 Best Sellers | | Home ACTION RACK SARIS GUARDIAN 3 BIKE | |
|  | |  | | | ACTION RACK SARIS GUARDIAN 3 BIKE | | | | | SKU:
070/1157A | | Availability:
Out of stock | | | | | | Saris Guardian - Pivoting Anti-sways and Hold-downs. Arm spread is designed to carry most sizes of bikes including juvenile. Completely assembled including straps. Pull handle for arm adjustment. 6 straps with heavy duty metal spring buckles. Guardian 3, each. 3 bikes. | | | | | |
|
| | Product Details | | Package Length: | 32.6 inches | | Package Width: | 19.0 inches | | Package Height: | 6.1 inches | | Package Weight: | 15.4 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 9 reviews |
| |
| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review: ( 9 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
 Easy and effective to use Aug 21, 2009
By Stephen M. Charme
I just came back from a 500 mile trip on which I transported two bikes (a man and a woman's Cannondale hybrid) using this rack without any problems, even when driving through severe thunderstorms with high wind and driving rain.
The rack is well made, easy to install and remove on just about any trunk, has good padding to protect the trunk (no marks were left), and holds the bikes nice and secure with the included rubber straps (though on any bike rack I also always use a few bungee cords of my own). I bought a three bike rack even though I normally transport only two bikes because I like the extra room, and the larger rack was only about another twenty dollars. Therefore, I can't comment on using this for three bikes.
While driving I did not hear any "buzzing" or "vibrating" sound from the rack at all. Also, I secured all of the extra lengths of strap so that they did not flap around.
Before you decide to buy a trunk rack rather than install a hitch, keep some things in mind (I personally prefer a rack that attaches to a hitch, but on the particular car that I was taking on the trip, attaching a hitch was not an option):
1. While a trunk rack generally costs less than the cost of a hitch and a separate rack, once the trunk rack is installed you cannot easily access the contents of your trunk. That means if you go on a trip, you need to pack the trunk before you attach the rack and put on your bikes, and when you arrive at your destination, you need to remove your bikes and the rack to unpack your luggage. At the end of a long trip when I am using a rack with a hitch, I often leave my bikes on the rack until the next day and just deal with my luggage upon arrival. That is not an option with a trunk rack. Likewise, if you want to get something out of your trunk or put something in during a trip while the trunk rack and bikes are on, that is not an option.
2. Depending on the make and model of your car and how the trunk rack sits on the trunk, you have to be careful not to scratch the trunk with the bikes' pedals, and may need to wrap them with socks or some other protection. With a hitch, the bikes are nowhere near the trunk, so that is not an issue.
3. Installing and removing a trunk rack is fairly simple and requires no tools. Removing and installing a hitch rack requires more effort and usually requires a wrench, and sometimes a rubber mallet when the rack gets "stuck" in the hitch.
Bottom line: If you decide to go with a trunk rack, this product works very well.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 Tough to fit 3-bikes, buzzes while driving fast Aug 08, 2009
By Michael A. Behr
"mabehr"
I got this bike rack because it was mid range, though now I'm wishing I had sprung for the extra few $$$ for the Bones.
Let's start with the good: Installation is a breeze and it fits VERY solidly on the back of my car, and fits a wide range of cars including Buick Lesabre and Toyota Camry. I'm quite confident that when I put my bike on, it's going to be there when I get to wherever I'm going.
Okay, so now the downsides:
The first issue I have is with the straps that affix this to the car. They hold the rack securely, but when you take taut straps and run air over them at 40+ mph, they start to buzz... LOUDLY. Maybe SUVs won't have this issue, but my sedans do.
Second issue is the whole question of 3 bikes. I put two bikes on, and really didn't see how I would fit a third on.
Lastly, there's putting a woman's bike on. It looks like women's bikes require the purchase of a Bike Beam accessory to create a virtual top tube. I got this only by looking at the website; the instructions in the box weren't clear about this. Such an accessory might be needed for every bike rack out there, but for the price, they could have included at least one! Or at least made it clearer at the time of purchase so that I could have purchased both at the same time.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Nice rack! Aug 08, 2009
By Justin J. Waters
I used to have a Bell 2-bike rack that I purchased from Wal-mart, and that was a big mistake. I was always afraid to have more than one bike on at a time, since they tended to bang together as I'd drive. I'm also rather positive that it was the cause of a bent chain ring on one of the bikes. It also held the bikes much too close to the car, and lead to quite a few scratches on my trunk and bumper cover.
This bike rack has none of those problems. It is solid as a rock on the trunk of my car, and it provides plenty of clearance from the car itself. The bikes are held apart by a nice amount of room, and I have no problem putting a mountain, hybrid, and road bike on the same rack. My only complaints are that installation takes a while (which is no different from any other trunk rack that I've used), and it's a little difficult to get some bikes on. It can be tough to get the bike frame around the stabilizer (the chunk of hard plastic that hangs below some of the rubber mounts). However once the bikes are on, it's smooth sailing.
Customer support is amazing as well. I had an incident the first time that I used the rack which involved one of the stabilizers breaking (my own fault), and when I called to order a new part, they sent me a new arm free of charge. It was at my door within a week.
I am extremely happy with my purchase. Although you may be tempted to buy a much cheaper rack, you'll certainly save money in the long run by purchasing this instead.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Might be better for minivans or SUVs Oct 05, 2010
By riokerr
Bought this to take two bikes on a road-trip. Rack did fit nicely on the bumper of my car and didn't leave any scratches. If you own any sort of sedan though beware. This rack places the bike(s) above the height of the car, so not only is it difficult to lift up, but is a killer of gas mileage too. Despite being in the Saris fit guide, my Kia Rio had a drop of around 10mpg and I was travelling slow. I placed the rack on a large domestic sedan and it fit about the same, very high above the car. Apparently it is only meant for mountain bikes with wide tubes as I needed to place rags around the bike tubes on my 3 speed and hybrid in order to prevent slipping. Still the bikes did encounter a few scratches once I reached my destinations. I ended up returning the rack to Amnazon without hassle and bought the Thule Speedway which fits much lower on my car and the bikes fit on it properly.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Not Good for 3 Bicycles Sep 03, 2010
By Mark
I bought the Guardian 3 to carry 3 bicycles on our annual trip to Cape Cod. I've used it on both our Honda Civic and Toyota Prius. In both cases, the rack caused temporary damage to the rear bumper of the car: a significant indentation where the rack sits on the bumper. Fortunately, both plastic bumpers returned to their original shape within a day or two, so there was no long term damage. Still, I am not happy about it.
I complained to the Saris customer service staff about this, and got the answer that their "product compatibility" guide on the Saris website says this rack is only good for 2 bikes and 75 pounds on these particular cars. I'm ok with the weight limit, and these 3 bikes are certainly less than 75 pounds, put together. I'm not happy with the statement that a rack that is sold as holding 3 bicycles can't be used that way. I think that Saris should make that much clearer in their online information. If I had understood this limitation, I would not have bought this rack. I'm also unhappy because Saris is unwilling to do anything about it, like take the rack back.
I would also comment that it is a real challenge to get three bikes onto the one rack. I had to loosen and turn the handlebars, and even then it took me quite a while to get all three securely mounted.
Net: this rack cannot do the job that it is sold to do. If there were a way to rate the Saris company itself, I would also give that company 1 star for misleading consumers.
See all 9 customer reviews on Amazon.com
| |
| |
| |  | |  |
|
Recently Viewed | You may also like ... |
