Saris Freedom Bike Rack Review

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Today, we’ll be reviewing the Saris Freedom Bike Rack, which is a 2 bike, universal hitch rack. What is meant by “universal” is that it can carry any bike, save for frankenstein bikes like recumbents and trikes.

Hybrid bikes, full suspension mountain bikes, and even beach cruisers are easy to carry with this setup. My last rack was a Saris Bones, which I would consider one of the best racks you can strap to a vehicle. It could carry none of these bikes.

The Saris Freedom rack is among many other more expensive universal hitch racks, and at price point below $250 it’s definitely one of the most affordable racks in the category.

All vehicles are different, but I had a 1 1/4” receiver installed on my Mazda CX5 for $175 at Uhaul. Since all I’ll be using it for is this rack, it’s perfectly sized and ready for use. If you have a larger receiver, an adapter is included to make it fit.

Compared to other universal hitch racks, I’d say the Saris Freedom rack is pretty much just as easy to use as anything else out there. There are three straps per bike, while some of the more expensive units have one bracket and two traps, or an entirely different restraint system altogether. All in all, we’re talking about a matter of seconds to mount or remove a bike, so to me it’s not very important.

I’d also like to mention that my rear lift-gate actually clears the rack somehow, which I never expected. Even my backup camera is still somewhat usable with two bikes mounted to it.

So when we consider the upsides, the rack is inexpensive, easy to use, stable, and versatile. So what are the downsides?

Well, it may be a matter of opinion but I think the rack looks kinda messy. If you’re leaving it on your car the bulk of the time it has a lot of straps hanging around, so it’s not a pretty sight. If you’re OCD, you could tuck them in and collapse the top part, which makes it look much neater.

The second downside is durability. The two tire trays on the front of the rack broke within the first 4 months of owning it. In all fairness one of them was definitely my fault, while the other one may or may not have been due to someone backing into the car in a parking lot. I didn’t see it break, so I’ll never know.

I called Saris, and without hesitation they took down my mailing address and sent me two replacements free of charge. I think it might have been the best warranty experience I’ve ever had. So, at least they stand by their products.

All in all, I would recommend this rack to anyone looking for an affordable 2 bike universal hitch rack. Considering many of us will need to lay out money for a receiver and a rack, a more expensive unit could quickly become a $600 investment. For me, the Saris Freedom does the job just fine.