To minimise going biking and holiday stress/faff I'm considering going all in and buying a Thule Epos towbar rack.
I've already got an older 3 bike Thule towbar rack and the faff of getting bikes onto it is causing me pre-trip stress each time. Due to growing kids or varying destinations, we never quite take the same combination of bikes so I'm always rearranging bikes to avoid rubbing, knocking and just being able to attach the arms. In fact, quite a few times I've just stuck 2 bikes on and one in the boot. We won't be able to do this for much longer as the youngest's bike will get too big.
The main issue with the current rack is threading the horizontal arms through to reach the upright bar. The Epos has upright arms per bike so doesn't have this issue. Also the clamps on the Epos go all around the tube instead of the pinching like a crab claw on my current Thule.
We also have a roof box so the roof isn't always an option. I do have a really nice Yakima roof rack that only grips the wheels. A rack with 3 x of these that go on the back of the car would be ideal!
Is the Epos the answer for just being able to throw bikes on without having to refer to photos of previous combinations or doing dry runs of bike mounting the day before?
This fixed my "threading the horizontal arms through..." issue.
You'll probably be able to find the right size and angled bar for your bike / rack combo.
Thanks. I see there are also Thule branded versions of those bendy arms too
YES! I had an Atera Strada and this makes loading the car to go riding with the family sooo much easier! Yes they are silly money and yes you can make do with out but it definitely is a time saver/convenience. Independent arms (not having to thread through frames, which is a nightmare with 29”, 24”, 20” combos etc) are a big help but also the spacing is wider between bikes than on most other racks (so great for boost spacing)
My ex had her original three bike thule stolen from the back of the car last summer, so got the epos 3 (paid for by the insurance).
It's much easier to use, wider spacing and i think longer (so her big bike fits properly). Plus the kids are on XS/S bikes now. So makes that easier too.
It's much better than the previous one.
I got an Epos 3 rack.
The faff it saved on a Center Parcs trip over the weekend was almost worth the cost of it alone! No mounting issues with a range of bikes from a 14" Islabike to a 26" MTB.
i've just purchased one, due to the frustration of my current rack. Collect it in a couple of days. Oddly excited!
I got one two weeks ago after getting a 29" which was too long for the existing Atera Strada. I've used it three times - It's quick and easy to load, very stable and I've had positive comments about it from people in car parks each time.
I have an Atera Strada rack. I spent an hour changing the arms so they can be removed and reattached with a wingnut. It makes such a difference, but I keep a bag of spares in the boot in case my frozen fingers drop one in the dark.
And I lengthened the straps to fit chunky tyres too.