Saris Bones 801 3-Bike Trunk Mount Rack

So far so good with the Saris. I saw this model for $40 more in a local chain bike store, and after checking Craigslist and Ebay ads I realized that used racks were going for only $20-30 less than a brand new one from Amazon. And, I was able to order a SNAZZY deep blue colored rack for the same price as the grey "normie" racks. The four giant rubber pads that support the rack on the car are easy on the car finish. The rack itself is quite easy to adjust properly once you make sense of the rack's necessarily confusing geometries and parts. Once you set it up for your car you will definitely leave the setup stuff alone. The tensioner straps that hold the rack to the car trunk lid are VERY easy to adjust and tighten and also easy to release. The three built on straps that hold each bike to the rack are easy to tighten and are ergonomic for tightening. A few tips for use: First of all, wipe off the places where the pads contact your car, and the pads, with a wet paper towel, to remove grit. Since you will use the rack a lot you will rub the finish of your car at the contact points unless you do this. Secondly, this rack being so quick to put on the car will be VERY easy to rip off quickly by anyone, by just loosening three straps. Therefore, I purchased a 15' steel security cable ($8 at Harbor freight tools) and a padlock, and I threaded the cable through the center of the aluminum support (which also secures the arms), looped the excess cable through the bottom carrier legs, and locked the cable to a bracket on the underside of the car. Lastly, there is nothing built in to secure the front wheel from flopping around. Several places sell front wheel secure-er straps for $20. An 8" bungee cord does precisely the same thing for almost nothing. Lastly, I'm "Mr. Anal" about externally mounted car carriers and I've driven with this rack and my bike loaded on the interstate. I literally don't give it a second thought. I don't see shaking or movement of any kind with the bike or the carrier.

I am using this on a 2011 Jetta Sport Wagon intending to carry two bikes at most. No idea how you would get three bikes on this. After putting in a great deal of time, I tried three different positions and have settled on the best of those. My Marin Vision Mt Bike just barely fits on the rack. If there were another 1/16th inch of plastic on this, my bike would not even go on.I put a second bike on the rack, first without the Thule cross bar. I used the cross bar yesterday and found out the hard way, the bar has a much smaller diameter than the bike frame and that allows the cinch bands from the carrier to close so far, you can't open them. I was finally able to get the band off using a small screwdriver. I would have been in a pickle had I not been home to deal with this problem. I do like those cinch bands however and would buy those separately just to have around.Concerns with the rack fitted to the car are: be very careful there is enough space should you turn on the rear wiper. I have since found it necessary to remove the rear wiper arm to get the clearance needed for the rack to have the proper angle for two bikes to fit nicely, with no room for error. For the amount of time I've spent getting this to work, I kinda wish I had spent another $300 for the frame mounted Thule rack. Of the four people I ride with, no one else would have had enough muscle to even try to load the bikes on this rack.I also added an additional strap from my roof rack to the main hub on the carrier, just to be safe. The bikes are worth almost $3500 and I would rather be safe. Our other vehicle uses the frame mounted Thule 4 bike carrier, which is about as good as it gets.Due to the small spoiler on the rear door on the Jetta, it does not allow for a perfect direct pull of the straps to the door for a nice fit to the rear window. Close enough however I will keep the rack. UPDATE: The Thule Passage is so much tighter fitting on the door. Since the frame is about the same size and shape as the Saris, all I can say is there is no comparison to the fit of the two carriers. I am glad I didn't settle on this rack.Two rubber plugs that would have closed off the hub on the carrier would have been super for locking the ends of the straps into after everything is tightened down. For now I am using two small pieces of pipe insulation.I've read the concerns about not being able to lock the rack nor the bikes. You can buy a Thule rack with cables that lock to the car, $300. Update: I read a number of reviews on this item and decided I did not want to risk the problems others were having, nor spend three times the money of the Thule Passage.UPDATE: August 19,2014. I ended up returning this for a number of reasons. The biggest problem was the difficulty trying to get my Marin Vision on this, as well as not enough ground clearance for the 20" frame bikes which ended up having to remove the front wheel and hauling in the car. I did keep the Thule Passage, which is very similar to the Thule unit we have that is frame mounted and the mounting arms fold out of the way when not in use. Much more solid a mount on the vehicle by far. The top clips can be reversed and put inside the rear door which makes stealing the carrier worthless. A much better system all around, IMO. Still can't have the rear wiper arm on the car. I did not buy a hitch for this as it entailed way too much work to install it and the overall expense was just not worth it to me for my needs.

