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  Bell Double Back Two-Bike Trunk Rack By: Bell Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 69 More Information Bell could do it better..  On: 2008-07-16Pros: 1) Best price in the market. 2) Metal construction is very good. 3) the reflectors are a nice touch. Cons: 1) Lacks side straps/clips. Only upper/lower straps are provided. Definitely good for local trip with in 10 to 25 miles. Dont think its good for longer trips. Ive used it once on a 80 miles trip. It held up fine. But I would prefer to have side straps to be confident to drive at higher speeds. I was little concerned and had to watch the bike and my speed. 2) the straps loop through plastic buckles. Though the design is better with saw tooth, it could have been better if they were metal buckles. 3) to hold the bike to the rack, Velcro straps are provided. For smaller diameter frame tubes the Velcro doesnt stick well. The thickness of the tube has to be really big to get the Velcro stick well. It could have been designed little better to accommodate different frame thickness either with a different kind of tightening system or buttons. Bad Design  On: 2008-07-02Someone gave me this rack. It did not fit their SUV and they figured I could use it for my road bike, a vintage Cinelli. I strapped it to my Toyota Camry and put my bike on it. Not only did the straps immediately loosen, but the bike flopped around on the rack with the pedals crashing into the trunk. The plastic strap piece that is supposed to secure the top tube of the bike to the rack easily comes loose. The overall design of the rack is very poor. I realize this is a very economically priced bike rack, but it is not worth the risk of having your bike fly off on the highway. Id suggest going to a good bike shop and buying their entry level Yakima or Thule rack. For a few more bucks it would be well worth it. Bike Rack  On: 2008-06-24Everything was OK with the product but the delivery required a signature in person. I am unsure why this was necessary. In this day and age there is no one that is not working so that means there is no one home when the delivery was made. Fortunately the UPS guy just took my signature on the delivery slip. Good product On: 2008-06-22This is a good product. It is very easy to put on and take off the trunk and it seems to hold the bikes well. I dont know how it would do on long trips, but works perfect for short trips. Bike Rack On: 2008-06-18This bike rack easily holds two bikes. It is really easy to use. I have an SUV and it hooks up in seconds. The only slight nuisance is that when you fasten the straps, since they pass through a rubberized hook, it catches a bit. Minor inconvenience for a great product. Great bike rack  On: 2008-06-08This bike rack is easy to put on and take off. It is really sturdy. I love it. Two-Bike Trunk Rack On: 2008-06-04This works okay for one bike, but theres no way you could get two on it. There just isnt enough room. Also, threading the velcro straps through the little slot opening is a pain. But its the best I could do on a budget. Not the best but ok. On: 2008-06-04I bought this bike rack at wal-mart for $39.99. Its ok for short trips but the longer I drive the more loose the straps become. I have to re-tighten them every stop. Also dont know if its because of my car but the bikes sit really low. Im afraid of damaging my bike when I come to dips in the road. excellent! On: 2008-05-26This works great! Its easy to attach to the car and works like a charm. My wife and I used it up the canyon and it did great. We also used it on the freeway and had no problems. Great product at low cost. Pay the extra $$ to get a better quality rack. On: 2008-05-22I bought this rack because it was a lot cheaper than the others. Now I know why. Using it for one bike is fine but when I tried to put the second bike is where the problems started. My bikes got damaged because I was trying so hard to make this pos work. I have been cycling and mtb for 12 years. I usually would use my hitch rack but due to gas prices I wanted to use my car instead of my suv. I am so dissapointed in this rack the scratches on my bikes forks are a reminder of this horrible bike rack. Fortunately it was my hardtail mountain bikes so the scratches just blend in with the other scratches. Its just sad to me that the damage came from a bike rack instead of the trail. Maybe it wasnt built for mountain bikes even thought on the instructions it states it will fit your bike guaranteed. I returned this rack and got a Yakima brand and of course the Yakima works great. Works great! On: 2008-05-02This product works great. Ive used it several times with just my bike and a couple times with two bikes and it works flawlessly. I have a sedan though, so I dont know how it