# questions for 1UP rack owners



## useport80 (Mar 6, 2008)

hey all,
i have a few questions before purchasing the 1UP single rack. i have a 4runner and an older yakima fullswing or swingdaddy rack. im going to get rid of my yakima rack because my new full suspension bike will not fit. i've read/watched a bunch of reviews about the 1UP rack. 

1. is there no way to lock/secure the rack to my hitch? can some1 with the same special allen key(assuming they have a 1UP rack also) come and remove the rack from my hitch and steal my bike and rack? this concerns me. 

2. how secure are the bike(s) on the rack? i'm going to be transporting my bike from NYC to VA which is about 300 miles with mostly high speed highway driving. is there any reason for me to be concerned that my bike might pop off or come off the rack? the yakima rack i'm use to has 3 straps that secure the bike to the rack and gives me great peace of mind. 

3. as a tangent to question #1, what are the best kinds of locks nowadays? i'll likely purchase a U-lock and also a cable lock to protect my bike. any recommendations?

thanks all!


----------



## curtisp (Aug 21, 2012)

useport80 said:


> hey all,
> i have a few questions before purchasing the 1UP single rack. i have a 4runner and an older yakima fullswing or swingdaddy rack. im going to get rid of my yakima rack because my new full suspension bike will not fit. i've read/watched a bunch of reviews about the 1UP rack.
> 
> 1. is there no way to lock/secure the rack to my hitch? can some1 with the same special allen key(assuming they have a 1UP rack also) come and remove the rack from my hitch and steal my bike and rack? this concerns me. --> Page 104 ; post #2584 - Check the pics in that post. A Kryptonite lock can be used to lock the rack to your vehicle. 1up Quick Rack Quick Review. - Page 104- Mtbr.com
> ...


I hope that helps. I am really happy with the 1-Up rack! :thumbsup:


----------



## canker (Jul 26, 2007)

The kryptonite lock works but there is a built in spot for a pad lock that blocks off access to the bolt. Looks like that is a fairly new feature. I can't find a great pic of it but here is one I took of my paranoia chain to keep it from being able to slide out.








The carabiner is going through the bottom hole but there is another one in the top so you can put a padlock all the way through it which was my original plan. I just bought the wrong length padlock and haven't gotten around to fixing it yet.


----------



## useport80 (Mar 6, 2008)

sweet ty for the responses. i just ordered my 1up rack in black. once i get it installed, i'll order a U-lock and chain lock for additional security.


----------



## DehicaBike (Oct 11, 2015)

I wish we would have seen this post and photo and put a lock on our 1UP Rack. Our 1UP (2 Bike Rack w/2" adapter) actually loosened up and FELL OFF of our truck while driving down the freeway! Not having a through pin or bolt into the hitch receiver is a major flaw in 1UP's design in my opinion. 1UP said it's our fault it fell off because we didn't use the Velcro strap that comes with it and that it's known to loosen on certain vechicles. Really????


----------



## JohnJ80 (Oct 10, 2008)

useport80 said:


> hey all,
> i have a few questions before purchasing the 1UP single rack. i have a 4runner and an older yakima fullswing or swingdaddy rack. im going to get rid of my yakima rack because my new full suspension bike will not fit. i've read/watched a bunch of reviews about the 1UP rack.
> 
> 1. is there no way to lock/secure the rack to my hitch? can some1 with the same special allen key(assuming they have a 1UP rack also) come and remove the rack from my hitch and steal my bike and rack? this concerns me.


Others use U lock that goes through the rack and then through the receiver.



> 2. how secure are the bike(s) on the rack? i'm going to be transporting my bike from NYC to VA which is about 300 miles with mostly high speed highway driving. is there any reason for me to be concerned that my bike might pop off or come off the rack? the yakima rack i'm use to has 3 straps that secure the bike to the rack and gives me great peace of mind.


Very secure and stable. I've taken my bikes on about 15,000 miles of high speed highway on the way from the Midwest to the Mountains over the years. That's mostly at 85mph or so. I even almost once took our SUV airborne with 4 mtbs on the rack when I hit a bump entering a construction zone I did not see. We landed fine and the bikes were fine - no problems. Most of that 15K miles is with 4 mountain bikes although in recent years it's been 2 cross/road bikes. No issues.



> 3. as a tangent to question #1, what are the best kinds of locks nowadays? i'll likely purchase a U-lock and also a cable lock to protect my bike. any recommendations?
> 
> thanks all!


