Tow bar bike rack – thoughts on these two?

Trying to choose between this, at £225

Buzz Rack Quattro

and this at £400

Atera Strada

My car only has a nose weight of 75kg, so I’m leaning towards the Atera because it weighs 15kg, so therefore with 4 bikes on it I might be pushing it with the 25kg BuzzRack. However, it’s a big price difference, although it will be getting regular use.

Any thoughts on these two?

I have the Atera Strada – bought it from roofbox as well.

It is expensive but it’s very well made, very easy to fit and very secure. The rack itself when on feels very solid as do the bikes when attached – both can be locked.

I use additional straps for piece of mind when I have 4 bikes on but you don’t need them.

Took 4 bikes to the S of France last summer with no problems – very handy to be able to swing it away from the car to get in the boot.
I figured my bikes are worth rather a lot so it’s worth getting a very good rack and this is.

In case you missed the subtlety – I’m a big fan and highly recommend.

One thing the sales stuff doesn’t mention is that the rack beeps with the indicators – can be irritating but also it’s a reminder when you’ve forgotten to attach the electrics.

I’ve got a Buzzrack Quattro. It does the job well, but it is very heavy compared to the Thule 9403 I used previously.
I use mine on a Mazda Bongo and with the van fully loaded and carrying 4 bikes the rear suspension can sometimes bottom out when rolling off speed humps or when there’s a sudden dip in the road, which is probably down to tired springs/shockers.

I have the Atera and would buy it again in a second, worth the cash!

I bought a Strada from Roofbox too and sent it back after 4 weeks for an exchange as it was a piece of flimsy crap; light yes, but poorly made.

I swapped it for a Thule Euroclassic, which was in a completely different league of build quality and easier to use to boot.

I recently got the Atera too, and it’s just works brilliantly on the T4, the slide out feature means I can use the tail gate and with 3+1 rails on can load the family’s bikes on.

Pricey, but will be used an awful lot.

We also have a big dog cage in the boot, so a tilt function is essential, and I guess the slide would make it even easier for getting the boot open and the beasts in and out?

I’ve got the 2 bike version of the Buzz Rack and yes, it is heavy. But it’s never going to break!!

Mines on a Freelander 2, so no problems with the nose weight.

I’d recommend the Buzz Rack – just the same as I’d recommend my bike, shoes, helmet, gloves, tyres etc. 😆

BuzzRack+1

When buying a bike rack – stick to one golden question in your head.

“How much gear is going to be strapped to this, travelling 60mph+ for hours on end, in all weather conditions?”

Suddenly £300 rack looks cheap when 3 x 3k Fives are sitting on it…

One thing the sales stuff doesn’t mention is that the rack beeps with the indicators – can be irritating but also it’s a reminder when you’ve forgotten to attach the electrics.

I think you’ll find it’s your car doing that. Confirmation that trailer lights are working is a legal requirement, and this is often done with a buzzer.

What xiphon says, got the top range Thule one (can’t remember the number) myself, cost alot but has been brilliant. Can’t see it ever needing replacing (barring a reversing numpty moment).

I just sold a Thule 9402 rack – bought it 5 years ago, and done literally 1000s of miles with it.

Only reason I sold it, was our car doesn’t have a tow bar any more.

http://www.pfjones.co.uk/cycle-carriers/tow-bar-mounted-carriers/witter-cycle-carriers.html

zx 98 model works well at a reasonable price

atera +1
like’s the locking, the easy fitting of the rack, the fact it doesn’t move when on, the ease of fitting the bikes (practice before setting off though as there can be rubbing issues if not), the way it folds up when not being used, the slide away function is essential as we tend to have a dog with us too and getting him in and out is easy when it slides out.

+1 for the Atera, got the heavier big travel bike version.

I’ve got the 3 bike version of the BuzzRack BuzzRunner- it’s brilliant. It does weigh 16kg but it’s easy enough to move around and mount on the towball.
I have complete confidence driving down the road with 3 bikes on it. I even had 4 for a cheeky short trip and it was fine. It’s completely over-engineered and built to last.

Roofbox are a good company to deal with too. There was a part missing from mine and they sent it out to me next day registered delivery so that I could use my rack straight away.

RE: Witter ZX98, I don’t like them as your bikes can easily rotate at motorway speeds and scratch your car. I got rid of mine for the BuzzRack BuzzRunner3

+1 atera from roofbox – only done a couple of 4hr round trips so far but can’t find a complaint yet

5% off at RoofBox.co.uk
clicky here

It was always going to be from roofbox.co.uk – they were excellent when I got the roof rack/roof box (my wife can’t lift bikes up there, before anyone asks!).

I was speaking to a bloke there today and he was even trying to look up the weights of the bikes I’m going to buy the wife and daughter as I can’t for the life of me find them online, just so he could make the right recommendation. (Trek Skye and Trek Skye S if anyone can find that out?)

ElShalimo – can anyone use that?

Yes, I just tried it
Click the link then use the search e.g. “Quattro” to find your item then it magically appears with 5% off

For weights it’s a straight forward calc:
for example, let’s say total nose weight of car = 100KG, rack = 20kg
so you can safely carry 4 bikes up to 20KG as the total load is less than 100kg

I’m very pleased with my 3 bike buzz rack, and the service from roofbox.co.uk. It’s carried a wide variety of bikes, easily adjusted and seems very secure and well built.

Only problem and it’s a very minor complaint about BuzzRunner is that fat 2.4″ tyres are a struggle at times. I just deflate them a little and carry a track pump anyway

Nose weight for my car is 75kg.

So Buzzrack is (75-23)/4 bikes allows 13kg per bike.

Or Strada – (75-15)/4 bikes allows 15kg per bike.

It’ll be my Genesis Day One Cross plus 2 new bikes for the wife and daughter plus the older boys Apollo BMX.

I haven’t got the 2 new ones yet so I can’t weigh them!

Evans website is sometimes good for listing the bike weights as is Edinburgh Bike Shop e.g.

I had the auto maxi branded version of the strada from decathlon. It broke at the towball clamp.
Replaced it with this which seems more sturdy:
Clicky