will work on a truck, van, or suv. I have no complaints about this product at all. works well On: 2008-04-24We purchased this rack two weeks ago, and it is quick to put on the car, a Ford Focus, taking maybe ten minutes to put on, and it holds the mountain bike securely. With all racks remember to not let a bike tire be too close to the car exhaust pipe, since you dont want to cook the tire. Nice Buy On: 2008-04-17I bought this product after reading the reviews and found that this is a great product with value for money. I use two bikes to transport on this rack and till now I havent seen any problems with it. It works fine and considering other products in the market, I am satisfied having bought this one. The straps works just fine and fits well on the car. Watch out!  On: 2008-04-05The product is good, just dont use it on a Scion TC Hatchback. On this car, the roof is all glass. It has a moon roof and sun roof. Well I hooked up this bike rack and when I opened my hatchback, the hinges shattered my moon-roof causing almost $2000 in damages. I have used bike racks like this one before and they work great, just dont use them on Scion TCs. Needless to say, I was pissed! Get your bike stolen - BIKE RACK WORKS GOOD On: 2008-04-05I purchased this rack and mounted it to my car. I used it twice in a two week period and then couldnt use it for about a month due to medical issues. Finally, I recovered and got ready for another bike ride. I went out to get my bike and realized it had been stolen. The bike was NOT on the bike rack when it was stolen. I had a broken lock holding it to my fence. There was some difficulty mounting it to the tiny trunk on my 98 Saturn but I figured out a way to jerry rig it. Early impressions On: 2008-04-05Upon receiving the product, proceed as follows: STEP 1. Open the box and remove the carrier and the instruction booklet. You may throw out the box at this point; youll eventually be quite happy with the carrier. STEP 2. Set the carrier aside and pick up the instruction booklet. CAUTION: DO NOT OPEN THE INSTRUCTION BOOKLET UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. Instead, immediately throw it in the wastebasket. Purists may wish to shred it. In any case, do not open it; and please, if it happens to fall open of its own accord, do not read it! Get it into the wastebasket or the shredder as soon as possible! DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!! I find nothing whatsoever of value in the instruction booklet. Even the illustrations are confusing. DO NOT LOOK AT THEM. This should not be construed as advice; rather, this is a warning. Reading the instructions or looking at the illustrations will most certainly delay the installation of this carrier. (Note to Bell: technical writing is a skill; a fine technical writer is relatively rare and commands a good salary. Bell, if you are listening: hire one.) STEP 3. Having unpacked the carrier and thrown out the instructions without looking at them, take the carrier in hand and proceed to your vehicle. STEP 4. Visualize; experiment; try various configurations. It took me three tries to find the correct positioning of the carrier on my vehicle. There are several options, as will become apparent once you begin experimenting. Once I found the correct orientation for my vehicle, everything fell into place perfectly. STEP 5. Having discovered the correct orientation of the carrier in relation to your vehicle, loosely snug up the straps; do not fully tighten them. STEP 6. Visually inspect the carrier in relation to your vehicle. Will any part of the carrier (other than the padded components) contact your vehicle if you tighten the straps further? Will your bike(s) be positioned a sufficient distance from the rear bumper so as not to come in contact with it? If one or both of these conditions is not satisfied, continue experimenting. Once you have found the correct position for the carrier, proceed to Step 7. STEP 7. Position the straps. The upper straps are not a concern; they will attach intuitively and easily. NB: the lower straps should travel *inside* the carrier frame, then attach to the vehicle. STEP 8. Having positioned the straps, proceed with tightening the straps as follows: snug up the upper left, lower right, upper right, then lower left. Having snugged them up, next fully tighten them, in same order (i.e., upper left, lower right, upper right, and lower left). It may be helpful or even necessary to push the top bar forward, towards the rear window of the vehicle, as you tighten the upper straps. In a similar vein, it may be necessary to push the lower bar downward as you tighten the lower straps. Have first snugged the straps, then tightened them, attempt to tighten them once more. If you cannot, you are done. Having installed the carrier as