QuikrStuff Mach2 vs 1up Super Duty Bike Racks
I purchased a 1UP 2″ 2x Super Duty rack in May 2022 to use on our Subaru Crosstrek to carry our Tern GSD ebike, road bikes, and kids bikes. It worked ok, but I never loved it. It was hard to adjust between the 4 bike sizes, awkward to install to the car hitch, hard to lock, and hard to pull the release to lower.
I learned about the QuikrStuff Mach2 and saw that it fixed most of my complaints. I purchased the base rack, waited a few months, and got it in October 2023. It mostly solves my issues! I then purchased an addon tray, 4x locks, license plate holder, and ramp. Thankfully it all shipped within a few days – no waiting for return customers!
Thankfully I was able to sell my 1UP on Craigslist for nearly what I paid a few days later. Here are some quick comparison notes.
Price for 2x 1UP 2″ 2x Super Duty Rack: $1165
- Super duty 2” $460
- Addon tray $295
- Ramp long $159
- 4x locks $24 each, $96
- License plate $56
- EZ Pull $99
Price for QuikrStuff $1762
- Mach2 2” $699
- Addon tray $499
- Ramp $249
- 4x locks $59 each, $236
- License plate bracket $79
Lead time
- QuikrStuff: 2-3 months for the base rack purchase. But anything after that (addon trays, accessories) ships within a few days.
- 1Up: In stock, ships same week.
- If you can plan ahead, the QuikrStuff wait isn’t that bad
Weight limit – single bike
- 1UP Super Duty 75lbs
- Mach2 120 lbs
- Both work fine for my heavy Tern GSD ebike (Photo)
Addon tray install / storage
- QuickrStuff Mach2: no tools, comes with a lock and matching key. Takes 20 seconds to add/remove. No bolts! But see complaint below. You can add trays in the future and they’ll match the keys by default. Very easy to fold and store
- 1UP: I only had the two bike model, so I can’t compare addons. But I much prefer having one tray always live on the hitch, and to add the second one if/when needed. Much easier to lift and store the one tray than the heavy combined unit.
Lock matching
- 1Up won’t match old locks. Such a weird, shortsighted policy! https://1up-usa.com/product/wheel-lock-1-4-turn
- QuikrStuff matches keys from your order history.
Single finger pull adjustment “easy access pivot trigger”
- I spent 100 on the 1UP EZ Pull accessory and it still didn’t work well – it required an awkward crouch and tons of jiggling. Always was a hassle.
- The Mach2 is so easy by comparison – a single finger latch. Automatically extends with addon trays as well so you never have to reach under the car.
Tray adjustment, tool free
- I no longer have to carry around a 1/2” wrench with me
- Easy to change between ebike, road bike, kids 20” bike
Ramp
- Much easier usage than 1up. Just look at the instruction manuals. No hardware changes needed. It costs more though, and feels overpriced for what it is.
- https://1up-usa.com/product/v-style-ramp $122
- https://quikrstuff.com/product/ramp/ $249
Improved hitch / hitch lock
- Much improved tension system, feels much more secure
- Here’s what they have to say about it: https://quikrstuff.com/ufaqs/how-does-the-new-quik-rack-mach2-compare-to-the-old-quik-rack/
Now, onto the QuikrStuff complaints and my “hacks” / improvements
- Ramp doesn’t come with end covers (Photo). You can buy 2 of them from QuickrStuff for $15 each. Seems a little cheap on a $250 rack purchase.
- Ramp doesn’t come drilled to support the license plate bracket accessory. From support “The ramp doesn’t really obstruct the license plate from the view of traffic coming up behind you. If you are standing directly behind the rack it does, but from 15 feet away at car height it is visible“. So I purchased a set of SAE Drill & Tap Bits from Amazon, made a hole, and bolted on the bracket holder accessory. You can buy extras of that from QuikrStuff for $15.
- The no-tool arm tighteners usually don’t align right when you tighten them down. You have a 25% chance of doing it right on the first try – it’s annoying! The support reply suggested marking the bolt head in nail polish – not a great solution. Usually you try to tighten it randomly, fail, and then turn it 90 degrees to try again. I’m not really sure you save much time here over the 1UP bolts and 1/2” wrench.
- Related to the above issue, sometimes the long gold arm tighteners hit the bike frame and can’t actually be tightened down – there’s just not enough clearance (Photo). This happens often with my Tern GSD cargo bike. My “no-tool” solution so far is to use 5/16-18-Inch Stainless Steel Wing Nuts instead of the gold arm. (Amazon)
Overall, I still love it! These minor issues are still better than what I had with the 1UP rack.