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Submitted by
Kyle Andersen
a Weekend Warrior
from Sioux Falls, SD
Date Reviewed: November 30, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Union Groove | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | Ebay | | Strengths: | Easy to put on and take off. Sharp looking and very usable. I got it for College to take my two bikes, snowboard, and skies back and forth from Sioux Falls, SD to Missoula, MT. I do not regret getting it at all. | | Weaknesses: | Noise past 50mph. | | Bike Setup: | Gary Fisher Sugar 3+, Giant Boulder that I turned into a single speed to screw around on. | | Bottom Line: | Great rack. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul
a Weekend Warrior
from Cedar City, UT
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | still searching | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Very strong and secure. Nice design and low profile - found other racks to be bulky looking and sit too high off roof. Incredibly easy to put on/take off. Nice that there is one key for locking the rack to the car and the mount to the rack. The locking skewers are nice in that the inner bold has a notch that must be aligned with the notch in your fork. At first I found this annoying - then I realized that this enables you to close the clamp without breaking a few fingers, then turn it clockwise to tighten it to the perfect snugness without a ton of trial and error. | | Weaknesses: | Whistles like a banshee - can quickly and easily be solved by placing electrical tape over the grooves on the bars. Got the faring for free from my LBS, but I don't like it. It is too short so its difficult to get it up high enough to divert the wind over the bar. I also found it a pain to adjust.
The fork mount kept loosening on me. I'd tighten the adjusting screws, but after a week or so of use they would loosen to the point that I could here them wobbling a bit over the smallest bumps. This is the only reason I give it 4 chili's instead of 5. I applied some lock-tite to the screws and reset them. Hoefully that will do the trick or I will have to contact Saris. | | Similar Products Used: | Thule roof rack | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Epic | | Bottom Line: | I am very happy with the rack. The crossbars are extremely tight and secure. IMO the rack is more attractive than any other I've seen. It is by far the easiest rack to install. You can easily do it yourself in about 2 minutes. I would definately recommend this rack for its security, easy of use, and overall design | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tom
a Weekend Warrior
from Elmira, NY, USA
Date Reviewed: March 14, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Gear to go tandems | | Strengths: | Strong. Easy to set up. I've used it to carry and boxed up new recliner, an assembled Weber bbq grill, etc. I bought right angle braces at the hardware store, put the nuts and bolts so the bolt (round head) slid in the Saris slot and use them to hold lumber in place. This rack will hold anything. | | Weaknesses: | Noise. But, I haven't purchased a fairing. | | Bike Setup: | Fork mount. THe upright mount consistently strips the finish and decals off your bike and wobbles constantly when driving. | | Bottom Line: | Buy it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jerod
a Weekend Warrior
from Kansas city
Date Reviewed: November 18, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$225.00 | | Strengths: | Easy and very quick to install!!! | | Weaknesses: | Water leakage!!! If any one has any idea how to get this thing to stop leaking please let me know. I have the right clips but on my 03 accord water is getting in the car. Any pointers please help a drownding biker. | | Similar Products Used: | Yakima | | Bottom Line: | Good rack and very easy installation. A little pricey but well work the money in time and frustration. If i can get the thing to stop leaking it would be a blessing. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe Radio
a Cross Country Rider
from La Crosse, WI
Date Reviewed: February 21, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Human Powered Trails | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | Sport Haven | | Strengths: | This rack can carry anything. I bought it for bikes and canoe, but have carried hundreds of pounds of plywood, drywall, wood, steel (bulk lengths). I even hauled a new double garage door home on it. | | Weaknesses: | The ends whistled til I put tape over them. | | Similar Products Used: | Homemade racks, trunk racks | | Bike Setup: | 2005 GF Sugar 293, 2000 R85 Vision recumbant tandem, 2001 Terratrike, various roadbikes, cruzers and mountian bikes. | | Bottom Line: | After 6-7 years of multipurpose use, it still serves me well. This rack has saved me lots of time and money because it replaced having a truck to haul stuff. It is very strong and looks great. I have had some paint chipping off, but figure it was from the extreme use. I recommend this rack to anyone, especially if you do multiple sports. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Twister
a Cross Country Rider
from NJ
Date Reviewed: November 19, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | twisty narrow roller coaster single track | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | LBS - sorry, forgot $$$ | | Strengths: | -Used hundreds of times & has worked flawlessly
-It's the best looking rack out there
-Most ergonomic design on the market
-I use two wheel mounts and they're incredible
-I can load or unload 2 bikes in less than one minute!!! You can't beat that and it adds up in saved time quickly...
