General Cycling Discussion - What's a good/the best?Trunk Bike Rack for 2 Bikes

I have two trek's, well my girlfriend and I, and we like to be able to move these around to bike elsewhere farther away. I have a toyota corolla 2005 and I wanted to attach a trunk rack to this to carry these two around when needed.

I have seen mix reviews (of the few reviews) saying 2 bike rack fits 1 bike or the bikes wobble around or the rack ruins the trunk etc. So, can I get some opinions from people who actually have one and use it?

Opinions, options, suggestions, what to stay away from. Thanks much appreciated.

I have a Saris Bones 3 and love it! It is a 3 bike model, but they make a 2 bike version, Bones 2. I haven't heard much feedback on the 2, but a lot of people love the 3 bike version. And it isn't much more money.

Good luck,
Chris

What about the Saris Sentinel 2-Bike Trunk Mount Rack?

Anyone have/use this one? It's cheaper and about the only comments I could find is it will fit over the spoiler I have on my '05 corolla.
is it sturdy?

also saw: Allen 102S Premium 2-bike trunk mount rack
on amazon.com it had good ratings, but I like to hear it from people here.

I have a 2005 Toyota Matrix. Same chasis as the Corolla. I'm not a fan of trunk racks so I had the dealer install a class 1 hitch (without the wiring package to save money) and mounted a Thule hitch rack. It works great! If you decide to go this route, make sure you get a decent rack with 2 point contact on the bike. The single point contact racks wobble way too much.

+1 for Saris Bones.

I have a Bones 2 and it's great. The bikes are "locked" so they don't wobble when the car is moving.
We sell the Bones 2 and 3 at the shop I work at. Bones 2 and 3 are the same rack. The only difference is the number of bikes they hold.

You may already be aware of this, as it was a stupid mistake on my part, but I wanted to throw it out there. If your wife has a women specific frame, make sure it'll fit on the rack. I bought a Yakima trunk rack and realized later that my wife's Trek 3700 doesn't fit. I had to get the Yakima Tube Top extender, which helps, but doesn't feel nearly as secure.
Just a heads up.

I would also go with the Saris. A well made rack.
http://www.coloradocyclist.com/img/product/full/s/saruazpk.jpg

I had the Saris, and no matter how we tried, it left nasty scratches on the trunk and bumper when dirt would get under the rubber. I sold it, and went with the other poster's suggestion and got a Class I hitch and a three bike Rees carrier. I love it.

If you are not anal about your car like me, then it doesn't matter.

http://assets.iqestores.com/product_img/highres/59403.jpg

You may already be aware of this, as it was a stupid mistake on my part, but I wanted to throw it out there. If your wife has a women specific frame, make sure it'll fit on the rack. I bought a Yakima trunk rack and realized later that my wife's Trek 3700 doesn't fit. I had to get the Yakima Tube Top extender, which helps, but doesn't feel nearly as secure.
Just a heads up.

Good point, my wife's Trek 6700 women specific frame just barely fits on my hitch rack.

+1 on the Saris Bones. I got the Bones 3 a few days ago and it holds those bikes on there VERY well. No movement at all. I have had two other trunk racks before and they were a total waste of money compared to the Saris.

All the hitch racks... Can they be installed on any car ('88 Nissan 300ZX)?

Can they be left on the car w/o concerns of them getting stolen? How long does it take to remove one?

All the hitch racks... Can they be installed on any car ('88 Nissan 300ZX)?

Can they be left on the car w/o concerns of them getting stolen? How long does it take to remove one?

Any car that can accept a class 1 hitch. That would be most cars. My Thule rack has a lock on the screw pin that holds the rack to the hitch. You'd have to remove the hitch to get the rack. It takes about 20 seconds to remove the rack. After you unlock the rack, simply remove the screw pin and pull the rack out of the hitch square tube.

All the hitch racks... Can they be installed on any car ('88 Nissan 300ZX)?


You have to first have a hitch receiver installed; they can be installed on almost every car...but maybe not on *every* car. You need to have a specific receiver for your car. Cost of installation (here) runs $200-$300.

I'd rather stay away from adding a hitch to my car. I have an '05 corolla and the trunk does have a spoiler. It's not huge but it's there. So I need to know if the saris 2 would lay over the spoiler.

I know on the amazon.com rating the Allen 102S Premium 2-bike trunk mount rack fit over some people's spoilers.

I'd rather stay away from adding a hitch to my car. I have an '05 corolla and the trunk does have a spoiler. It's not huge but it's there. So I need to know if the saris 2 would lay over the spoiler.

I know on the amazon.com rating the Allen 102S Premium 2-bike trunk mount rack fit over some people's spoilers.

I think this is a 2005 Corolla spoiler:
http://www.autoall.com/images_products/as-1750TC.jpg
This is the style spoiler on my car:
http://www.autoall.com/images_products/as-1730.jpg

The lancer spoiler looks a little bigger and my Saris Bones 3 fits over it. You can adjust the "curve" of the rack as well.

A Saris Bones RS Trunk Rack (http://www.bestbikerackreviewsite.com/reviews/saris-bones-rs-3-bike-trunk-mount-bike-rack-review/) is a great option, as is the Swagman XC Hitch Rack (http://www.bestbikerackreviewsite.com/reviews/swagman-xc-cross-country-2-bike-hitch-mount-bike-rack-review/), or even a Thule Raceway 9002 Trunk Rack (http://www.bestbikerackreviewsite.com/reviews/thule-raceway-9002-3-bike-trunk-mount-bike-rack-review/), but with so many options I highly recommend that you read this (http://www.bestbikerackreviewsite.com/bike-rack-test/) to really drill down and find the best bike rack for your specific needs:

http://www.bestbikerackreviewsite.com/bike-rack-test/

I have an Infiniti G coupe, and I got the Yakima BigJoe Pro 3 to make sure it cleared the spoiler.
I originally bought the Pro 2, for our 2 bikes. But the bikes load on the rack way too close together, so I returned it and got the Pro 3.
Frankly, I don't see how any supposed 2-bike rack can handle 2 bikes without them clanging against each other.
I bought the tube top adapter for my wife's bike and it makes loading her bike a LOT easier. I also bought the Thule Passive Security Strap to "lock" the rack to my car.