When it comes to cycling, one of the common equations for determining how many bikes to own is “n+1” where n is the current number of bikes you own. However, even if you only own a single bike, storing bikes efficiently can become a challenge. Free-standing storage stands offer a convenient and portable way to store multiple bikes. The Hottie is Saris’s take on the two bike storage stand and combines a contemporary design with convenient removable storage. Retail price on the freestanding storage stand is $199.99 which includes a removable shelf. While most bike stands use industrial designs, The Hottie lives up to its namesake with an attractive white steel frame and wood center section that features geometric cutouts. Each bike is supported by two cushioned and adjustable cradles which can support bikes up to 35 lbs.
The Saris The Hottie takes a traditional two bike freestanding design and adds contemporary white steel frame with wood accents design.
| Retail Price | $199.99 |
| Rating | 8.4 / 10 |
| Likes | + Contemporary appearance with wood and white steel design + Soft rubber arms at bike contact points that won’t damage bike + Premium build quality and stable design |
| Dislikes | – Limited bike positions that place bikes fairly high up – Shelf hooks are difficult to use with two bike setup – Saris does not include or offer additional shelving |
| Where to Buy (US) | Saris |
ASSEMBLY
The Saris The Hottie bike stand is shipped in a medium sized box with Saris branding and graphics printed directly onto it. There is some minor assembly required as the stand is shipped in three primary pieces: the feet and two vertical sections. Putting the stand together is pretty straight forward using the provided instructions and hardware. To assemble the stand you’ll need your own wrench to hold the nuts in place while you use the provided allen wrench to tighten the nuts. The first step is to bolt on the feet to the correct vertical piece which you can identify by the geometric cutout pattern. Next you slide on the upper vertical panel onto the lower one and bolt the pieces together to secure them.
The final step is to position the four bike cradle arms onto the frame. There are three available positions for the bottom cradle arms and two available positions for the upper arms. We’d recommend doing some trial and error with your bikes to find the optimal positions as it’s sensitive to the bike frame size and geometry. Once you’ve gotten everything dialed in, all the bolts can be tightened and the stand is ready to use. Saris also includes an optional wall tether strap which can be used to add some extra security. The entire stand is also only around 23 lbs which makes it easy to reposition and move around to fit different spaces.
FIT & FINISH
With a product name of “The Hottie” it’s obvious that Saris couldn’t just release a standard industrial metal bike stand. Instead, the Saris The Hottie has a contemporary design that uses a white steel frame with center wood accents. There is a nice wood veneer along the entire front of the stand that conceals the white steel frame behind it and gives The Hottie a more modern appearance. There are various square and rectangular cutouts on the wood panel that give The Hottie a unique appearance. However, the cutouts are unfinished and expose the MFD wood behind the exterior veneer layer.
The stand is designed to store two bikes in a free standing configuration and features two extended feet to keep the stand stable. It is a fairly compact design with overall dimensions of 86.5”H x 20.5”W x 21”D which can be pushed up against a wall to free up floor space. The bikes are held in place by two thin steel arms with padding cradles at the end which sit under a bike’s top tube. Saris claims a 35 lb limit for each bike which means the stand should be limited to road or hybrid bikes as opposed to heavy e-bikes or mountain bikes. Each arm is bolted into place onto the steel frame with three positions for the bottom arms and two for the upper arms. This small bit of adjustability allows the frame to work with different frame geometries.
One of the interesting features of The Hottie is the included metal shelf which has a simple L shape that slots over the wood frame. The shelf spans the full width of the rack and is deep enough to fit a helmet or other accessories on top of it. There are also two T shaped slots cut into the base which can be helpful for holding tools, helmet straps or for routing cable cords through. Saris has also added protruding tabs on the front of the shelf which can be used to hang keys or a helmet. The shelf is designed to fit in only three spots on the rack, below the bottom back cradles, slightly above it or a quarter of the way from the top of the rack.
IMPRESSIONS
With the unique design of the Saris The Hottie we were happy to replace our generic two bike floor stand which was just gray steel to dress up our bike storage room. The wood veneer and geometric cutouts give the bike stand a unique look that helps the stand look more integrated with furniture instead of just being a storage solution. While the setup of the bike rack was straight forward, we immediately noticed that the bike arm positions were a bit awkward. Even n the lowest settings, both bikes end up being quite high with the seat of our top bike nearly touching the ceiling. This is partially due to our bikes having long seatposts and the limited mounting positions of the arms. The rubber attachments on each arm feel soft to the touch and hold onto bikes securely without damaging frames as we’ve seen with cheaper racks that use harder materials.
Unlike competitors mounts which have more flexible sliding clamps for the cradle arms, The Hottie limits you to specific locations which highly restricts the bike placement. We would have liked to move the bottom arms closer to the ground to allow for a larger gap between the two bikes and open up more space for storage. Speaking of storage, we can’t help but to think Saris missed a great opportunity with this rack. The single included shelf works well for holding smaller items, but the hooks can’t be used for helmets as they interfere with the bikes. It would have been nice to see Saris include additional hooks and shelves to really take advantage of all the slots and provide a way to hang a helmet off the rack without getting in the way of bikes. Aside from the bike placement and storage shortfalls, the rack feels quite stable and has a sleek design that helps it blend in.
THE VERDICT
Overall, we found the Saris The Hottie to be an attractive bike stand with nice design details. Saris has utilized a contemporary design that combines a wood veneer face with white steel frame. It’s a big improvement over industrial gray bike stands that allows the stand to blend into rooms rather than stand out. We found the rubber padded arms to be a safe and secure way to hold bikes in place without the risk of scratching frames. The various geometric cutouts in the front of the rack and included shelf also allow you to store gear and sunglasses directly on the rack for convenient access. As far as negatives, we found the bolt-on style arms to have limited positions and wish Saris included more shelves and hooks. That said, Saris The Hottie offers a contemporary design that efficiently stores two bikes and some gear.
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.