SeaSucker Bike Rack

[norcalbiker]

Anyone here have any experience or knows anything about this products?
It seems like it's a good alternative if you don't want a semi-permanent roof rack like Thule or Yakima.

http://www.seasucker.com/shop/1187/

[AngryScientist]

there was a thread about these a few months ago. there is no way i would use one of those on my car at high speeds. just not worth the risk IMO.

[tiretrax]

there was a thread about these a few months ago. there is no way i would use one of those on my car at high speeds. just not worth the risk IMO.

Not only that, but it looks like it would make stealing a bike quick and easy.

[veloduffer]

I can't get my Garmin windshield sucker mount to stick well at times. No way would I try that with any of my bikes.

I have a Yakima roof rack on my car, which has been on the car for 8 years since day one. Just leave it on and forget it.

[norcalbiker]

there was a thread about these a few months ago. there is no way i would use one of those on my car at high speeds. just not worth the risk IMO.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

[roguedog]

oh man.. no way.

plus think of how much you'd have to spit to get each of those things to stick :p and once they stuck i'd think it'd be a herculean effort to get them.. uh.. suckers off.

plus i'd just wonder when those things lose their elasticity... bye bye ..

off no way... not even with a walmart bike cuz i'd be afraid of causing harm to fellow folks on the road with me (cars, cyclists, peds, etc)

[PROEDGEBIKER]

I can't get my Garmin windshield sucker mount to stick well at times.

SeaSucker is not a "Suction Cup" is a Vacuum Cup. Friend of mine told me about this thread of doubts about the product.

once you try it or see it in person, you'll know what i mean.

[William]

They look like they use the same technology as the suction cups I used to use to lift 6'x8' 3/4" glass panels. They aren't letting go. On the security issue?

Check out the application...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBHN9LtyVPA

This one made me laugh...a bike on top of a stock car racing around the track at 140mph!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_41Ujjv6WUw&feature=related






William

[AngryScientist]

SeaSucker is not a "Suction Cup" is a Vacuum Cup. Friend of mine told me about this thread of doubts about the product.

once you try it or see it in person, you'll know what i mean.

if you came here to expel doubts, it might be helpful to have some back-up commentary other than "try it and see"....

just sayin...

[William]

if you came here to expel doubts, it might be helpful to have some back-up commentary other than "try it and see"....

just sayin...


Good point. Once I did a little digging to see the product in use and how it works I'm more open to it.




William

[norcalbiker]

SeaSucker is not a "Suction Cup" is a Vacuum Cup. Friend of mine told me about this thread of doubts about the product.

once you try it or see it in person, you'll know what i mean.

Hey I am the one who started this thread because I am very interested with the products. I am an Structural Engineer by trade and every time we used a new products on our design like Simpson, Hilti, Unistrut or whatever manufacturers out there who wants to introduced a new product, they send us a sample and specs.

Can you do the same? Let me know I'll give my shipping address. :banana:

[C50]

I have used these racks. First thought was no way am I putting my bike on that thing!! Once you get used to the idea and use one you start to get past the idea of the "suction cup" holding your bike to the car. Sort of ;) They have their place. Yes, a Yakima or Thule rack system is more stable, lockable, or secure but these have some legitimate uses. Some car people just don't want a rack on all the time and some cars don't have a fit because of the roofline that allows a regular roof rack. Most of the people I sell them to have fallen into the category of just not wanting a regular roof rack on their nice car but it is a great solution if you need a rack for multiple cars or a friend's car or rental or lease or company car where you just aren't able to put a rack. As far as hold, believe me they hold. Highway speeds are no problem compared to the video of the bike on the race car at 140 mph. There are only a few things to think about: 1) Not the best for wanting to lock your bike to the rack and leave it out of your sight 2) you can't just put it on and leave it. You need to check the 'suction' by looking at the orange rings indicating the strength of the hold and then increasing it if you need to which takes about 5 seconds for the whole process 3) every so often, maybe once a year you want to disassemble it and lubricate the internals and again this is easy and not time consuming. Like anything it works great if you use it the way it was intended and follow instructions. If you don't like to do that then put your buddy's bike on there! :)

[Gummee]

I saw one of those racks at Granogue last fall.

IDK how far the dood drove, but the bikes were still on there when he got to the race course.

M

[PROEDGEBIKER]

if you came here to expel doubts, it might be helpful to have some back-up commentary other than "try it and see"....

just sayin...

My friend, there is literally no way i can tell you over a forum about this product by just typing. You have to try it/see it in person and trust me, you'll rethink all the doubts that you have.

if you want, Go to MTBR and check out the hundreds of happy customer feedbacks..

Check your local LBS and see if they carry them.

[PROEDGEBIKER]

Hey I am the one who started this thread because I am very interested with the products. I am an Structural Engineer by trade and every time we used a new products on our design like Simpson, Hilti, Unistrut or whatever manufacturers out there who wants to introduced a new product, they send us a sample and specs.

