Customer Reviews

Saris Bike Beam

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've got a pretty large frame cruiser, but still within standard bike sizes, and the bar is just barely long enough to connect between the handlebar stem and the seat. If you try to pick the bar up in the middle (with the bike on it) the beam comes apart. It seems to be ok on the actual rack though, as there are two contact points towards the sides. I always keep a SUPER close eye on it though because I'm waay nervous that it's gonna separate and my bike will go tumbling down the road. I haven't used it very much because of it. If you've got a smaller frame bike you probably wouldn't have a problem at all.

I received my Bike Beam this week and gave it a test. It does exactly what is advertised to do and appears well built except for a design flaw that will cause the plastic collar where the two tubes of the bike beam slide together. The molded collar has a wedge molded into the inside of the ring which rides into a grove of the smaller tube. The problem is that the end of the grove ends before the inner tube bottoms out in the outer tube. This causes the wedge of the molded ring to rise up out the groove, putting a large amount of stress on the molded ring causing it to crack and eventually causing the ring to break and fall off. I believe the purpose of this ring is to make for a smooth operation when expanding the bike beam and to prevent debris from getting in between the 2 tube walls. I can see after a period of time without the ring, the Bike Beam may become harder to put on and off the bike as the debris between the 2 tubes builds up. I have written to Saris company about this flaw, but as usual I suppose the e-mail was read by a person hired to handle first level complaints and has no understanding of what I am trying to describe to them unless they have a Beam to look at. They quickly offered to send me a new bike beam but until the design flaw is corrected, briskly contracting the the beam or jarring either end when it is fully closed will cause the ring to break again. I have no problem with the collar being cracked because I will repair it myself and as far as the beam doing what it is supposed to do, it has little effect on that unless it is left un-repaired and debris is allowed to build up. My main purpose was to make Saris aware of the problem and correct it, because the next person may not think it is as minor of an issue as I do. I would of given this Beam a 4 or 5 even with the broken piece because it is that good but I am giving it a 2 in hopes it will flag someone at Saris to take a look at this problem.

Different manufacturers sell similar adapters which cost more but do essentially the same thing. Saris' bike beam works as advertised, does not feel cheap, but is still reasonably priced -- good thing, since I bought four of them!

Bought bike carrier and realized that women's bikes could not be loaded without an adapter. The Saris crossbar adapter goes on and off easily and does the job, i.e., the bike can be loaded onto the carrier. The price and service through Amazon was good and the delivery was speedy.

Purchased to mount my irregular shaped frame on a new trunk rack. I've seen other inferior bars with no locking or telescoping feature selling for 10-15 dollars more. This bar is strong, won't scratch my frame and is worth the cost.

It doesn't matter how much you paid for your bike you want to be sure it doesn't fall off your trunk rack when driving down the highway. The Saris Bike Beam is very solid, well made, with a smooth open/close-locking function with an easy to use button on each end and the beam telescopes smoothly to adjust to the correct size. We have used it on several long trips to hold my wife;s Schwinn cruiser, not a light bike, and it has done great. We also use it to hold my wife's bike on the wall mounted rack in the garage. Simple design, very well made.

The Saris Bike Beam has made loading my women's bike onto the Saris Bones trunk rack much easier. Once on the rack, the bike sits with greater security and is transported with ease. I'm very happy I made the decision to buy this product. V. Collins

I have a women's bike and the saris bike beam makes transporting my bike so much easier. IT is easy to attach to the bike.

The Saris Bike Beams are a MUST when hanging women's bikes or specialty frame bikes onto any trunk bike rack. It would be impossible to put my husband's mountain bike on a trunk rack without the Saris bike beam.

A little more expensive than the competition, but works great. Saris stands behind their products. Buy with confidence.