described, I can grab hold of it and rock the entire vehicle back and forth. It feels like it is a part of the vehicle. There is no play whatsoever. Rating: four stars. (One star deducted to encourage Bell to hire a skilled technical writer.) The apparatus is solid as a rock when installed correctly. Again, to do so, DO NOT LOOK AT THE INSTRUCTION BOOKLET. Do not be tempted. Use your own common sense, and you will be quite satisfied. Reading the instructions may cause you to attempt to follow them, and this will only delay the installation of the carrier. Happy biking! Excellent product for the price On: 2008-02-05I was very pleased with this bike rack. It was easy to install and I was able to use it on my Honda with a rear spoiler by making tiny modifications. It held two bikes very securely. For the price, I doubt if you can beat it. Spoiler Alert On: 2008-01-06I have a 2002 Nissan Altima and this rack would not fit over the spoiler. The product desciption does not mention there may be a fit problem on cars with spoilers. Buyer beware! Some Great Features....... On: 2008-01-03What I liked the best was the cushiond on the bars that come in contact with your trunk. These are Grrrrreat!!!! no more scratches or dents.....verrrrry nice. The other nice feature is the velcro straps that hold the bikes in are very secure. I compared this to several other carriers in the $100.00 and up range.....This is by far a good value, light weight, and soooooo easy to install. It Works! On: 2007-12-02I wanted an inexpensive way to transport my bike on my 4-door sedan. Ive driven for hours with my bike on the back, and it was great, no problems. The straps were overwhelming once it was on, so we wrapped the excess strap around the rack, which also tightened it. The only drawback is that with my particular car, there is no way to fasten the rack from underneath the trunk, which would make me feel more comfortable leaving my bike on the rack when I had to go somewhere; but I still have the rack and my bike! Velcro is great... for kids shoes. On: 2007-10-31Im fairly pleased with my new bike rack. i can fit two cruiser styles on it (no easy feat), and it will fit on any car i ever own, presumably. Unfortunately, I take issue with the velcro straps. I just dont trust them to stay on. Also, how easy is it to steal my bike held on by velcro straps! Im pleased with it, I gave it 4 stars for a reason. I just wish I could have more faith in it. I really dont want to take it on the freeway... Good deal for the price On: 2007-10-20We used this bike rack for a four hour trip then back, and the only issue was some wobbling right after we got on the highway. We fixed that by tightening some bungee cords and it was good to go - no more problems all the way on highways. I trust Bell products and the price was affordable. Works Pretty Well On: 2007-10-17This works pretty well - I recommend. It took me about 30 minutes to an hour to set up - about 2 weeks later it cam loose a little and I re-set it up again. It has worked well for 2 months now and i use it every weekday. Happy Customer On: 2007-10-10The product was what I had ordered and I received it when promised. Will shop here again. Would have been Nice to know ... On: 2007-09-23That this rack might not work on a car with a rear spoiler. Im going out to try again today, but when I tried yesterday frustration was the name of the game. I will update this review if I have different results. Product did not work On: 2007-09-04I could not get the bike rack to stay put! It was not sturdy on my car at all. Im not sure if it was just a defective unit or if thats how the whole lot is! I have just shipped it back and am waiting for a refund! Cheap. Works. Short trips? On: 2007-08-15Installation was very straightforward on our VW Passat (contrary to instructions extension was not needed). Left-right stability may leave something to be desired (watch your speed in those curves, consider additional straps for longer trips. Make sure you clean any sand/dirt off the trunk to avoid unnecessary scratching. Great Value On: 2007-08-09This bike rack is great for local bike riding. Its sturdy enough for a drive thats not that long. It took only a few minutes to assemble and we were on our way. Does the trick On: 2007-07-17This is my first bike rack, & for the money its a good buy, however you will need to "tweak" it a bit. The bottom portion has no padding & hits the pedal area of bike. No prob, I used a piece of those styrofoam pool tubes toys that sell for a buck to cover the exposed metal section & voila. Good 2 go. Why Something Else? On: 2007-07-03This bike rack works great. Ive had it for about a month and take my bike to the park several times a week. The initial assembly was a bit difficult, but after that, you can just leave it on your trunk even