By: Sarah Reiter, Saris Car Rack Product Manager
With every new product, we strive to hit the sweet spot where it accomplishes MORE and does it BETTER than it was intended. Our SuperClamp has not only done just that, it's continued to evolve into something even sweeter.
The story of the SuperClamp hitch rack is rooted in the success of the most universal bike rack on the planet, the Freedom. In fact, word on the street is that the nickname for this bicycle rack is the "freedom universal" due to its known versatility. While the Freedom can carry any combination of bikes securely and touts easy-to-load features, we learned from customer feedback that some consumers wanted something more – no frame contact.
From that directive, the SuperClamp was born. With its innovative dual-wheel clamps, allowing for secure contact to the top of both bike wheels, the SuperClamp is the most secure tray-style hitch rack around. For people riding carbon frames and who have very particular visions of what touches their bikes, this is a critical advantage – some might say a necessity. Plus, this feature provides a number of other auxiliary (and important) benefits along the way. Like the fact that the wheel clamping makes it faster and easier to load for everyone, and the streamlined design makes it simple to install on the car. That said, we never stop thinking of ideas and opportunities to keep improving our already stellar product.
Brand-new for this year is a cable that's 50% thicker than the previous version, along with an updated, centrally located, stable-mounted lock housing along the horizontal bar. This new system will provide the most gentle, yet secure system to protect the bike (both the bike from the lock and the bike from a potential thief). We know that the changes in the locking system will make this product stronger and better for its users.
And to top it off, there are two consumer delights that I can't help but giddily share with you! The first is the bottle opener on the underside of the lock housing. Yep, no more loose (or lost) openers rattling around your car or broken teeth caused in your quest to indulge in an after-ride "beverage." We share your collective shouts of CHEERS!
Secondly, since we manufacture our car racks right here in Madison, WI, we spend a lot of time with the product components. And with that much time, we can come up with some crazy harebrained ideas. Like the time we decided we wanted to make belt buckles out of SuperClamp lock housings. Because we have the machines, and the parts, and the ideas. And it would be cool. So we did. And they are cool. Take a look for yourself.
Who doesn't want to be able to match their belt buckle to their favorite bike rack?
Now you can! I just so happen to have a few belt buckles to give away. I'd love to hear from you! All I'll do is ask you a few questions about your use and experience with your SuperClamp hitch rack. So if you're a SuperClamp user willing to share your thoughts and opinions with me, email me directly at sreiter@saris.com. And in return, I'll share a bit of our Wisconsin manufacturing capabilities with you. Your buddies will appreciate you when you can open their beverages on and off the trails. Keep riding my friends!