TripleB67

After much advice from you and checking my bank account, for right now, going with a trunk rack to transport my bike is going to be my best (and really only) option!

Here are the ones that are somewhat affordable, fit my car, and get better than average reviews:
- Allen Sports Deluxe 2 Bike Rack ($40)
- Allen Sports Premier 2 Bike Rack ($79)
- Saris Sentinel 2 Bike Rack ($76 including need hutch huggers) { fyi: the Saris Bones don't fit my car **
- Thule 910XT Passage 2 Bike Rack ($118)
- Yakima Half Back 2 Bike Rack ($136)
- Yakima King Joe 2 Bike Rack ($114)

Does anyone here have any experience with any of these trunk bike racks? If so, I'd love to hear what you think!!!

Thank you again for all your help and your patience!

TripleB67

cyclist2000

I have a King Joe 2. Only used it a few times, I use it on a hatchback, I can't access the hatch with it on the car. I don't like it too much. I probably will have the same problem with any trunk rack.

coffeesnob

I have a king joe 3 rack. I am new at biking and certainly new at bike racking. My experiences. I am hauling two bikes, dealer told me to get a three bike rack so it would have more room. Good advice..My bikes have a slanted tube and you are supposed to buy an extension bar that goes from the seat post to handle bars so the bike hangs straight. Dealer said I really didn't need it, Bad advice. I came within a hair of completely losing one bike at 70 mph on a freeway. By the grace of God it hung on by a thread and landed ( dragged) on the edge of the kickstand and that saved it.So I bought the extension but am quite paranoid now after that mishap. I guess my advice is buy the most expensive rack you can afford. I can't afford one right now but I can't wait till I get either a truck or a van to haul these things.

flan48

Hi Triple,
I have an Allen 2 bike trunk rack and it is fantastic. In fact, although I don't normally leave it on the car when not in use, when I do I can still open the trunk!

It's very easy to install and then mount each time. Also holds the bike very securely. In my humble opinion it's one of the better values, if not the best, in trunk mounted bike racks.

Please be aware that I have no business nor personal affiliation with the manufacturer.

Best regards

SHK

I have the allen 2 trunk rack.

MAKE SURE THE BOTTOM RESTS ON THE LICENSE PLATE.

My car has a fat butt so it rests several inches above the license plate.. over the course of a couple years it has kind of tarnished the finish on the paint and dented my trunk when I had two old heavy bikes.

Over all it is a great rack for the price but you'll want to put some foam on certain spots to stop it from rubbing your bike frame. Ive never had a problem or close call with bikes falling off. Just secure it right and tight. Also my newest bikes, top tube doesnt sit flush in the slots :[

flan48

Good points! In fact I fold an old towel in half, then lay it over the top of the trunk lid (i.e. the part on which the top foam pieces will be), and that avoids any scuffing/marking.

Best regards

MRT2

I used the Saris 3 bike carrier for 10 years now. Works fine. I use a bungee to secure the front wheel.

rmfnla

All good racks.

Check eBay and CL for used; they don't wear out...

LHawes

Deluxe or Premier? Thanks

RTbar

I had the Yakima fullback 2, and it was very high quality, good fit and finish, but I returned it for 2 reasons...

First was I got a 2 bike rack, and like another poster said, get the 3 bike version even if you only need to use it for 2 bikes because there will be more space... I found that the pedals were getting dangled in the other bikes wheels and getting intertwined.

The second reason is that with my car, I needed to undo the top strap, stick the hook inside the car, , route it to the outside, close the hatch, and reattach the strap... which was a hassle, whereas the new rack I got (thule archway 3) just requires a hook into the top of the trunk.

Also, I didn't like the clips that secured the bike to the rack because they were difficult to insert and remove, and they didn't stay attached to the rack when you took them off, meaning you had 6 loose clips to keep track of when unloading the bikes.

rekmeyata

I don't like trunk racks, at the least the 3 different ones I had over the years all sucked. I found that they bounced as I was driving just enough for two or more bikes to contact each other and scratch the paint, which I manage to prevent by using pipe insulation. And two of the designs allowed the bike to contact the paint on the car which again I had to correct with pipe insulation.

After much headaches with the trunk design I went with the hitch design instead and got a BoneLocker (I think they changed their name now). It works great.

rumrunn6

got time to visit Boston?

https://boston.craigslist.org/search/bip?query=rack

there's like a million used trunk racks for sale! :-)

jeichelberg87

Saris makes the three bike Schwinn rack. Good rack. Works just fine. Any negative reviews, IMHO, can be chalked up to user error and/or inability to figure things out.

flan48

I have the Deluxe that I purchased 4+ years ago. At the time it was the Allen 102 something.
Best regards

2 Piece

Sorry, but I have to ask what car do you have? I have the Sarris Bones and absolutely love it. I cant hardly imagine what it would not fit.

TripleB67

2013 Kia Optima...I even emailed Saris and they sent a reply saying their Bones racks will not fit my car

TripleB67

LHawes

Just bought the 'Premier' and it works great on my old 97 Camry. All these types of racks seem to need bungies and misc. pads to hold bike steady and protect car from pedals etc. but very simple set up and solid rack.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

OneIsAllYouNeed

Have Allen Sports Deluxe 2 Bike Rack currently. Had the 3 Bike version as well, but sold it due to redundancy. It works fine. No frills, but I've never had an issue either. I recommend it. When flying with our S&S coupled bikes, we bring this rack.

Had the hitch mount version of the Thule 910XT. The antisway brackets were a selling point for me. They scratched the paint off of several bikes, however. I do not recommend using them. I also had the rubber top tube straps come loose a few times while driving. Scary!

LHawes

Just strapped a bike on for a short freeway jaunt and was impressed how solid everything was - recommended.