
Made in USA.
Item 724094
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REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
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Reviewed by 27 customers
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Comments about Saris Bones 3 Trunk Rack:
Really bad design for the price. I would pay at-most $25 for this (on a generous day). It is not at all worth the money. I returned it within 45 mins of buying it; after i tried installing it on my car.
* Really hard to un-package, install, and stabilize on the car.
* Not to be installed on cars with spoilers, it will rest on your spoiler & break it eventually
* Not very intuitive design. Very hard to maneuver the legs
* Does not keep the bike stable at all
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Comments about Saris Bones 3 Trunk Rack:
I've waited some months before writing this review because I wanted to make sure I was happy with the Saris and no unpleasant surprises crept up after regular use. I originally purchased a Yakima rack and was very happy with for the first six months - until the plastic and rubber parts began to break and Yakima was unresponsive. A friend (who is an avid/competitive rider) recommended the Saris Bones. REI let me exchange the Yakima for the Saris (excellent customer service as always).
I was a little wary at first, because of my previous experience and because the Saris was different from the Yakima in several ways, but after using the Saris regularly I no longer have any hesitation in recommending it. It's lightweight yet very sturdy, easily clears a trunk spoiler, and holds the bikes far enough away from the trunk so the peddles can not scrape up the paint (which happened with my first rack.) The straps, with their metal adjusters, hold tight, do not come loose or need regular tightening.
The plastic straps that hold the bike frame to the rack are a bit rigid and slightly hard to deal with at first but I got used to them quickly and I think they have become a little more flexible with regular use. Once I learned the trick of how to slide them in and out of the latches everything went much smoother. With the straps pulled tight the bike does not move around at all, and has no chance to rub the finish off the bike frame.
The rubber feet work very well to hold the rack in place on my trunk lid, but one word of warning: be sure you brush any dirt off the bottom of the feet before you put the rack on your car. Any dirt stuck to the feet will scratch up your paint. This happened to me once because I was careless and in a hurry. Wipe off the trunk lid and the rubber feet with a wet cloth or detailing spray to make sure it's clean before you put the rack on the car. I've done that ever since and have had no new scratches at all.
The Bones did not come with any way to hold the front wheel or handlebars in place so they wouldn't flop around while driving. I simply use the excess length of the lower strap. Loop it through the wheel and tie it to the rack with a simple knot. Hasn't failed me yet.
I regularly carry my bike on this rack on the trunk of my car while driving 20 miles on the highway at 70-80mph and have had zero problems with anything coming loose, moving around, scratching or causing any damage to the car or bike. It's very simple to use, quick and easy to mount on the car, and holds everything securely in place without any damage or adverse effects. I am supremely confident in the Saris Bones and extremely satisfied with the purchase. I should have bought this one in the first place, but at least REI made it easy to correct my mistake.
Pros
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Comments about Saris Bones 3 Trunk Rack:
I am really surprised with how much I like this bike rack. I don't know why there are so many negative reviews for this product. Everything that the negative reviews mention (i.e. scratched car, broken arms of the bike rack, etc) can be avoided if the directions were read.
Nevertheless, I like this bike rack and think it works just as good as any other trunk mounted bike rack.
Pros
Cons
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Comments about Saris Bones 3 Trunk Rack:
bike tie downs of inflexible hard plastic ratchet type. they should substitute soft elastic tie downs, ones on rack get locked up when you go to remove your bike requiring tools wedged up against your nice frame to get your bike off. design does not easily accommodate woman's or kids bikes. directions mention the use of a hanger bar for use w woman's or kids bike which is not supplied w rack.DO NOT BUY THIS RACK!
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Comments about Saris Bones 3 Trunk Rack:
This rack does not hold my kids bikes . Holds my bike and my husbands nicely but was thinking my 9 year olds bike would fit on it too and it doesn't. Very disappointed.
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Comments about Saris Bones 3 Trunk Rack:
With 3 average bikes, the total weight is enough that the top of this rack pulls away from the car. All the weight is on the bottom feet of the rack, and pulling on the top two straps. I'm a bit uncomfortable that those two straps could slip, but so far they have NOT.
Once the whole rack is fitted to your car, fix the top ones so you won't change their length. Loosen only the other 4 straps when you remove the rack from the car. Next time, you just hook it on the top and it will hang in the right place. place and tighten the other straps, and you're on the road in no time.
I fear that eventually the metal clips will break the paint where they contact the car. This has NOT happened to me, but it sure feels like it will eventually happen.
The fit is good on my Kia Soul. The fit/finish of this car is tight enough that there is no space to add any kind of padding to the metal clips. They have to be thin painted metal, nothing more, to fit in the space around the rear door. This, no doubt, is why they are made that way.
Overall, this rack does the job. Though wary of a couple of things noted above, so far I am fully satisfied.
Pros
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Comments about Saris Bones 3 Trunk Rack:
Purchased the Thule Gateway 2 at first and took it back due to a poor design. Picked this one up and I'm very happy I did, very easy to install on my Volkswagen 2003 Jetta. I wish REI carried the bones 2 since I'm only using it for one bike. Great Purchase.
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Comments about Saris Bones 3 Trunk Rack:
[...] 2. Really like the bike rack for looks, ease of installation, being stable, securing our three bikes.3. Has the worst luck though with two lemons...Our first Saris Bones 3 came out of the box with a little piece of plastic broken off. It was a cosmetic defect but I returned it because who wants their new bike rack to have a broken piece?Our second Saris Bones 3 worked until we drove from Seattle to Oregon to go camping with 3 bikes on it. A piece of plastic cracked causing some metal to be exposed which rubbed and cut into the webbed straps during that drive down. When we arrived, we saw the strap was cut halfway in two. We had to hand stitch it with heavy-duty thread, use duct tape, and suspender it with rope to get the bikes home.[...]
Pros
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Comments about Saris Bones 3 Trunk Rack:
This rack is perfect if you have a spoiler on your car. However, it will leave very deep square scratches on your paint from the center support arm. It is not worth the extra money.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Saris Bones 3 Trunk Rack:
I have 4 cars and had a Thule rack which could only fit my "biking" car. The Saris now fits on all 4 easily and is a lot lot lighter and easier to install. To prevent nicks on your paint, cut out used tubes to sleeve the hooks. You could also sleeve the harness where it touches the paintwork.
My only gripe is that it is not lockable and hence can be easily stolen.
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