top tube concerns

I don’t have a full suspension bike so I can not comment on the secureness of the top tube adapter, but I can give my insight toward the sway. The rack I am using I got for free so there is no complaints but there is no sort of anti sway arm. It is a hitch mount rack so what I do is run a strap through the front wheel and right side pedal and through an opening toward the bottom of the rack to keep my bike from swaying. My concern was with it strapped around the top tube itself I did not want the swaying to rub the paint from the bike!

I use a bungee with abs plastic ends/closure. Plastic is less apt to scratch, and is plenty strong enough to reduce the sway.

I use Top Tube Adaptor on my Yakima trunk rack too and once had my bike almost parallel to the road due to strong head wind. That time I didn’t strapped bike. Most of the time I use a strap as a back up security and sway prevention – don’t want to see my bike flying on the freeway.

I use the Saris brand and my buddy has the Yakima adaptor. I have a 4-bike Yakima hitch rack and use the rubber straps that came with it to hold the bikes on and nothing else. Neither of us have had any issues. There is some movement sometimes, especially on longer trips, but it’s the same with bikes using the adaptor and those without. Like someone said, you could add a couple bungees to secure things further.

I have the Saris rack also. When I use the bar on my FS bike, it does sway, because you can’t use the normal straps on the rack. I use an old tube that I cut to secure the front wheel to the frame to keep it from banging off the trunk and another tube to secure the bottom of the bike to stop it from swaying.

Also note that I only use this rack when necessary, because my bike hangs real low using that bar adapter.