Saris Solo 1-Bike Trunk Mounted Rack

Note: Saris does not indicate or recommend the Solo as a fitment for Chevy Volt and some other hatchbacks. The following modifications were made by me and not endorsed by Saris. Proceed at your own risk.First - kudos to Amazon Prime for offering "Used like new". The condition was better than used like new!Second - you would need to order - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BT6Q6M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Saris Hatch Huggers. They are terrific!Third - You need to order https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07W9CMHQZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 MAGARROW straps to replace the upper strap and buckles.Keep the upper straps and buckles as is and attach them on the sides of the trunk lid. Now, You will end up with 6 attachment anchor points instead of 4. The lower buckles remain attached to the lower edge of the hatch where it meets the bumper.Fourth - attach the hatch topper straps to the MAGARROW straps 1-Inch Belt. The strap needs to be inserted through the same slots in the Saris where the existing straps attach. Buckle the topper strap to the MAGARROW straps using both buckle ends of the Magarrow straps.Fifth - tighten all straps for a snug fit on the vehicle.I transported my bike to the shop on a major highway at 60 mph and it was rock solid. Make sure to test drive the vehicle slowly with the bike attached to make sure there is no movement BEFORE transporting it for real!

I really wanted to buy one of the trailer hitch racks because at least two of my bikes are pretty heavy when loaded up - 40lbs + but I discovered that my trailer ball has suffered from salt corrosion and just wouldn't come off - couldn't even get the locking clip out of the pin. So I was faced with having to transport a 30lb bike on something else. I have a yakima roof rack fork mount for modern bikes, but my old raleighs have the wrong sized axles for me to use these. The only option left was one of these things (certainly for the money I had to spend).Now you've skipped the backstory, here's the meat and two veg - this thing really works. The ratchet straps are tough and hold the top tube well, although for narrow tubes I cut up some bits of an old tyre and wrapped about the frame where they hold the bike. There is another strap that goes around the seat tube and holds the bike steady to stop it from swinging and I used toe straps to secure the front wheel to the downtube and another one to stop the back wheel from rotating whilst the car was in motion.I mounted this on the back of a 2004 Forester and it feels solid. With the bike on it there was a little bit of movement which, at first unnerved me a little (thoughts about bike falling off and causing a crash on the interstate) but it turned out to be just a little give in the plastic which appears to twist a little.Two four hour trips later at 70mph and no problems. I would buy a Saris bike rack again if I needed to.

I drive a VW Jetta and ride a Liv road bike. I bought this thinking it would be great for transporting my bike, but returned it without putting my bike on it. The instructions were simple and installation easy, but I couldn’t get the straps tight enough. Then, the rack goes almost straight up from the trunk. This means I will damaged my bike pedal and scratch my car transporting my bike. Sure, I could purchase the padding that Saris sells and wait for that to arrive knowing that my bike pedal may be spared, but my car would likely still be damaged OR I could return it for another name brand bike rack.

I bike to work and my son bikes to school. I was looking for a bike rack for days when bad weather or other circumstances make it impractical to bike home and we need to be picked up. I specifically wanted something inexpensive, and easy to install and use. Also compact and light, if possible.This rack does all those things. It is extremely easy to put on or remove from the car. I have a 2006 Mazda 3 hatchback and installation is very simple and direct: put the four clips in place and cinch up the slack. The only caveat is that mounting at the recommended angle on my car obstructs the rear window wiper.Otherwise, the rack is small and light enough to keep in the car's trunk until needed. It installs quickly - just make sure to test-fit the rack on the car before you need to use it. It helps to keep the top straps set and only loosen the bottom straps to remove/replace. The straps are very long, so you might want to use rubber bands or something to keep the slack wound up.The mounting straps use spring loaded metal buckles to hold tension. The top buckles rest on top of the strap material, but there is a possibility they could slide around and the metal may come in contact with your roof/spoiler/trunk lid. My car is old and has its share of scratches and dings, so I won't notice another mark. If you have a nice car, you might want to put something under the buckle.This rack only holds one bike, obviously. The bike's top tube is cradled at the end of the arms and held in place by fairly robust ratcheting plastic tabs/buckles that are easy to use. The ends of the arms are scooped out semicircles about 1-5/8" across. I tested this rack with a bike that has an 1-1/2" aluminum top tube and it fit fine.The left arm has another fabric strap that you can loop around the seat tube or a rim or pedal to keep the bike from swinging. This spot will be different on each bike, but I really couldn't cinch that strap tight against anything on any bikes I mounted. What happens is you can pull that strap tight on the frame until it a tire snugs against the bumper. Also, you're going to have to find the sweet spot for the inner crank/pedal so it doesn't rub or scratch the car. These issues are common to any rack that hangs a bike from its top tube.I only rated it four stars on sturdiness because the rack itself is plastic and may not be as durable as a metal rack. I don't know how well it or the straps would hold up long term on a permanent-ish installation with sun/rain exposure, but everything about this rack seems to be made with portability/temporary use in mind. It does feel solid and sturdy for being made of plastic. No issues holding a steel frame road bike. The more vertical you can mount the arms, the more stable it will be.If you want a more permanent rack or something really heavy duty, you might want to spend a little more on something else, but for my specific use, this is a perfect solution.

