Johnny Mullet

Look what I got for free from a friend! It's an older 3 bike trunk carrier. Now I can the bikes to different destinations and see the sights by bicycle................







I put 3 bikes on this rack, but that is a little much, so 2 bikes max...................



The only question I have is how do yousecure the bikes to the rack? Bungee cords?

joeyduck

I have only once used a rack like that on a trunk. But I just want to put this out there for consideration.

Is it safe to put the rack resting on the rear window? If the bikes bounce and the weight shifts I can just imagine the joy of the window shattering. Can you position it differently. Maybe others can alleviate my concerns.

I would use rope and not bungees.

RPK79

I was wondering the same thing. My rack has plastic straps that secure the bikes.



I then use a bungee cord to keep the bike from swaying back at high speeds and to keep the bars from turning. I wasn't concerned about the bars turning until a 600 mile drive last week did this to my bar tape.

Sixty Fiver

My Yakima rear rack is also designed for three bikes but also works much better with 2... my car is a sedan and my roof mounted rails usually live on top of the Jeep although I can also mount these to the car.

When some of the rubber bungees wore out I used toe straps which do a nice job of keeping things secure... the Yakima has very good mounts and built in frame stabilizers to keep the bike from shifting which I really like.

likebike23

I have a roof rack on my car, but also have a trunk mount that I use on my wife's Subaru. It also rests on the rear window. I've done a few trips and it's never been a problem. If you look at the first pic, the rack is not putting any weight on the window. As long as the weight is on the bottom and resting on the bumper, and the straps are tight it should be fine. I tie the straps after it's tight so that it doesn't loosen up. I also bungee the bikes to keep them as still as possible and use rags on the bikes where it rubs anything so that the bike's finish doesn't get damaged.

BobbyG

I have Thule trunk mount on a Subaru Legacy (also a freebie from a friend). It works pretty well, but I miss the trailer hitch rack I had on my old Mustang...very secure, but also not as cheap.

John Redcorn

If you look at his 1st pic w/o bikes the rack only touches the window in the spots that have foam pipe insulation type stuff around it. Car windows are pretty tough and that insulation should handle just about most most any bumps you'd think as long as it's on tight. A bump twisting a handlebar into the window is another story probably.

Also op: in gmfullsize.com or fullsizechevy.com talk, sweet (like new looking) obs rclb in the background.

Ray Dockrey

As long as only the foam is touching the glass its not an issue. Plus the straps should be tight enough so the rack doesn't bounce. I have had both the Saris Bones 3 and the Yakima Big Joe 3 and had no issues with either one of them. Plus they come with sway control built into the cradles so you don't have to worry about the bike swaying back and forth.

coupster

Great find/gift. Be careful of the car's exhaust. It'll melt a tire by the time you get where you are going.

the sci guy 

Free gifts are great, but I'd trash that.

1) it has no built in way to secure the bikes to the rack. It requires jury-rigging a solution which is more prone to failure.
2) it does not have the anti-sway cradle+strap that goes on your seat-tube to keep the bike from swinging back and forth and slamming against your car or other bikes.
3) the cradles for the top tubes look quite inadequate, especially given the angle of the rack's bars.
4) it probably isn't rated to carry a whole lot of weight. while thinner arms on the rack are not indicative of cheapness, chances are it's a less that quality rack and go over enough good bumps with 2 or 3 bikes on it and it may fail. (this is just conjecture on my part).

Get yourself a Saris Bones 3, or a Yakima KingJoe / SuperJoe.

You won't regret paying a little more for a good rack. It protects your bike and protects your car.
It blows my mind how many people I see flying down the road with their bikes tossed up on a rack, banging around. Especially those who don't strap the front wheel to the downtube to keep it from banging around on your bumper twisting back and forth in the wind.