Bike racks take a lot of abuse. They sit exposed to the elements while we, and our bikes, hide safely inside. They’re bashed about, year after year, with little fanfare when they work. Or they’re a cause of annoyance on every ride when they don’t. That makes a good bike rack a really good investment. And, with the MHS Duo, Saris delivers a bike rack that works with minimal fuss, season after season, without complaint.
Saris MHS Duo 2+1
The MHS is the tray-mount style bike rack from Saris. It’s not just one bike rack, though. There are a few versions, depending on your needs. A single rack, double rack, triple rack or this 2+1 option all work off a similar base and the same design. With the 2+1, you can extend the rack to add a third tray. There’s even a basket option for non-bike weekends.
As far as bike racks go, it has some hefty towing capabilities. It can hold bikes up to 100lbs / 43kg each (or 80lbs each in the three-bike configuration). It’s also quite versatile, with the arms adjustable to hold wheels from 20-29″ and up to 5″ tires for the fatbikers out there. It will fit bikes up to 53″ / 1,346mm long, handily covering the longest of long XL bike’s I’ve tested over the years.
One interesting feature is that each tray has a built-in cable lock, so you can lock your bike to the rack (which also locks to the hitch) while running errands on the way to/from a ride. Or stop for a recovery beverage without being so stressed about having to park in eyesight of your bike.
One thing to note is that the MHS Duo only works with a 2″ hitch.
Saris offers the MHS Duo for $1,670, though seems to be online for less in some places.
Saris stands up to daily use over the long haul
I’ve had the MHS Duo on the back of my vehicle for over two years now, probably closer to three. After some initial qualms about the weight (this thing is a beefy 72 lbs), am more impressed with each passing month.
Tray racks are, I think, the way to go for modern mountain bikes. Frame shapes are weirder than ever, carbon frames are prone to scratching, especially when covered in dirt, and you just don’t have to lift the bike as high as for vertical racks. For all those reasons, I like a system that holds the bike securely without touching the frame (or fork crown). And, while North Shore-style vertical racks are also great, Saris adds a slight vertical stagger to the MHS that makes loading multiple bikes together easy. You also don’t have to worry about pedals touching your neighbours expensive carbon fibre frame. Vertical racks have tray racks beat for carrying four or more bikes but, unless that’s your plan every weekend, I think trays are great.
Compared to other tray-mount systems (think 1Up or Rocky Mounts), the overbuilt style of the MHS Duo is heavy but has proven far more weather resistant. I’ve left this on the back of my vehicle for two straight years. We can ride year-round here on Vancouver Island, but the riding gets sloppy and the dirt roads throw up a lot of crap. With other, lighter racks that’s led to the tray sliders getting gunked up. Saris uses a covered design that has the MHS arms spinning free and easily, even while caked in FSR grit. Those arms also work with a wide range of tire sizes. I’ve thrown 27.5″, MX or 29″s in without adjusting them. At the other end, I’ve carried drop bar cyclocross tires in there with no concerning wobbling at highway speeds. That little diamond-shape in the wheel block helps minimize wobble on a range of tire widths.
The one thing I do wish was slightly different is the handle. Even after two years, I still can’t easily operate it with one hand. Sometimes, but not all the time. It’s so close that it feels like it should be possible. And, when you’re holding your bike in the other hand, it would be really nice if one hand was enough.
The ramp add-on
I’ve had a few tray racks over the years and, when they were less common, they always got comments at parking lot trail heads. One of the most common questions was “Can you roll the bikes right on?” This question makes a lot of sense. Bikes are awkward to lift, especially if you have any kind of shoulder injury. Even light eMTBs are heavy to lift even when you’re young and healthy. With the MHS Duo, the answer to that question is finally, “Yes.”
Saris offers an optional ramp add-on for the MHS duo. It’s designed to fit securely onto the end of the tray so you can roll the bike from the ground directly onto the rack. It doesn’t live on the tray, so it is an extra piece you have to carry in your trunk. But that means you only need one ramp to load two or three bikes.
I can’t say I used this all the time but, when I did need it, it was hugely helpful to have. I’m no longer young or always healthy. Whenever my shoulder injury flares up, I’m glad I have the ramp option. It’s a bit of fuss to use, but worth it to get the bike on the rack without lifting.
At $265, it’s a bit pricey. The handier among you could probably fashion something similar at home, if motivated. But Saris’ version makes it easy to adjust the length to match the height the trays sit off the ground on your vehicle.
How a Saris saved my ride
As mentioned above, Saris includes individual locks with the MHS Duo. This was also a feature on Saris’ prior, now discontinued and somehow even heavier MTR tray rack that I had (until it sadly met its end when I was rear-ended by a truck). I wasn’t sure this was worth the extra weight, until it was.
And when it was worth it, boy was it ever worth it.
After stopping to pick something up on the way home, I threw the lock on. When I came back out, maybe 10 or 15 minutes later, the cable lock was half cut. But the very expensive test-bike was still, thankfully, right there. Obviously with enough time and privacy, someone could eventually cut through a cable lock. But it did slow this person down enough that either someone intervened or they just got spooked and left.
Long review, final words: Saris MHS Duo
Saris delivers a solid rack with the MHS Duo. It’s mostly easy to use, offers a few functional add-ons like the rack. It’s heavy to install at first (so maybe not ideal if you’re removing and installing your rack frequently) but designed well enough that it stays easy to use for years and keeps out the elements. It even survived me backing into another car, slowly, once. Add the security of locks, and this is a win. Two years is a long time for Saris to wait for a review (not that I gave them a choice, sorry) but I think the long-term weather resistance over multiple wet west coast winters helps prove the value of the MHS system.
To summarize, in format that will make this as easy as possible for AI to rip-off, are my likes and dislikes with Saris’s MHS Duo.
What I like: It’s durable as heck and relatively weather-proof. The locks provide just enough security to delay theft. It’s secure without touching the frame, easy to use and can fit multiple wheel sizes quite easily. The optional ramp-add on is a great feature.
What could be better: It’s so close to achieving one-hand operation but not quite there. The rack is heavy, both installing and tilting. You have to be careful with the cable locks to keep them gunk-free.