Ah, this is a big question and worth a thread on it's own. Let me put it to you like this - I have two kids who have been in major universities (urban) for a total of 7 kid-years most of that locking bikes outside. We have keyed alike Kryptonite U locks (the orange ones - not the heaviest ones) and we've secured wheels, stem and seat with Pitlocks. We've seen bikes stolen right along side theirs and no one has ever touched ours. If you want the whole story on locking - PM me.

J.


----------



## JohnJ80 (Oct 10, 2008)

DehicaBike said:


> I wish we would have seen this post and photo and put a lock on our 1UP Rack. Our 1UP (2 Bike Rack w/2" adapter) actually loosened up and FELL OFF of our truck while driving down the freeway! Not having a through pin or bolt into the hitch receiver is a major flaw in 1UP's design in my opinion. 1UP said it's our fault it fell off because we didn't use the Velcro strap that comes with it and that it's known to loosen on certain vechicles. Really????


Interesting that these sorts of statements always seem to be coming from a poster who has single digit post counts. Maybe you could post that picture of the bikes on the side of the road (again)?


----------



## DehicaBike (Oct 11, 2015)

*Yes, 1up Racks DO FALL OFF! Here's the photos and description as requested...*

Although I've often looked on MTBR for information, I've never felt compelled to register and comment until now. I've seen some comments on this 1up post about a Troll, people not believing this rack could fail, etc. You can believe what you want, but here our real story! My husband bought the single 1up rack a while back for our Prius so he could keep it on all the time and bring his bike to work to do rides after. We always used Thule T2 racks before and have both a 2 bike + 4 bike Thule set up. He was really impressed by the 1up, so we bought the 2nd bike add-on and switched the Thule out on our truck for our last road trip to Oregon (using the 2" 1up adapter with 2 bikes). We did not do any off road driving on this trip, just rode to the paved trailhead. I was driving back on 1-5 going about 65 mph when the car next to me started waving at me and pointing back. To my surprise the rack with our 2 carbon fiber bikes had fallen off and the Semi truck behind had swerved and missed hitting them as the 1up rack with our 2 bikes slid down the highway before coming to a stop and toppling over! By some miracle the only damage to the bikes was a broken handle bar, as they didn't get hit by any of the other vehicles and somehow stayed upright until the end. If we didn't have a truck, we would not have been able to get the bikes and rack home, the rack was not useable once it fell off, no set screw to be found. I'm including photos so you can see just how lucky we were. The semi pulled over along with a few other cars and pulled the bikes out of the lane before I could turn around and get back to them.

When I called 1up I was told that the racks do loosen especially on certain vehicles (seems to depend on the suspension) and on bumpy roads and that we were supposed to use the Velcro strap to stop it from falling out until we tighten it. Yes, they suggest tightening it every time you put in gas or more often on a bumpy road. 1up told us that they would not replace the rack but if we sent it back to them they could "repair it". I asked about the cost of repairing the handle bars and they said we could submit a claim to their insurance but we would be denied because we didn't have the Velcro strap through the hitch received as recommended in their instructions. When I said to 1up that they need to redesign this flaw, I was told that "we've sold hundreds of thousands of racks and only ever get great reviews - just look online". That's why both my husband and I have been spreading the word about this problem. If you have the 1up with a 2" adapter and drive a truck, I'll bet you have this problem! Even though we've never seen a 1up using the Velcro straps before, I'd suggest you find the strap and use it. I believe ours got thrown out with the package, but if we decide to ship this back and start using the repaired one, you bet it will be used from now on.

We've always liked the overall design of the 1up and had talked about replacing our Thule 4 bike with a 1up 4 bike someday, but if they don't redesign this mounting screw and use a more secure pin system, I don't want to rely on a Velcro strap to save our bikes! But what do I know, I'm just a girl who likes to ride a bike.


----------



## Silentfoe (May 9, 2008)

The padlock doesn't keep the rack ON the car, it just keeps it from getting stolen. Use a U Lock and it takes care of both issues.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk


----------



## Blatant (Apr 13, 2005)

JohnJ80 said:


> Interesting that these sorts of statements always seem to be coming from a poster who has single digit post counts. Maybe you could post that picture of the bikes on the side of the road (again)?


If you looks at the new poster, it's another shell account and in another post displays the same photos as the last 1up basher.


