21.2.2015

Originally developed as a way to secure things to boats (hence the name) these vacuum pads have been re-purposed for carrying things on vehicles, and in this particular application, it's a great idea. They are designed (and I suspect, made) in the USA, which is generally a good indication of quality. Looking at the unit, you can see that every component has been manufactured with care, and a lot of thought has been put into the design. Apart from the bar which secures the front forks to the support bracket, everything is either very thick, high quality polymer, cast aluminium or stainless steel, some of which have been directly CNC machined, not just moulded.You can really see where the money has been spent.The 6-side A4 manual is excellent, and printed entirely in English. It is very clearly written and well illustrated, and contains $10 words like 'incongruity', which is something you don't often see. it does contain warnings and legalese, but these are all valid concerns, and not the usual paragraphs of the 'be careful not to stick your new woolly hat in your eye' variety.Mounting the system on the car is so much easier than fiddling around with a conventional bike rack, it's ridiculous. It's also hugely more convenient to transport and store. There are no large lengths of anything, and it's very light. Once mounted, the bike will be held securely - maybe not quite as rigidly as with a bolt-on roof bar system, but certainly well enough for general transportation. You're not going to be rally driving with your bikes on the car, after all.I love the vacuum indicators that each sucker has - they give you peace of mind that the sucker isn't about to come popping off the roof, which is always the concern with conventional suction cups. You just never know when they're about to fail.Interestingly, the instructions warn against using lube on the cups themselves. I'm not sure why that is, as I've always found that vacuum cups hold much better for longer with a film of water based lubricant under them, but I suspect this is to prevent them from sliding over the surface under the force of the wind on the bike, which is fair enough.There are three suction cups for the front wheel (which needs to face towards the front of the car) and one for the back wheel. Then there's a spare cup in case any of the others should fail. I guess those more paranoid among you might think about re-purposing this as some form of emergency anchor with a length of cord attached to prevent the bike from falling completely from the car should all else fail, but there's probably no need for this. Once you've used it for a few months, I imagine all fears of failure will disappear.One additional point in passing - which may be of particular interest to the photographers and cinematographers out there - each 'sucker' cup has a female 1/4-20 (that is standard tripod) thread in a metal insert at its centre used for securing it to the bike mounting system. Of course, this leads on to the interesting possibility of using the 5th (spare) sucker cup for photographic purposes. When affixed, they really are quite solid, and easily capable of supporting a heavy camera. As a quick test, I mounted one of the cups on a bathroom wall tile, attached a 8" long articulated arm to it (horizontally!), and on the other end mounted a Nikon D800 with battery pack and 70-200 f/2.8 lens. I was quite confident that the tile would have ripped off the wall before the suction cup lost its grip...So in summary - a great product, having no obvious flaws, and a huge improvement over conventional bike racks. The only thing that may put some people off is the fear of it falling off the roof, but everything new is perceived as risky at first.

