Anyone have a Saris Bones?

[RoseC]

OK, so I now have a new bike, and plan to do as much riding as I can this year, once I'm in good enough shape to handle it!

My mountain bike with the front wheel removed fit in the very back of my minivan (yes, even though I'm a single gal with no kids, I have a very uncool old minivan), but it was a tight fit and I don't think it'd work for the Volpe, plus I don't want to deal with it. For the moment, I put a blanket across the folded down seats (the rear bench doesn't come out of this van), and I'm just laying it flat. Even though the bike is light, it's still a pain in the rear maneuvering it in there. It's amazing how many places the handlebars and pedals can catch!

So...I think I want a good quality trunk mount rack, and I see a Saris Bones on Craigslist. It *looks* pretty cool and pretty simple to use, but does anyone have practical experience with one?

[FreshNewbie]

Hi, I have one. I actually bought it a month ago to replace my old one. I got the one that holds 3 bikes even though we never drive 3 bikes together. Right now we have Honda Civic (2door) car and we used to put one bike in the back (front wheel comes off) and one bike on the rack. We tried to put both bikes on the rack but the rack just feels unstable and we decided to continue putting one bike inside the car and one on the rack. It's a cool rack, easy to use and has soft rubber banks that don't scratch your bike unlike my old rack. It was pretty easy to put it together too. Since you only plan to transport one bike it should be pretty good for your car.

[bike4ever]

The Saris Bones is a nice rack. Saris does a great job of offering support after the sale. The biggest issue is for you to verify that the rack will fit your vehicle. A great price on Craigslist isn't worth the hassle of it not fitting your vehicle. What make, model and year of vehicle do you have?

[HillSlugger]

I've had a good experience with my Bones 2 rack. The bike is held securely, no scratching. It certainly looks cooler than the typical trunk/hatch mount rack.

[RoseC]

The Saris Bones is a nice rack. Saris does a great job of offering support after the sale. The biggest issue is for you to verify that the rack will fit your vehicle. A great price on Craigslist isn't worth the hassle of it not fitting your vehicle. What make, model and year of vehicle do you have?

I have a '97 Mercury Villager - according to Saris' website, it should fit. The downside is that I don't think you can open the back with the rack mounted, but that's true of any trunk mount, isn't it?

[RoseC]

Thanks for the input, all! I think I'll contact the seller...

I'm sure I could get a *new* some-sorta-generic rack at Target or Wal-mart for the price of a used Bones, but I don't want anything happening to my precious new bike!

[indysteel]

Saris makes a good product and they offer good customer service from my experience. It's very easy, once you get the hang of it, to mount it on your vehicle. You really have to make sure that the straps are all pretty tight and secure. Retighten and double check them them after the bike(s) are mounted since the weight of the bike can "drag" the straps down a bit. One other suggestion. I bought a velcro strap that I use to secure the front wheel to the frame when the bike's on the rack. That way, the wheel doesn't move around and hit my car.

[singletrackmind]

We have a Bones as well and liked it well for the Volkswagen Jetta. It dented the 65 Volvo 544 (rounded back end, kind of like a VW bug). It does NOT fit my 4 runner high enough to clear the hitch rack. All that said, it's a much nicer rack than the generic one we had previous, and we've had 3 bikes on it multiple times without a problem.

If you do get it make sure to watch for the tire getting too close to the exhaust as that tailpipe and its issuance is quite hot.

A hitch rack is nice to have if that's an option.

[SJCzar]

I also have a Saris Bones 3 rack. I used it on my Mini, as that was the only rear rack I could find that would fit on it. It worked great. It never slipped around, like the rack I had on a previous vehicle.

Since I liked the Bones so much, I ended up putting a Saris roof rack on my Civic. I love that one as well.

[RoseC]

A hitch rack is nice to have if that's an option.

Unfortunately my van doesn't have a hitch. I understand you can get after market ones welded on, but I think it's more than I'd be willing to spend, especially on a ten year old vehicle with relatively high milage.

I do think I'll consider bike friendliness with my next vehicle, though I hope that day is a long way off!

Well...I e-mailed the seller. I'd like this to work out, but there are more racks int the sea. So to speak. Maybe I'll trek up to Tacoma and locate the REI or Performance there if I don't find a rack otherwise.

[thewump]

I have had the two bike version for years. What I like the most about it is that you can adjust it to fit a number of vehicles and also adjust it to store compactly when you're not using it. It's also solidly built. This way, I was able to send the rack down as luggage during a supported ride and then used it on a rented car back to the starting point.

It's secure on long car rides, but in my experience you have to double knot the straps in place to make sure there isn't any slippage. I guess that's the only problem I can think of.

[singletrackmind]

Unfortunately my van doesn't have a hitch. I understand you can get after market ones welded on, but I think it's more than I'd be willing to spend, especially on a ten year old vehicle with relatively high milage.

There are several aftermarket hitches (draw-tite, hidden hitch, perhaps reese) that bolt on using pre-existing holes, no drilling, no welding and since you're not towing, no wiring. Still, if you don't have a hitch already it's a bit of a spendy way to go so I see your point.

Hope the bones deal works out for you, it's a nice rack.

[RoseC]

Well, I bought it! Picked it up tonight. Now I have to figure out how to get the thing mounted! I'll work on that tomorrow. Once it's done, it'll make life soooo much easier!

The woman I bought it from was super nice, too - told me about some websites to check for other Tacoma/Olympia area rides and events.

Another exciting chapter in my cycling life - for me, anyhow!