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Anyone got one? Looking for a towball mounted rack and these seem to have similar features to Atera but alot cheaper.
The wheel support one?
Yes, the BRS..... this one
https://www.roofbox.co.uk/scripts/rbvehsel4_tab.php?24931
Did have one but struggled with the bikes (with wide bars) hitting the rear of the truck. I have a =n L200 with a box on the back - if your car has a vertical back yuo might struggle
I swapped for an Atera which has a much bigger offset
I have the four bike model. Its not brilliant quality but does the job OK. I have broken several screws and it got rusty and looked tatty very quickly. Also the locks in the actual clamps provide no security I would ever rely on.
I've got one for occasional use but only ever fitted 3 full size mtb on it. It's had my bike, the missus' hybrid and two kids bikes as a four.
Rock solid on the car once fitted but could definitely feel the steering a bit vague when fully loaded on a Passat.
Just got the 4 bike one. The design has been updated and I'm very pleased with it for the price. Had the old 3 bike one and the new one is a lot better, IMO.
[i]the steering a bit vague when fully loaded on a Passat. [/i]
I'd check the nose weight limit on the towbar v what you're actually putting on there.
We have the three bike one. It's robust but not as easy to use as more expensive racks, e.g. you tighten it onto the towball with a spanner. For security, I would chain the bikes to the frame of the rack rather than relying on the clamp locks.
Had one of those and used weekly for over 5 years. It's looking a bit tatty now but still solid. Have recently moved on to the Atera as I needed the 4th bike option and extra tilt, but miss the buzz tbh. It just worked really well, as others have said it is worth adding extra locks. To fix to tow bar there was a clamp handle on mine that didn't require a spanner, would say that is definitely worth having.
I had one of those and it seemed well made (never actually used it) but the tilt function didn't allow me to open the rear door on a S-max, I've now got the Atera Strada which is great.
75kg nose weight iirc on Passat estate and the rack must be about 20kg. Three full suss bikes at around 16kg wasn't exceeding it, but you could feel it when the road got wallowy.
The rack is good for allowing boot access but it means the bikes are further off the back of the car.
Mine has taken 4 AM bikes to the Alps - with 4 on I remove the pedals for ease.
I have the 3 bike version and really like it. Quite easy to load 3 bikes on it and the tilt function works well. Any half serious bike theif wouldn't be challenged by it as due to the size of most modern frames having thick tubes, the thin securing bolt can be easily seen behind the clamps as they are so far open to grip the tubes and could easily be cut. Unless you leave your bike unattended for long periods of time I wouldn't let this put you off.
I'm really pleased with mine.
Don't know what people are waffling on about security for. The locking system is the same as is used on the usual Thule and Atera racks that cost twice as much or more, and I actually think the clamps are better - nice and big so can accommodate a wide range of frame tube sizes and shapes. In fact I thought the locking system on my brothers atera was pretty crap - basically a lock on a plastic strap that could be cut through with a hefty pair of kitchen scissors, rather than metal jaws. But there is no locking system on any cycle rack that is theft proof. It's a deterrent for only the most lazy of cycle thieves.
Quality - depends how you define quality. Quality is not an absolute - its relative to the spec. of the product, aboutat satisfying the customers needs. You can't spend half as much on a product and expect the same level of performance. The Buzzrack is a bit more agricultural in its construction - hefty bent metal tubes, welding etc rather than nice lightweight anodised extruded aluminium alloy sections. OK you need to use a spanner to attach it to the tow ball instead of a bespoke single action hand lever, but it's hardly a faff. BUT its half the cost of the Thule and Atera counterparts, so as far as quality is concerned it's bang on. Also on the 4 bike rack I think the design is better than the Thule and Atera counterparts because you don't have any of that stupid threading arms through frames nonsense. Also my brothers Atera rack seemed to move about alot on the back of his car whereas the buzz rack was always rock steady. Maybe you can get more clamping force applied with the spanner than you can with the hand lever thing.
If you use a tow ball rack alot then spending the extra on the Thule or atera ones is worth it, but I used mine maybe 5 or 6 times a year, and for that level of duty its perfect - you'd be nuts to splash out on the more expensive ones.
Its a great bit of kit for the price. I'd have another.
We've got the 4 bike version that we use on the wife's Focus estate and its brilliant for the money.
Just to update. I bought the buzzrack and used it on a 300 mile round trip last week.
Very impressed, easy to attach to the vehicle. Bikes were easy to load on and once i`d done it once it was even easier as you get used to how the pedals need to be. Very solid and did the job perfectly.
On the downside, the tilt is useless if you have a flat backed vehicle (mines a van), and on the same note wide bars will need to be turned for a similar vehicle.
Took me a while to realize the wheel straps where adjustable, so i was letting air out the tyres to get them to fit at first.