A friend of mine has used this rack for years and loves it, so I purchased one for my fiance's '09 Honda CR-V. Saris' fitment guide doesn't list the Bones 3 as fitting a Honda CR-V, but the rack is adjustable enough that it'll fit just about any vehicle. The arms of the Bones are constructed of PVC which are attached to an aluminum cross member which is notched to accept the teeth on the arms, giving the Bones alot of flexibility and adjustment options. The installation instructions aren't well-detailed, but it was easy to figure out how to install to my vehicle. The Bones comes pre-assembled, but you have to position the arms, which I did on a floor before attaching to the vehicle, rather than trying to do this while attached to the vehicle. The top and side clips went on fine, but the bottom of the hatch on the CR-V has a wide lip, so I had to modify the lower clip to keep it from slipping off under tension. I'd read that certain vehicles with narrow gaps for the clips, including the CR-V, require Hatch Huggers (a $20 option), but I didn't need them. While I think my Thule Expressway Hitch Rack is better quality, and the 6 straps on the Bones detract from its otherwise stylish appearance, the Bones does the trick. Given the materials it's constructed of, I expect the Bones will last for a very long time, I do, however wonder how long the plastic tie downs and plastic knobs will last. I'm overly concerned about my $4k bicycle falling out of the rack, so I tend to want to overtighten the knobs to keep the arms from moving (there's a little play in them). Eventually, the platic knobs and/or the threads on the arm of the Bones will strip. The Bones carries a lifetime warranty by Saris, so I don't anticipate a problem getting replacement parts. Time will tell. For now, my fiance and I are happy with it.

Great Product! Compact, Sturdy and Functional! Folds away really small so stores really easily in the boot of my car!

First class cycle rack. I was worried it would be a pain to fit, however, it was simple and straightforward - as most of the best design ideas are.First day on I was forced to drive in gale-force winds and driving rain. I needn't have worried. The Saris 3 was as solid as a rock on the back of the car.I had three bikes loaded and no problems. The rack takes about 15 minutes on first fitting, after you done it once I reckon it's about 5 minutes thereafter.Fits both cars (BMW 3 Series coupe and VW Golf).Great buy!

The bike rack fits perfectly to my BMW 5 Series estate. Feels very secure and I am as confident as I think I can be that the bikes won't fall off. The only drawback is that the design of my children's bikes is such that they cannot be loaded as specified by the manufacturer. I have figured out an alternative way of loading them and, so far so good, they haven't fallen off and the bikes haven't sustained any damage. The rack is clearly versatile and looks as though it would fit the vast majority of cars, and it is a good price.

Ok so you've looked at the price but you've seen one maybe half the price? Don't worry I thought the same. Once it arrived there a few key differences that I should point out. It's easy to set up and to transfer to other vehicles. It also doesn't seem to have problems getting over spoilers, well not on my mates or mine. We found it easy to change between cars, from a saloon, hatch back and a flat SUV type too, without pain. It's mostly made of plastic and aluminum so it doesn't rust either. In fact it easy to store, move into positions for pretty much all types of bikes and cars. Also there is a 5 minute instruction manual on you tube for set up if you aren't one for reading instructions! If you have a full suspension bike or ladies frame bike you may need to invest in a "bike beam" which basically gives you a straight bar to load the bike onto the boot which will set you back £25ish, but to be fair my bike is full suspension and I got away with it because you can move the bars, arms and legs to suit (But I can only use the outer most fixing posts!). All in all a very good piece of equipment that I recommend- especially as a long term purchase with the guarantee and ease of switching between cars! Quality kit!

Yep, after my girlfriend giggled at me on the street for colour coordinating my bike rack to my car I set about fitting it. Instructions are easy to follow, the item is well constructed and packaged. It was my first time driving with a bike rack but it stood up to 70mph on the motorway, even on bouncy GB road surfaces. Buy some bungees with it - especially if you are transporting only one bike. You will need to secure the front wheel and handlebars to stop them flapping. Great product! Buy with confidence! I fitted mine to a 3 series BMW with ease.