Saris Enters the Premium Bike Rack Market with the MTR

Saris enters the premium bike rack market with their Modular Tray Rack, a hitch rack that will be available in 2019.

The Saris MTR will be the brand’s first foray into the premium hitch rack market.

Bike rack manufacturer Saris is known for their high quality, yet affordable offerings in the bike rack market, and for 2019 they’ll offer a rack that will compete with Kuat, 1Up, and other premium racks.

The MTR (modular tray rack) will be available in a one bike base model for 1.25-inch hitches and a two bike base model for two-inch hitches. One and two bike add-ons will also be available, making it extendable to fit up to four bikes on one rack with a two-inch hitch, or up to three bikes with a 1.25-inch hitch.

The MTR can be folded like a standard hitch tray rack when not in use.

Saris is trying to make bike transportation as easy as possible with the MTR. There aren’t any vertical posts to maneuver a bike around. By popping just the front wheel of the bike onto the tray, consumers can push the bike up and onto the rack without lifting, which is helpful for consumers with physical limitations. Saris says that a ramp will also be available for the end of the tray.

The MTR will accommodate almost all wheel sizes, from a 20-inch BMX to a 27.5-inch wheel with a five-inch wide tire or a 29-inch wheel with a three-inch wide tire. Buyers will need to adjust the rack with a hex key to change the rack to fit different wheel sizes, but the MTR has a hex key stowed away at the bottom of the rack.

The hex key to adjust the trays for wheel size can be found here.
A closer look at where the hex key sits.

The MTR will also come equipped with an extendable cable on each tray for security against bike theft.

The MTR will be made of aluminum and will weigh about 65-pounds. The base racks can support about 50-pounds per bike and the add on trays support 35-pounds per bike.

The trays are offset to keep handlebars from knocking against each other.

No launch date has been announced yet, but Saris says that the MTR will be available in 2019. The price hasn’t been announced yet either, though expect a premium price tag to accompany the premium quality, probably upwards of $500-600.

The rack can also be folded in this position when not in use.