You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Now i'm vanless, after a towbar mounted bike rack. My limited research shows a wide price difference, from under £200 to well over £500
Is there much of a difference? Only need it for two bikes, rather not spend mega dosh, but equally don't want to be stuck with something that will annoy me every time it gets used
What's the collectives recommendations?
I’ve got Ann Atera Strada DL3 - it’s out of date. Not really wide enough for modern king bikes and the spacing can’t handle Boost.
Next time round I’ll be looking towards Buzzrack (likely from roofbox.co.uk as their service is excellent(
I've got a folding Buzzrack thing that I bought on FB Marketplace for £100. It's very solid and built for 4 bikes but to be honest it's better with 2 as the arms aren't huge.
We leave it on all the time as you can fold the arms down and tilt the whole thing out of the way of the tailgate.
I have the basic Thule ride-on rack - 180 quid or so. You put bikes on it, they don't fall off, the rack doesn't fall off*.
I'm not sure what other features you are getting for 700 quid - easier access to your boot, perhaps, that's it.
*Unless it's an ebike - check the weight rating.
Buzzrack - I've got the 2 bike Scorpion.
Very solid, it tilts and folds, fits big bikes (29+ and long wheelbase), and will even take two ebikes if that's your thing.
Thule Easyfold XT. Brilliant & simple. Lives in the boot when I'm not using it.
https://www.thule.com/en-gb/bike-rack/towbar-bike-racks/thule-xpress-2-_-970000
Had one of these for years, completely solid, stays in the boot with the lightboard, and only £85
I tried Buzzrack, Thule and Atera when getting my last rack. Settled on Atera as the spacing between bikes was bigger
Thule Velocompact or XT, I have the Velo (Volvo Version) and works great really easy to put on and off wish I done years ago.
A 10 year old Thule EuroClassic 4 bike here. Ben to France and Spain multiple times, used most weeks locally. It's great.
As are most Thule products.
I assume you still need a numberplate board with those compact racks?
The wheel on variety normally come with an integrated light and license plate board
Key things to look for are bike spacing and wheel base, the former is normally quite generous on two bike racks so that's likely less of a worry for you.
Fwiw, I would have bought a buzz rack if they had wider bike spacing on their 4 bike racks.
I’ve got Ann Atera Strada – it’s out of date. Not really wide enough for modern king bikes and the spacing can’t handle Boost.
But I still just get 4 bikes on it if I take the front wheel off the first one.
Wouldn't buy again
Buzzrack – I’ve got the 2 bike Scorpion.
Very solid, it tilts and folds, fits big bikes (29+ and long wheelbase), and will even take two ebikes if that’s your thing.
Yep, buzzrack e-scorpion here too, it's perfect.
I've had to make one tiny modification, in that the end of the rack with 2 wheel straps and the folding bit (which is meant for the front wheel to stop it twisting) means if I carry one bike, it's always between the 'hoop' on the rack and the car (more secure if anything did happen) but that means the front wheel is on the passenger side, and if you have looooong bikes, the rear wheel overhangs on the drivers side by more than the passenger side.
I've swapped the folding bits over to the other end so that there's more overhang on my passenger side - means I'm in control of how much room I give to the verge, not the maniac white van driver on country roads who passes me with 2 inches to spare on the drivers side.
My longest bike is/will be about 5-10cm wider than my car including mirrors.
+1 for Buzzrack Scorpion. Always been a roof mount advocate, but since we had to get the Buzzrack, I’m converted.
A friend has the Thule one which leans back to allow access to the boot. I have to admit I covet his bike rack.
I have an Atera Evo rack, it would be good if it wasn't for unreliable electrics.
Thule next time, probably.
The flange mounted ones are quite good too.
Witter do a Flange Towbar Mounted Cycle Carrier. It's quite hard to find on their Website.
It bolts beside the tow bar hook if you have the correct tow bar with the bolts.
The rack can be quickly removed and store in the boot in two parts,which is really why I used it mainly. I often commute too work one way or another and could leave it quickly in boot of vehicle.
It can be kept in the boot , I mainly used it for one bike for shorter trips I did not use a number plate board!!
The hooks for the witter flange one can be used to store a bike on a wall in the shed as well with another wall mount bracket.
For longer trips the more expensive tow bar racks are much more stable for bike(s) and are better but quite pricey, I did use a Thule Tow bar as well.
