I got a Saris Bones 2 bike rack recently, and I'm having a bit of a problem with it.

I have a Mazda Protege 2001 sedan, by the way.

The two side straps are constantly slipping down to the front of the trunk (towards the bike rack), and the rack jiggles unnervingly when I drive. It makes driving with it uncomfortable and sort of scary. It just doesn't get as tight as I would like.

As anyone had a similar experience? Any secret tricks I should try to get it super tight?

Thanks,

ds

I'm not familiar with your particular car, but here are couple of common points:

1. The bottom feet take most of the load. It's important for them to rest on something horizontal, usually the bumper or license plate well.
2. The straps have to be routed by the shortest route to whatever they're connected to. If they are angled even a little, they'll loosen up as you drive.

That is likely my problem: the side straps are angled. But what I need to do is make them (and all the straps) connect in a short and straight line, correct?

Thanks!

You might try to widen the stance of the rack a bit -- doing this will put the part of the rack on top of the trunk further forward (toward the rear window) which will bring the straps forward a bit as well.

Have you contacted Saris (at https://www.sarisproducts.com )? My customer service experience with them has been excellent. To confess, I've only bought their products secondhand, and yet they've honored warranty repairs and given great advice over the 'net. They might have advice specific to the fitment of the Bones rack to your Protege.

Absolutely not! Read the directions, the bottom feet MUST sit on the bumper.
I got a Bones 3 because it fits well on the back of minivans and wagons. Don't know about the Protoge either but maybe you need to adjust the support legs such that the main cylinder is farther forward or back? Maybe the side straps need to be hooked on the vertical part of the trunk rather than the horizontal?
CroquetTragic probably figured out a solution by now though :-)