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This funky and futuristic-looking rear-mounted rack is fully adjustable, both vertically and horizontally, so can be made to fit most cars, vans and hatchbacks. The width can be altered to fit most bikes too, including smaller frames or fancy carbon race numbers.It has an air of quality and is easy to use, with most adjustments taking place around the splined main beam. It takes a little bit of time to set up but, once sorted, can be left without any worries. Also, being lightweight means you won't need an extra set of hands to set it up. Once fitted the Bones feels incredibly stable. There are three quality mounts for your bikes, all of which have long straps with which to cope with even big aero-tube frames. There are even anti-sway straps underneath to stop the bikes flapping around. It's not cheap but it's a great performer.
Sturdy, lightweight, simple to use; bikes held seperately
The Saris Bones has been around for a few years, but the design still looks fresh. That's not top priority when choosing a rack, but when most rear-mounted carriers look a bit agricultural, there's no harm in a little bit of style - especially when the performance backs it up.No assembly is needed - the Bones 3 is ready to use straight out of the box. Fitting it just requires loosening the arms and legs and adjusting them to suit the shape of your car.The instructions are clear, with an easy-to-follow mix of diagrams, pictures and clearly written steps. Even the hooks (six in total) are labelled so you know if they should attach to the top, the bottom or the side of the boot opening. The Bones 3 can carry three bikes, and a lifetime warranty is included in the price.
Extremely easy to use, well built and secure. Not cheap, but worth it
The Bones rack has been around for quite a few years now and yet it remains as distinctive in design now as it did when it first appeared. The seemingly complex and 'art college project' looks belie a very simple design. As each leg can be independently adjusted for position around the central tube this rack can be made to fit a large range of cars from saloons to vans.
In terms of looks and designs it wins points. In use it also works well for its versatility and stability.
Once mounted is very secure and solid
How much? Yes, £210 is rather a lot to pay for a boot-mounted bike rack, but then the Bones RS is really rather good.What sets it apart from other good rear-mounted cycle carriers is the belt-and-ratchet system to attach it to your car in place of the usual straps and buckles.The steel belts fit loosely, then the ratchet lever tightens them for a secure fit. Most importantly, the belts stay tight, and can be locked in position with a key.In practice, we found the Bones RS secure and stable. Build quality is much better than that of most cheaper racks, and the lifetime warranty is reassuring.It just comes down to how much you're prepared to spend. The Bones RS is one of the best rear-mounted bike carriers available, but the Bones 3 is almost as good and costs £75 less.
Secure and easy to use, but very expensive for a boot-mounted rack
Saris are one of the biggest names when it comes to carrying bikes on cars, and this is their top-of-the-range model. RS stands for Ratcheting System, which is at the heart of how the rack attaches to your car. And it works beautifully - so well, in fact, that it's actually quicker to take the rack on and off the car with the bike still on than it is to undo or do up the three straps that fix your bike to it. I even found myself taking the rack and bike combo off the car in one go for quick overnight storage in my garage, before putting the whole thing back on in the morning. Not that we or Saris recommend this technique. The only restriction to this rack's versatility is how the feet attach to the bottom lip of you car boot. If you've got a sunken or recessed lip, the Bones RS won't work.if the feet do hook under your boot's lip so that it'll still close, offer it up, pull out the rubber coated steel belts by squeezing the quick-release triggers and clip the rubber coated hooks over the leading edge of your car's boot.make sure both pairs of swivelling rubber pads are flat on the surface(they neatly hug the top and back edge of a saloon boot)and then take up the slack in the straps with the nifty grey ratchet levers. Job done. Don't get carried away with the ratchetting though, - the ratchets are so good you'll happily over-tighten them until you either bend your boot out of shape or leave rubber pad-shaped dimples in your bodywork.There's a lock on each ratchet, hte anti-sway straps attach to the seatpost pivot and accomodate different bike sizes, the aluminium bar is powder coated for a tough finish and the whole thing is solid, simple and tidy.
Fantastic fuss-free design, but a bit pricey and won't fit every car.