Saris Bones RS 3-Bike Trunk Mount Rack Reviews

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List Price: $299.99
Sale Price: $269.99
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I purchased this rack to haul my bike around. I drive a Cadillac CTS-v. The rack works as Saris markets. I have not hauled three bikes but have done two. No problems what so ever. The rack secures nicely to my trunk lid. The fit is a little awkward as the suction cup brace things don't fit well on the edge of my trunk lid BUT the rack still secures nicely doesn't move around, doesn't damage the pain, doesn't bend or scratch the trunk lid.

One thing that was not mentioned in the instructions is the fact that the front wheel kind of swings (from the unrestricted turning of the bars and wheel) back and forth in the wind. I used a small bungee cord to tie the front wheel to the rack. This isn't a big deal and the wheel wasn't turning back and forth to much but I simply want everything solidly attached and not moving. Plus if for some reason my skewer decided to vibrate loose and let my $400 front wheel fall from the bike, the bungee will hold on to it. probably a bit over protective on my part.

Overall this rack is nice. The locking straps work great and the key really does as advertised. They have plenty of torque with the ratchet system so be careful not to over tighten. The bike is very stable once strapped in. The straps themselves are VERY easy to secure and to release. Installing the rack on the car took a little effort the first time. Now it takes all of 30 seconds 45 seconds if I lock the straps. Taking it off consists of giving the straps some slack and then simply removing the rack from the car. Literally it takes 15-30 seconds to remove it from the car. You can open the trunk with the rack on. You may have to assist it when you hit the "pop trunk button" but opening the trunk is no problem obviously don't try to open the trunk with a bike on the rack.

Great rack overall. I would highly recommend this rack!

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I bought the Bones RS for use on my 2003 Subaru Legacy Outback Wagon. I recently completed a 1200 mile trip with two bikes on the back of my car using this rack and the rack was on as tight at the end of the trip as it was when I started out. I would say this rack is as stable and sturdy as any trailer hitch type rack but costs only half as much.

I have previously owned both Thule and Yakima racks and found neither would stay securely mounted to the back of my car. The problems with these racks was that because of the design of the rear of the Subaru, either the ends of the bent metal grips at the ends of the straps weren't sufficiently long enough to securely grip the car (Thule) or the nylon straps and buckles would not maintain tension (Yakima) and in both cases the racks would inevitably loosen up after several miles of driving. I considered installing a receiver and hitch type rack, but it would have cost me $500 and if I sold the car I would have to pay again to install a hitch receiver on whatever I bought. The Bones RS eliminated all these problems.

The rack is very sturdy, goes on quite easily, and stays very tight even after prolonged driving. The use of metal straps and a ratchets for tensioning is a huge improvement over trying to tighten nylon straps with plastic buckles.

As for cons:

1. You have to be careful not to over tighten the metal straps when you mount the rack as it then becomes difficult to release tension on the straps for removal.

2. The plastic straps for securing the bikes to the rack can get in the way when mounting or removing a bike.

Overall I would highly recommend this bike rack. It is as secure as a hitch type rack for a lot less cost and you don't have to worry about straps loosening up.

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I've been using this rack for a few weeks now, and I really like it. The initial set-up took a little while, mostly because the fit guide is online, rather than in the instructions, so we had to guess a little bit to set it in the right notch for my Saab 9-3. But after that it's very easy to install and remove from the car. It's also very stable and the bikes are very secure. I love the feature that locks the rack to the car I don't know of any other bike rack that does that. So if you have a cable lock, you can also lock your bike to the bike rack to deter theft. All in all I'm very pleased with this purchase.

