The Saris Solo bike rack

With the Saris Solo, I have found the perfect bike rack for the tiny Toyota iQ. Here's my review.

Having searched for the smallest possible car that could carry four passengers, I settled on the 2013 Toyota iQ2 (known in the US as the Scion). The car is only slightly larger than a Smart, but has four seats instead of two. It comfortably transports our entire family, and has proven surprisingly fun to drive.

I often like to carry my bike up into the local mountains for rides, so the next thing I looked for was a bike rack that could fit the tiny Toyota. That search led me to a Wisconsin-based rack maker I'd never heard of, called Saris, who make the ideal single-bike rack for the Toyota iQ.

The Saris Solo is made of an strong plastic, is very light weight, and installs in seconds. It has four arms anchored with rubberized feet. Those feet are held in place against the car's surface by straps and rubberized hooks that connect to the top and bottom of the car's rear hatch. Built-in zip ties secure the top tube of the bike to the rack and a mid-level strap secures the bike from swaying.

Saris has posted a video on YouTube that demonstrates the installation process.

As you can see from the photos below, the shape of the rack's arms form a letter "Y". Interestingly, I can store the rack inside the car, by situating the crook of the "Y" on top of the back seat. Amazing.

The rack's price is about $60. I've been using it for a while now, and am really happy.