Kuat Piston SR Roof Bike Rack for 1 Bike - Wheel Mount - Aluminum

Video Transcript for Kuat Piston SR Roof 1 Bike Rack Review - 2022 Ford Edge

Hi, everyone, it's Evangeline here at etrailer, and today, we have the Kuat Piston SR Roof-Mounted Bike Rack. We're gonna take a look at how this bike rack fits our 2022 Ford Edge. So if you need to carry around your bikes, and maybe you don't have a hitch receiver yet or cannot get one, then the next best option is to get a roof-mounted bike rack. So if you already have a roof rack, you can put this onto your roof rack, it works with most rack systems, and then it has a unique dual wheel mounted design that makes it technically easier to carry around a bike on your roof. We're gonna talk about that, but we're also gonna focus on our Ford Edge here today. We'll talk about things like how high you have to reach to get to your bike, what types of bikes this can carry, and why you might consider this as an option.

So I'm about five feet tall, and roof-mounted bike racks are not ideal for me, just because of how far I have to reach to get to the bike. There are some things you can do that make it easier though, one is I do recommend mounting it to overhang. That way, it's closer to the end of your vehicle, and you don't have to reach as far onto your roof. Also, you do have some things here that make it easier like your pistons, so you have your front and your rear wheel mounts that are activated by these levers. So these are one-touch piston systems, so it's gonna help you out with getting your bike, because then, rather than having to pull a strap and activate a lever, you just hit one of the pistons with one hand, hit the other lever with the other hand, and now, you have clearance for your bike.

This way, all you need to focus on is getting it up and over your rack, and now you can go for a ride. This technically has a weight capacity of 67 pounds for your bike. Now, that's more useful if you use the hitch adapter to put it into your hitch receiver, but if you want to lift the heavy electric bike onto your roof, it's nice to know that this has the capability, be mindful though of your actual roof weight capacity. This can also accommodate fat tire bikes. The maximum tire width capacity is up to five inches, you do have an adjustment knob up top, so you just pinch, and slide for your different tire sizes.

Compared to the Piston Pro X, which is the hitch-mounted version, what's unique to the roof bike rack version, which is the SR, is that you have the latches here to make sure that your mounts are secured. So that way, even if someone presses the lever or activates the bike rack, as long as these are in place, it's secure. The way to get it out is you just press down on the entire system, and then it pops right back up. So that way, you know even with it on your roof, you don't have to worry about it. At the end of the rack there is a cable lock, so this is designed to go around your bike's frame and into the center of the rack for security.

If you have other Kuat accessories, it's nice to know that most of them have lock cores where you can secure them, just remember for the center to keep those keys on hand, and that way, you don't have to deal with a separate cable lock that will just wave around in the wind. Another security feature is how it clamps to your crossbars. So this utilizes a nut and a bolt system, so it goes into the T-track and is secured underneath, use a special Allen key to secure those bolts. So with this, you can loosen or tighten your clamp. This is a metal clamp as well, so you know it's strong and it is sturdy, and it will hold onto your vehicle's crossbars. There's a bunch of different options out there. If you've seen fork-mounted bike racks, you know that people often have to remove their front wheel in order to get it onto the roof. It's nice, because that's a lighter way of doing it, but it takes a long time, because then you have to take off your front wheel and reinstall it. So this allows you to just put your bike onto your roof and start driving. Once you get to the trail, you just grab your bike and go, it's a very quick solution for roof mounting your bikes. The downside to it is really just you have to reach it, and it' also the weight you're gonna have to lift up onto your roof before you're ready to go. There's really pros and cons, I always recommend getting a hitch-mounted bike rack if possible, but I also understand that there's different reasons you may not be able to do so, maybe you're towing something, there's something already on your hitch, or you don't have a hitch. This is a good alternative, it's something quick and easy as well as really sturdy. Definitely a solid bike rack. In fact, it's made of mostly metal, so definitely something that can stay onto your roof and hold up to the elements. This was a look at the Kuat Piston SR Roof-Mounted Bike Rack and you saw it here on our 2022 Ford Edge.