The master speaks...

Ever since BRAIN proclaimed affirmed my suspicion of being the Master of the Universe. It might not be that much of a surprise to but I am reading it much more in depth and actually reading through the ads. Yeah, crazy...

But needless to say in the latest issue I stumbled upon an ad for the Saris T Bones rack. Sure, it might seem a bit strange for a blog that's main purpose is promoting cycling over driving, the reality is that a vast majority still drive and who am I to deny this simple fact and not talk about a potentially stellar product.

The Saris site boasts this about the T-Bones:

Most racks are happy to just sit around when they're not attached to your car. But it's clear that T-Bones wants to be the hardest working rack in the world. When it isn't busy being a high-performance hitch rack, it's a convenient bike storage solution for your home.

It was this last part that really caught my attention. A hitch mounted rack that can also double as a storage unit in it's off time. They say it comes in at around 10lbs which is really nothing for racks and from the looks of all the information that it comes with the stand for in the house. Now this might seem like a no brainer for a rack to do but this is new ground and other brands have not ventured into such options. What appeals to me is the fact that this storage unit could also work as a potential work stand. Saris makes no mention of on their site but for someone looking for an rack that can do just about everything, this might just be it.

Now the magically question, how much? $380. Which does seem a bit steep but if you compare it to Thule's light weight designed rack the Helium it's a steal. The Thule is not nearly as versatile as what the T-bones claims to be able to handle. Or let's try a breakdown in Thule products to compete with it:

Thule 912 - 2 Bike Rack = $199.99
Thule 955 No Sway Cages = $29.99
Thule STL2 Snug Tight Lock = $49.99
Thule 538 Cable Lock = $34.99

Total: $314.96

Which then does not offer any storage or ability to use as a work stand, so adding a Park PCS-10 Home Repair Stand that goes for $136.99, which puts us at $451.95 and we can't even store another bike.

Granted all of this sounds really good, and the T-bones isn't even available until late May and once I get to see the rack it will either confirm or deny if this rack is really all it's cracked up to be but until then, I'll give it the thumbs up.