-entire rack goes on / off car in just a few minutes
| | Weaknesses: | -They should give you more than 1 key when you buy it
-Whistles - they should provide shield thing or aerodynamic tape whatever out of the box.
-Time consuming and somewhat frustrating to switch car-specific clips because the bolt is hard to get to (this is not a problem unless you want to put the rack on different model cars often) | | Similar Products Used: | Thule, Yakima | | Bike Setup: | 2003 Giant Rainier, shimano clipless, nothing special but it works well for a <$650 setup! | | Bottom Line: | It's simply the best looking, strongest and easiest to use roof rack out there. I guarantee that you won't regret choosing this rack over any other. I always grin to myself when I pull into a lot and other bikers are taking all this time to load/unload their bikes, and I just pop mine in and drive away!
What's the deal with the fork mounting setups? Is there any advantage to that? To me it seems ridiculous that you would want to remove your front tire all the time. What a pain in the asss! Like most true mountain bikers I drive fast and hard, and I've never had a problem with my bikes coming off. Just get the real deal with the full tray and tire mount!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan
a Cross Country Rider
from Woodridge, IL
Date Reviewed: August 25, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Palos | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Holds the bikes there. Easy on and off. | | Weaknesses: | Fork mounts have been kind of weak. I've got both the old design which can have the angle adjusted as well as the new design which is set. The old design was nice because you had the convenience of rotating the fork down although I'll admit, when the wheel was actually in there it wouldn't stay in one place regardless of how tight you got it. Gave me more than a couple scares on the highway. Also, it doesn't hold paint worth anything and rusts very easily. The new design is far more rigid although it sticks too far up so I can't enter parking garages with it on. I wouldn't say my car is incredibly tall either, just a Subaru Outback. The design also has a problem with paint chipping easily. As far as the actual bike mounts go I'd say they're pretty strong although I have had consistent problems of the rear mount not staying tight and therefore moving around. It's not as rigid as systems like Thule but it does well enough. | | Similar Products Used: | Thule | | Bike Setup: | frame and two wheels | | Bottom Line: | Here's what it comes down to. In April my buddy and I were driving through Wyoming when he hit a patch of ice and slid off the road. Both of our bikes(one of them a 50 pound cruiser) were still there when we came to a stop in a ditch. Also I might add on that same trip we got my car up to 118 on a mountain in Utah and the bikes were perfectly stable. It's a nice rack although there are still some kinks to work out. Not bad but get a Thule instead. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dave hill
a Racer
from madison,wisconsin
Date Reviewed: August 12, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | all | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$400.00 | | Purchased At: | Trek | | Strengths: | Easy to mount on roof of car/mini van - I have two sets. | | Weaknesses: | Unfortunately it is the new locking fork mounts | | Similar Products Used: | Saris/older model w/o lock mounts, Im well versed between the two. | | Bike Setup: | Bianchi, Cannondale | | Bottom Line: | I have struggled with the new locking fork mounts - new for 03. The older mount design works just like putting on your front wheel, snug both sides and close the clamp - done. Not with the new mounts, the right side has to set in the right side of the fork with a notce, to stop rotation. Then the left side is away from the fork - adjustments done only on this side. There is no snuging options to get a feel on tightness. When closing the clamp, it moves in on the fork, leaving it either to tight or to loose. You must back it off and try again, I have struggle with it being to tight or not tight enough, leaving me worried about it falling off. Two mechanics at my lbs shop have had others express the same issues. I have contacted Saris about the issue to see if I could get a return on the new mounts, they are not convienent or safe for my needs. I ride a lot and use the rack at least 4 - 5 times per week | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Carlos
a Weekend Warrior
from d
Date Reviewed: June 4, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$160.00 | | Purchased At: | Ebay | | Strengths: | Looks, strength, locking mechanism. | | Weaknesses: | Wind whistling, but this can be fix with the fairing. | | Similar Products Used: | Trunk racks | | Bike Setup: | Trek Fuel 100 | | Bottom Line: | This is the easiest roof mount rack I have ever seen or used. I take it off after every use and it only takes me a couple of minutes. No one will be able to do that with other brands. make sure you buy the fairing as the rack (like all the others) makes a lot of noise.
