Bike racks on cars are necessary, especially if you want to travel to rides, races, and different trails with your bike. But what if your car doesn’t have a hitch or fit a proper bike rack?
Plus, trunk mount racks can destroy your car if not installed correctly, and taken care of properly. What’s the next option?
Allen is throwing weight behind a new suction cup design for their all-new app-supported Smart Suction roof rack, that promises to leave zero evidence of installation. It also works with their new Allen App on your smartphone, ensuring your installation is correct and safe for the road.
We took the new Allen Smart Suction 1-Bike Rack for a test ride and have more than a few thoughts on this unique setup.
What is Allen’s Smart Suction Rack?
The new Smart Suction™ rack is built around a patented (and trademarked) suction cup-based attachment with integrated pressure sensors. Think of it as the ultimate in high-tech, stuck-on security — Bluetooth-enabled, app-connected, and ready to latch onto almost any vehicle, including EVs and hybrids that aren’t always rack-friendly.
And rental cars, too!
It’s similar in concept to the Sea Sucker Racks that use high-pressure suction cups to secure the rack to glass.
But Allen’s Smart Suction uses smaller suction cups and four cups (vs three on the Sea Sucker) paired with an app to confirm it’s safe to use.
Gimic or Safe?
Allen’s Smart Suction System isn’t just about slapping a suction cup on your car and hoping for the best. It integrates real-time pressure monitoring, constantly checking for loss of suction and sending alerts to your phone via the Allen app. If the pressure drops, you’ll get a heads-up before anything catastrophic happens.
No more pulling over every 15 minutes to double-check if your bike is still riding shotgun.
“I’ve always been fascinated by suction-based mounting systems. But trust was the issue — people just didn’t feel confident in them for long-haul transport. We spent years refining this system, even looking at how nuclear submarines handle pressure seals to ensure reliability.”
– Allen CEO Alex Allen.
The SB-01 Smart Suction 1-Bike Rack
The first product rolling out with this new stuck-on tech is the SB-01 Smart Suction 1-Bike Rack.
This single-bike system latches onto a vehicle’s roof or rear windshield via high-strength suction cups, making it an easy fit for nearly any vehicle, especially electric cars, which often lack traditional roof or hitch rack compatibility. The built-in sensors ensure instant notification if the suction starts fading.
Allen claims the rack is rock solid at highway speeds, meaning your bike stays put even when you’re hammering down the interstate.
Key Smart Suction Features
Patented Smart Suction™ Design – Bluetooth-connected pressure sensors constantly monitor attachment strength and send real-time updates to your phone.
Universal Fit – Works on most vehicles, including hybrids and EVs, where traditional racks won’t fit.
Secure Bike Mounting – Uses a fork mount system compatible with quick-release skewers (9x100mm, 9x110mm) and thru-axles (12x100mm, 15x110mm).
Adjustable Wheel Tray – Supports bikes with a wheelbase from 35.5″ to 52″ (902mm to 1320mm) covering most standard road and mountain bikes. (E-bikes are generally too heavy for this system.)
Quick, No-Tools Installation – Installs in minutes without damaging the car’s finish.
Integrated Security – Includes a built-in locking cable to prevent theft.
Compact and Travel-Friendly – Easy assembly/disassembly makes it ideal for frequent travelers.
More Smart Suction Gear on the Horizon
Allen’s Smart Suction 1-Bike Rack is available now for $499 at Allen.bike and via Amazon, with additional Smart Suction products coming soon. Given the technology’s adaptability, it’s safe to assume Allen isn’t stopping with just a single-bike system, though more bikes would require more suction and probably larger diameter cups.
We’ll have to wait and see, but we did have time to take the new Allen’s Smart Suction on the road, and here’s what we thought.
First Impressions with Smart Suction
Allen’s Smart Suction rack comes with many pieces, but is very easy to set up. The main shaft of the rack connects with a small electronic coupler and gets screwed into place. Next, you install the batteries and the correct fork mount for your bike (the rack has everything you need in that department for all types of bikes), and you’re good to roll.
Plus, those fork adapters are color-coated, so it’s pretty hard to mix them up. Just make sure you keep them all together, or you’re gonna have a tough time when you need to mount a different bike.
Installation
I was prepped for a full fight with the Allen Smart Suction rack, but the installation was intuitive and painless. The most daunting part was measuring the length to mount the rack on the car.
I chose my gravel bike as the test bike because it goes everywhere with me. I removed the front wheel, set the rack next to it in the grass, and measured where the Allen Smart Suction would need to be on the roof to line up correctly.
The numbered lines on the sliding rack help, and it would be nice if there were stickers or sliders to mark where each bike would line up. I’m sure my 130mm travel mountain bike will be longer and require a different setup than my road or kids’ bike, for that matter.
App Action
Before I installed the rack, however, I needed to pair it to the phone.
This seems nuts, at first.
But it’s safer and makes me feel better about rolling around with a new rack on my car. The pairing is super simple, and the app is nice. I like that you can check the installation and suction and get alerts if anything goes sideways (like your bike).
Smart Suction
After figuring out the length, I installed it on the car. I made sure that the glass was nice and clean for the installation. The supplied Allen cloth is a nice extra and will be a good ride buddy for polishing glasses.
To install and engage the suction, you push the tiny “pump” located on the side of each suction cup piece.
This photo shows the difference between the “installed correctly” and the “not installed correctly” pieces. The other piece that lets you know is the app. You can see that progress under the “suction” portion of the app, under “notifications,” and above “how to mount.”
How Does it Work?
Well, it sucks…. like it’s supposed to.
As someone who primarily transports their bike with a hitch rack, having the bike on top of the car feels slightly odd. I was unnerved initially, constantly checking my best buddy’s health through the sunroof. But it was safe, and the Allen app confirmed this. Though there was more shimmy in the rack than I expected (when looking up while I was supposed to be watching the road), it was safe.
Do I trust it?
Going from a hitch rack to the top-of-the-roof rack is slightly odd.
I used a traditional tray rack for years and trusted it with all my bikes. The only difference in that account is the suction and how it attaches to the car. So it boils down to “Do you trust these suction cups?” and I must say “Yes.”
Though I haven’t had any “close calls or losing pressure” app notifications, I trust that Allen has done their research to make it roadworthy.
Final Thoughts on the Allen Smart Suction roof rack
Are you skeptical about suction?
You’re not alone. But Allen’s tech-heavy approach — pressure monitoring, app integration, and nuclear-submarine-inspired reliability — makes this system worth a serious look. This might be the cleanest, most adaptable option if you constantly swap cars, drive an EV, or hate wrestling with a trunk rack.
Allen.bike
