This story originally appeared on GearJunkie
Today, Saris officially launches its new premium hitch bike rack, the Edge. It boasts a high weight limit and unique design elements to set it apart from its competitors and the rest of the Saris lineup.
Saris is best known for its affordable trunk racks and bike trainers., and it isn’t exactly synonymous with high-end hitch racks. Saris seeks to change that with the Edge, a two-bike carrier priced alongside premium competition.
With an impressive 80-pound per bike weight limit and a wide range of bike fit, the Saris Edge can carry just about any bike. It has a clean design and all the features you’d expect for the price. These include tool-free installation, a convenient tilt-release handle, and integrated locks. The unique bike attachment system and fixed-angle front wheel hook won’t contact your frame or rub on your fork the way other models can.
I’ve been using and abusing the new Saris Edge ($1,000) for the past month. It has seen plenty of daily trips to and from the trailhead, along with a 600+ mile road trip. From sunny days to snow storms and highway miles to moderately rough unpaved roads, I put the Edge through its paces to see if it’s worth the premium price tag.
In short: With the new Edge model, Saris is making a strong move into the premium end of the hitch bike rack market. It’s expensive, but fortunately, this rack is well thought out. It has a user-friendly design and features that make it easy to live with. I put this rack through the wringer and was impressed by its stability and secure bike hold. I especially loved that the front wheel hook can’t rub the paint off my fork. It has a couple of minor quirks but is otherwise a great new option to consider.
Looking for a new bike rack? See how the Saris Edge compares in our comprehensive guide to the best hitch bike racks.
Saris Edge Review
Details
Given its high weight limit, it isn’t surprising that the Edge rack only comes in a 2-inch receiver size. If you have a 1.25-inch receiver, you’ll need to look elsewhere. The two-bike version is currently the only option, and no add-ons are available to expand its carrying capacity.
The Edge has an 80-pound per-bike weight limit. This means it can handle everything from featherlight road bikes to heavy electric commuter bikes. However, Saris does not currently offer an optional ramp accessory to help load those heavy bikes.
Long bikes are in play with trays designed to fit wheelbases up to 53 inches (1,346 mm). That includes most slacked-out modern long-travel enduro and downhill mountain bikes.
Saris claims it works with wheel sizes between 24 and 29 inches. For width, it can fit 29 x 3-inch tires or 27.5-inch wheels and tires up to 5 inches wide. This attachment system also works with bikes with fenders.
No tools are needed to install or remove the Edge rack from your vehicle. The tool-free anti-wobble system takes any play in the receiver with a knob that you turn by hand. The included hitch pin and lock secure the rack. An integrated cable lock system secures the bikes to the rack. The bike lock has two cables, one on each side, that slide out of the bike trays and connect.
RV enthusiasts will be happy to know that the Edge is RV-rated for Class A, B, and C motorhomes. It is not specifically rated for off-road use. However, the folks at Saris told me that gravel and unpaved roads are fine.
Bike Attachment
The bike tray supports the rear wheel and secures it with a long ratcheting strap. The strap and the “riser block” slide along the tray to adjust for bike length. The riser block can be in front of the rear wheel, or it can raise it by 2.5 inches. This can help prevent potential seat and handlebar conflict.
The front tire sits in a hoop and a hooked arm that articulates up and presses on the front wheel. The hook extends out from the articulating arm with the push of a button. It is spring-loaded to recoil on its own.
Unlike front wheel hooks that clamp directly in front of the fork, the Edge’s arm stops at a fixed angle. The low fixed angle ensures the wheel hook only contacts the front tire. The Edge hook cannot rub on the bike’s fork and damage the paint — a common issue with other racks.
Saris Edge Tilt Adjustment
Like any good hitch bike rack, the Edge’s tilt angle can be adjusted as needed. The tilt-release handle is conveniently located at the end of the main support arm, where it is easy to reach. Of course, the rack folds flat to transport bikes and can be tilted down for rear-of-the-vehicle access with or without bikes loaded. When you aren’t transporting bikes, it folds up vertically to reduce its profile or at an intermediate angle to allow trunk access.
Saris Edge Assembly
If you order the Edge from an online retailer, it will be shipped to your home with some assembly required. My test rack arrived in a characteristically large and heavy box. The assembled rack weighs 66 pounds, and the shipped weight is probably closer to 75. You’ll probably want to get the help of another person if you need to move it any distance before unboxing it.
The rack comes in five pieces, along with detailed printed instructions (or you can watch an assembly video) and all the required tools. I followed the instructions step by step and had the rack assembled in just over 30 minutes.
The receiver arm and main “spine” of the rack come preassembled, and each tray is in two pieces. All that needs to be done is to attach the four tray halves to the spine of the rack. All of the parts were clearly labeled, and I found the process straightforward and hassle-free.
