Saris’s Edge is their latest premium two bike hitch rack that combines a sleek design with heavy duty construction. The Edge is a two tray-style hitch rack with two articulating arms to securely hold the bike in place with no frame contract. Retail price on the rack is $999.99 and it’s specifically designed for 2” hitch receivers. Where the Saris MHS racks focus on flexibility and a modular design, the Edge has a more premium look and feel with flush trays and lighter design. Despite that, the Edge retains an impressive 80lb per bike limit which makes it compatible with heavy e-bikes and has a tool-free anti-wobble hitch attachment.
The Saris Edge 2-Bike Hitch Rack is a premium rack that combines a secure dual arm design with a sleek tray design.
| Retail Price | $999.99 |
| Rating | 8.7 / 10 |
| Weight (lb) | 65 |
| Likes | + Modern design with two-piece flush mounted trays + Inset front wheel holder provides more security and keeps the bike upright while installing or removing a bike + High weight limit allows the bike to work with heavy e-bikes |
| Dislikes | – Single integrate cable lock instead of one per bike – Springs in arms lose strength over time and do not automatically retract over time – Handle is not user friendly when tilting rack upward with hinged design |
| Where to Buy (US) | Saris |
ASSEMBLY
The Saris Edge bike rack comes in one medium sized box that contains the main hitch attachment structure with the two trays. Compared to the Saris MHS which came in multiple oversized boxes, the Saris Edge is a lot less intimidating with less parts and assembly. The bike rack essentially comes in five parts: the main spine structure with hitch attachment, two front trays and two rear tray pieces. Each tray piece has an alphabetic A/B/C/D sticker to indicate the proper position of each piece. Attaching the tray pieces only requires four M8 x 1.25” (25mm) bolts to attach to the center spine using the provided hex wrench. We’d recommend using a ratchet such as the Topeak Ratchet Rocket Essential HD to speed up the installation.
The tire strap and extendable tire arm come pre-attached to the tray pieces which means once the trays are attached to the spine the assembly is complete. All that is left is to slide the rack onto the car hitch until the lock pin slot is lined up with the hitch. Saris includes a simple angled pin with a hitch lock that attaches to the end of the pin. To eliminate any wobble from the rack, Saris uses a tool-free expanding plug that can be expanded or contracted via a plastic dial on the bottom of the rack. You simply have to wiggle the rack back and forth as you tighten the dial until all the play from the rack is taken out.
FIT & FINISH
Visually, the Saris Edge has a sleek and premium appearance with clean lines and smooth curves. One of the key differences with the Edge and other racks like the Yakima Stage 2 is the two piece tray and inset front wheel holders. The design results in a low profile spline with smooth transitions to the tray that gives the tray a unique appearance. The rear portions of the tray have a traditional V extruded metal shape with a movable rear bike strap. Saris has also added a movable 2.5” riser block on to the tray that lets you optionally elevate the rear of the bike for more clearance between bikes. The strap is a standard plastic design with a simple release handle and extra long length to handle a variety of bike tire sizes. Saris has also added a small hook on the strap to help keep it out of the way while putting a bike on the rack or during transportation.
The front portion of the tray uses an O shape with two plastic V shapes on the front and rear of the opening to cradle the wheel in place. This design helps bikes stay upright compared to a simple V tray and introduces more points of contact. To hold the bike in place there is an extendable spring-loaded arm with a V end piece that pushes down on the front tire. There are no contact points with the frame which means the Saris Edge can be used with nearly any bike setup. The arm can be extended by pushing down on the release handle at the edge of the arm. A spring inside the arm allows it to automatically retract which is a clever touch.
With the 80lb rating per bike, the Saris Edge has a strong metal construction with a wide center spline. Most of the components have a glossy smooth finish with gray coloring at the touch points. There is no color on the rack with even the Saris logo being all gray instead of their more iconic yellow branding. The monotone finish helps give the rack a premium look with a nice uniform finish on all the components. The end pieces and the spine have some plastic cover components in a matching black finish. Saris has also designed the entire rack with a pivoting design to allow it to tilt downward to allow hatch doors or truck tailgates to open. The handle of the rack has an unusual vertical hinged design. You pull down on the handle to release it while a V shaped cutout on the bottom provides a finger hold for living the rack upward.
USABILITY
To review the Saris Edge, we actually removed the Saris MHS Duo rack off our F-150’s hitch. Using both racks back-to-back it’s easy to see how much more streamlined the Edge rack is. The two piece trays result in a clean and flush appearance and a lighter weight than the MHS Duo which focused on modularity. Assembly of the rack was quick and easy with only sixteen screws required to attach the trays to the spine of the rack. Installing and removing bikes is also quick and easy with the Saris Edge as the inset front wheel holder makes it easier to balance bikes compared to standard tray designs.
The bikes also felt safe and secure as the high 80lb limit results in thick gauge metal and clean welds at all the attachment points. We liked the spring loaded front arm which pushes down on the front wheel and has an ergonomic release lever. The spring design worked well out of the box and quickly retracted making it automatically stow away when removing a bike. However, with time the spring-action becomes slower and slower, requiring a helpful push to retract the arm all the way down. It doesn’t affect safety, but it was disappointing to see it slow down so much in a short time.
The other downside of this rack is the main spine handle which has a hinged design that lets you pull it toward you to unlock it. It’s very intuitive when you want to fold down the rack from an upright position as you simply pull toward you. However, to lift the rack up from a horizontal and downward tilted angle you essentially need to use two hands as it’s an awkward motion that requires tilting the handle down while lifting up. Saris has incorporated a V shaped channel under the handle for your fingers to push against but it requires a fair amount of force. We would have preferred the slightly bulkier handle of the Saris MHS Duo which had an inner handle you pull against over this design.
THE VERDICT
Overall, we found the Saris Edge hitch rack to be a sleek and attractive hitch rack. Saris has designed the Edge to have a premium look with two-piece trays and monotone look. The rear wheel rests on a traditional V tray while the front has an inset O design that feels more secure. We found it easy to load and unload bikes with this design and appreciated the extendable front arm that only contacts the front wheel. While the rack itself looks and works well, there were a few noticeable flaws like a single lock for both trays and a non-intuitive release handle design. The hinged handle works great to lower the rack but requires two hands or a strong grip to lift it up. That said, the Saris Edge is a lighter and streamlined hitch rack that holds bikes securely.
Disclaimer: The product for this review was provided by Saris. The views expressed on this website are solely those of the authors and are here to help people make an informed choice before a purchase. The authors or the blog itself does not get any monetary compensation from the product manufacturer or third-party websites/vendor links that are posted here.