Can you do the same? Let me know I'll give my shipping address. :banana:

Sorry my friend, but im merely just a reseler of the racks(one of the biggest in the USA) but just that, you may want to contact SeaSucker Directly(info@seasucker.com) and see if you can get somewhere with them
But unfortunately this product has taken off at an incredible rate within the last year and many reviews have already been done about it so i doubt that they will throw one your way... They can only say NO right?

[one60]

I too am interested in the Sea Sucker. They are perfect for the user who doesnt want a permanently attached rack or needs to mount a rack on the odd vehicle that doesnt take a standard rack, etc.

Saw some at West End but at the time of my visit no one in the store had any 1st hand experience

[PROEDGEBIKER]

They look like they use the same technology as the suction cups I used to use to lift 6'x8' 3/4" glass panels. They aren't letting go.

William

Funny you mention that William, i just did a remodel on one of my bathrooms and had to remove a 4x8 mirror. We were trying to figure out how to grab it safely and i thought about using a few of the rear wheel holders to grab a hold of it, the idea worked without a hitch.. (DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!)

[Gummee]

I could see a use for em in my case. Stick the seasucker on the back deck lid of my Benz and the rear Yak Q-Tower on the roof. Rear wheel on the decklid = slightly less drag = slightly better mileage

...unless someone knows which Q-Clip I need to attach Q-Towers to a flat surface like the trunk lid of a Mercedes

M

[PROEDGEBIKER]

if you guys are on FaceBook, checkout this link with some of our customers that send us pictures.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150941128190222.408418.79893155221&type=3

or Seasucker FB too:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/SeaSucker/104309718776

This Bike Rack System, literally takes seconds to take off and maybe 1 minute to put on and stays with you and not the car. But like i stated before, i can sit here and uptalk all day but without you guys seeing it in person, you'll just think is an ordinary suction cup that you lick & stick.. :no:..

[William]

Funny you mention that William, i just did a remodel on one of my bathrooms and had to remove a 4x8 mirror. We were trying to figure out how to grab it safely and i thought about using a few of the rear wheel holders to grab a hold of it, the idea worked without a hitch.. (DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!)

We used the commercial glass vacuum cups for lifting and moving heavy glass panels. Some times we needed to use a hoist to do because it was too heavy for us to lift. The cups never let go (see picture).

http://www.myglasstrades.com/files/classified_photos/0000/1018/vacuum_cup_normal.jpg?1272561780

These appear to be the same type of vacuum cup...though smaller. If so I'm sure they will hold.





William

[William]

http://www.redferret.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/seasucker3.jpg

Better than trying to mount a traditional rack on your Porsche huh?;)

http://www.roadbikeaction.com/contentimages/Just%20Arrived/New%20Products/Sukker.jpg





William

[PROEDGEBIKER]

Better than trying to mount a traditional rack on your Porsche huh?;)

http://www.roadbikeaction.com/contentimages/Just%20Arrived/New%20Products/Sukker.jpg


William

You said it.. Also, You'll never have to worry about some douche cutting your straps from a traditional bike rack, no need to install a hitch, no need to waste precious ride time trying to put the rack on and off or putting it away at the trailhead so no one steals it..
is SeaSucker a permanent roof rack to leave on your car for days? NO.
Is the rack meant for you to leave your bike on outside a bar out of site for hours? NO.
but it is a versatile rack that will fit in 99% of the cars to get you to & back from a ride? By all means.

http://i1053.photobucket.com/albums/s477/bdmiller909/F253BDE3-EF72-4828-85FD-0998F3354A4F-10975-0000098033234766_zpsab64a27c.jpg

[William]

We had a lot of time invested in the panels we needed to move around the shop so it had to be virtually fool proof. If SeaSuckers work just as well those bikes aren't going anywhere!



William

[AngryScientist]

how about a technical question:

let us say that these racks are installed on a chilly spring morning, say ambient temp = 50F. lets now say that i drive out to the beach, and the sun pups up, baking my car the whole way to the beach, traffic, etc. it would not be unreasonable for the metal temp on the roof of my car to exceed 120F, over 70 degrees of temperature gain over several hours.

i know that for given conditions, pressure is in proportion to temperature, so the negative pressure generated under the suction cup initially would certainly be diminished by the increasing temps, correct?

any test data, or words of wisdom on how these racks deal with large swings in temp?

[AngryScientist]

i realize that a response to my question above cant be answered with "check out our facebook pictures"!

how about this one:

i notice your webpage is devoid of any technical information whatsoever. aside from driving around with these racks, has any formal testing been done at all, actual pull-off pressure, vacuum pressure testing, etc?

