Happy 9502 owner here. Few extra straps and its been solid so far. I would like to upgrade to a three bike carrier, so the 9503 is the obvious choice in terms of budget.

Are the Velocompact/G2 etc worth the extra? I’ve been hunting locally for used racks but nothing at the moment (Glasgow/happy to travel within reason!)

I used an older Thule Euroclassic in April for a trip and it did the job, but the arm style clamps aren’t any easier than straps in my opinion..

In my experience, yes.

Easier to get on and off, more robust/less flexing, bikes more secure.

Yes, I have the 9503 and find the buckle straps very annoying, they just love to wiggle loose! I also find the 9503 not really wide enough for my 29er or fiends longer 650b bikes, this means the front wheel sits in the front of the carrier and then wiggles which seems to snap the plastic carriers down the middle due to the movement!

If I was buying again I would go for one with plastic/ratchet straps instead.

There was somebody on here with a Thule and the plastic ratchet straps melted with the heat from the exhaust……….. 😯

I’ve got the older version of the G6 929. Easy to attach to the car and the bikes never move. Drove to France last year and the bikes hardly moved even after 1000miles and 17hrs of driving.

Not too bad on fuel either. I got 40mpg across the whole journey with 3 bikes and 3 people in the car doing a steady 85 all the way.

Have a look on Roofbox.co.uk, I’m very impressed with my Buzzrack Scorpion so far. Takes a 29+ and long wheelbase bikes fine, and folds up which is useful.
It’s worth looking at the alternatives to Thule (i.e. Buzzrack and Atera) as you seem to get more bang for your buck.

Roofbox.co.uk

I’ve got a Thule G6 4 bike rack for sale if you are interested, in South Warwickshire though. Email in profile.

Iain.

I have a second hand Thule Euroclassic. It cost £100, so this may temper what I say.

I have had cheap Halfords roof bars (they bent under a canoe, returned) and a cheap (really cheap) pair of Halfords bike carriers which are both a faff to do up and not as stable (the bikes wobble).

I also had/have an Atera roof bike rack on loan to surroundebyhills. I found it cheap compared to the Thule – bits of trim fell off. Once a bike is in, it works well though.

I have the Euroclassic and it is used, abused, bent (by reversing into wall before I owned) and it just *works* and works well. Nothing fallen off, all feels robust. I recently lost one of the clamp arms 😳 and just ordered a new one, that was easy to find. It is heavy. I would not go back to a normal rack now given a choice, and would find a way of buying a Thule again, including a hunt of Gumtree (that regularly throws up racks round here).

I have a second hand Thule Euroclassic. It cost £100, so this may temper what I say.

I have had cheap Halfords roof bars (they bent under a canoe, returned) and a cheap (really cheap) pair of Halfords bike carriers which are both a faff to do up and not as stable (the bikes wobble).

I also had/have an Atera roof bike rack on loan to surroundebyhills. I found it cheap compared to the Thule – bits of trim fell off. Once a bike is in, it works well though.

I have the Euroclassic and it is used, abused, bent (by reversing into wall before I owned) and it just *works* and works well. Nothing fallen off, all feels robust. I recently lost one of the clamp arms 😳 and just ordered a new one, that was easy to find. It is heavy. I would not go back to a normal rack now given a choice, and would find a way of buying a Thule again, including a hunt of Gumtree (that regularly throws up racks round here).

I’d second looking at Roofbox.co.uk and bought an Atera Strada which I’ve been using for a year or so and it’s been faultless.
No cheaper than Thule (which I’ve always used for roof carriers) but the quality has been great. Only slight issue is that the rails the wheels sit in are a little too narrow so larger tyres are squashed a bit when you clamp them now. Doesn’t seem to impact how solid it feels, just that the tyres are a bit deformed.

Mate has a Halfords tow bar rack and it is rubbish! They don’t seem to be very well quality checked and nothing fits quite right so it’s very noisy. I have Thule roof racks and they are very impressively made. I’d say spend a bit extra and enjoy the quality!

I’ve got a new 9503 that I’ve not even used 😳
Bought it in a sale last Sept but I keep taking the front wheel out & putting the bike in the car.

