The Outback 3 Bike Trunk Mount Rack is designed to be a fairly universal carrier for three light weight bicycles.  Low in cost, pretty intuitive to use, and simple to store, it could be a viable option for that emergency bike transport situation.

In The Box

Unpacking the rack you will find a fully assembled, but folded up carrier and a set of printed instructions.  The carrier has four “foam” pads, three sets of (what appears to be nylon) attachment straps, and three sets of plastic brackets for securing bicycles.  

Mounting The Rack

Mounting the rack to your car, SUV, or minivan is easy, but not initially simple.  With all those loose straps and things it can get a bit confused or frustrated, so I do recommend reading the instructions before going any farther!  There are a lot of “cautions,” “warnings,” and “discalimers” provided that you really should take into consideration.  

After reading the instructions, installation should be a lot easier.  In a nutshell, the two strap hooks marked “top” are hooked over the top of the trunk lid, the two marked “side” over the side of the lid, and the two marked “lower” over the lower edge of the lid.  Once “hung” on the trunk the straps should be tightened evenly, with the ends of the straps should be knotted so as not to slip, and the bikes loaded on the brackets and secured with the “snap-fit” straps.  Confused? Well, there are enough pictures printed in the instructions to carry you through.

Use

Remember those “cautions,” “warnings,” and “disclaimers” I brought up earlier, this is when they really come into play.  First, it is a good idea to double check that this carrier is the correct one for you vehicle.  I know that could sound a bit harsh, but I have had times when I did not realize my mistake until it was too late. Second, things like clearances for the carrier and bicycles, could later become real issues at 55 miles an hour!  Third, there is a maximum total weight limit of 105 pounds.  That means that three 35 pound bikes are all you should load. Do be careful there, as there are a lot of bicycles that weigh closer to 40 pounds - ignore this one at your own risk! But more importantly, those nylon straps can “stretch” after loading the carrier.  A bit of road vibration can add to that stretch.  The instructions recommend checking the straps after 30 minutes or 30 miles - I found that even after being “broken in” that they had loosened up after a single mile!  

Another thing that could be a factor is that the bicycles are being “hung” out on what is effectively what those rabid engineers I sometime work with as a cantilever (OK, a maybe a lever if you are not trying to impress anyone) that will multiply the force of the total bicycles‘ weight.  So I would suggest loading the heaviest bike nearer to the vehicle bumper, and the lightest ones farther out.  

Experience

I did not actually “buy” this carrier, I had spotted it in my son’s garage and asked if I could borrow it.  Since he had added a van to his personal motor pool, he said that he did not need it any more and handed it to me.  That being the kind of price I like, it went straight into my trunk!  My plan had (and still is) to use it to carry no more than two bicycles, and then only for short or emergency use (I find it easier to carry a cell phone than a spare tube or patch kit).  So having already been “broken in” I thought the issues of the straps stretching would be history - and I was once again wrong.  While during it’s first use I did have to tighten the straps after a single mile of smooth pavement, they needed to be tightened again after two more miles!  This not being very confidence inspiring, any time I use it I watch for ANY movement of loaded bikes closely.  And then, anytime you slip metal hooks over painted panels extreme care should be taken!

One good thing is that it is easy to store and does not take up a whole lot of space in the garage.

At the End of the Day 

I have seen these same carriers advertised for as little as $59 brand new and for as few as $35 used, so the initial investment can be pretty low.  But I still have concerns about how secure three bikes would be on this carrier, and I do believe that there are others on the market that would do a better job.  Hanging a $400 to $2,000 bicycle (or three for that matter) on a $60 carrier, that I have doubts about, for a hundred miles (or over rough roads) on your wife’s shinny new car just does not make sense to me.  So before running your credit card, I would suggest looking around the market and maybe investing a bit more cash. Maybe it is just my own timidity, but I only plan on using this carrier for very short trips (or emergencies), and keeping a very close eye on it the whole time.  While it could be all right, it will be a long time before I am really comfortable with it.

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