I’ll never forget it. Driving down a crowded Southern California freeway with my 1984 Panasonic ATB on the roof rack when the entire rack suddenly became airborne and landed upside down, sliding across multiple lanes and (luckily) coming to a halt on the shoulder of the freeway instead of being smashed by a semi. My bike dodged a bullet with only a torn up handlebar grip and seat, but that experience taught me a valuable lesson; don’t ever skimp on a bike rack.

Fast forward from the 80’s to 2024 and bike racks have kept up with the evolution of bicycles over the years with expensive carbon fiber bikes becoming rather common. Most of us have an emotional attachment to our bikes and we want to protect them from damage round the clock.  Some designs make contact with straps or latches on the frame, resulting in scuffs to paint and iffy security going down rough roads, while others touch only the tires to hold them tightly without damage.

The folks at Kuat have been busy taking all this into consideration when designing the new Piston Pro X.  From packaging to paint and visual aesthetics, they left no stone unturned when dreaming up this bike rack.  I think the engineers were experts at Tetris in their youth and the packing materials could’ve come from Space X.  All items in the box were protected from any shipping mishaps with each item in perfect condition on arrival. Assembly was extremely easy and the rack was ready to use within 30 minutes of opening the box.  All necessary hardware and tools were included and a quick scan of a QR code took me to assembly instructions.  

You’d be hard pressed to find a more secure way of moving your beloved two-wheeled friend from point A to B.  I’ve had the opportunity to run the Piston Pro X in a variety of situations with fatbikes, gravel bikes, and mountain bikes loaded in the trays and it was refreshing to drive down a rocky road with my mind at ease.  Looking out the rear view mirror, I saw the bikes were always solid and secure and I had total confidence in the design of the rack.  Even the most wash-boarded roads were no match for the Piston Pro X.

The Piston Pro X rack is stout with the most durable paint and coatings.  The all-metal construction is capable of carrying the lightest of road bikes and beefiest of e-bikes with a load rating of 67 lbs. per tray.  The ingenious adjustable chock slides can fit any tire size from 18 to 29 inches and move with a simple pinch, no tools necessary. The trays are wide enough to hold tires from 23mm road skinnies to 5” fat bike tires so it’s plenty capable of carrying your entire quiver with no contact to any frame.  Simply tap the lever and the Kashima coated pneumatic arms rise in V for Victory, load up, and hit the road with confidence.

Now the icing on the cake; the integrated LED taillights mounted neatly in the tray. They sync perfectly via the 4-pin trailer outlet on most SUV’s, trucks, and RV’s and bring one more element of visibility and security on the road.  Speaking of security – the kit includes an integrated 12mm cable lock as well as a beefy hitch lock so everything stays put.

Using the Piston Pro X for several weeks now, it reflects a premium build quality across the board.  The release lever and pivot points on the trays are smooth as silk when lifting them up to my tailgate, and the fit and finish is as good as it gets.  

But there are a couple of niggles.  When I lower the PPX trays to the lowest setting, the tailgate on my stock Gen 3 Tacoma hits the rack before reaching full extension.  I could add a swing out for the rack, but…

My Tacoma already has a long departure angle, occasionally scraping my hitch on steepish climbs.  The main beam on the PPX extends the hitch considerably and greatly reduces the departure angle.  Something to keep in mind if your overland trip includes your bikes.  There are many vehicles that won’t have this problem, but be sure to investigate what works for yours.  Broncos, Jeeps, and similar SUV-style vehicles with rear spare tires should be fine with a swing out. 

Overall, the Kuat Piston Pro X offers everything you’d ever want in a bike rack and I’m sure it will last many years with its incredible build quality and styling.  The $1,389 retail price reflects it’s premium status, but with such a durable build, features, and the value of what it’s carrying, the PPX is worth the price of admission.  

In-Field Contributor: Bill Freeman – 2017 SR5 Tacoma 4×4

Bill is a native Californian and has been shooting outdoor activities for over 30 years.  Spending most weekends climbing in Joshua Tree in the 80’s, he began his photo career shooting the classic environment that only J-Tree has to offer.  Expanding his subject matter into skiing and mountain biking, the camera was brought on most every adventure. Bill and his dog, Leica, now live in Southwest Colorado to take advantage of the epic outdoor adventures… on two wheels or four.