YGM Iain65. The hunt continues!

Is the Euroway 923 any good? One listed at £175 (used) which is probably near the upper end of my budget..

Matt, it was your non-tilting rack I borrowed 🙂

The Buzzracks look a bit plastic. Are they robust enough?

Atera is first choice I think if anyone spots a deal- how do the different models of Strada vary?

??Is the Euroway 923 any good??

Don’t have exactly that model but I have the Velocompact 3 bike model which appears to be very similar in bike spacing and dimensions when folded up

I already have roof carriers but got it as I needed space for a roof box as well.  Now I have it I use it in preference to the roof bars as it is much easier.  Spacing is 19cm between bikes and that is ok for a full sus, road bike and a hardtail.   Fits 2.4 tyres on a 29er ok but the frame is quite small.  The rack is easy to put on and off and to fold back for access to the boot and neither my wife nor I have any hassles with that.  Once it is on it feels really solid and it does’t feel heavy to fold away from the boot and back.  If you have a boot with an electric opener and you don’t wait for it to fully close before folding the rack up and for some reason it decides to open again you may end up with scratches on the boot – more that once 🙁

The only thing to watch for is the newer models have arms that are easily detachable which makes threading them though the different sizes and shapes of frame very easy.  If the arms were permanently attached to the the bike rack it would be a pain and make the whole thing a lot less useable.  If the rack is older it might be worth checking that is has the detachable arms l

We have an Atera, friends have the Thule. The Thule feels better quality and IMO is easier to use.

<span style=”color: #444444; font-size: 12.8px;”>The Buzzracks look a bit plastic. Are they robust enough?</span>

Mine seems extremely solid (so far) almost overbuilt I’d say.

I do have the one that’s designed to take fat and e-bikes, so up to 30kg per bike, so you’d hope it was solid!

Frame clamps are a step up from straps in terms of speed of fit and stiffness. If you have three bikes then the removable ones are a must.  Width between the bikes is pretty stingy on some older Thule products 19cm with a DH bike is unlikely to be enough.  You really want 25cm to avoid some knocks.

We have tested Buzz and Thule products.  The Thule is stronger.  Buzz bent a bit on speed bump. Not tested an Atera product but the are used by car manufacturer’s, like Thule.

Most advanced is wheel clamp, but I may be biased

My 9502 is a faff to use with three bikes on it.  Takes me at least 5 minutes to get everything loaded.

I fancy one of the ones with top tube clamps, but not sure how it’d work with a kids bike as well as adult ones.

Still trying to deciede which one to get.

Can any owners please let me know make/model and how they deal with longer bikes- the Buzz Rack for example say 1200mm wheelbase max, so many 27.5/29er bikes are past this- but not convinced my current 9502 is any wider!

Missed two racks locally, slim pickings it seems!

I got the velocompact a couple of years ago when I switched cars and been really impressed with it. I can get 3 full suss bikes on, although it is a squeeze but no damage to either of the bikes. Also reasonably lightweight and easy to fit to the towbar on your own.  Folds up and the wheel support bits slide into the frame so it’ll fit in a saloon sized boot!

The clamps feel really solid and secure enough for the bikes too which is a bonus for peace of mind going up the motorway!

Oh and had a stanton 29er on there with 2.4 tyres on and it fit fine, no overhang etc.

I have Buzzrack Spark 3. It is robust. Significantly more robust than the low-end Thule it replaced. It does not fold for storage, but it tilts on the back of the van. Did I say it was robust? It is. It isn’t particularly light, but it compensates for that with robustness.

I would buy another without hesitation.

For me the most important factor is how well it interfaces with the back of your car and how the boot-lid/tilt function interact.

I’ve had two Atera Strada’s. First one lasted 10 years including being bashed a couple of times and was still mostly functional when I gave it away. New one I’ve had a about a year. The tilt works superbly, meaning I can get the tailgate open to throw in mucky kit. It’s very solid on the tow-bar and two bikes (on a three bike carrier) fit really well.

Getting three full sized bikes might be a chore depending on shape. I bought some longer straps (cost be about £24 I think) for the plus tyre bike.