How I Tested the Saris Edge
I received my test rack about a month ago, assembled it, and have used it almost every day since. I live in Reno, Nev., where a mild winter has allowed me to keep riding mountain and gravel bikes most days. The Saris Edge frequently went from home to the local trailhead. It also went to a few trails an hour and a half away.
My wife and I also loaded up our camper and took a 3-day road trip down through the Alabama Hills and Death Valley National Park. All told, we drove over 600 miles on that adventure. That includes over 30 miles of dirt roads leading to our backcountry roadside campsites in Death Valley (would highly recommend). \While those roads wouldn’t qualify as “off-roading,” they certainly weren’t perfectly smooth, either. Deep sand, loose gravel, and some moderately rough patches required four-wheel drive.
My test period included a wide range of road surfaces and weather conditions. The Saris Edge was exposed to rain and snow showers and the road grime that goes along with them. It’s also seen the opposite end of the spectrum, with 87-degree temperatures, 60mph gusts, and dust storms at the lowest point in the continental U.S.
Using the Saris Edge
Though I’ve only been using it for about a month so far, I’ve done my best to put the Edge through a proper GearJunkie field test. Still, a month is a fairly short test period, so here are my first impressions.
Installation and Removal
I’ve mostly kept the Saris Edge mounted in my truck’s receiver, but I’ve installed and removed it a few times to load and unload my camper. The tool-free anti-wobble system made it easy to put on and take off. It might be nice if the anti-wobble knob was slightly bigger. But I had no problem cranking it down sufficiently to stabilize the rack in the receiver. The installation and removal process only took a couple of minutes each time.
Like most similar racks, the Edge is bulky, and at 66 pounds, it certainly isn’t light. Carrying it around off the vehicle and storing it when not in use were challenges. That’s not a knock on the Edge specifically, as I say the same thing about almost every other hitch rack, too.
Tilt Release
The tilt release handle has a great design, and I had no issues adjusting the rack’s tilt. The handle’s position at the end of the spine made it very easy to reach when folding the rack vertically, flat, or tilted down away from the vehicle.
On our road trip, I tilted the rack down with bikes loaded many times to access the door of our camper. With two 30-ish pound mountain bikes on the rack, this wasn’t a problem at all. With a couple of heavy e-bikes on it, I could see it being challenging to tilt it. But the same is true of any other rack I’ve used.
Loading Bikes
I’ve used the Saris Edge to transport mountain bikes, gravel bikes, a fat bike, and a couple of electric bikes. Loading and attaching any type of bike was intuitive and simple. It fit skinny 700c x 40mm gravel tires, 29” x 2.5” mountain bike tires, and 26” x 4.5” fat bike tires with ease.
If you’ve ever used similar racks, like the Thule T2, Kuat NV, Yakima StageTwo, or Rocky Mounts MonoRail, loading the Edge is similar. However, there are a couple of subtle differences.
As with other platform-style racks, you need to lift your bike up onto the bike tray and place the front wheel in the wheel hoop and the rear wheel on the tray. Then, the gray button on the wheel hook extends it, then you articulate the hook arm up until it stops.
Release the button, and the spring-loaded wheel hook recoils to put light tension on the front tire. I chose to press down on the wheel hook for a couple of extra clicks of the ratchet to add more pressure and security.
The fixed position of the hook arm is at a lower angle than most other racks, ensuring that the wheel hook won’t contact the fork. Visually, I found the wheel hook position to look a little funny at first, but I quickly got used to it. Almost every bike I own has a small spot of paint rubbed off the fork from other racks, so I found this refreshing.
For the rear wheel, the riser block and ratchet strap are connected and slide along the tray to adjust for wheelbase length. I had to position the block in front of the rear wheel, pass the ratchet strap through, and tighten it down.
I never experienced any bike-on-bike conflict, so I never used the block as a riser. That said, I could see it potentially being helpful to stop handlebars and saddles from contacting each other.
The ratchet strap is quite long, to the point that it gets in the way while loading bikes. Fortunately, Saris added a loop on the end of the strap and a hook on the side of the riser to hold it out of the way. Using this strap management feature added an extra couple of seconds to loading but made it much easier.
Like any ratchet strap that contacts your rear wheel, this one can scuff up your rims. If you have really expensive carbon rims or are super concerned about the appearance of your bike, you might want to put a protector of some kind under the strap.
Stability
I haven’t taken it easy on my test rack, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by its stability at every turn. Over many hundreds of highway miles and 30+ miles of dirt roads, the rack didn’t wobble at all.
The anti-wobble system worked great and didn’t loosen, even after rattling over chunky washboard back roads. If it ever started to wobble, it would be very quick and easy to tighten it back down by hand.