28.2.2015

As others have said, I approached this with trepidation, my initial thoughts was "wow this is nuts" and "imagine the lawsuits" but thankfully on searching google extensively I can't find a single occurence of catastrophic failure with anyone using one of these. This put me at ease a little so I was happy to give it a go.The item comes in a small unassuming box, I guarantee it's the smallest box you're going to get a roof bike mount ever delivered in! The suckers are the size of a small bowl I suppose, they're a lot chunkier than the kind you hang a teatowel on in the kitchen.The idea is you wet them, put them on a clean roof, metal or glass, and pump the pumpy valve bit until it no longer pumps.The whole indicator thing was initially confusing so I would advise you start by getting used to it on a shiny table or a low window first. It's worth noting that the "indicator bar" on the black one is white. It's not orange or red or whatever colour it says in the advert stuff - I think the confusion arises because originally the whole thing was white - suckers and all - and they've improved it with black because white gets pretty dirty looking after a while.Grip wise, well, it works. It actually has quite a pedigree, originally the company manufactured and sold these suckers to be attached to boats, and so the logic is that anything that doesn't come off when dragging something through water probably won't in air. Apparently one sucker can hold a bike by itself, so four (3 front, 1 back) should be able to hold just fine with a fair bit of redundancy.One disconcerting thing for me is how easily you can remove them by poking the edge to break the seal. I guess that's fine but wow, best hope they dont get hit with a stone or something. I suppose all three would have to lose vacuum so it's fine, but it's definitely necessary to check them literally every time you get in or out of the car. Luckily its easy to do, if you see white on the valve thing, you know you need to pump.Another point I'm not yet sure about is how much a car roof - or window - can hold. I believe that most car windows are literally stuck on, so if you attach all three points to the window, I have to wonder what the possibility is of the whole window coming off when you brake hard. I'll be using one sucker on the window and 2 on the body, personally. Just to be sure. Also recommended not to mount in the weakest parts of the roof (the middle for example) as going over a pothole could be enough downward force to push a dent in your roof. Again not sure but I'm not risking that.So - yeah, a few reservations still but wow, what an easy to use device and what a talking point! It will be great for those days when I want to ride A to B, but can't be bothered to go back to A again, I can just get a lift. You can actually carry this round on your bike if you wish, in a rucksack or pannier! It would fit! Which is an insane thought.Unfortunately you do need a clean car - so this will mean we have to wash the car more often. Downside ;)One last point - don't ever ever allow the suckers to get damaged. They're soft and bendable but if they get kinked or trapped in anything I've read it can ruin them. You get a spare sucker and theyre easy to swap out, and you can buy new ones but they're not that cheap as a part, so just look after them - they come with rigid covers so the key is to always use these.

24.2.2015

A versatile easily attachable, and detachable, bike transport system. I've a Mercedes SLK convertible which has proved challenging in attaching conventional bike racks to. Ideally I need a system that can be very easily be attached and detached from the car. Whilst with a bike attached to the roof it's fairly easy to remember not to turn the car into an open top, with just a rack attached, inadvertent converting of the convertible is a strong possibility!So from this perspective the SeaSucker is a success. While it took me 20 minutes to attach the rack and bike on first use, this was because I was unfamiliar with the system, had a bit of trouble getting the bike front wheel off,

23.3.2015

As with many other reviewers I was a little skeptical on how well this rack would hold a bike on my car, however I have been pleasantly impressed.The rack arrived well packaged and with a clear set of detailed instructions in English, that were easy to understand and follow. The package contained the 2 piece rack, a spare sucker cup, and the necessary bolts nuts and washers to assemble it. There is some assembly required but this is just 2 bolts that connect fork clamp onto the main rack section and only a few minutes to complete with an Allen key and small wrench. The tools required for the assembly were not supplied so that is worth noting if you don't have access to a tool set.

24.2.2015

I was delighted to be able to test out the SeaSucker Talon Quick Release One Bike Carrier. As a keen cyclist, I am forever fitting, or taking off my roof bars and bike rack, which usually takes about 20 minutes, (assuming I can find everything)The SeaSucker Talon system is based on 3 x 6 inch vacuum cups for the front end, with an additional cup to hold the rear wheel.There was minimal screwing together, just a couple of stainless bolts and lock nuts, to connect the front bracket to hold the forks in place, and you are ready to try it out.It was very easy to secure to the roof using the vacuum pumps, and the first time I fitted it, I tugged with all my strength, and it didn't budge a millimetre ...

23.2.2015

I must admit I was highly sceptical whether this SeaSucker Talon could actually take the weight of a bike and hold it as well as a conventional bike rack.Everything came in small pieces in the box but the instructions on how it all fitted together were clear. There was even a spare sucker in case one stopped working, though I can't really see this happening.Putting the device together for the first time took a while, about 10-15 minutes to figure out and I wasn't sure how much time it would take to fit to the car. But once I got going it only took another 10 minutes to fit with the pump making sure that the suction cups were connected properly and a really useful and clear guide on each sucker

12.4.2016

I purchased my Talon a few months ago but it has remained in the box quite simply because I lacked confidence in the whole idea of a bike being held onto a roof with vacuum cups.I purchased the Talon after buying a Scirocco. Owners will know how difficult it is to transport a bike with this vehicle and this review is mainly for you. For transporting the bike I was faced with a high load lip in the boot damaging the roof lining, no option for a tow bar carrier, a terrible roof rack idea from VW which I think will damage my frameless window seals and a rear carrier that after installation I was not happy with in terms of safety/security and the potential for paint damage on the rear bumper and spoiler.