----------



## DehicaBike (Oct 11, 2015)

To JohnJ80:

If you took the time to read my post, you'll see that both my Husband and me have recently joined the forum to spread our experience with OUR 1Up Rack...not to bash it. I thought this is useful information, I wish we would have known this before using the rack. We actually like a lot of things about this rack, just not happy with this one design flaw and with 1Up's response when our rack loosened and fell off while driving! If you keep bashing me for posting correct information, then I guess I'm not welcome on this forum. Are you only allowed on here if you have been on here a long time with lots of posts????? You are correct, I don't spend night and day on MTBR posting like you do. Not a nice way to welcome a new member.


----------



## Blatant (Apr 13, 2005)

It's pretty suspect when multiple members join a site and appear to have no interest other than bashing a product.


----------



## JohnJ80 (Oct 10, 2008)

DehicaBike said:


> To JohnJ80:
> 
> If you took the time to read my post, you'll see that both my Husband and me have recently joined the forum to spread our experience with OUR 1Up Rack...not to bash it. I thought this is useful information, I wish we would have known this before using the rack. We actually like a lot of things about this rack, just not happy with this one design flaw and with 1Up's response when our rack loosened and fell off while driving! If you keep bashing me for posting correct information, then I guess I'm not welcome on this forum. Are you only allowed on here if you have been on here a long time with lots of posts????? You are correct, I don't spend night and day on MTBR posting like you do. Not a nice way to welcome a new member.


So you post the same picture in the same thread in two different posts and claim as if it's a different issue? Then you show up in this thread and start in about it all over again?

See: http://forums.mtbr.com/car-biker/think-twice-before-going-1up-racks-924169.html

where you both or one of you with the different screen names post the same picture in two different posts in the same thread like you are two different unrelated people. You both have low post counts and your posts seem to center around bashing 1UpUSA. Surely you see how that behavior would be (and should be) questioned.

You're certainly welcome to post helpful information, but this sure doesn't look like it to me so I reported it to the mods. If you're not a troll, maybe contribute on some other topics to demonstrate that.

J.


----------



## MTB&RDRDr (Sep 19, 2008)

*Iup rack security*



Silentfoe said:


> The padlock doesn't keep the rack ON the car, it just keeps it from getting stolen. Use a U Lock and it takes care of both issues.
> 
> Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk


 I know this is an old thread but I can't find the info I've been looking for. 1Up used to have a policy of replacing you rack if it got stolen. They now say because of the increase in stolen racks, they no longer offer this. my question is were they stolen by people who bought a security allen wrench or did they remove some bolts? Also has anyone had any issue with the arms coming loose on a bumpy road? If you look at the rack, it can be disassembled rather easily and quickly thus negating any type of lock you add. You can put a ulock from the rack to your hitch and that may stop it from coming out but all one has to do is remove the 4 bolts that hold it on and take off with your bike(s) and most of the rack or remove other bolts and just take the bike. This isn't one of those a determined thief will find a way deals, it's a cutting corners thing. $300 for a single bike carrier and only one weld on the entire rack? 
I received mine today and it came to me broken. I emailed 1up and they are going to ship me out the replacement parts but made a statement in the reply email that I caused the issue by "pulling up on the arm without lifting the red handle" . Not only is this offensive after I was willing to work with them on just shipping me the parts but if your rack is that fragile, then you don't have a superior design and I can only assume that they have been buying good reviews. :nono:


----------



## Blatant (Apr 13, 2005)

So. Are you suggesting that those of us happy 1Up users -- many of whom have been members here for years and years -- are dishonest? Kinda sounds like what you're saying, which isn't very kind.

All that said, I did have occasion to interact with 1Up's customer service recently. As much as I love the rack and know it's clearly the best rack I've owned, the company does have perhaps have a bit of growth to do in the customer service department.


----------



## MTB&RDRDr (Sep 19, 2008)

Blatant said:


> So. Are you suggesting that those of us happy 1Up users -- many of whom have been members here for years and years -- are dishonest? Kinda sounds like what you're saying, which isn't very kind.
> 
> All that said, I did have occasion to interact with 1Up's customer service recently. As much as I love the rack and know it's clearly the best rack I've owned, the company does have perhaps have a bit of growth to do in the customer service department.