I have never had a problem with securing my bikes, and I take the car to 80mph and everything stays there. The locks I only use to make sure the rack does not become loose. I use some other way to lock my bikes. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan
a Cross Country Rider
from North Texas, USA
Date Reviewed: April 28, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Cedar Hill State Park | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | aardvark cycles | | Strengths: | Easy on and easy off, looks cool. | | Weaknesses: | I have the older version fork mounts which do not have the locking skewers. | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | Trek 8900 | | Bottom Line: | This product great! It takes a total of 10 minutes to mount/dismount from the car, it holds my bike securely and and it looks cool. To top it off Saris (Graber) support is fantastic! They mailed me a replacement keys, no charge, when I lost the originals. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Adam W.
a Weekend Warrior
from Central Maryland
Date Reviewed: March 30, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Schaeffer Farms | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Easy to install/detach, new locking QRs have super long-throw cams that require no unscrewing to clear fork tabs, better looking than either Yakima or Thule | | Weaknesses: | I want to move the fork mounts around, but they're pretty well stuck in place... my own dumb fault for tightening them down too much, I guess. I'll try a rubber mallet. | | Similar Products Used: | Slight experience w/ Yakima | | Bike Setup: | Bianchi veloce, Bianchi griz, Specialized FSR all atop a '95 Hyundai Sonata | | Bottom Line: | I'm blown away by the new locking skewers that Saris has to offer... and everyone else is right, wind whistling can be controlled by liberal application of electrical tape. The rack is a cinch to pull off; it only adds a couple of minutes to the time it takes me to wash my car. I admit to reversing the fairing - I'm all for advertising Saris, but huge block letters covering the fairing doesn't do it for me, I'd rather cover it with stickers. Besides, the rack is distinctive enough as it is. I'll happily spread the good word. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
anthony
a Weekend Warrior
from easton, pa
Date Reviewed: March 23, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Chimney Rock (NJ) | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | MTBR Classifieds | | Strengths: | Self aligning bars allow one person to install rack in minutes...no adjustment neccessary | | Weaknesses: | I bought the bike used and own a pontiac vibe..Saris said the bars were the proper length and reccomended clips to mount the front bar on the roof of my pontiac vibe and the back bar on the rack....well the front clips weren't even close to fitting...after much discussion with saris telling me their engineers measure the toyota version (matrix) and that the clips will fit the car...Well they didn't reach across or even follow the contour of my roof!!! so I had them send me a pair of factory rack mounts and both bars are mounted on the factory roof rack...The rack hangs off the back of my car about 6 inches, and interfers with the rear window...but not much.Saris told me this mounting would not give me the required spacing of 18"? betwwen load bars...well i actually have over24"!!! | | Similar Products Used: | Saris Bones (friends) what a great rack!!
others are too expensive and a pain to install | | Bike Setup: | GF pre genesis HKOK....soon to be Kona owner | | Bottom Line: | I ended up paying 200 for two fork mounts and one bike mount, and 40 for clips.. This is an excellent, sturdy, easy to set up roof rack...other than Saris clip problems, it is a great product. I sure hope the engineers that measured my car realize that their front clips absolutely do not fit the front of the car...5 chili's for the rack itself and the mtbr classifieds...but 4 chilis for the clip problem | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
T C
a Weekend Warrior
from Playa del Rey, CA
Date Reviewed: March 20, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | mtbreview classified | | Strengths: | great design. Entire rack on and off the car in less than 10 mins. We carry our tandem on this thing all over the state and it has never given us any problems. Integrated locks (we have the optional locks on the tandem mount as well) make sure the rack and bike stays put. Great not having to remove the front tire to mount the tandem. | | Weaknesses: | after a few years the paint job isn't looking so hot. Also noise when not "tapped up". Noise problem is easily solved by a $2 roll of black duct tape. Just cover the grove on top of the rack, and the slits underneath by the towers. | | Similar Products Used: | none, first roof rack. Much perfer to use trunk racks and hitch mounts, but the tandem is just too long | | Bike Setup: | Santana Rio tandem, Look KG, Cannondale R400 | | Bottom Line: | Best rack out there. Look on ebay and mtbreview, you can usually get a good deal on a used one. Check the saris website for proper racks. Get the upright mounts which are lockable. Take the wheel straps off when not using them. Get a roll of black duct tape.
