Warning, verbal diarrhoea coming up

TL:DR – recommend me a 4 bike carrier and share any tips

I’m getting a tow bar fitted in a couple of weeks so I can take bikes on the back. I have some Thule 591s for the roof but can’t use them with a big roofbox. Can’t use a boot rack (although I already have a Saris bones 2) as I have dogs so want to be able to open the boot easily using the electronic opener without having to either take the bikes off or help lift it up

I’d like to be able to carry 4 bikes and I’m currently looking at the Atera Strada range, the DL3 or Evo 3, both with the 4th bike adaptor? Any other obvious ones I should be looking at?

Will probably only carry 3 bikes till my daughter learns to ride, but might as well buy the whole lot now

I’ve heard that the arms are removable on the Evo but not the (new versions? of the) DL3. I’ve also heard that the DL3 slides and tilts, whilst the Evo3 only tilts. Not sure how true either of those are?

I want as much room as possible to open the boot and get the dogs in and out while the bikes are on the rack

What do you do with the rack when you pull in somewhere and have taken the bikes off? Is it quick enough to remove and store safely in the boot? Or do you lock it to the car when you’re off for a ride?

Any other tips or tricks I need to know or anything I should be warned about?

I was also thinking about some form of wireless reversing camera to fit onto the rack to help with reversing. The bikes will stick out a bit, the sensors will be turned off, and the whole thing might be tricky to park (it’s a big/long car)

can only talk about what i had, a thule 3-bike tilting jobbie. it helps to make sure youve got everything in the boot first so youre not having to p1ss about tilting unnecessarily, but its just a quick ‘unscrew’ of a bolt to tilt.

i also took the rack off (very easily done) and locked in the boot for rides. you could keep it locked to the towball but i wouldnt be happy that the locks good enough to stop baddies making off with it. far easier (for peace of mind) to stick it in the boot.

Can talk about a DL3 as i’ve used mine for 3 years. It slides back and away when you release it as the bars are curved. I’ve hadit on the back of a T5 van and you could open the boot, also on an XC60. Its very good, solid, with clever packing you can get 3 bikes on but you do have to be careful as the tracks are quite closely spaced but so are the Thules. locks onto towbar, bikes lock to it with wire banded ratchets but I would also triple lock stuff on if you leave your bikes anywhere.

I like those Pendle ones that slot into a mounting bracket – the ones with 2 long arms, really simple and solid. Easy to take off and store when not in use. I know they do a 3 bike one, might be a longer 4 bike version? They retail just over £100 I think but come up on local gumtree/ebay for around £30 – where I got mine from.

Ive a flange mounted aiston ride-on style rack.

Doesn’t tilt (just throw stuff over the back seat) but does take my 100kg weight on the end of it without complaining, the neck of the towbar bends more. Not sure if he still builds them but they do pop up secondhand occasionally.

Cable lock and theres a loop on the flange plate to lock it to.

Downsides – bolts together, you need a spanner or socket/driver to mount it and it doesnt pack down into the boot for the same reason.

Its more a case of set it up and adjust it to fit your bikes then leave it. Theres no QRs, but once the bike fits its never going anywhere. Anx its all the same spanner to mount it to the car and the top tube mount. I keep meaning to get some wingnuts for the toptube hooks but thats the only thing id personally change.

The upsides are no plastic or bent tubes to bend/break, its all big box sections of steel, you could reverse into a wall and do the wall more damage than the rack.

I’ve got an Atera DL3 and don’t see what the fuss is about. Its an ok bit of kit but loading bikes and faffing with the arms going through/under/over frames is a real ballache. You need to factor in where the top/down tubes are on bikes position 2 and 3 before you put a bike in position 1.

From what I read the Evo helps sort out the problem with the DL3 arms and faffage, which is one of the big draws for me. It’ll have adult and kids bikes so some flexibility there would be really helpful

Roof bars are bloody easy, but not so much if the car park has height restrictions or if you need to put a roofbox on, as I do for family holidays

+1 Pendle because of the greater bike to bike spacing and strap fittings.

Simple but very effective

THere is one that slides back, but I think it’s pricy. I have a buzzrac Quattro ( currently enroute to the Alps with 4 bikes on it, it tilts back on a simple mechanism – might be enough space for you. Good & cheap.