Hitch Mounted Bike Rack – Küat NV 2.0 5th Gen 4Runner
A complete overview, install and review on the Küat NV 2.0 Base Rack
The Küat NV bike rack is incredible. It is light, easy to use, and very practical. It takes about a minute or two to actually assemble the entire rack brand new out of the box.
Küat NV comes feature packed with all the features you could ask for in a hitch-mounted bike rack and works flawlessly on the 5th Gen 4Runner. This rack features integrated cable locks for each bike, a hitch receiver lock, it’s available in 1.25″ and 2″ receivers, and it even features a bike stand.
The keys that come with the rack will unlock the hitch lock, as well as the cable locks that are hidden on the rack. They are hidden in the rack right by the back tire. It will extend out, making it possible to lock the frame to the bike. The bike is locked to the rack, which is locked to the car. With the Küat NV, you can trust that your bikes are not going anywhere.
The rack withstands bikes that weigh up to 60lbs each and can accommodate a 48″ wheelbase bike. The Küat NV also features an option for an expansion pack that will allow for two more bikes. Küat NV can carry a total of 4 bikes when you bundle the 2-place and 2-place add-on which is only offered for 2″ hitch receivers.
This rack is amazing in almost every way, shape and form but it does come at a pretty penny. If you are looking for a more affordable, yet just as durable rack, check out the Swagman hitch mounted rack.
Negatives:
One of the very few downfalls is the departure angle. This rack will bottom out when off-road on moderate terrain. We mentioned this in another post on the Yakima Frontloader. If you bring your bike to remote destinations where the terrain is rough, you may want to consider the Yakima Frontloader or any rooftop bike rack.
The ground clearance with the Küat NV 2.0 is not bad (18.89″). Although 18.89″ of ground clearance doesn’t seem too bad, it’s really about your departure angle. It may be a good idea to invest in a rooftop bike rack so you don’t bottom out and break your rack if your travel off-road often. This is why I have both the Yakima Frontloader and the Küat NV 2.0. Both of these bike racks serve their purpose.
Another negative is that even though the rack can tip down for access to the back of the 4Runner cargo area; it is still a pain to try and actually grab anything out. Again, there is a reason why I have both a rooftop bike rack and hitch mounted bike rack.
Positives:
The Küat NV 2.0 is very simple to use and very practical on the 4Runner. You can leave the rack mounted at all times without your bikes and it doesn’t get in the way of much. Adding only another 19″ of length to the back of the 4Runner when collapsed, this rack really can go wherever you take it.
You color options are Gray Metalic or Black Metalic. The all-black color makes it a very clean look.
There is a lever on the rack that can be twisted in order to tilt the rack to different angles.
There are three positions for the rack.
- No bikes on and stowed
- Flat with bikes mounted
- Tilted down so the back of the 4Runner hatch can be opened
Scaling from 2-4 bikes is easy
Buying a bike rack for 2 or even 4 is a possibility. If you buy a rack for two bikes and suddenly need to scale your rack to 4 bikes, Küat makes it easy. You can buy the 2-bike extension making it possible to mount an additional 2 bikes.
At the end of the day, I would recommend this bike rack to anyone who would ask me. It looks great, has clean lines, practical, easy use, and just awesome.
I believe this is the best hitch-mounted bike rack out there for my needs.
Features
- Folding hitch-style rack
- Compatible with 2” and 1.25” hitch receivers
- Two-bike Extension
- Expanding wedge
- Locking Receiver
- Retractable Rear wheel lock
- Frame lock
Purchase Rack
- Küat NV 2.0: Check Today’s Price
- Küat NV 2.0 Add-On: Check Price
- Küat Phat Bike Kit: Check Price
Measurements
- Inside rack to rear hatch: 7.25″
- Bottom of the rack to ground (ground clearance): 18.89″
- Length of rack collapsed: 19″
- Length of rack extended: 39″
1.Insert Shank into Hitch Receiver
Küat makes installation very easy. Make sure that you purchase the correct size hitch shank. The 5th Gen 4Runner has a 2″ hitch. Do not purchase the 1.25″ receiver hitch as you won’t be able to use it on the 5th Gen.
2. Secure the rack with locking hitch pin
Take the locking hitch pin that is provided with the rack and slide it through your hitch receiver. No key is needed to lock it up, only to unlock. Once your rack is locked to your hitch, it needs to be tightened into place. There is a round knob (the anti-rattle device) on the end of the rack which turns and extends a silver ball on the inside of the hitch receiver. After you tighten this knob down, it’s nearly impossible for the bike rack to wiggle around.
3. Place the bike on the rack
If there is only one bike that is being used on the rack, I would recommend putting it in the rack slot that is closest to the car.
Start by extending the arms out and then undo the wheel strap in the back. The flat part of the rack is used for the rear bike tire, so put the front tire in the slotted area and then place the rear tire down. There is a feature on the rack that is retractable to fit multiple size tires.
The button at the very top of that is how to adjust the size. Put it on the top of the tire and push down as much as possible, securing the bike on the rack. Then take the back latch and push it through the spokes on the back tire. Pull it down as much as possible securing the bike to the rack, yet again.
4. Lock the bike
We have already locked the rack to the car, which is a very important part, but we also need to make sure that we lock the bikes to the rack just in case that we are parked for a while.
At the very end of the rack, by the back tire, there is a little silver lock that is going inside of the rack. It is magnetic, so give it a little pull and out will come a long cable lock.
The end just needs to be wrapped around the frame of the bicycle and put back into that silver lock that is located on the middle of the cable once extended fully.
This can be done to both bikes no problem at all. When it needs to be put back in, just start inserting it back to where it came from and it will connect back to the magnet. It is now ready to either sit there, locked up again, or tilted back to grab something from the back of the 4Runner.
