ALLEN Deluxe 3-Bike Trunk Mount Rack, Blk/ Silver

Firstly: a list of compatible vehicles can be found at Allen's website. It's called the "Fit List", and is referred to on the product box. I'll also upload photos of the rack on my car and it's packaging momentarily. The link for the fit list: [...] I purchased this rack to aid me in moving from Oregon to Colorado. I'll update the review as time goes on. ----------------------------- 2011-June: First impressions (duration of ownership: 1 day; driven around town with one bike to test it): The rack fit well on my 1989 Toyota Corolla All-Trac station wagon, and feels very secure. I am using it for a single bike (on the innermost mount), and using the additional mounts for a spare wheel and tires, since I don't need the extra capacity at the moment. The rack feels sturdy, and I believe its stated 100 pound load capacity. The rack mounts easily (it took me a few minutes to set up the first time, and it should only take a minute or two in the future) and holds the bike in place securely. I very strongly recommend putting some sort of protection (see photos on the product page) between the metal hooks and the paint of your car (obviously) since the metal could scrape it off. Mounting the rack works well if you first fit the top hooks, then (while the rack dangles from the top straps) mount the bottom hooks. Don't forget padding (I used an old rag)! The horizontal bars that make contact with the car are very well padded (with ~3/4 inch thick foam rubber), and have a bend in the middle such that the bar *should* avoid contacting the paint of your car. Still, if you're worried: padding is a good idea. I hooked everything onto my back hatch (both the bottom and top hooks), and I am not able to open and close it when the rack is in place. Also, the rack slightly impairs visibility (see photo) when in reverse, as one would expect. Overall, it seems sturdy and mounts easily. See the photos I've uploaded for more info. ----------------------------- 2011-July: 1200 Miles later I wholeheartedly approve of this rack's performance. I drove from Portland, OR to Boulder, CO with this thing on the entire time, and it did no damage to my car whatsoever. It held my bike and some tires very securely for the entire trip - three days of HOT weather (as in Moab, UT in mid-July hot... so very hot). I kept checking it out of paranoia, but I never needed to tighten it. Thus I give the rack 5 stars. Caveats: I haven't used it with more than two bikes at a time as of now. I'll keep this review up to date as I own and use the rack longer. For now, it's stored in my closet with no signs of damage from the trip... save for a little dust :) -----------------------------

Before I get into the model specifics here's some of my general insight. 1. Seems to be a high-quality product. Well constructed and sturdy. The two top brackets that attaches to the car are NOT coated with anything other than paint. I think I'm going to have to come up with something to help protect my car's paint where it attached to the area just above my back window. Maybe some tape or some of the rubberized spray you can find at local hardware stores. 2. The only area that come in to contact WITH THE BIKE ITSELF are the two rubber brackets that the top bar of the frame sit on. I'm not sure if that rubber will FULLY protect the bike below the bar. It's not very soft and I think I'm going to have to wrap by crossmember with something to protect the finish on my bike. The brackets that tighten around and hold the bike to the carrier is nothing more that a manual pull strap. While it seems to hold the bike well I don't really care for the strap mechanism and is another reason I need to come up with a wrap for my frame. It's made of plastic and although it's not metal, it looks like it could do some damage to the frame if going on a longer trip. 3. The metal bars that comprise most of this unit seem to be more that strong enough to handle the weight of two bikes. 4. It holds the bike securely and is pretty quick to attach to the vehicle. Now the vehicle specifics. I read different reviews and couldn't determine if this rack would work with my Prius. The Mfg. web site said the only one that would fit was the 3 bike model. (another $40+ dollars) Others, who have tried to use this claimed success. Well, I claim success as well with an asterisk. Why?? The bottom bracket that rests on the back of the car is adjustable up and down. When I tried full extension down part of the metal bar came way to close to the painted plastic/fiberglass area just above the license plate. I adjusted the bar above that area but, like others mentioned, it rides on the Prius decal....but just a little bit. I don't think this is a deal breaker and this part of the car won't be damaged. For one...It's one of the anchor points that has a very soft and pliable foam covering. And, it only touches the outer edges of the decal. For the initial install I attached the bottom strap to the bottom of the car even though there is no metal down there to attach it to. (a bit flimsy) I plan on using one of the alternate methods described in the instructions that utilizes the bottom of the hatchback instead of the underside of the car. This change should also allow me to open by hatchback without taking the rack off of my car. I think. ;-) (I hope) I have a few trips planned and I'll post an update down the road and adjust my rating if need be. I think this is a very solid rack and it will provide years of reliable service. Cheers.

My wife and I purchased this bike rack based on its low price and good reviews. I wasn't expecting much, but when it arrived, I was impressed by both the quality and ease of setup. We had attached it to my little hatchback (securing it to the bottom of the hatch door, as the included straps weren't long enough to reach the underside of the car) with two adult-sized mountain bikes. Aside from the strap-length issue, it appeared to do its job, holding the bikes steady for the first two-hour leg of our journey to vacation. Unfortunately, the journey was cut short by a careless driver who, while playing with her phone, slammed into our vehicle (which had come to a complete stop in heavy summer-vacation traffic) at about 50mph, sending our much-smaller car careening across the next lane, where we came to a (hard) rest against the concrete median. Both airbags deployed, the car was totaled, and my wife and I were both transported to the hospital with injuries. But the bike rack? A freakin' tank. Not only did it hold both bikes securely during its final journey through the air, it remained in tip-top condition when it came to its final landing place 20 feet from our vehicle. The frames and wheels of the bikes weren't so lucky, but I was truly impressed with the quality of the rack, right up to the last. Due to the frame damage to the bikes and the fact that it's probably not wise to hang on to a $38 rack that flew 20 feet through the air with two bikes still attached to it, I decided to scrap it and list it with the damaged property. Hopefully the other driver's insurance will replace our bikes, and when that's out of the way, I fully expect to get the same rack again. Only this time, I'm taking the back roads.