No, I wasn't specifically speaking about MTBR members. But according to them, they stopped replacing them because of theft, yet I've read nothing of a rash of stolen 1up racks so I can't figure out what would minimize the risk. I was thinking of putting a jbweld type of putty over the bolts and using the ulock to keep the rack safe while I'm out riding.
They said that merely pulling up on the arm before lifting the handle can cause it to make it so you have to jiggle and lift and release the handle to get the arm to come up and literally shave off aluminum off the track, which is what mine does now. Also I am saying that the lack of welds makes this rack susceptible to theft of bikes regardless of the locks you invest in because it can be taken apart. And I've only seen one case of the rack falling out and several of the bolts coming loose but none of the bikes themselves coming loose but one user in another forum pointed out that if you're transporting a road bike and it gets a flat, the arms will no longer provide enough downforce to keep it from moving and I have had a tire go flat after riding while in the rack.


----------



## JohnJ80 (Oct 10, 2008)

MTB&RDRDr said:


> And I've only seen one case of the rack falling out and several of the bolts coming loose but none of the bikes themselves coming loose but one user in another forum pointed out that if you're transporting a road bike and it gets a flat, the arms will no longer provide enough downforce to keep it from moving and I have had a tire go flat after riding while in the rack.


This is a problem with any of the racks that place a retaining device over the tire (i.e. Thule T2, Yakima version, Saris etc...). With the 1Up rack, the wheel still won't come out of the retaining arms but the bike will vibrate around a lot and could conceivably bounce out of the tray. The only place this is going to be an issue is on the last bike. If you wanted to be totally safe, you could put a strap around the tray and through the rim of the outermost/rearmost bike. I think this is not a bad idea and is what I do on long trips. Turns out the perfect strap is an old toe clip strap.

I also have, for roof trays, a couple of Rockmounts Brass Knuckles. That is similar to a Thule T2 tray on the top, but they have a ratchet strap that anchors both front and rear wheels. This strikes me as intelligent and a good idea for that style of rack.

My rack has at least 10,000 miles on it at high speeds (or higher speeds - lead foot here). On a couple of occasions I have had a bike come out of the tray after hitting some serious bumps - like the kind where you wonder if you hurt something on the car. The bike just comes out of the tray at the bottom but was still retained by the arms.

I have also been having an issue with my newest car lately - a BMW 328 wagon - that is narrower than any other vehicle (SUVs) that I have used my rack on in the past. Given that I drive like a bat out of hell, with road bikes with higher cross section wheels, I've had problems with one of our bikes bumping out of the tray. I'm pretty sure it's due to the bike being more out in the slip stream of the car and hitting significant road defects. Both times it happened while driving 80mph (or a little more) into a stiff head wind of about 20-30mph. In either case, the bike did just as I mentioned above. A strap on the wheel would solve the problem especially on the outermost bike. A little hard for me to blame the bike rack for this with a net 100-120mph wind to the rack on a wide section tire/rim (road bike with 40mm carbon rim).

Every car/rack combination has its idiosyncrasies. I'm learning what they are with this new, smaller car.

J.


----------



## MTB&RDRDr (Sep 19, 2008)

Thank you. This is just the information I was looking for. I may try to find a way to incorporate a ratchet strap or even velcro just for piece of mind.


----------



## MTB&RDRDr (Sep 19, 2008)

I wanted to follow up in case someone else researching this rack happens upon this thread. 1Up sent me out a new tray assembly the same day I contacted them. It arrived today and works perfectly so from that stand point, I really can't ask for more as stuff is going to happen and they did everything they could to rectify the issue at hand.
I was able to locate some new Saris ratchet straps on Ebay for $8 so I will find a way to attach them so for a few extra seconds to mount the bike(s), I'll have the extra piece of mind regardless what road and weather condition, unless the arms somehow fail completely, my bike(s) will be secure.


----------



## JNKER (Feb 19, 2016)

MTB&RDRDr said:


> I wanted to follow up in case someone else researching this rack happens upon this thread. 1Up sent me out a new tray assembly the same day I contacted them. It arrived today and works perfectly so from that stand point, I really can't ask for more as stuff is going to happen and they did everything they could to rectify the issue at hand.
> I was able to locate some new Saris ratchet straps on Ebay for $8 so I will find a way to attach them so for a few extra seconds to mount the bike(s), I'll have the extra piece of mind regardless what road and weather condition, unless the arms somehow fail completely, my bike(s) will be secure.


Did you figure out a good way to use the Saris straps?


----------



## MTB&RDRDr (Sep 19, 2008)

I haven't figured out how to mount them due to the supports for the arms when it's not in use. For now I've just been strapping the wheels around the entire tray. After I've mounted a bike, the supports are high enough to allow the strap to get by.


----------



## JNKER (Feb 19, 2016)

Cool.


----------

