Customer Reviews

Saris Sentinel 3-Bike Trunk Mount Rack

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This rack works great! I was not ready to invest in a hitch for my car and tried a few different trunk racks before getting this one. The six straps really help to keep the rack secure...make sure you tighten them before AND after you load the bikes. There is plenty of room for three bikes with the adjustable length arms and the individual straps to secure the bikes are much more secure than I thought they would be after my first glance. I did not feel the need to use bungee cords in addition to the straps...but might for longer car trips. This rack also fits very well over my spoiler. Great value for a trunk rack!

Pros: Cheap! Holds 3 bikes, but more like 2 on my 2000 Sentra w/ spoiler. Fits over most car spoilers. Folds and is easy to store.
Cons: The six straps are a pain to adjust. Bottom support rests on my license plate. Bike hold downs move around.

I bought this because it was the cheapest three bike trunk rack I could find. Over all, I'm happy. Unfortunately, like another reviewer here, the straps kept coming loose, even after I did as the manual said and tie things off in knots. This is most likely due to the foam compressing under load or the knots tightening and creating slack.

After a trip to REI, I fit two triglide rings to each of the top straps and one of the side straps. After adjusted to my car's trunk, I looped the straps through each triglide buckle twice. So that's three layers of webbing in each buckle. This also means I looped the webbing through the hooks, and the ladder locks bolted to the rack. The result is nice, dense, non adjusting, triple 1" webbing straps. This also means that I now have 3 straps less to worry about. I added two triglide buckle to each of the remaining three straps. Unlike the other straps, I didn't go through the triglides twice. Spacing them widely apart and going through them just once keeps the straps snug and secure, though a bit of a pain to adjust. If I had to do it again, I'd probably buy six or three 1" ratcheting or metal cam buckle straps. This of course would put me close to the price range of higher end racks. But for a few dollars, triglides can do the job. It also looks very tidy as there are no extra bits flapping in the wind.

Sadly, on my car, the bottom foam bar rests directly on my license plate. So it is slowly rubbing the paint away underneath it. A total bummer. I plan on adding a closed cell foam pad underneath it to put that to an end.

The bike hold downs do move about. Once I figure out what the best distances are for our bikes, a few inches of PVC pipe and or zip ties are probably in my future. I also picked up some 60" side release buckle straps to loop through the bike wheels to prevent spinning. A small patch of grip tape to the bottom support tube prevents scratching from chain rings and denting of seat tubes.

In the end, it's three stars. It's the little things that make a rack easy to use. This one lacks very much so the little things. But, a little thought and very inexpensive bits will make things right for existing owners. For the tinkerers, here's your canvas. :)

I purchased the more expensive Yakima Super Joe 3 rack but was disappointed when I learned that it didn't fit my Chrysler Pacifica. I checked bike stores and they only had the high end Saris Bones and Thelma racks--which weren't recommend for my car either. I was very happy to find the Saris Sentinel. At $70, it was only half the price of the racks sold in stores and, including shipping, was less than the Yakima rack that I initially purchased. I took one star away because getting the straps situated the first few times was pretty challenging.

Pros: Inexpensive, solid bike rack. The "hold downs" will make you think twice before you back out of your bike with two 1" straps holding your bike to this. However, our first trip with this was a 60 mile trip over bumpy and horribly maintained Louisiana roads. The bikes arrived and nothing was out of order.

Cons: For those less mechanically inclined, it could be easy to make a mistake and not secure everything properly. This is partly due to instructions which are not the best in world and partly due to difficult to tighten straps.

This bike rack is a great purchase. It is lightweight, secure and fairly easy to install (compared to other bike racks). It also fits on a wide variety of vehicles (my wife's car with a spoiler and mine without). If the instructions had been a bit better, I would have given this 5 starts easily.

That being said, the value in this rack is IMMENSE. Don't pass it up!

I used this rack on my Nissan Sentra to carry 2 bikes about 2,500 miles. It was very easy to put on and take off of the car, and the bikes were very sturdy. The only thing that I didn't like was that the bottom straps couldn't seem to stay tight, so everytime I stopped I would have to go out and tighten them again. I would recommend using extra ropes to tie the bike tires together so they don't spin while you're driving. Overall I was very satisfied with this rack and am glad I purchased it. It held up very well throughout the drive, just remember to check on it every once in a while, especially if it is very windy because the bikes tend to slide back on the bars a bit.

Very sturdy, went on quickly. Supported vintage cruiser and kids bike for many miles and up a windey mountain road to the beach and back. I bought the three bike rack but realistically I wouldnt put more than two as they would rub together too much.

I used this bike rack when I moved across the country. I drove over 1600 miles with two bikes on the back and the rack held up great. It's easy to put on and take off - the straps are clearly labeled which is a huge plus, the foam is thick on the parts that touch the car, and I haven't had any problems with the straps loosening. The manual does tell you to knot them so they don't pull loose.


My only real concern is how the bikes attach to the rack... the straps have held up fine so far, but they don't give me the greatest level of confidence.. seems like there could have been a better design in there. Also, not really a plus or a minus, is that the bike supports aren't stationary - so you can't prevent the bike from sliding down the bar once you put it on. However, this allows you to adjust the width if you have a really wide bike, so it has it's advantages as well.

Good Bang For Your Buck:

While this item does lack some of the high end features you may find on a rack, such as Thule, for what you pay for it, it is completely reasonable.

The fact that there are holders for three cycles makes it unique. Most carriers are either one or two in this price range, and I have found having the three option opens up some things with this specific model. For instance, when only carrying two cycles, the extra clasping mechanism allows for a spacer between the ones you have on the rack. This is good onthis model because one of it's negative points is the amount of slide you get with the clasps.

The construction is solid, but you can tell it is not top end. Also, the straps that work over the clasps seem like they will not hold out long. They are plastic and snap onto the clasp by way of four holes. Overtime, I can see these wearing out and not giving you a good seal around your frame. But, where it lacks in top end features, it has ease of use and portablity. I used this rack to haul my cycle all the way from Laramie to Missoula. After figuring out the starps, the bike rode very well and the rack did not damage the car. The item is lightweight and stores very easily with it's collapsable frame.

Overall, you get good bang for your buck as long as you are willing to overlook some of its shortcomings in high end quality.

Just started biking again after many years, and when I stopped by my sisters to pick up the rack I loaned her around 15 years ago, I found out that she loaned it to a coworkers daughters friends neighbors uncle 14 years ago and never got it back, so I looked around and found this rack for a decent price. After using it a couple of times, I am glad my sisters coworkers daughters friends neighbors uncle never returned it. This one mounts easily and the straps hold securely. The arms seem a bit short for 3 bikes, but with a little effort adjusting them 3 bikes will fit. Also the hold downs seem a little cheap, but they hold fine so far, but I also add a couple of bungies as insurance.

This rack is easy to put on the car. We traveled about 600 miles with 2 bikes on the rack. The 2 bottom straps tend to loosen up a bit after putting the bikes on, so it's a good idea to check on them when making stops. We also used some bungie cords for some extra security to keep the bikes attached to the rack. We had no problems with the rack or the bikes moving around. Overall, a good product for the price.