Bike racks on automobiles are vital, particularly if you wish to journey to rides, races, and totally different trails along with your bike. However what in case your automobile doesn’t have a hitch or match a correct bike rack?
Plus, trunk mount racks can destroy your automobile if not put in accurately, and brought care of correctly. What’s the subsequent choice?
Allen is throwing weight behind a brand new suction cup design for his or her all-new app-supported Sensible Suction roof rack, that guarantees to depart zero proof of set up. It additionally works with their new Allen App in your smartphone, making certain your set up is appropriate and secure for the highway.
We took the brand new Allen Sensible Suction 1-Bike Rack for a check experience and have various ideas on this distinctive setup.
What’s Allen’s Sensible Suction Rack?
The brand new Sensible Suction™ rack is constructed round a patented (and trademarked) suction cup-based attachment with built-in strain sensors. Consider it as the last word in high-tech, stuck-on safety — Bluetooth-enabled, app-connected, and able to latch onto nearly any car, together with EVs and hybrids that aren’t at all times rack-friendly.
And rental automobiles, too!
It’s comparable in idea to the Sea Sucker Racks that use high-pressure suction cups to safe the rack to glass.
However Allen’s Sensible Suction makes use of smaller suction cups and 4 cups (vs three on the Sea Sucker) paired with an app to verify it’s secure to make use of.
Gimic or Secure?
Allen’s Sensible Suction System isn’t nearly slapping a suction cup in your automobile and hoping for one of the best. It integrates real-time strain monitoring, consistently checking for lack of suction and sending alerts to your telephone by way of the Allen app. If the strain drops, you’ll get a heads-up earlier than something catastrophic occurs.
No extra pulling over each quarter-hour to double-check in case your bike continues to be using shotgun.
“I’ve at all times been fascinated by suction-based mounting methods. However belief was the difficulty — folks simply didn’t really feel assured in them for long-haul transport. We spent years refining this method, even taking a look at how nuclear submarines deal with strain seals to make sure reliability.”
– Allen CEO Alex Allen.
The SB-01 Sensible Suction 1-Bike Rack
The primary product rolling out with this new stuck-on tech is the SB-01 Sensible Suction 1-Bike Rack.
This single-bike system latches onto a car’s roof or rear windshield by way of high-strength suction cups, making it a simple match for almost any car, particularly electrical automobiles, which regularly lack conventional roof or hitch rack compatibility. The built-in sensors guarantee on the spot notification if the suction begins fading.
Allen claims the rack is rock strong at freeway speeds, which means your bike stays put even if you’re hammering down the interstate.
Key Sensible Suction Options
Patented Sensible Suction™ Design – Bluetooth-connected strain sensors consistently monitor attachment power and ship real-time updates to your telephone.
Common Match – Works on most automobiles, together with hybrids and EVs, the place conventional racks received’t match.
Safe Bike Mounting – Makes use of a fork mount system suitable with quick-release skewers (9x100mm, 9x110mm) and thru-axles (12x100mm, 15x110mm).
Adjustable Wheel Tray – Helps bikes with a wheelbase from 35.5″ to 52″ (902mm to 1320mm) overlaying most traditional highway and mountain bikes. (E-bikes are usually too heavy for this method.)
Fast, No-Instruments Set up – Installs in minutes with out damaging the automobile’s end.
Built-in Safety – Features a built-in locking cable to forestall theft.
Compact and Journey-Pleasant – Straightforward meeting/disassembly makes it preferrred for frequent vacationers.
Extra Sensible Suction Gear on the Horizon
Allen’s Sensible Suction 1-Bike Rack is accessible now for $499 at Allen.bike and by way of Amazon, with further Sensible Suction merchandise coming quickly. Given the expertise’s adaptability, it’s secure to imagine Allen isn’t stopping with only a single-bike system, although extra bikes would require extra suction and doubtless bigger diameter cups.
We’ll have to attend and see, however we did have time to take the brand new Allen’s Sensible Suction on the highway, and right here’s what we thought.
First Impressions with Sensible Suction
Allen’s Sensible Suction rack comes with many items, however could be very straightforward to arrange. The principle shaft of the rack connects with a small digital coupler and will get screwed into place. Subsequent, you put in the batteries and the proper fork mount in your bike (the rack has every part you want in that division for all sorts of bikes), and also you’re good to roll.
Plus, these fork adapters are color-coated, so it’s fairly exhausting to combine them up. Simply ensure you hold all of them collectively, otherwise you’re gonna have a troublesome time when it’s essential mount a distinct bike.
Set up
I used to be prepped for a full combat with the Allen Sensible Suction rack, however the set up was intuitive and painless. Probably the most daunting half was measuring the size to mount the rack on the automobile.
I selected my gravel bike because the check bike as a result of it goes all over the place with me. I eliminated the entrance wheel, set the rack subsequent to it within the grass, and measured the place the Allen Sensible Suction would must be on the roof to line up accurately.
The numbered traces on the sliding rack assist, and it could be good if there have been stickers or sliders to mark the place every bike would line up. I’m certain my 130mm journey mountain bike can be longer and require a distinct setup than my highway or children’ bike, for that matter.
App Motion
Earlier than I put in the rack, nevertheless, I wanted to pair it to the telephone.
This appears nuts, at first.
Nevertheless it’s safer and makes me really feel higher about rolling round with a brand new rack on my automobile. The pairing is tremendous easy, and the app is good. I like that you may test the set up and suction and get alerts if something goes sideways (like your bike).
Sensible Suction
After determining the size, I put in it on the automobile. I made certain that the glass was good and clear for the set up. The equipped Allen fabric is a pleasant further and can be experience buddy for sprucing glasses.
To put in and have interaction the suction, you push the tiny “pump” situated on the facet of every suction cup piece.
This picture exhibits the distinction between the “put in accurately” and the “not put in accurately” items. The opposite piece that permits you to know is the app. You may see that progress below the “suction” portion of the app, below “notifications,” and above “ mount.”
How Does it Work?
Effectively, it sucks…. prefer it’s purported to.
As somebody who primarily transports their bike with a hitch rack, having the bike on high of the automobile feels barely odd. I used to be unnerved initially, consistently checking my greatest buddy’s well being via the sunroof. Nevertheless it was secure, and the Allen app confirmed this. Although there was extra shimmy within the rack than I anticipated (when wanting up whereas I used to be purported to be watching the highway), it was secure.
Do I belief it?
Going from a hitch rack to the top-of-the-roof rack is barely odd.
I used a conventional tray rack for years and trusted it with all my bikes. The one distinction in that account is the suction and the way it attaches to the automobile. So it boils right down to “Do you belief these suction cups?” and I have to say “Sure.”
Although I haven’t had any “shut calls or dropping strain” app notifications, I belief that Allen has achieved their analysis to make it roadworthy.
Closing Ideas on the Allen Sensible Suction roof rack
Are you skeptical about suction?
You’re not alone. However Allen’s tech-heavy method — strain monitoring, app integration, and nuclear-submarine-inspired reliability — makes this method value a critical look. This may be the cleanest, most adaptable choice for those who consistently swap automobiles, drive an EV, or hate wrestling with a trunk rack.
Allen.bike
