Everyone who cycles on a regular basis also yearns to explore different locations—e.g. taking their bike on a holiday to the Alps. Which means that, if you are driving a car, you have to make sure you have the right bike carrier. A traditional towbar rack is still an option for transportation, but there are many other good alternatives available today: SeaSucker, an American company, makes interesting products using suction cups. These work very well and are more solid than you would expect.
How does it work?
The bike carriers from SeaSucker are equipped with suction cups. Most models consist of two separate parts, which keep both front and rear wheels in place. The suction cups consist of a vacuum-sucking mouth made of rubber with a 6″ diameter. There is a built-in pumping system, and the suction cup sucks into place with a pulling force of about 95 kilograms. I’d say that this is definitely strong enough to transport road bike(s) safely.
The danger with suction cups is that the rubber always gets old, and eventually it will lose it’s vacuum power. However, the SeaSucker rubbers have a UV shield that prevents the rubber from drying out and crumbling through the sun.
Up to 3 bikes
The system gives you many options—the largest model can carry up to three bicycles. The company also came up with a solution for those without a roof rail: with their so called monkey bars you can attach another bike carrier (or kayak, cargo, boards etc…) to the roof of your with the same suction cups.
It’s clear that this is an American company from all of the options they offer for big vehicles. There is a system for everyone, from a pick-up truck to an SUV.
If you have an unusual car that you think can’t handle a bike, check out the Talon Rack model: it has three suction cups that can hold a front fork, and another suction cup to keep the rear wheel in place, making it exceedingly versatile. It costs $300 in stores. They’re not cheap, but you couldn’t beat this price if you had to have a custom rack made. Here you will find all models.