You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Hi sorry for the question but after selling my van which I am gutted about, I need to go back to a tow bar rack and are a little out of touch.
Tow bar will be a detachable one and looking to carry two bikes mainly a levo sl and a status.
Thoughts on best one to get, want it to last and be secure etc.
Thanks in advance.
watching with interest! I had a look today at an Atera ebike version and it topped 500 notes!
I can relate the one I am looking at is the Atera Genio pro advanced and that is £575!!!
I can recommend a Buzzrack E-Hornet for under £300. Rated for 2 ebikes, locks onto towbar and tilts for access to the boot.
You can get an extra 5% discount by going through ukcampsite.co.uk
https://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/articles/view.asp?id=846
Chap at Llandegla today had a Thule Epos with 3 bikes on. As I struggled to thread the arms through frame arrangement on my rack, I must say it bloody looked magnificent.
May not be an issue for you, but if you have an XL or bigger sized bike, check the max wheelbase length the rack can accept.
e.g. my XXL Hightower has such a long wheelbase that my rack choice boiled down to one (expensive) Thule rack. Every other rack was too short...(that was a few years ago so may have changed)
500 notes to keep a few grand of Levo SL secure on a rack doesn't seen expensive. Tho I am puzzled on another weekend thread about Atera racks that people are having to use shims to provide enough friction on the tow ball to keep the rack horizontal. We've probably all seen folks on the road with racks so droopy that they look as if they would scrape the road if there was a sleeping policeman or a couple of back lane compressions.
I've had a Thule euroway for 10 years, never any problems, totally secure on the towball, it just works. It was expensive, but works out less than 50quid a year to keep a few grand of bikes secure on a fast run to the alps. My BiL bought an Atera this summer, and it was not as "worked out" as the Thule tbh, and could not accommodate 3 road bikes without lots of handlebar tetris. The ratchet straps etc seemed a bit cheap, and difficult to position and release
Buy the best fit thule rack that works for LLS and be happy. That Epos rack does look the bizz, and will last for years
I recently moved from a Thule Euroclassic to a Buzzrack eHornet. The Buzzrack doesn't feel quite as 'posh' as the Thule but it's rock solid and it actually fits my mates XXL Hightower. It was too long for the Thule, and the Thule also couldn't take 2 boost bikes next to one another, I had to use spaces 1 and 3, or use 1 and 2 but use the arm for position 3 to lean the bike out. But there's loads of room between the two spaces on the Buzzrack.
I was going to suggest the Halfords Advance 2 bike rack but I've just seen how much they are now... 😲
Tho I am puzzled on another weekend thread about Atera racks that people are having to use shims to provide enough friction on the tow ball to keep the rack horizontal.
that’s my thread, and it’s more about stopping it moving in the horizontal plane. It is rock solid vertically. Some modern towballs do not accommodate Thule and Yakima racks due to the short depth of the ball, so choice is limited.
Im my case, I had to go factory towball option therefore limitations on rack choice. I’d have preferred a Thule, but it doesn’t fit.….
buzzrack e-scorpion 2
check out the pictures, great for storage, and tilt to get in the boot..
I've been using a Thule Easyfold 3 bike rack for a few months now to carry a full fat Levo and an Orbea Rise. Expensive but very happy with it.
I had no problem with my previous Atera Strada for the normal bikes apart from spacing between boost frames not being great.
But, the Thule just seems a much better unit in nearly all areas.
I say nearly all - Thule feels more substantial and secure with much much better spacing for bikes, but I'm not a massive fan of their clamp arms. THe clamps have torque limiters on them, but on our cabon frames I've never had the guts to tighten fully until I hear the click...IMO the tension is set way yoo high. Atera wins here with their wrap around metal core bike strap/clamps.
Thule XT2, G1 is 1325mm+ wheelbase (probably closer to 1340 with the 180mm forks and angles I'm running) and fits no problem at all. Spacing between the bikes is huge, so no rubbing at all.
I have long bikes (not ebikes tho) and my old Altera DL3 was a bit short and getting a bit tired after eight years use.
Speaking to Roofbox, I went for the Buzzrack E-Scorpion 2: Roofbox Link
The '2' has the new towball locking mechanism and it's fantastic. Really solid on the towball and because of the short arms. there's no rocking of the bikes. Get two big ones on there no problem, good spacing between the rails. Also the extra strap for the front wheel stops any flapping.
Paints a bit thin, but electrics seem to be better sealed than the old Atera. It folds up as well which makes getting it on and off the car really easy. Which is good as it's heavy.
Thule Velospace XT
Not cheap, and I dithered for ages before buying. But really pleased with it. Sooo much easier than all the ****ing about with loads of straps etc. and nice and solid.
If you get the 3 bike version you can put bikes on position 1 and 3, leaving more room = even easier to load up. A 2 bike version also available for a few sheckles less.
The single foot pedal to tilt to access the tailgate is really nice - and was vital for me, with either an Estate or SUV with a big tail gate and a Labrador in the back (in his own cage where I also need to open his cage door). And it's well balanced when doing that, so not heaving a huge load back up to lock back in the normal place afterwards.
When it's common to be carrying £10-15k total of bikes on the back, £600 for something that will last the remainder of my life seemed a price worth paying.
