Trunk Mounted Bike Rack Recommendations for 2010 Mazda 3 Sedan  

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We have many different bike carriers that will work with your Mazda 3, the Thule Passage, part # TH910XT being one of them. The best bike rack will for you will primarily depend on your budget and the features you're looking for. Thule makes a great bike rack, and they stand by their products by offering a limited lifetime warranty.

In a 'good, better, best' scenario, the Passage would be the good choice. It's a bare bones option, but it'll get the job done for you. Thule makes a great product, so you can't go wrong there. The Passage offers nicely padded cradles to protect your bikes and anti-sway cradles to prevent the bikes from swaying back and forth during travel and banging into each other or the rear of your vehicle.

The better option, the Thule Gateway Pro, part # TH88VR for a 2 bike or # TH78VR for 3 bikes goes a step further by offering upgraded padded cradles, and an integrated cable lock to help prevent the bikes from being removed from the rack.

The OutWay, part # TH45JV for the 2 bike and the # TH56BV for the three bike is the trunk mounted rack I recommend most often. It uses 2 rubber coated straps to attach to the vehicle, which makes installing and removing the rack very simple. It also includes locks for the rack and the bike. This is the most user-friendly trunk mounted bike rack I've encountered.

If you'll be transporting women's bikes or bikes with sharply-angled top tubes, you might also consider a frame adapter bar like part # 64005. The bar spans the distance between the handlebar gooseneck and the seat post, which provides a secondary attachment point for the bike rack. This allows the bike to be carried level, which maximizes ground clearance.

I've linked you to some product demonstration videos for the racks I've mentioned.

expert reply by: Mike L

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