Hi, I’m looking to buy a 3/4 bike carrier but would like the ability to occasionally strap a cargo bag on it instead (for big camping trips etc). Does anyone have any recommendations? I’d been looking at the Atera Strada DL3 and Thule Velo Compact and a bag like the Thule easybag but maybe a generic cheaper version.
Any help or suggestions would be appreciated!
For the rack, check out the Buzz Rack Buzzy Bee 4 if you can find it in stock anywhere.
It lacks any tilting but it's lighter and noticeably cheaper than the others. We've just done c 500 miles with ours over the last couple of weeks with c60kg of bikes aboard and it's sturdy and easy to assemble/load. The lighter rack weight translates to more carrying capacity.
We thought about this bike rack idea as a solution for more capacity when camping (I'd have probably built a small platform out of OSB or something to strap things too).
The question I asked myself was what would I be prepared to leave on the rack from a filth and thievery point of view - our tent is too heavy so I bought a big trailer with the idea that it would also eliminate all the jenga of trying to get two weeks gear in/on the car + bikes + kayaks and mean that striking camp on a wet day wasn't quite so stressful.
We’ve got a thule towbar rack and on a hatchback/ estate/ MVP the tilt function is a game changer. You can’t open the boot with bikes on without the tilt.
You could put a soft bag on with/ without a platform.
I don’t really leave bikes on there out of eyesight. I wouldn’t leave anything valuable in any bag, just unsexy bulky stuff I guess that would take up space inside the car. You might be better with a roofbox?
on a hatchback/ estate/ MVP you can’t open the boot with bikes on without the tilt.
This is true but I've never found that an issue in practice. It's probably a case of you get used to working with what you have/not missing what you don't have but if I'm fully loaded then anything I want mid-journey goes in a footwell or door pocket and if not I just fold a seat/reach over to get in the boot. When we're fully loaded for a camping trip there's no way I'd chance opening the boot for fear of never getting it shut again!
I've kinda been looking at this recently, I have a Thule 9503 and thought the Thule Easybag would mount to it, no you need the Thule Easy base for that!
I reckon with a sheet of ply and some hose clamps and I could make a flat wooden board to go on the 9503 and then just ratchet strap or bungie stuff to it.
I've got a Thule Easyfold XT 3. Had the same issue, as I wanted to put a cargo bag on, but Thule did not recommend it. I ended up with the Amazon basics cargo bag (approx £40) which seems to fit very well. I always used a couple of ratchet luggage straps just to be sure.
I don't have one, but was looking - the velospace XT 2 bike has a 3rd bike extension. You can use it with their back box and also the 3rd bike rail to get box + bike.
Mines the velocompact 927 and it’s bombproof. Got it on eBay and it’s been great. I couldn’t live without the tilt. Kids seat in the back mean it’s not easy getting stuff from the boot without it.