6.12.2016

Got one of these for my BMW i3 which, at the time of purchase, wouldn't accommodate any other roof racks or bike carriers!The Seasucker is pretty easy to use, rapid to install and uninstall and has always carried my bike safely and securely without any problems.Installation takes less than 5 mins: I remove the sucker protectors, squirt some water on them, pop it on my windscreen/roof and pump the vacuum pumps to stick it to the car. Mount the rear sucker on my bikes back wheel and lift the whole bike onto my roof, mounting the front forks in the main Seasucker QR axle. Tighten axle skewer and use vacuum pump on rear sucker and you're done!Once you've mounted it a few times it becomes a really rapid process and second nature.

22.6.2015

This is an amazing product that solves a problem I've had for over ten years. That problem being that my car (Honda CRX) is one of the very few cars that cannot be fitted with any existing roof rack/bike rack. Despite the steep price, this rack is worth every penny, holding the bike without rattles or movement whether on lanes or motorways. It seems fiddly and dangerous at first but you quickly get used to fitting the suction pads and lifting the bike into place. After two or three attempts it was taking me just a few minutes to affix the suction pads and to secure my bike (11.5kg). The best method is to rest the back tyre on the roof while you seat the front forks.

12.3.2015

Ingenious solution this.Someone has evidently looked at conventional bike racks and questioned everything about them and come up with something completely different.This is solid and well made, it's not going to come off, those suckers are unbelievable. The quality of the product cannot be understated.But what I love most about this was how easy it was to set up, seriously easy, and so much less cumbersome than other solutions I've used.What I'm trying to say is that the simplicity of this solution is the real winner.I'll try and upload some pictures to show what I'm trying to say. If you have questions please ask as I'd be happy to help.

1.5.2015

Expensive, but ultimately worth it - in my case, traditional style bike racks can't be fitted to my car and this was the one that other owners recommended. Installation is quick and simple - and very sturdy. It's hard to believe that your bike can be secured purely with the power of suction cups, but secure it is. And of course, being roof/rear-window mounted it avoids the fuss of having your rear lighting cluster obscured - removal is just as easy as fitting, and much quicker than messing around with straps and such. If you're still not convinced: 70mph down a dual carriageway with hardly a wobble!

26.2.2015

I was extremely sceptical that this would work. I was proven wrong, this is excellent. Easily supports an adult bike, though you need to be able to take the front wheel off to mount it. Great build quality and fairly easy assembly. Instructions were clear and unambiguous and the design has some great touches, best of all the suction indicators on each sucker head telling you well it's gripping which remove the primary worry about conventional suction cup bike holders.In short, great design, great build quality, good instructions, easy to use, key features, great product. Very highly recommended.

11.3.2015

This is a terrific product, so well built and reliable. I have used it to hold my bike on the back of the car and on the roof, and after an initial worry – would it really hold? – I have absolutely no doubts. This is so easy to use, and is ever so secure.Since you are looking at this product's page I suspect that you already know if you want one of these. Much easier than the bulky racks that attach to a car's roof, I can't imagine why one wouldn't use these SeaSucker devices.There are others available for more than one bike. These really are a no-brainer.Highly recommended.

16.7.2015

Item does work very well, I'm very happy (hence the 5*)... But I was a bit disappointed with the placement of the main sticker at the front of the rack which wasn't fitted square and looks rubbish. I know it's a minor thing but when you're spending £220+ you don't expect something so easily rectified to pass through to the customer.Plus it just means I'm going to remove it completely which I imagine isn't for Seasuckers brand exposure.

4.9.2017

Too expensive for what it is and you have to buy a 15 or 20 mm fork mount on top of the initial price. Been pretty solid apart from one sucker which is now losing a bit of suction. I fixed the suction by following the maintenance instructions ?. I would not hesitate in recommending this.

SeaSucker Talon - Reviews

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