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Both pretty much come in around a similar price point for roof bars and 2 x bike carriers. On paper the Atera seems to get the better write up.
User experience if you please!
:*)
I've got two of the Atera Giro carriers. I went for these over the Thule ones as the clamping arm is more of an a-frame design than the Thule and in my mind seemed to present a more stable mount. Whether this is the case in reality or not I don't know.
The carriers have been mainly OK, although I have had the occasional issue with the sprung locking mechanism not actually locking. You fit the bike in the carrier, the jaws of the clamp appear to tighten up to the downtube, but then once locked you are still able to pull the jaws open with only the spring force holding it shut....
It happened sporadically on one of the carriers, but would generally work after a couple of attempts.
The other carrier had the same issue which first happened in a very wet, rainy car park while trying to get the bikes sorted as quick as possible. It took about 20 mins of repeated trying to get the lock mechanism fastened. I then had to check it a couple of mins down the road and then again 10 mins later before i was happy it was going to stay done up. This carrier was sent back & replaced with no quibbles at all.
After that incident, I have bought a couple of bungee cords and wrap these around the clamp & the bike frame before setting off. It pretty much guarantees that the bike cannot come free & gives extra peace of mind anyway so it probably worth doing, whether necessary or not.
Until i had these problems, I would have recommended the Atera carriers unreservedly but now I'm not so sure.
When they work they work well, are easy to use & feel stable, but an inconsistent locking mechanism is not an ideal scenario to be faced with. The bungee cord does mean that the lock is largely irrelevant, but it should just work and not need a secondary fastening method to ensure the bikes are safe (although I would now use bungees on any carrier I used just for peace of mind).
Mmm - thanks for that. I have seen someone else mention the failure of the locking mechanism. I like the idea of the 'chocks' on the Atera because we have a sloping driveway and loading, especially for the girlfriend, would be easier. Though in the light of the locks maybe the Thule is the 'safer' option!