Best thing is that the rack comes off in 10 mins when not in use. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tim T
a Downhiller
from New Orleans LA
Date Reviewed: January 19, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | Saturn car dealership | | Strengths: | Looks good stronger than others /aluminum extrusions vs. bars.Bike lock. | | Weaknesses: | The clips are a poor fit on a Saturn.The dealership knew NOTHING to help me get the rack on. | | Similar Products Used: | Yakima | | Bike Setup: | BMX XC Road Track tandem and a tandem trail-a-bike | | Bottom Line: | I bought the rack from my local Saturn dealer. I own a SW-2 wagon.The first set of clips that were sold to me fit a sedan had to go back to the dealer got the right clips(??)Those clips had a VERY poor fit the instructions were poorly written.The best that I could figure was that it clipped on to the plastic rain gutter when I went back to the dealer for some help they did not have a clue the lead tech tightened the bars down and cracked the rain gutter.(!!!!!)So I complained, got a blank look and deaf ear.Took the rack off the car and went to my LBS. Looked at the Saris catolog and web site still no help.Now my LBS sells Yakima racks got to looking at the Yakima clips with a couple of finder washers and Yakiam part number Q71 I was able to bolt the rack on to the metal part of the roof under the plastic rain gutter. Talked to the head guy at the dealership they fixxed the rain gutter.(Took a week)But I'm stuck with the clips.The rack works well and holds the Tandem and trail-a-bike nicely.Which is why I bought it. So if you have a Saturn get the Yakima clips and some fender washers and have at it.Just cause the clips were so poor I'm giving it 2 chilis I would not have the rack on the car right now if I didn't figure out those clips would work. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Phil
a Cross Country Rider
from Michigan
Date Reviewed: November 21, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Ease of installation, Looks Great!!! Very Simple Design, Effective Mounts | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Yakima | | Bike Setup: | Giant Rainier, Schwinng Messa | | Bottom Line: | The Bottom line on this rack is that it is the best rack available on the market. It is the best looking that i have seen on any vehicle and i am comparing it to Yakima and Thule. They have round bars that you have to attach all the accessories to whereas the Saris,....when everything is attached it is all one unit, because the mounts slide into grooves on the load bars.
I have used this in travels around the Usa since we move every three months and it is very sturdy and dependable. I have a 98 VW jetta and when we travel I have a piggypack (which is THE BEST CARGO BAG on the market) in between the bikes to carry other items and have loaded the load bars with ALOT of weight and they are still going STRONG.. I would recommend this unit to everyone I talk to simply because IT IS THE BEST. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Weekend Warrior
from Chicago
Date Reviewed: November 15, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Anything outdoors | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike show | | Strengths: | Strong, great design, easy install/removal, all-in-one design should be standard! | | Similar Products Used: | Thule | | Bike Setup: | disc brakes | | Bottom Line: | This is an update.
After more than three years, this rack has held up incredibly well. I spent almost four hours installing a friend's Thule rack once. Never again. The Saris is ridiculously easy to install once you attach the proper clips. It comes almost completely ready to install. No need to order towers, locks, feet, bars, etc. Imagine the frustration if you ordered the wrong type of any item?
The Saris rack is incredibly strong. The ovalized load bars can carry just about anything. The rack has a literal vice-grip on your vehicle and is automatically self-centering. No other rack I've read about can match it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David
a Weekend Warrior
from Jesey
Date Reviewed: September 17, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | D&R canal | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Very strong. I carry canoes kayaks bikes all at once if needed. | | Weaknesses: | I fixed the noise without the fairing. I used something called backer rod. it is foam insulation I think I used 1/4 inch. You just push it in and it keeps air from going in and creating noise. I think any 1/4 inch round rubber or foam would do the trick. | | Similar Products Used: | Yakima | | Bike Setup: | specialized hard rock and custom built | | Bottom Line: | great rack easy to mount has the fits I needed yakima and thule did not. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dave P
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego, CA USA
Date Reviewed: June 4, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Noble Canyon | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$320.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike shop in Encinitas | | Strengths: | Quick installation, easy to remove, low-profile/sleek looking, and good (so far) customer service. | | Weaknesses: | Whistling tunes while driving, bad clip design. | | Similar Products Used: | none. | | Bike Setup: | 2002 Fisher Sugar 2+ | | Bottom Line: | Bottom line...Saris needs to expand on their clip design. Most, if not all, of their clips are the same thickness. This causes problems to the weather striping of some cars, including mine! The clips tore my weather striping straight through where the clip met the door, and left 3 out of 4 of my doors bulging out with rubber looking like I didn't know how to install a roof rack.
