SeaSucker Hornet Rack

Even though some friends said I was crazy, I put the Hornet through the paces to see if it matched SeaSucker's claims of strength and versatility.

At first look, I was very skeptical of securing a bike to my car with only two vacuum cups. SeaSucker rates each 4 ½” vacuum cup at 120 lb of pull-strength, but before loading up my $5k+ Devinci I decided to see how strong they REALLY are. After I attached the cups tolinoleumfloors, my rolling 5 drawer tool chest, basically any smooth surface I could find and pulled…and pulled HARD...I was convinced that these are strong. There was no sign of budging or loss of suction, even when I left one cup attached to my car window for 8+ hrs.

Installing the Hornet is as easy as SeaSucker claims. After spraying and wiping down my rear hatch window to make sure it was clear of any dirt/dust, I gave each suction cup a quick spray of water and installed the suction cups. Achieving full suction takes about 10-15 pumps, and each cup had a white indicator to indicate if the pump is losing any strength.After a few installations and figuring out the proper location for the cups, I can have the rack attached to the car in few minutes now.

The Hornet also comes with a safety strap that loops around the head tube and is built in with a plastic pegthat, when closed in the hatchback, secures the strap to the car for that added piece of mind

I’ve used the Hornet for over 300+ miles, included 3 highway trips up to Highland Mountain where I’ve reached speed of 80mph and have had no issues with the rack. I have only had a few experiences where the rack lost only a bit of suction after 3-4 hrsand only required one two pumps to reach full suction, but never experienced a complete loss of suction. SeaSucker includes a pump servicing kit as well in case you need to perform any maintenance (they have instructional videos on this)

The Hornet holds the bike by only the handlebar, but with any sort of driving on backroads or highway I quickly realized that bike needed to also be attached by the seat to the trunk as well. SeaSucker does not include an additional suction cup to secure the seat so this must be purchased separately unfortunately.

Since most people will head out on a ride with friends, the Hornet limits you to bringing only one bike. But on the other hand if someone already has a roof rack installed but no enough room for 3 up top, the Hornet is a quick solution to bringing along one more bike! Additionally, the Hornet could easily pack into luggage for a trip allowing you to attach it to a rental car once you reach your destination.

Being someone who has had a bike stolen off of locked roof rack, my first concern was how to properly secure the bike from theft. SeaSucker addressed this concern with Trunk Cable Anchor that can be installed between the trunk hatchback for use with a cable lock, but must be purchased separately for around $30.

One additional note, these racks thrive best on clean and wet surfaces. To use these racks, I keep a cheap $2 spray bottle and a few rags in my trunk.For someone who is looking for a versatile solution without permanently attaching a bike rack, or is looking for a rack that can easily be transferred between vehicles they own, the Hornet is a great solution at the fraction of the price of a roof rack. After getting over the initial skepticism of how strong the vacuum cups are, I have no reservations about using this rack for long trips and enjoy it's easy of use!