Saris 805 Bones 2-Bike Trunk Rack

This 2 bike rack works very well with sedans that have a 4" horizontal bumper protrusion upon which the two lower legs rest. If yours slopes, it won't work well. This rack is mounted at the front of the trunk lid, sides of the trunk lid, and bottom of the trunk lid of a sedan, with 6 strong, woven nylon straps and on-board clamp-locking strap hardware. The rack's straps' hooks are stamped with mounting location and covered in a rubbery coating to prevent marring of the mounting areas of the car. When the mounting straps are pulled equally taut, hooked at 6 points and the ratcheting straps for securing the bike frames to the rack are also pulled tightly, neither of the bicycles move very much at all while underway. If you stop short, the bikes will not contact the body of the car. Stow all kickstands. The feet do not mar the car's finish. Just inspect them first. I advise to purchase additional elastic, Velcro straps to secure the bikes' wheels to points on the bike's frame, or to each other, to prevent them from windmilling while you're transporting. I advise to remove all saddlebags from the bikes and place them in the vehicle. It is easier to mount the bikes on the rack without them, as one bike faces left and the other faces right. You can remount the bags when you reach your destination. If either or both of the bikes have sloping head tubes, you'll need a beam which mounts one end under the handlebar, and the rear end at the top of the seatpost, so that the bike is level when on the rack. Load capacity is 70 lbs.

I only need to carry one bike, so this model seemed like a good fit. It can hold two but it's a bit less sturdy than the more expensive Saris model.Installation went smoothly once I realized that I would have to open the rear door of my crossover (Lexus RX330) to get the side hooks into place. Once the straps are adjusted, removing and reinstalling are pretty quick.I do find it tricky to use third-party anti-scratch pads under the hooks. it's much harder to position the hooks properly as the rubber pads don't want to slide around as easily as the hooks do. But that's not an issue with the carrier.By the way, make sure you order some velcro straps or bungees to tie the bikes' front wheels to the frame so they don't swing around in the breeze and bash into your car. This is something that isn't required for many hitch-style carriers, but definitely is for this one.

I liked that this rack fit so well on my 2010 Honda Accord sedan, and was so very sturdy. However, it wasn't clear to me I'd need to buy a cross bar adaptor in order to make my ladies' bike fit onto the rack. (I purchased one made by Tyger for $29). Also, my license plate was covered up once the bikes were installed. I am lucky I didn't get pulled over on my trip but I do feel I need to figure out this piece for future trips. Overall, I like the rack, and now that I have the adapter I'm fine to use it, I just think it should be clearer in the description, and also what to do about the license plate visibility.

This bike rack is lightweight, strong, and well engineered. The only thing i found difficult is that there are six tie downs: two for the top of the trunk, two for the side of the trunk and two that attach to the bottom of the trunk. There are three different hooks attached to the straps, but they aren't labelled. If you look really carefully at the instructions, you can figure out which is which, but just a sticker or a mark on the part would ensure proper mounting. I found it counter-intuitive until I really pored over the instructions. Label them T for top, S, for sides, and B for bottom and you are ready to go. (Just looked in bright light and saw they are, labelled, just hard to read!)

Simple Faff free fitting and instructions, with the rack and bike feeling safe, sturdy and secure on the back. Have to confess my only worry is that the rear numberplate is partially obscured.