Bell Double Back Two-Bike Trunk Rack Review

On my second day using this, one of the straps broke completely in half and I still had to get my bike home. My bike isn't even heavy. Luckily I had some bungee cords on me, but I had to avoid all highways and drove so slow for fear that my bike would fall off. I will be returning this today and getting a better quality rack.
You are going to find greatly varying reviews for this bike rack on this page. Frankly, I'm very surprised by it. Here's my two cents.



After a prolonged illness that caused me to weaken greatly, my doctor wanted me to start exercising to build my strength and stamina back up. I've always loved cycling and had a classic Schwinn Continental bicycle in the garage. So I had a friend who used to own a bike shop fix it up for me, and I hit the pavement.



In our area, there are lots of parks, bike paths, and rail trails for biking and my neighborhood has back roads that wind through lakes. So after riding around the hood for awhile, I wanted to expand my territory and ride in other places. A friend of mine who is an experienced cyclist posted a picture on Facebook of the Bell Double Back Two-Bike bike rack that he had just purchased for around $50 at WalMart and said it was a great deal for the money. So I bought one.



I've not experienced one problem with this rack. It's plenty sturdy if you don't abuse it. It fits my 1998 Grand Caravan hatch perfectly. Nothing has broken on it and I've taken many trips with it now, including a 700 mile round trip to another state and back. Not a hiccup! So I'm not sure what the others who are writing negative reviews are doing to the rack, or are experiencing due to possibly defective product.



There are some things you must learn to do.



First, the rack has no security features, such as a hole drilled in one of the tubes to fish a locking cable through to affix to the car trunk or hatch. This is easy enough to do yourself.



Second, the materials are made out of aluminum, not from case hardened steel. So you do have to treat it with respect or I can see it bending or breaking if thrown down on the pavement or into the trunk. There are pieces made of plastic so a gentle touch will keep the rack working for years.



Third, the instructions are not great. You'll have to figure it out for yourself. I did in just a couple of minutes.



Fourth, I recommend after getting the rack on your vehicle and cinching the straps up tight, that you tie the straps around one of the metal tubes to help prevent the strap from loosening. The straps are made from a slick, shiny material and don't always "bite" well so tying them off will keep everything from coming loose after taking numerous bumps.



Fifth, as mentioned in another review, the bikes will move if not tied down. So I keep two pieces of sash on the rack and when I use it, I simply tie the wheels to the tubes. This keeps the bike from swinging and the wheels from spinning.



I can't speak for the others who have had issues. I can only tell you I've owned this rack for nearly two years and it's worked perfectly for me all that time.



Happy cycling!
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