when you dont have your bike on it, and you can still open the trunk when the bikes not on. Why get something more expensive? This works. Fine the first year...but then.... On: 2007-06-24I purchased the three-bike rack (exact same construction, but mine came with three sets of bike tie-downs, instead of two) two years back. It worked fine the first year, but the next year the unit was beset by problems: three of the tie-downs failed. The rubber slit where the velcro straps threads through broke off. So essentially, I have a carrier that is capable of carrying only one bike. In addition- the straps that attach the carrier to my car dont seem to be capable of the same degree of tension as they did in the past- making for a somewhat bouncier ride for the bike. A previous poster stated this is a gravity carrier- and oh so true. You really need to use some decent quality bungee cords, or you will find the bike being subjected to drag, as another poster commented, and not in a good way. As others have said- this is an ideal carrier for simple/short trips, or if you are cutting your teeth and dont want to drop alot of dead presidents for equipment (even if thats the case, keep the trips short). I would never consider this carrier for long trips, and I would think twice about transporting a friends bike. Its one thing if my bike (perish the thought) was somehow damaged in transit- but I dont want to be responsible for anothers pride and joy biting the big one. Great Value: "tweaking" suggestions improve its faults On: 2007-06-17Im new to the sport of biking so I didnt want an expensive rack if I didnt stick with it. This one was great for an entry-level user on mostly local trips. Pros: -easily takes my bike to work and back, and to the local trails -Successfully transported my single bike 4 hrs. straight on highway and country roads. (and another 4 hrs. on the return trip) -price -easy to use and install -seems to not damage my car Cons: -the straps are LONG. Recommend either cutting or tying them back upon themselves. It takes practice to figure out the best configuration. -Need extra ties/bungees on the bike to keep the front wheel from turning (I tie it with the long straps, but then I have the rubber tire flush against my bumper. Some of you might not be ok with that.) -The red bike holders slide. My front wheel ends up tight against the car while the back wheel slides out as far away from the car as possible adding to the drag. See the review from GreenEggsnHam to fix this. Hes brilliant because I hadnt figured out how to fix this problem yet, but I agree it is an issue. One more note: -Female bikes and many mountain bikes need an adapter bar to sit straight on the rack. These are sold separately. Without the bar, my ladies bike BARELY fits even canted, and I have to position the rack off-center on the car so the bike isnt too wide. So far this has not been a problem, but its a little awkward. Not a fault of this product, just something to think about depending on the type of bike you have. Great for the money--just needs a couple of easy tweaks On: 2007-06-04This is my first bike carrier, so I didnt have an overview of how to put one together--thus the instructions were a little disorienting at first. Once I got the hang of it, the assembly and installation went okay. There are three detractors to this carrier: (1) It is a gravity carrier, so your bike(s) will swing free unless you can bungee them somehow; (2) The hold-downs slipped around some while I was driving; (3) There are no pads on the hooks. Here are a couple of pointers to help you out when using this carrier: (1) Cut pads for the trunk hooks. I cut some 2"x3" rectangles from an old rubber mousepad; (2) Buy a piece of foam pipe insulation from a home store. Cut two pieces roughly 8" and place them on the carrier arms between the hold-downs. This will keep the hold-downs from sliding around. Great for the money--just needs a couple of easy tweaks On: 2007-06-03This is my first bike carrier, so I didnt have an overview of how to put one together--thus the instructions were a little disorienting at first. Once I got the hang of it, the assembly and installation went okay. There are three detractors to this carrier: (1) It is a gravity carrier, so your bike(s) will swing free unless you can bungee them somehow; (2) The hold-downs slipped around some while I was driving; (3) There are no pads on the hooks. Here are a couple of pointers to help you out when using this carrier: (1) Cut pads for the trunk hooks. I cut some 2"x3" rectangles from an old rubber mousepad; (2) Buy a piece of foam pipe insulation from a home store. Cut two pieces roughly 8" and place them on the carrier arms between the hold-downs. This will keep the hold-downs from sliding around. Working Out Fine On: 2007-05-30I just