[PROEDGEBIKER]

how about a technical question:

let us say that these racks are installed on a chilly spring morning, say ambient temp = 50F. lets now say that i drive out to the beach, and the sun pups up, baking my car the whole way to the beach, traffic, etc. it would not be unreasonable for the metal temp on the roof of my car to exceed 120F, over 70 degrees of temperature gain over several hours.

i know that for given conditions, pressure is in proportion to temperature, so the negative pressure generated under the suction cup initially would certainly be diminished by the increasing temps, correct?

any test data, or words of wisdom on how these racks deal with large swings in temp?

Contact: INFO@SEASUCKER.COM

i realize that a response to my question above cant be answered with "check out our facebook pictures"!

how about this one:

i notice your webpage is devoid of any technical information whatsoever. aside from driving around with these racks, has any formal testing been done at all, actual pull-off pressure, vacuum pressure testing, etc?

Each 6" Vacuum Cup has a 210 pound pull off rating.

Falcon (for Trucks no rear wheel holder) uses 2 / 1 Bike
Talon uses 3 for the fork & 1 for the rear tire / 1 Bike
Mini-Bomber uses 4 for the forks & 2 for the rear tires / 2 bikes
Bomber uses 5 for the forks & 3 for the rear tires / 3 bikes

The new Hornet, holds the bikes by the bars using Two 4.5" cups that each have a 120 pull rating. Awesome for Traveling.

[AngryScientist]

since i am genuinely curious, i will in fact email your info address and see what comes back. your "answer" above is absolutely a "non-answer".

i think your product does have some limited potential, but until some scientific, technical based proof exists, i think only a fool would trust his prized possessions to these things.

right now, the marketing department's answer to technical questions appears to be: "trust us, they work - we have facebook pictures!"

[PROEDGEBIKER]

since i am genuinely curious, i will in fact email your info address and see what comes back. your "answer" above is absolutely a "non-answer".

i think your product does have some limited potential, but until some scientific, technical based proof exists, i think only a fool would trust his prized possessions to these things.

right now, the marketing department's answer to technical questions appears to be: "trust us, they work - we have facebook pictures!"


First of AngryDude, DK where you got that I work for SeaSucker or their marketing department.
If you're looking for those scientific answers, would it made you feel better if I made them up? or am I doing the right thing by giving you the address to the people who could answer that?

It's very simple IMO, if you dont trust the product, dont buy it, there are HUNDREDS of other options out there for you..

& BTW, the FB pictures from proud owners is meant to show other people with the same type of cars that they can too have that option.

Cheers.

[AngryScientist]

DK where you got that I work for SeaSucker or their marketing department.
.

My mistake, and my apologies, i assumed you worked for them in some capacity, and i stand corrected (you know what they say about assumptions...guilty)

anyway, not trying to start an argument of any kind, just pointing out some holes in the story. just a friendly discussion is all i meant.

[PROEDGEBIKER]

We had a lot of time invested in the panels we needed to move around the shop so it had to be virtually fool proof. If SeaSuckers work just as well those bikes aren't going anywhere!



William

Beautiful Work!!!

[PROEDGEBIKER]

My mistake, and my apologies, i assumed you worked for them in some capacity, and i stand corrected (you know what they say about assumptions...guilty)

anyway, not trying to start an argument of any kind, just pointing out some holes in the story. just a friendly discussion is all i meant.

Contact them, see what they say, im sure they do all kinds of crazy testing.

The cups are UV Resistant so no worries there about sun or hotness damage..

A little background on SeaSucker, they got started in the marine industry back in 05' making tanks & rod holders to just name a few.. now they are also making surfboard, paddle board and kayak racks too..
The Owner an avid cyclist & friend came up with the idea of adding a platform & fork mounts to the vacuum cups back in 2009 and i can attest that within the last year or so, it has just taken off at an alarming rate.

[William]

since i am genuinely curious, i will in fact email your info address and see what comes back.......

...i think your product does have some limited potential, but until some scientific, technical based proof exists, i think only a fool would trust his prized possessions to these things.



I have no experience with this specific product. I do have lots of experience with the technology being utilized here. That makes me feel fairly confident it will work. But, I think it would be good to see some testing specs for people who are new to this to over come the initial (understandable) skepticism.





William

[tms101]

Cool idea but I would think they wouldn't suck (pun included) during a moist or rainy day. I wouldn't chance my bike on it.

[PROEDGEBIKER]

Cool idea but I would think they wouldn't suck (pun included) during a moist or rainy day. I wouldn't chance my bike on it.

You may want to read this then:
http://forums.mtbr.com/9531452-post151.html

if still not convinced, here's a cheap alternative that would work on almost any car. :eek:

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/35525_4755660769848_781887475_n.jpg

[norcalbiker]

I think I'm sold.

[PROEDGEBIKER]

I guess we cant embed videos here?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDzY27hdVJY