I have been considering getting a bicycle rack for my car, but they were always more money than I wanted to pay. So, after reading the reviews on Amazon, I was pretty excited to get this Allen 2-bike trunk rack. I was a little leery of getting a rack that just straps on to the back of your car, but after checking some of the more expensive models, I discovered that pretty much all trunk racks were this way. Installation couldn't be easier, just hook the hooks on the back of your trunk (my car is a 2012 Kia Rio), tighten, and put your bike on. I keep my rack in the trunk when I don't have a bike on it, just so it doesn't walk away. It doesn't take up too much trunk space and I haven't run into a situation where it was in the way. I have used the rack for my 5 year old's 12 inch bike, my 7 year old's 18 inch bike, a 55cm road bike, and a 23 inch mountain Bike. It holds all the bikes securely (though no more than two at a time!). I used the rack for a 1200 mile round trip and had no issues. I had two bikes on it and they looked like they belonged there. The 2 pieces of advice I would have for people who would use this rack would be: 1. don't pull the straps too tight. I kept pulling the straps tight on my trip because I was concerned that my bikes would fall off. When I got to my destination and took the rack off, my trunk lid popped back into place. I had tightened the straps so much they made the metal of the lid bend! No permanent damage was done, but it's not something that I would want to keep doing. 2. always make sure the pads are in contact with the car. On a short trip, bringing my daughter's bike back from her school, I noticed a black mark on my car where the rack had come in contact with my car. Luckily, it was the paint from the rack and not a scuff on my car. But if the trip was longer, it might have done more damage. The pad slid out of position and the rack was metal to metal with the car. Overall, I would recommend this rack to anybody who needs to carry bikes on their car. The amount of time and effort that I save from having to take the wheels off my bike and stick it in the trunk any time I need to go somewhere with my bike and my car is well worth the cost of the rack.

Update -- 2008 Honda Accord SE sedan. Works just as well with this vehicle as it did with the Jeep. Honda's have a hook underneath, near the gas tank, but the angle is a bit "off" for this strap. So, you have to come in from the side, and REALLY crank it down tight. But again, no problems PA to NC & back. Jeep Liberty -- mounted the rack solely to the spare tire. It was tough to get the back portion of the rack below the rear windshield wiper at first, but with the right angle (come in high) it can be done. Once mounted, the rack was as solid as could be. Straps/tie downs were all very easy to use. Putting the bikes in the rack couldn't have been easier. There are receivers for two bikes on the rack, with integrated tie downs. Just drop the bike frame into the receivers, pull the straps through, and flip the little buckles. No bungees or additional straps are necessary. The frame itself is of good quality tube steel, and it folds down fairly flat so it doesn't take up much room when not in use. I used this rack to take 2 bikes from PA to NC & back, about 700 miles. Not one problem or worry it would fall off of the vehicle.

First of all I did save a lot of money purchasing this bike rack. It was convenient for me because it seems the only bike racks in my area are for 3 bikes and they are double the price. I did understand as well that this may not be the ideal bike rack given its price and some of the bad ratings on Amazon. This was the first bike rack I bought so I had a learning curve towards mounting the rack. But once I learned, it is not all that difficult to mount. The threads though tend to twist easily if you try to hurry and not pay attention. The straps though do hold the bike securely and I found it easy to get both of my bikes on when needed. My biggest issue though is I just do not trust this bike rack. I live in hilly terrain with curvy roads with its complimenting pot holes. The first time I used it I went on a short trip (8 miles) and when I went to remove the bike the left hook at the top of the trunk had came all the way loose. I fiddled around with it after my biking trip and after 30 minutes I felt confident enough to drive. Next biking trip the same thing happened. Before I left I had spent a lot of time trying to make sure the hooks and straps were evenly distributing the stress of the bike and tied 2 good knots for each strap. Still the left side came loose. Afterwards, I decided I needed to use two rubber hook straps to firmly secure it. Now since I have done that I feel more confident that the rack will be able to perform its duties and now the left side does not loosen. Overall it is not a bad purchase I just do not think it is ideal for bikers that live in hilly or mountainous terrians unless you have ways of strapping it down more securely. The need for some patience if you are a first time user of a bike rack is needed as well.

I have to say, this is a great little bike rack. I've now used it on a 2016 VW Jetta for a few years and an Audi Q5 once (non sportback). While I wouldn't say this is a great long-term solution on the Q5 because I had concerns about scratching the car, and it seemed like it could slip eventually in harsher conditions, it did the job on ~4 hour ride. I think the weight of 2 bikes at the required angle isn't ideal. However, it did save me from scrambling to get a hitch installed in a short period of time. This is a really versatile rack, and I wanted to share as I don't see much feedback on using this with larger vehicles/SUVs. When I upgrade to a hitch-attached bike rack, I'll be going with Allen!

Easy to set up and holds my bike securely on the back of my car. The tie down cradles rotate to fit my slanted-frame without needing a separate crossbar adapter. Stays stable while driving, and the straps feel strong and reliable. Solid buy. Highly recommend!