used this last weekend and while it was a chore for me to get it hitched up to the trunk correctly (I have the scratches on my trunk to prove it), it worked fine for the short distance I traveled. I only had one bike on it and it seemed to hold really well. I used those loose flaps to make the bike more secure on the rack. I got it from Wally World for $29.97. great choice for a basic bike rack On: 2007-05-29I bought this bike rack from walmart for the same price. It takes a minute to get it attached and some care is needed to safely stow away the excess of loose straps. It will hold two heavy bikes just fine with minimum sway while driving. I wouldnt recommend it for long road trips due to the minimal padding and strap attachments, but for <50 mile trips with cautious driving it should work just fine. You really cant beat the price. It is also re-configurable to attach on vans, hatchbacks, sedans, etc. great price on a great product On: 2007-05-18This rack is easy to install easy to use and a great price from amazon Good bike rack! On: 2007-05-17I have yet to use two bikes on the rack but for my one bike, this rack is great! It holds my bike securely and fits well on my car. I would recommend this rack to anyone looking for a simple way to travel with your bike. Works for me On: 2007-05-13Im able to take two bikes on the back of my Camry with no problems. While the directions were not that good, it was fairly intuitive to setup. I might have spent maybe 5 minutes getting it setup right. Look Closely and read - Rack Can be Tricky - but a good rack On: 2007-05-10I read several of the reviews on this rack and they are correct. I bought this rack and like it very much. I also carry a very high end custom built carbon fiber road bike using it. This rack works like a champ IF and I say IF you set it up properly. I bought rubber coating material at Ace hardware and added 2 additional coats on the 4 trunk hooks -- that way your trunk does not get dinged. I put padding on the 2 metal bars. The bike hangs - yes -- but I use plastic bungies or string to hold the bike to the rack frame so it does not flap around - that would never do. IMPORTANT FACTOR - Now -- my bike weighs 17 pounds -- therefore it does not do damage to the trunk of my miata from hook pulling or pushing down on trunk. I only carry 1 bike - mine on my 02 Miata. Works fine. Absolutely perfect for cross town carry. Highway works too - went to Texas and it covered 1200 miles each way. But you need to check things and make sure its fastened. I rolled along at 70 no problem I would not use this for heavy mountain bikes -- but thats me. Light weight bikes work. To me, heavy bikes -- adding weight of 25 pounds and up would make this rack unstable and cause possible damage. All in all - its a perfect rack for light weight bikes and cross town trips. More than that -- consider a more heavy duty rack system. Not for long car rides On: 2007-01-30I was taking my bike back to school with me and the bike rack came unlatched and my bike was flying behind the car only attached to the trunk on one side. the rack isnt as secure as I would have liked but it definitely works for short drives, not necessarily the interstate. Product ok, shipping was bad On: 2007-01-09I received an opened box and I think pieces of the foam were missing. Very unsatisfied with this purchase. Bicycle Rack On: 2007-01-09Works OK on intended vehicle. OK to set up & remove but not very easy. Not sturdy to carry 2 bikes On: 2007-01-02Many of the reviews seem quite positive so maybe the rack I received was defective, or maybe its just me... but, the rack was not at all durable or sturdy. One of the plastic tips was cracked upon receipt, but I kept it since it didnt seem to impact the function of the rack. Putting the first bike on was fine and it seemed like it would carry it well. However, after putting the second bike (both are cruisers) on, the rack started to slip no matter how tightly it was strapped onto the trunk. Also, the "gears" for adjusting the placement of the rack were very loose and with the weight of the bikes, they would not stay in place. Perhaps this was a malfunction on the particular rack I received. Nevertheless, I decided to return it, but the problem was that I was not even able to return it because I hadnt used it for a while after receiving it, and by the time I unpacked it and decided I would return it/replace it, about 2 or 3 months had passed, surpassing the 30 day return limit. Also the cost to return would not have been worth it since it didnt cost too much to purchase, so in the end, it ended up in the dumpster. I purchased another one from a bike shop at a little higher cost and it is working just fine. Excellent for the price On: 2006-11-26I bought the rack and i think its great. originally it felt it