Luke Meers
No roof racks? No worries. Luke Meers has been putting the Treefrog Pro 2 bike racks to the test.
Imagine carrying bikes on the top of your vehicle without needing permanent roof racks fitted. Well, that’s the idea behind these updated Treefrog racks, which suction securely to any smooth surface.
This style of racks is certainly not new to the market, but this was my first time using them, and they offer plenty of unique features that make them an appealing option.
Treefrog has a range of modes of racks, such as single bike racks, but tested here is the Pro 2, which is their two-bike carrying model. With four front vacuum cups mounted underneath the polycarbonate deck, the racks have a max quoted load of 40kg, plenty for all but two of the heaviest e-bikes.
There is a bit of a mental hurdle to convince yourself that these racks can be trusted to carry your valuable cargo. I’m calling this “suction-anxiety” and I can imagine it would be very real for people who haven’t seen these racks in action. Once mounted, I manually put a lot of load through the racks in order to try and remove them and I couldn’t.
This, coupled with the numerous years these racks have been on the market, was enough to convince me they were safe. Suction-anxiety removed.
Installation is surprisingly simple and quick. First, give the surface a quick clean with something like a microfibre cloth to ensure there is nothing to break the vacuum. Then simply place the rack in position and use the little pump action buttons to apply the vacuum.
These buttons have indicators on them that show when an adequate level of suction is achieved. This also doubles as the way to check later whether suction has dropped, in which case a few pumps are required to restore full grip.
One potential downside is that these racks require the front wheel to be removed. Treefrog offers front wheel holders that can be mounted separately. Mounting the bike is then like any other front-wheel-off rack.
All the fittings necessary for the various bike options, thru-axle, quick-release, etc. are included. The fork clamps into the front rack, and the rear wheel is strapped in via a sturdy Velcro strap to the single rear mount.
I recommend mounting the bike with the rear cup not suctioned, which then allows the bike angle to be adjusted and optimised. Done. The whole mounting of racks and bike(s) takes less than five minutes.
When driving there is the normal level of wobble and wind noise associated with roof racks, nothing problematic but neither are they silent or completely rigid. Removal of the racks is even simpler and easier than installation, in fact, it is a little disconcerting at first.
There are small bumps in a couple of locations on the vacuum cups. You simply push back on these like you’re “peeling” the cup off, and quite suddenly, the vacuum is fully released. It seems too easy, but rest assured, this doesn’t seem to be able to happen accidentally during driving.
These racks are super convenient if you are travelling, don’t have or want permanent roof racks, or if you need to switch between cars regularly. They are very versatile in positioning, although this has its limits too. I tried to fit them to the back panel of my family van but the curvature of the back meant the bike chainring would hit the panel; not ideal.
The quick and easy installation and removal are great if you don’t want racks always on your car. The downside is that there is nothing to allow the racks/bikes to be locked to the car. This means a brave thief could theoretically steal the bikes and the racks from your car. It’s unlikely, but I wouldn’t want to risk it for long periods.
Overall, the Treefrog system is easy to use, effective, and looks great on the car. Priced at around $600 to $700 depending on the retailer, they aren’t cheap. However, if you compare this to buying roof racks and two bike racks of similar quality, you actually save money with the Treefrog units. If I didn’t already have roof rack-mounted racks on my car, I would definitely be looking at these for their ease of use and versatility.
