Volvo C30 Polestar Edition.
Product Highlights
You need to transport bikes on occasion but you have multiple vehicles or you are not ready to commit to a permanent rack. Or you have a type of car where a hitch rack is not an option and a roof rack is not available. Or you want a roof rack but you are concerned about wind noise and mileage degradation during the times when you are not transporting a bike.
The Seasucker Mini Bomber works by using suction cups that attach to any flat and clean surface. Each cup can hold up to 210 lbs of pulling force and the Mini Bomber uses four of them on the two fork mounts alone. For the rear wheel, one suction cup and a Velcro strap is used.
On a very clean surface, each suction cup can maintain its pressure for 2-5 days. Loss of pressure is easily detected by a colored white bar that becomes visible on each suction cup pump when the cup loses pressure.
Specifications:
- Holds 2 bicycles - up to 45 lbs each.
- Made for roof top, trunk or hatchback attachment.
- Attaches to metal, glass or fiberglass surfaces.
- 3/4" thick high-density polyethylene (HDPE) body for strength and durability.
- Two heavy-duty fork mounts for 9mm dropouts.
- Four 6″ SeaSucker vacuum cups on body (210 lb. pull-strength rated each).
- Approx. 12 lbs.
- MSRP: $400
Strengths:
- It is versatile and works on any vehicle with a solid, flat roof
- Each suction cup has tremendous holding power and the pump has a pressure indicator
- It literally installs in minutes and can be removed in seconds.
- Fork mounts are angled slightly to give room for wide handlebars
- It does what it's supposed to which is secure the bike on almost any vehicle
Weaknesses:
- The fork mount is a Delta brand mount with a lock mount tab that gets in the way when removing the fork from the rack
- The rear wheel strap is two pieces of long Velcro that mate together. This should be a ratcheting clamp or a hook Velcro trap that can be tensioned. These two long pieces of velcro flap around when not in use and need to be hooked to each other.
- Although one suction cup is plenty strong to hold, the rear wheel mount needs two smaller suction cups for redundancy so if one loses pressure over time, the other one is a fail-safe
- The front fork mount board is flat when almost all roofs are curved. Force has to be applied and maintained to bend the board. On curved roofs, one has to lean on the end of the rack and lock it with the suction force. This works ok but the bent board is taking away some of the retaining force of the suction cup.
- The suction cup pressure guages have to be checked every single time the vehicle is used as a matter of precaution
- The rack is meant to be removed every time it is not used but reinstalling it requires cleaning all surfaces.
- Bad wind noise even when there's no bike because of the flat board for the fork mounts. This occurs more when the rack is mounted near the windshield
- It can be stolen easily when left on the vehicle
- Expensive for what it offers
- The suction cups develop slow leaks (warranty is awesome though and any cup will be replaced for $12). In the span of our testing, two of our cups lose pressure in a few hours instead of 5 days when cleaned and new. Orange covers are supplied by Seasucker to put on the cups when not in use. This is meant to minimize dirt contamination and the development of leaks.
Car Gallery
Dodge Challenger SRT-8 Hemi
Mustang GT
Subaru BRZ
BMW X6
Overall
The best way to transport a bike these days is with a hitch rack. But when the options are few, the Mini Bomber offers a solution. We've installed it on about ten different vehicles and it has performed well. It is reliable and stable even on high speeds, rough roads and hard cornering. When installed ideally, we trust that the Mini Bomber will hold the bike securely even at high freeway speeds. So it is solution when versatility is needed or no other racks work
But for daily use, there is a long list of weaknesses listed above. So while we're not excited about the Mini Bomber, we've used the Seasucker Talon a bit and we think it's a much better product. The fork mount installs more securely with three suction cups that attach to the roof and the windshield. The rear wheel mount has two suction cups and a front wheel holder. Information on it can be found here.
https://www.seasucker.com/shop/1187/
Seasucker Talon is a great alternative for $270 (1-bike rack)