The Saris Bones 2-Bike Is a Stable, Lightweight Trunk Rack
Price: $160
Style: Trunk
The right rack for: Someone who wants a simple, stable rack for less
The Saris Bones 2-Bike is a lightweight, easily adjustable trunk rack that goes on quickly and stays put. You can adjust the position of the arms easily and without tools, thanks to Saris’s center spline design, and the mounts accommodate narrow and wide top tubes. Because it’s a trunk rack, you might not be able to mount a curvy full-suspension bike, although the narrow profile of the arms and mounts meant I was able to haul a (full-suspension) Marin Hawk Hill 3 with ease. The straps can become tangled and your bike’s fork might run into your bumper during abrupt stops, but minor grievances aside, I quite liked using the Bones 2-Bike as my go-to rack.
Quick Setup and Mounting
The Bones 2-Bike comes folded up when you unbox the rack. The tube upon which all the rack’s arms rotate has notches that correspond with notches on the rack’s arms. Adjusting the arms is easy: Hand-loosen the knobs that hold the arms in place and rotate them to fit your trunk. Once you’ve positioned the rack, slide the top, side, and bottom clips into place and pull the straps tight—the mounting process takes less than a minute. Removing the rack takes 15 seconds: Just loosen the straps, flip the top clips upside down (so they don’t get caught on your trunk lip), and pull the rack away from the trunk.
How It Works With Your Car
Once mounted, the Bones 2-Bike stays in place better than other trunk racks I’ve tried. Its stability advantage seems to come from the side straps, which halt lateral movement when tightened. (I haven’t tried mounting it to an SUV liftgate, but to see what that looks like, check out our review on the similarly designed SuperBones 3-Bike.) The metal clips are covered in nylon and haven’t appeared to scratch my car after two months of use. My Accord’s panel gaps measure 5mm and the clips easily slid between them with the trunk closed. The rubber feet on the end of the rack’s arms can leave a residue if you don’t clean them, but haven’t seemed to bother my paint, either. Despite its lightness, the Bones 2-Bike felt rock-solid during use. The rack comes with a lifetime warranty for the original owner.
Using the Rack Every Day
I mounted and removed the Bones 2-Bike at least 20 times during testing; I got my mounting time down to around 30 seconds with practice. It doesn’t lock to your trunk, so it’s up to you whether you leave it on and risk theft and leave it on overnight (I didn’t).
Because the straps connect through the center tube, the straps and clips can become a tangled mess in your trunk when you first pull the rack out. Sorting them out takes little time once you remember which clips go where (the top, side, and bottom clips are different shapes). The ratcheting straps to which you mount the bike are easy to manipulate and hold the bike tight, with the help of anti-sway ratchets for the seat tube. (The mounts themselves are tube-shaped and idiot-resistant: I once drove all the way home without realizing I hadn’t ratcheted down my bike, yet it didn’t fall off the rack.)
The Bones 2-Bike won’t work with all full-suspension designs. However, if at least 1 foot of your top tube is relatively straight and has a couple inches of unobstructed space beneath it, the Bones 2-Bike should accommodate the bike. Apart from the tangle-prone straps, my only other gripe is that the anti-sway ratchet straps don’t quite prevent your bike’s fork from contacting your trunk when you hit the brakes. If you’re hauling a single bike, solve this by using the outer mount. Using the inner mount, though, you risk scratching your bumper if your fork has sharp edges. These minor knocks aside, the Bones 2-Bike is the best trunk rack I’ve used and I fully expect it to outlive my Honda, which will be no small feat.
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