It’s not just the rack that was stable, but my bikes also stayed very secure. In situations where I’d expect to see them bouncing around, they weren’t. Sure, they moved around a tiny bit, but they fared well, given the significant vertical and side-to-side bouncing during my travels. The security of the bike attachment and stability of the bikes on the rack exceeded my expectations.
Saris Edge Security
I’ve had bikes stolen, and it was a terrible feeling. I’ve never had a bike rack stolen (knocks on wood), and I’m hoping to keep it that way. I always appreciate locks, even if they only work as a theft deterrent. It’s difficult to stop a determined thief with power tools, but hopefully, you can get them to move on to an easier score.
The sturdy metal hitch pin lock Saris includes with the rack impressed me. It’s got some weight to it and feels like it could handle a few whacks from a hammer. This lock is as good or better than any other hitch pin lock I’ve seen from other brands.
I’ve yet to see an integrated lock system for bikes that I’d call perfect, but I appreciate that rack manufacturers are trying. Any functional lock for the bikes is better than no lock at all. At the very least, it will deter opportunistic grab-and-go theft.
The Edge’s cable lock system is somewhat unique. It consists of two parts housed inside the bike trays’ rear halves that slide out and lock together. The coated steel cables are 10 mm thick (including the coating), and the keyed lock looks pretty tough, too. When fully extended, the cable is long enough to loop through two bike frames or the frame and one wheel of a single bike.
This system was easy enough to use and certainly added a layer of security for low-risk situations. Whenever I left the bikes unattended and out of sight, I added a beefy aftermarket lock for peace of mind — something I do with every bike rack.
Durability
I haven’t been using the Edge rack for long enough to make any comments on long-term durability. I’ve used this rack quite a bit, and nothing has broken. It has a healthy coating of dust and midwinter road grime on it, but everything still works perfectly.
The Edge is sturdy. Saris claims it will support up to 160 pounds of bikes at a time, and it shows. The spine of the rack is super beefy, and so is the pivot. I vibrated the heck out of this thing, and the pivot hasn’t developed any play at all.
Like most bike racks — other than 1Up-USA’s — there are some plastic parts. That’s not a cause for alarm, but plastic does wear faster than metal. Still, people have been getting 10 years of use out of Thule T2 racks — with similar amounts of plastic — and I’d expect the same here.
Sliding parts are another concern, as road grime and exposure to the elements can cause them to get gritty and move less smoothly. The extending wheel hooks, riser block, and cable locks all rely on their ability to move to work properly. Again, I haven’t had any issues, but time will tell how well everything functions in the long term.
Room for Improvement
While my experience using the Saris Edge has been overwhelmingly positive so far, I think one thing could make it even better. That is a loading ramp. I’m not saying it should come with one, but it would at least be nice to have the option to buy one.
The 80-pound weight limit is great, but loading any bike heavier than 50-60 pounds on this rack is tough without a ramp. Don’t get me wrong. I could lift my 74-pound Rad Power Radster Road up onto this rack, but it definitely wasn’t easy. I’m an athletic person, and I’d consider myself to be reasonably strong. I could see loading heavy bikes being much more of a challenge for people with limited strength or mobility issues.
I mostly transport one or two bikes at a time, so the Edge’s two-bike capacity is great for my needs. Without add-ons to expand capacity, however, this rack won’t carry more than two bikes.
The thinner-than-average hitch pin supplied with the rack is also a curious choice. The thinner size means there’s free play in the hole of the receiver, so the hitch pin can rattle around while driving. This doesn’t compromise its ability to keep the rack on the vehicle, but it can be a little noisy.
Ground clearance could also be an issue for some users. It wasn’t a problem for me with the height of the receiver on my truck, but there is very little rise from the receiver arm to the end of the rack. It’s something to consider depending on the clearance of your vehicle and the roads you drive.
Saris Edge Bike Hitch Rack: Who’s It For?
There are plenty of great racks on the market, and the Saris Edge adds to that growing list. Other than kids’ bikes, it’ll carry just about any bike up to 80 pounds with no frame or fork contact. It was simple to use, stable as can be, and held bikes securely.
Beyond the lack of a loading ramp for heavy bikes, I had only minor complaints about this rack’s performance or functionality. Assuming you don’t need to carry more than two bikes at a time, the Edge is well-executed and user-friendly. In my opinion, Saris has stepped up its game and moved into a new performance category.
The $1,000 price tag puts it roughly in the same ballpark as other high-end racks, and it has some very stiff competition. I wouldn’t call it the best rack I’ve ever used, but it performed and handled abuse surprisingly well. There’s no shortage of options, but the new Saris Edge is a worthy contender when searching for your next hitch bike rack.