was going to fall on its sides while loaded, but all it took was to flip one of the bars that rest on the trunk (opposite position to the one on the pictures) and voila! Problem solved. Also a good feature is the the red rubbery plastic were the bike rests in the rack rotate, so you can accomodate several differt kinds of bikes (with weird shapes). A friend of mine bought one for $100 buks which seems sturdier, but since those things dont rotate some bikes wont fit. Overall very good purchase! good bang for your buck On: 2006-11-14Ive got a 98 Civic thats missing quite a bit of the paint, so Im not particularly worried about the miniscule damage this does to my paint job. The most noticable is where the bike bangs into the bumper because it kind of swings freely off the bar. To combat Ive tied the wheels and frame to the bottom part of the bike rack to cut down on the movement. If I had a car with an in-tact paint job I would think twice about attatching this to my pretty new car. I would probably opt for a more expensive alternative to preseve the looks of the car. But for the price you really cant ask for a whole lot more. It gets the job done, and its very secure. Inexpensive and easy to use On: 2006-11-10This rack is really good for the price. It only takes a few minutes to put the rack on your car and load your bike. Not sure if it would be great for heavy usage or a someone with expensive bikes, but it works for me. I recommend it. You might consider buying another bungy cord or two for extra stability. Economical..But? On: 2006-11-03I live in the Caribbean and purchased this to carry two bikes so I can accompany my son riding on an afternoon. We both have Mountain Bikes and strapping them both on is a bit of a trick as the cradle seems a little too short for two mountain bikes. Added to this the bike holder on the cradle slides down with the weight of the mountain bike so the peddle of the first bike may press against the trunk of the vehicle. Other than this it works fine, even for long trips on very uneven surfaces, no banging on the car and no worries about the bikes coming loose. I wouldve purchased the three bike rack by Bell however to carry the two bikes comfortably and reduce the mental gymnastics necessary to get both bikes loaded. The price is right! On: 2006-10-21I love this bike rack!!! We have two bikes, we used it all summer to transport our bikes. The only thing that was not clear is the instruction of how to put it together, and although the first time we set it up incorrectly, it withheld two bycicles with plenty of highway driving. Avoid this bike rack!!!! On: 2006-10-16I thought this would be a great bike rack based on the other customer reviews but boy was I wrong!! This is NOT an intuitive installation and the directions that come with it are terrible. It seriously gouged my trunk, there is no way a quality rack should do that kind of damage. I am extremely disappointed with this product and wish I would have just spent more money for a better quality rack. Now Im going to have to pay that money anyway to fix my paint job!!! DO NOT BUY THIS BIKE RACK!!! Avoid this bike rack!!!! On: 2006-10-15I thought this would be a great bike rack based on the other customer reviews but boy was I wrong!! This is NOT an intuitive installation and the directions that come with it are terrible. It seriously gouged my trunk, there is no way a quality rack should do that kind of damage. I am extremely disappointed with this product and wish I would have just spent more money for a better quality rack. Now Im going to have to pay that money anyway to fix my paint job!!! DO NOT BUY THIS BIKE RACK!!! Bell Double Back Two-Bike Trunk Rack On: 2006-10-01Light weight, but sturdy, this rack mounts on the back of my 740 iL BMW in about 30 seconds. Takes another minute to rack two road bikes, raady to roll. You cannot beat the price and the product works like a charm. Does the Trick On: 2006-09-19This bike rack is inexpensive and sturdy. I have a legacy and the rack fits snugly on the trunk. I drove about 2000 miles this summer with one bike and no problems. Do make sure to snug the straps. You get what you pay for On: 2006-09-15This is indeed a nice cheap rack, and as another reviewer said, Ive never had any of my bikes fall off of it. However, dont expect it to last more than one riding season; I bought it in about mid-June, and by September, one of the velcro straps had torn clean through the cheap rubber mount holding it. Another one tore away early this year, and I had to move one of the mounts from one side to the other and turn it into a single-bike rack. Early this summer I finally gave up and bought a Yakima King Joe 3-bike rack, which feels much sturdier and also will hold the bikes in place vertically, keeping them from bouncing off of