SeaSucker Racks Long-Term Review

A long time ago, a little marine supply company out of Florida sent me a pair of their racks to try out. Ten years later, I’m still using them both - and won’t ever buy anything else.

By now, you’ve undoubtedly heard about SeaSucker and their revolutionary approach to bike transport - I mean, in the ten plus years since they were founded they’ve gone from relative obscurity to being on top of every team car on the UCI tour at a handful of events. They make racks that can hold up to NINE bikes for the pros, but the commercially available versions can hold up to 3.

If you HAVENT heard about SeaSucker, here’s the TLDR: they invented these giant suction cup thingys with vacuum pumps to hold fishing rods, and since the founder is also a cyclist, he realized the cups could also be used as the basis for bike racks. Quite obviously, this means the racks are universal right out of the box - you don’t have to buy a new set of clips or a certain type of riser or bar to make it compatible with your vehicle. And of course the soft rubber cups won’t damage your vehicles finish.

My personal racks are the Talon and the Hornet, and I primarily use the Talon - with the thru-axle adapter - for both my road and mountain bikes. I’ve actually got the adapter installed in tandem with the QR mount for convenience and I keep the Hornet - SeaSucker’s most compact rack - in my wife’s trunk, just in case she ever has to come bail me out - Ive also traveled with it on a few occasions because it’s super easy to set up on a rental car.

The frame of the talon is made from Uber tough High Density Poly Etheline, and the rack has about a 15 by 13 inch footprint - which means its also small enough to travel, if needed. But here’s the cool part: the combined suction of the three cups gives the Talon a TWO HUNDRED TEN POUND pull strength rating. That means it ain’t coming off, no matter how hard you drive through the corners or how fast you go - as proven by their ‘racetrack’ testing on cars going in excess of 140mph.

Installation is as easy as it looks, and In the ten years I’ve had them, I’ve used both racks on multiple vehicles and on trips ranging from 15 minutes on up to 15 hours and they’ve never failed me. You can also mount the rack just about anywhere, but I’d advise having as many cups on GLASS as possible - either at the windshield or the rear window. That’ll increase the level of suction when compared to a painted surface, but in a pinch you could even throw it sideways on the trunk.

The only drawback, if there is one, is that the cups and pumps will definitely need to be replaced from time to time because rubber tends to degrade even if you take really good care of it.

But, and here’s where SeaSucker really wins: every single replacement part, down to the screws, is available for a REASONABLE price on their website. For example, a suction cup is $14 and a pump is $12. And I love that - it’s like the old Campagnolo ‘rebuildable’ mentality - sure, it may seem expensive up front, but because it’s 100% serviceable with AFFORDABLE replacement parts, SeaSucker rack will be with you for a long time.

Thanks for watching, and if you have any questions about SeaSucker racks please drop them in the comments below - and don’t forget to subscribe so you can be notified when I post a new video. OK, see ya next time!