At one point in life me and the Mrs needed two and moved bikes on the same day. Hence owning two.
The flange one is very useful and worth thinking about.
Another happy Buzzrack eScorpion owner here.
Had to get rid of my older Buzzrack as wider forks and chainstays meant bikes were hitting each other.
Thanks for all the replies! Not heard of buzzracks, I’ll check them out
As I suspected, nothing lost by going for a cheaper model, guess the expensive models are pitched at the discerning *insert posh car de-jour* owners 😉
The things I would look for are:
13pin electrics (with fog & reverse)
Lightweight so easy to move / carry but sturdy to hold bikes securely
Lockable for each bike
Tilts / slides to clear opening boot
Good spacing between rails to prevent bike rub
Arms easy to reposition/ detach to connect the 3rd bike
Frame shape versatile to allow flexibility to connect arms.
Can carry long bikes
Can accommodate 2.6" tyres
Spares availability / simple to change bulbs
All of the above make easy to live with.
Folding for storage is a bonus too
Some not such an issue for 2 bike rack though.
I like the hanging racks for two bikes - used a Thule one for ages and they're very simple, quick, also quite light. Hangon 4 is currently £145 at Halfords by the looks of it. Think I'd prefer the 4 to the 2 even for two bikes.
Now the kids are on bigger bikes I've had to move to a Buzzrack 4 - the Hangon is not big enough for 4 adult bikes.
The Buzzrack 4 is extremely solid / safe and well thought out (with one exception), bikes go on easy. Simple to tilt and no tools required to put it on. Only issue is the spacing between the middle two racks - it's narrower and bikes will scratch if you don't take preventative action. It's also quite heavy / unwieldy an object, a wee person might struggle to put it on the vehicle.
Quick question for a rack thread - brake light connection is currently dead on my set-up at the car socket. Does anyone know if each pin has a fuse that might cause this problem? I've tried cleaning it out and it's not worked. A new socket is a couple of quid but unfortunately the bolts have corroded on so it's not straightforward to replace.
Thanks for all the replies! Not heard of buzzracks, I’ll check them out
As I suspected, nothing lost by going for a cheaper model, guess the expensive models are pitched at the discerning *insert posh car de-jour* owners
Haven't checked around for prices but this is the one you'll want - I paid £295 in November 2019 so they've gone up a little bit not masses.
As I suspected, nothing lost by going for a cheaper model, guess the expensive models are pitched at the discerning *insert posh car de-jour* owners
Not really. With the more expensive racks you mainly gain ease of fit (both for bikes and car) and/or foldability for storage. Can't go wrong with a Buzzrack though
Also check out local ads, might just find a bargain.
Actually having now looked at the Buzzrack E-Scorpion in detail (not seen it before), I am less convinced of the value of more expensive racks!
I have a buzzrack scorpion, used for 2 ebikes.
No problems, would buy again.
Can’t remember how much it was, but I don’t recall going ‘ooh shit’ at the price either.
Considering I'm hanging £10k's worth of bikes off the back of my car, an extra hundred quid or so really isn't an issue 😁
Literally the only movement in the rack is due to the pivot that lets it tilt back, I've done thousands of miles with it with zero complaints.
Actually having now looked at the Buzzrack E-Scorpion in detail (not seen it before), I am less convinced of the value of more expensive racks!
Ahh, you mean the e-scorpion is just as good as more expensive racks? Agreed - if you need space for 3 bikes them you might have to spend more but for 2 bikes max it's more than enough.
you mean the e-scorpion is just as good as more expensive racks?
It does look like it, feature-wise at least. The only thing that sticks out to me is the towbar attachment. On Thule racks you push down a lever and it's on. The Buzzrack mechanism takes a bit longer. You have to tighten the clamp by turning it a number of times.
Yeah it's a bit more time consuming but nothing major, tighten the knob into the ball then tighten the clamp with the built in lever. Simples!
Speaking of the clamp mechanism on the E-scorpion I've just buggered the thread on mine. Must have overtightened it during the holiday to France and Germany that we just got back from. Still held OK coming back from Germany but its knackered now, must be my hench guns....
Will get into roofbox on Tuesday, doubt I'll have any problems as long as they hold spares or can get hold of one easy enough. Would still recommend the rack though, brilliant bit of kit