your bumper. Good value, moderate quality On: 2006-08-20This is about the cheapest bike rack you can buy at around $30. For that price, it has done a decent job, as my bikes have not fallen off the back of my car yet. If I had more to spend, I would have liked to buy a sturdier rack, but this one gets the job done for now. a good rack for simple bike transport; great value for the money On: 2006-08-08I bought this rack about four months ago, and have used it at least 15 times so far. It isnt the most sturdy bike rack out there -- you can definitely find more solid ones if youre willing to pay $80-100 or more. But for the price, its a great value. If youre going to be carrying bikes shorter distances (Im thinking <10 miles), I think this rack works fine. I have no trouble getting two Trek hybrid bikes loaded onto it. You can see the bars lower slightly under the weight when the second bike is put on, but it still seems pretty sturdy. Straps havent been a problem -- theyve stayed secure on all my drives. Its simple to put on. It only takes about two minutes to get the rack itself on the car, and an additional minute for each bike, once you figure out the best way to position your bikes. It might take a little playing around with the first couple times, but once you find a pattern, it seems to load quickly. If I start wanting to go longer distances with the bikes on my car, Ill probably upgrade to a nicer rack. But for simple trips and as an economy choice, I think this Bell rack works pretty well. a good rack for simple bike transport; great value for the money On: 2006-08-07I bought this rack about four months ago, and have used it at least 15 times so far. It isnt the most sturdy bike rack out there -- you can definitely find more solid ones if youre willing to pay $80-100 or more. But for the price, its a great value. If youre going to be carrying bikes shorter distances (Im thinking <10 miles), I think this rack works fine. I have no trouble getting two Trek hybrid bikes loaded onto it. You can see the bars lower slightly under the weight when the second bike is put on, but it still seems pretty sturdy. Straps havent been a problem -- theyve stayed secure on all my drives. Its simple to put on. It only takes about two minutes to get the rack itself on the car, and an additional minute for each bike, once you figure out the best way to position your bikes. It might take a little playing around with the first couple times, but once you find a pattern, it seems to load quickly. If I start wanting to go longer distances with the bikes on my car, Ill probably upgrade to a nicer rack. But for simple trips and as an economy choice, I think this Bell rack works pretty well. Good for one bike, not for two. On: 2006-07-23Its easy to install, and compact. But, its too small for two bikes. Also, the bar holders and velcro strips dont fit small frame bikes. For two bikes, this rack is to small. The bike support bars are to short for two bikes. If the bars were 10 inches longer, it would be fine. I have to much invested in my bikes to let them bang together on the road, and also into my car as well. It works great for one bike, but not for two. Good for one bike, not for two. On: 2006-07-22Its easy to install, and compact. But, its too small for two bikes. Also, the bar holders and velcro strips dont fit small frame bikes. For two bikes, this rack is to small. The bike support bars are to short for two bikes. If the bars were 10 inches longer, it would be fine. I have to much invested in my bikes to let them bang together on the road, and also into my car as well. It works great for one bike, but not for two. bell bike rack On: 2006-07-14this bike rack was cheap and so far has worked just fine. the straps are a bit prone to coming loose; but so far its done everything ive needed it to. definitely fine for short trips... Bell Bike 2 bike carrier On: 2006-07-05carrier is very sturdy and works well for basic bike carriage. Price is a good price. WARNING - you get what you pay for On: 2006-05-09If there was ever a product that I could say was junk it would be this. I have about $2000 dollars worth of bikes that I put on my car with this rack. After the 5 mile drive I got out of the car to realize that with every bump we hit the straps loosened a little more. By the time we got there the straps holding on to the bottom of the trunk were comletely out flapping in the breeze. I had to stop once on the way home to tighten the straps again. Needless to say if you have a bike that means anything to you I wouldnt trust this bike rack. Maybe it would be better for just one bike or perhaps childrens bikes but other than that...USE AT YOURE OWN RISK!!! Ill be sending mine back and going for something more reliable. gets the job done! On: 2006-05-09Its a great rack that gets