend and it's been great. My one and only grip is with the procedure to lower/fold up the rack. It comes it a safety pin you either need to remove every time before adjusting it or just leave out completely and hope the other safety pin stays in place lol.

A few pics I just took:


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## slowlane_az (Nov 3, 2020)

chadbrochills said:


> Got the Equip D single as well as the hitch last week and installed everything over the weekend. First impressions, this rack is really nice and minimalistic. I love that there's zero plastic bits on it because the living here in Florida, the sun destroys stuff quick IME. I got the 2" version so it has the slot for the receiver lock so you can adjust how far in/out it sits in the receiver.
> 
> I also went over to Lowe's and grabbed some skid tape to add to the trays. It was 2" wide so I had to cut the strips down to 1.5"w x 25"l and it was perfect. I've used it a few times since the weekend and it's been great. My one and only grip is with the procedure to lower/fold up the rack. It comes it a safety pin you either need to remove every time before adjusting it or just leave out completely and hope the other safety pin stays in place lol.
> 
> ...


Were the lead times pretty close to the 4-5 weeks their website is quoting?


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## wschruba (Apr 13, 2012)

slowlane_az said:


> Were the lead times pretty close to the 4-5 weeks their website is quoting?


I mean, the last guy just said, "no", but it's possible this guy waited.

I myself just placed an order at a vendor that has a 4 week backlog, but when I called it in, he said, "you won't believe this, but there's a pair sitting next to me". People back out of orders, and sometimes, just sometimes, what you want is exactly what someone else didn't. Maybe the other poster called and someone had just backed out of something?


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## chadbrochills (Aug 9, 2018)

Nope! Ordered it on


slowlane_az said:


> Were the lead times pretty close to the 4-5 weeks their website is quoting?


Nope. Ordered it last Tuesday expecting to wait a few weeks, got an email Wednesday morning saying it was being shipped and had it 2 days later on Friday (paid for 2 day shipping). I even called to ask them and they said yes when I asked about the 4-5wk processing time. Not sure why they say that.


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