I notified Saris of the problem and they had me take photos then send them in so their engineers could investigate the problem further. I drive a 2001 Lexus IS 300 and don't like having a roof rack that damages my baby!
After a few weeks of speaking with most of the team at Saris, they sent me a check for the cost to replace my weatherstriping on all four doors. And, they sent me 2 new sets of clips that, supposedly, fit my door frame better, plus, they updated their website with the new recommendation and admitted it was a bad fit (well, admitted it to me anyway via letter). Yay, redemption!
But now, I'm reluctant to use the "new" clips (#21) because they're the same thickness (only shorter) as the others (#22), and that, I think, was the problem in the first place, but what do I know, I'm not a rack engineer! Anyway, I'd like to have Saris reimburse me for the entire roof rack (including the fork mount) so I can get some Yaks (their clips are much thinner for my car and less likely to cause a problem). If Saris won't let me return the racks, it might be time to sell them on Ebay because I can't keep calling them up to replace the weather striping every 2 months!
Other than that, the design is good except for the whistling. To solve this, I put electrical tape underneath, instead of their "airodynamic kit" that consisted of rubber strips. It blends well with the black and there's no rubber hanging out (maybe I'll patent that!?).
The rack is easy to install and remove, and it looks pretty sleek. I suggest calling Saris first to see if they've had any problems with the clip fit on your car, and if you've got the same car as me, just go with another vendor. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Shawn
a Weekend Warrior
from Simi Valley, CA
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | My own | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$300.00 | | Purchased At: | Aardvark.com | | Strengths: | Great customer service, works with disc brake bikes, easy to set up and use. You can take it off and put it on in less than 5 minutes, can fit most cars. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | All | | Bike Setup: | 2 Mountain Cycle San Andreases, Mountain Cycle Moho STS, Infusion MXC Pro. | | Bottom Line: | Saris is the most simple, strongest, and easy to use roof rack system. Its the best! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jay
a
from Anna, Ohio
Date Reviewed: July 31, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Hueston Woods | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$450.00 | | Purchased At: | Carty's Bike Shop | | Strengths: | Easy to switch between cars
Reasonably priced
Good aesthetics | | Weaknesses: | Hard to use fork mounts with some forks
Fork mounts not tight enough in track
Not enough accessories | | Similar Products Used: | old generic rooftop carrier converted to use in the back of a pickup | | Bike Setup: | I've used this on 3 vehicles now, an 89 Olds Cutlass Supreme, 2001 Chevy Tahoe, and 1998 Chevy Tahoe | | Bottom Line: | I've used this rack now for almost 3 years and have had very good luck with it. Saris has a great customer service department and if I lose a small part (such as the daisy wheels) they don't hesitate to send me new ones free of charge. One thing I'm not crazy about is the actual security of the bike when it's on the rack. I have the security cable but it doesn't instill much confidence in me. The cable is pretty thin and could easily be cut with a wire cutter. I really like the idea of Thule's fork mount where the mount actually locks the fork to the mount. I might buy it again, but when looking for new vehicles, it has caused some problems. Seems that the Saris rack isn't compatible with a lot of factory roof racks. Would like to see them find a way to rectify that. But overall, I have been happy with the system. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve
a Cross Country Rider
from Hampstead
Date Reviewed: July 8, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Avalon Valley View Trail | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$370.00 | | Purchased At: | www.aardvarkcycles.com/ | | Strengths: | Very sturdy, just about dead quiet with the fairing. Very easy to install. | | Weaknesses: | Deafening noise w/o the fairing. | | Similar Products Used: | Rhode Gear rear rack...no comparison. | | Bike Setup: | 2000 S Works FSR XC | | Bottom Line: | Holy moly! Without the fairing you will be driven (ha ha) f*cking crazy. Get the fairing if you value your sanity. Over all this is a great roof rack. It is very easy to install. It only took me 10 mins to install it on my Civic. Very strong, and stable. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Rob
a Cross Country Rider
from MS
Date Reviewed: June 5, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Couch Trail | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$330.00 | | Purchased At: | The Wheel House | | Strengths: | Holds bikes without banging them up.