It’s a nice looking bike rack that’s light weight, simple to install, and comes in one piece.It didn’t work at all for me despite many adjustments though. My bike moved around a lot over every bump. The design doesn’t seem to lend itself to preventing side to side movements regardless of how tight I adjusted the straps.

Pluses - Its versatile and light weight and fit on both our household hatch backs, skoda fabia and ford focus. Downside it is that no matter how tight you get the straps it still twists and moves around and has left 2 big round fine scored marks on my boot below the window and this was with my sons small bike. I headed customer advice and padded all the possible contact points with socks and towels before first use. But the rubber feet must make contact with the car, you cant pad those. My husbands full sized bike was worse it twisted the plastic frame and we added nearly an hour onto the journey stopping and going to readjust. I've have to t-cut out all the scores from the rubber feet.

You have to wonder about the people who just whack a 5* review on there and say 'good product'!There is nothing good about this bike rack. This is a cheap and cheerful product without the cheerful! - I bought it in June and just got round to fitting it and even tightening everything up I would not trust my bike to this. Even when you heave on the straps the bike flaps all over the place.There is nothing to stop someone nicking your bike (and the bike rack!).This is going on ebay - put your money into a better product - this is not fit for purpose in my opinion. Highly disappointed with it and even more disappointed in myself that I can't send it back for a refund :((

In principle this carrier is a nice idea for transporting one bike. But having fitted it, it was clear the bike would slap against the car during transport as there's very little clearance,. This can be alleviated by copious padding but I couldn't be bothered to fiddle around with that every time I wanted to fit the rack. So... I've bought a Saris Bone 2 which by comparison is absolutely brilliant,. I recommend any one contemplating a Saris Solo to find the extra lolly and do what I did. Look out for my unused Solo on EBay!

Very good if you carry a bike with triangular frame. Its balance seem to struggle with step-through bikes. Nonetheless this is much easier to put on than others as it only has vertical straps no horizontal and the unit is fixed shape. It is also very compact for our small boot.

As a 30 something female I wanted something easy as the ones in Halfords seemed a bit complicated. Watched the u tube video first and it really is easy. Takes no more than 5 mins to attach to car then another 5 mins to secure and attach bike. I would fit a thick sock over bike peddle that meets contact with car to protect paintwork. Definately recommend and a good price. 10/10.

Travelled from Dorset to Cumbria and never really noticed the bike their. Would have been good to have some bumpers provided and velco tabs to stop the wheels rotating. A length of pipe lagging and 2 elastic tie downs did the trick.

I’ve an Audi TT you saved my life with this product.Safe on motorway never felt it move or anything.

Perfect for one bike. Really easy to put on and take off the car. Only thing is someone could easily nick it.

Rubbish. The feet of this rack rubbed paintwork off the tailgate of my car in its first use. I shall be returning my purchase.

Light & small enough to keep in boot of car. Quick & easy to attach, held a heavy mountain bike.

Great product. Fits perfectly to my 2017 Mazda 3 (hatchback).

Once adjusted to fit very simple to use.

Very good product!Thanks a lot

...ma non lo fa fino in fondo a mio avviso. Sicuramente dipenderà dal modello di macchina, certamente l'inclinazione del lunotto posteriore e la conformazione delle lamiere influiscono sulla tenuta del portabici. Tuttavia non avendo tiranti laterali che contrastino le oscillazioni bisogna serrare molto bene le cinghie verticali e comunque guidare con una certa moderazione nelle curve, sopratutto in quelle più strette, altrimenti tende a spostarsi. Alla stessa maniera risente particolarmente anche delle buche e dei fondi sconnessi, che ne compromettono la stabilità allentando i tiranti.In rettilineo, anche a velocità sostenute [sempre entro il codice della strada ovviamente] non da invece alcun problema.Lo consiglio a chi deve fare breve tragitti, per portarsi la bici da casa fino al parco o simili. Sicuramente non per il lungo viaggio verso una vacanza, altrimenti bisognerebbe mettere in conto diverse soste per stabilizzarne la tenuta laterale.Io lo sto usando con una yaris 5p del 2014.

Leggero e compatto occupa pochissimo spazio in garage e nel baule. Anche se è di materiale plastico si comporta bene anche a pieno carico (porta fino a 16Kg). Abbastanza facile il montaggio con due cinghie superiori e due inferiori. Ha una placchettina con chinghia di bloccaggio per la canna centrale e il pedale. Se sporge bene dalla vostra auto è anche facile legare la ruota anteriore all'altra cinghia per fermare completamente la bici. Design molto piacevole.Per MTB con canna molto inclinata consiglio un adattatore telescopico.