Trunk Mounted Bike Rack Solution More Stable than SeaSucker Hornet

Question:

How far off the mounting surface does the Hornet hold the handlebars? I have a road bike with hydraulic brakes that stick up over the top of the bars not sure how far, will measure later. I also am wondering if there is a saddle cradle available that keeps the bike from swinging and causing damage to the saddle and the car.

asked by: Eric H

Expert Reply:

I spoke with my contact at SeaSucker and while they were not able to get me a measurement that handlebars would be away from the glass of the vehicle using the Hornet part # 298-BH1302 he assured me you wouldn't have an issue as they've used this rack with several bikes that have hydraulic style brakes and none of them had any clearance issues. Since the bar cradle is tapered it's hard to get an exact dimension where it would hold the bars.

Since there isn't a way to secure the seat of the bike (see test course video) to prevent it from bouncing and moving you might be better off with a traditional trunk mounted bike rack like the Yakima Fullback part # Y02634 which won't bounce or move at all. It also has anti-sway bike frame cradles which allows it to hold the bikes very securely as well. In the test course video I attached for this bike rack you can see how much more stable it is.

I also attached an install/review video for the rack on a similar 2014 VW Passat as well.

expert reply by: Jameson C