my bike around. I have one of the bikes with the frame suspension under the seat and it holds that bike really well. Its takes some adjusting with the straps on my Jeep to get the carrier to align up evenly on the trunk. The only complaint I have is out of the box the bike support (where you lay your bike on) didnt lock into place like it should. I had to grind down the powdercoat just to get it to slide down and lock. No biggie, but was a little inconvenient. Anyhow, it looks cool and was cheap. I bought mine at a walmart store for the same price as amazon. WARNING - you get what you pay for On: 2006-05-08If there was ever a product that I could say was junk it would be this. I have about $2000 dollars worth of bikes that I put on my car with this rack. After the 5 mile drive I got out of the car to realize that with every bump we hit the straps loosened a little more. By the time we got there the straps holding on to the bottom of the trunk were comletely out flapping in the breeze. I had to stop once on the way home to tighten the straps again. Needless to say if you have a bike that means anything to you I wouldnt trust this bike rack. Maybe it would be better for just one bike or perhaps childrens bikes but other than that...USE AT YOURE OWN RISK!!! Ill be sending mine back and going for something more reliable. Bike doesn't fit on rack On: 2006-04-20Its a nice rack, easy to install, and fits securely, but if you have a 49 cm or smaller road bike the support arms too wide to support the bike by the top tube. One arm will fit on the top tube and the other is wide enough for the seat stay. I am not willing to put a Roubaix on it if it doesnt fit properly. Yuehuei from South Carolina On: 2006-03-15This is an affordable, easy to use bike rack. The hooks are loose, so I used some folded paper towel or sandwich bag to make them engaged well to the trunk edges. Feel solid after 750 miles ride. Easy to Mount bike rack On: 2006-03-04This bike rack is really easy to mount and dismount. So far I have been really happy with it. Why Can't I install It? On: 2006-03-02I have a 1987 Ford Crown Victoria and after two hours of trying to install this rack I am about ready to box it up and return it. The problem is that after I mount it and put any amount of pressure on the bicycle support arms they move downward before contacting the straps. This does not seem correct and I am not about to place a $500.00 bike on this carrier unless I can figure out what the problem is. If anyone has any suggestions e-mail me at flags6262@aol.com Thanks Great bike rack for the money - Installs in minutes On: 2006-02-25I installed this in 5 minutes and have never had to re-tighten the straps since I bought it 2 months ago. I recommend this and it is even stable in high winds driving on the free way. Great for the Price On: 2005-11-29I bought this at Wal-Mart for the same price as Amazon. Its horribly easy to install and it worked great. I went on a 500 mile round trip without any problems. I would suggest pushing up each of the mounting bars so that you can get the fit very tight. Otherwise you might have a problem with the bike bouncing around. Considering how much the other bike mounts are, this is the best for the money. Cross Country On: 2005-10-26We moved From Ca. To Ar and took our bikes on the bike rack. Worked great easy to take off and on. easy to install On: 2005-10-24This bike rack is great. I was really easy to install. I just wish theres somewhere to tuck away the long straps (I ended up tying it in multiple knots). Otherwise, its very convenient and easy to use. Bell Bike Rack On: 2005-10-13Received in timely manner..easy to hook up, works great for my needs for a good price. good quality bike rack On: 2005-09-23i recently purchased this bike rack and i am pleased with my purchase thus far. i used the rack to hold my 19 lb racing bike on my drive from buffalo to new york city ( about 350 miles ) and was able to drive in excess of 75-80 miles per hour on the highway with no trouble, no scratches on my 2004 dodge stratus trunk lid, no dents on the trunk, and no scratches or chips on the bike. The rack has thick rubber bumpers and plastic clips to avoid scratching the cars paint. the bike mounted securely and did not shift or vibrate during the trip. my only complaint and the reason i rate it 4 stars and not 5 is that the product was not assembled correctly from the factory and when i took it out of the box it took a little time and a few bad words to realize this. the problem was that the lower bar ( the one used at the bottom of the deck lid ) was backwards, i easily switched this and the rack mounted perfectly. also the instructions for this product are terrible. A great bike rack once it is mounted properly. |
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