If you've ever had to utter "John....your bike has gone... I mean gone - gone. Like not there gone' to your mate called John when doing 60mph on an A road, after looking in the mirror, you'll know what I mean about £600 for a good rack being worth it !
Think I got mine at Winstanleys, discounted (still >£500) and delivered quickly.
Recently bought an Atera Strad DL3 as it would allow us to open the tail gate of the T4 camper. Solid enough but the bike fixing set up is awful. Ratchets that have to be un ratcheted one click at a time. Ratchets that don't push through until nearly tight. Nver known a set up like this. Some of the "ratchet levers are on the inside of the mounts so you have to reach past a bike, probably muddy, to get to it. Keys are both fussy and vague. Wheels mounts slope so the damn bike doesn't stay in place until you have done up the mounting arm but that doesn't stay in place until you have done up the wheel mounts. Bomb proof once all is mounted and very reassuring but what a pain to mount the bikes. I am hoping that things ease up as they bed in a bit.
Ratchets that have to be un ratcheted one click at a time. Ratchets that don’t push through until nearly tight.
thats not true on my strada. you can do both of those things with it (as in pull the strap through in both directions), but I agree the mechanism is a little fiddly. The 4th bike extension ratchets are worse than the main 3 on the bike
ive been looking into this. Need to accommodate a levo + 3 other bikes (2 kids bikes and partners bike)
The buzzracks looks really good. not sure i really need to go for the ebike specific ones as they state 20kg per bike anyway
http://buzzrack.com/galleries/buzzracer-4/
http://buzzrack.com/galleries/buzzquattro-tow-ball-platform-bike-carrier-2/
If you get the Thule Velospace then you can also use it with the Backspace cargo box, which is handy.
You can also add an extension rack to the velospace to allow a 3rd bike to be carrried on the 2 bike rack, or a 4th bike to be carried on the 3 bike rack, or one bike to be carried when the backpace is being used, as shown above.
https://www.thule.com/en-gb/bike-rack/accessories/thule-velospace-xt-bike-adapter-_-938100
Backspace cargo box,
jeez, £500 for a box. We just a strap large waterproof holdall or 2 onto our bike rack when we need extra luggage space.
I've got the Thule Velospace with the extension to carry a 4th bike. It's great when the whole family wants to go somewhere for a ride. It's been through France a few times loaded with 4 bikes and at speeds above those that would send Michael J Fox back in time. It's never looked like it's about to shed the bikes across the road but it's big and heavy so you need somewhere to store it when not in use.
I took my 3 kids to Llandegla yesterday which was the first time trying the Euroclassic in 4-bike mode. I bought it 2nd hand a while ago. Guess who didn't check that all the locks take the same key? The 4th "arm" was a different lock number so I didn't fancy adding daughter's bike right onto the very back of the car... good job it fitted in the boot with the other 3 on the back! Very frustrating first thing in the morning with everything loaded up.
Thanks everyone ☺️
Have been looking loads and still undecided.
A mate of mine has a Thule towbar rack he’s been meaning to sell since he changed both car and bike. I will chase him up about it later today and find out model and a price.
Thanks sent you a pm.
Thule VeloSpace XT 3 here after doing lots of research.
3 things to note:
1) The spacing between trays is smaller on the 3 bike version vs the 2 so if you know you will only want to carry 2 and want to save money and length then that's worth considering.
2) Struggling to get the clamp to the bike on the outermost tray with 3 bikes, not impossible but everything had to just so and frustrating. Resorted to using a double ended clamp the third bike to second. Works fine, much easier.
3) So the van door clears rack, with the rack tipped back you has to change the cable mounting points AND watch were your pedals (and I think bars) were.
Aside from that it feels very solid and reassuringly heavy.
Why cant we have stuff like this?
https://saris.com/products/mhs-1-bike-package
That saris rack looks awesome.
Based on the (many) previous threads on this question, it generally boils down to...
Buy Thule if you're happy with the premium price. Check max wheelbase length too.
Buy Atera if you don't want Thule, but are still happy with a more premium price.
Buy Buzzrack if you're wanting a lower price and are happy with good functionality if slightly less premium finish/features.
.
Very happy Buzzrack Scorpion (2 bike, folding) owner here. It's takes 29+ bikes and long wheelbase bikes fine, tilts away from the boot, folds up to fit in the boot, and is reassuringly chunky in manufacture.
the US-based racks use the square hitch system so it doesn't matter that they weigh more. That saris is 30kg for a 2-bike rack and the 1-up 5 bike rack is 50kg. The 4-bike version of the saris is a whopping 80kg. They're also massive and stick out both sides of a european-sized car when not in use. When you typically have a 75kg nose limit on a towbar that's no good.
I have a Thule XT 2 bike rack I'll be selling.
Not sure I'm allowed to mention it on here?
Been used a couple of times but I've changed cars so using a roof rack now (can't fit tow ball to new car!)
Based on the (many) previous threads on this question, it generally boils down to…
Buy Thule if you’re happy with the premium price. Check max wheelbase length too.
Buy Atera if you don’t want Thule, but are still happy with a more premium price.
Buy Buzzrack if you’re wanting a lower price and are happy with good functionality if slightly less premium finish/features.
also worth being aware that there is a new trend for shallow profile towballs, esp factory fitted on EVs for example. The only clamp which is guaranteed to fit on these is the Atera. I have done a lot of digging on this, and had a few calls with Roofbox and they are seeing it more and more..