Doesn't mess up my car either. Doors still raintight.
Good warantee service. | | Weaknesses: | The QRs are clunky with a Judy fork.
Rear wheel straps break in cold weather, and are easily lost.
QRs get rusty if not maintained.
A defective fork mount >crushed in< after 6 months. | | Similar Products Used: | Graber rear rack. | | Bike Setup: | Trek STP 200 atop a Saturn wagon. | | Bottom Line: | This is a solid product that gets the job done. Yes, I have had some problems (see above), but Saris quickly shipped replacement parts, no cost, no hassle. It's not a perfect rack (are you listenin', Saris?!?) but it is a darned good one.
Other:
- try flipping the QRs so that the handle's away from Judy's damper knob. Works better that way.
- put a little chain lube on the QRs when it's new, and screw them back and forth. Leave'em screwed in to loosten up for a couple of days and they'll be a lot easier to use.
- and keep a little chain lube or wax on the QRs to keep down the rust.
- black electrical tape covers the grooves in the load bars; it's just the right width, keeps the wind noise down, and blends in with the rack's black paint. Easy to peel off when the rack needs work too. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott
a Cross Country Rider
from Eagle Mountain
Date Reviewed: June 5, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Bennie Creek | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$469.00 | | Purchased At: | www.aardvarkcycles.com | | Strengths: | Easy to setup and install. All your attachments are locked to the load bars. Rotaiting (sp?) jaws on uprights allow you to attach just about any bike. | | Weaknesses: | Whistling, poorly designed clips. | | Similar Products Used: | Yakima | | Bike Setup: | Schwinn Moab1 (Cromo), Gary Fischer Paragon, Bridgestone MB-3 | | Bottom Line: | Over the past 4+ years, I have had a Love/Hate relationship with this roof rack system. I love the ease at which I could switch this roof rack between cars, the well designed load-bars, the security of having all your attachments locked to the load bars without having to buy additional lock-cores (i.e. Yakima Thule). I did experience almost losing the rear clips (when the bike was off), which was solved by closing them. After nearly 5 years, all the attachments are in pretty good shape. I did snap the bolt on one of my load bars (I believe this was caused by overtightening), this was fixed for free (I did have to pay for shipping).
I hate (hate may be to strong) the clips. They fit well on my old 91 Integra, but very poorly on my wifes 96 Kia Sephia (they are to thick, and rub against the doors - making it hard to open/close them and causing them to leak). When I purchased a 98 Integra GS-R - I just could not bet it to fit. I would tighten the rack and when I would roll the windows up, they would hit the clips - actually pushing the entire rack up, off of the car. Because of this, I was forced to buy another Yakima roof rack (my previous one was stolen). The well designed Yakima clips, had no problems fitting.
To highlight the major difference between setting up my Yakima and Saris roof rack systems. It takes me 10 min. to completly setup the Saris roof rack on my wifes car. It takes my nearly an hour to set up the Yakima roof rack on my car. And the whistling on my Yakima roof rack was so bad, that I had to purchase the fairing.
I'm giving the Saris 5 stars for value - because it is hard to beat the price.
I'm giving it 4 stars overal, because I think that Saris needs to spend more time engineering their clips/pads for fit. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andrea
a
from Raleigh, NC, USA
Date Reviewed: May 15, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | The Spin Cycle, Cary, NC | | Strengths: | went on in 10 minutes! looks great and holds the bike well. | | Weaknesses: | whistling! somebody help before i shoot it! | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | trek 4900 wsd on 2001 infiniti g20t | | Bottom Line: | somebody help me! i read about the duct tape trick to get rid of the whistling- where exactly on the load bar do you put it? about the aerodynamic kit- they didn't have them where i got mine, anyone know where there are around raleigh or atlanta? i'll be travelling a lot this summer and that whistling just might drive me off a cliff! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
dan
a Cross Country Rider
from MA/NH
Date Reviewed: May 10, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | Ebay | | Strengths: | - Easy to install and uninstall
- Dynamic look
- Sturdy | | Weaknesses: | - Limited number of accessories< |
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$