Honest reviews on Saris Bones RS 3-Bike Trunk Mount Rack

I needed I bike rack for my carbon fiber race bike and ended up settling on this one. It hasn't been 24 hours yet since I've been using it but I must say that so far it has met all my expectations. Here's a little background. I recently purchased a carbon fiber race bike from the LBS and had no way of taking it home (10 miles away). Well, I shouldn't say "no way", I just didn't want to ride it home although I could. Furthermore I wanted a bike rack so I could travel with my bike. My #1 concern was damaging my car. I needed a rack that would attach to a 2008 Infiniti G35 sedan without damaging anything. The #2 concern was damaging my bike. Its a full CF bike afterall; the last thing I wanted to do was cause damage to the frame. So I spent roughly 3 weeks researching bike racks (Saris, Thule, Yakima). My car doesn't have a tow hitch receiver so I counted those out, plus I preferred a rack that I could move to another car if needed.

I initially ordered the Thule 9003 Platform rack. After analyzing the majority of complaints for trunk mounted racks (scratching or denting bumper), I also bought a bumper protector from zetaproducts.net. My thought were if it scratches the bumper, then protect the bumper. Both products were to be delivered on the day I was to pickup the bike. However, 2 days before picking up the bike, I got an email saying that the order was canceled due to out of stock. So I figured that everything happens for a reason (actually I was pissed), then did some more research. With a last minute decision it came down to the Bones 2 or the Bones RS. After watching utube videos I decided to go with the Bones RS for its simplicity plus it can be locked to the car; although the lock is a minor deterrent for a bike rack thief. It also has only two straps which are rubber coated wires and has a rubber protector at the hooks to prevent scratches to the car's paint job. Attaching this bike rack to the car was basically effortless and I was able to do it in 3-4 minutes the first time (learning what to do) and less than a minute the second time. Tightening the two straps is done by a built in hand crank. This is super simple stuff. Now for the annoying part. Setting the bars that the bike rests on in the correct position. Pulling each bar off the plastic gear thing, rotating it and setting it back was a lot of work. Its more work than it should have been. If you only set it up once for your car then everything will go smoothly, but if you have to readjust them for any reason (I put the rack in my trunk) its quite annoying because its so hard to get them off the plastic gear looking thing even after loosening them up a lot. Saris could improve this part. Other than that, attaching the bike was quick and easy. There are 3 straps for securing the bike. Two for the top bar and one for the seat post to prevent the bike from swinging. The straps are coated to protect the bike, but I'll most likely get some additional sponge or something for added protection. I also used a 24" bungee cord to wrap around the rim of the front tire to prevent the fork from moving while driving.

This rack fits verify firmly on the trunk and I do find that I can open my trunk with the rack attached. I've driven on the highway and down some bumpy roads at 40 mph 70 mph and didn't observe any problems. For added security I plan to use another bungee to keep the front of the bike attached to the rack (just too paranoid, I paid thousands for the bike); the back is already connected twice due to the design of the rack. So what has become of the bumper protector? Its still sitting on my bumper and looks nice but right now it does nothing since the rack doesn't rest on the bumper at all. If I had the bones 2 or 3 then I'm sure that it would have been very helpful. If you have one of those racks or plan to get one or a similar kind you may want to checkout a bumper protector as it puts a hard surface between the rack and the bumper to help distribute the weight and should be 100% effective against scratches (I did a lot of research). If you have the Bones RS then you should be fine. The metal hooks at the bottom of the rack do not come in contact with the bumper. In my case, the two rubber feet happen to sit on the metal part of the trunk of my car, so surely no scratches there. Once attached, rocking the rack from side to side moves the car instead of the rack so side straps are not needed. So far I'm happy with this rack. However, I'll update this review should I find anything more.

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After watching the video and reading the instructions, I had to spend a few minutes playing with it to see exactly how to release the straps and raise the support bars.

Now I can put it on the vehicle or remove it in 2 minutes tops.

I like the fact that the rubber feet rest on the metal part of my Forester's rear hatch and not on the glass like so may other trunk-mounting racks.

It holds the bike frames rock solid, but you will need a bungy cord or something to keep the bikes front tire from swaying.

I was hesitant to pay so much for a rack, but the convenience is worth it. I can drive to the bike trail, take off the bike, then unhook the Bones RS and just stick it in the trunk.

Another nice thing is the ratcheting/locking rubber coated steel straps do not require you to pull over and re-tighten every hour on a long trip.