Towbar bike rack, with a twist…

I have a Yakima JustClick 2 rack, it’s great and I’ve had it about 3 years, using on an Audi Q5.

Today picked up a new BMW i4 which I specced with a factory fit electric retractable towball option. Unfortunately the shape of it, as in picture, means that the rack won’t go on, as it needs to enclose the ball and down the stem a bit, and fouls the electric socket…

So I guess it’s new rack time:(

It will carry 2 bikes max, one being a large 29er light ebike (Levo SL).

Will call Roofbox tomorrow and ask if they know whether the Buzz or Thule ones have clamps that would fit, and hoping someone here may know 🤞 Not too fussed about budget.

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Do you need a tilt/slide function?

Our buzz rack has a more compact clamping arrangement than most of the tilt/slide racks.

You do up a palm sized dial from above and then use the supplied spanner a much more convenient ratchet and 19mm socket to tighten the clamp around the neck.

*cough* There’s a buzzrack E-Scorpion 2 for sale in the classifieds if you’re anywhere near the SE…

I can try and take some measurements tomorrow if required?

Can the electrical socket be demounted from the towball and mounted separately?

Firstly – I’m jealous as my budget didn’t stretch to the towball so my i4 is towball-less.

More practically though – it looks like the socket attached to the metal part with a bolt. Is there any way the socket could be removed and relocated somewhere else, like on the underside of the metal parts for example – would need some form of clip making up.

Thanks, the Buzz clamp does look like it maybe will work, ta11paul – I’m not nearby (Glasgow) but if you could measure the distance it comes down from the base of the ball that would be very useful. The socket can’t be moved.

Where are you based? Maybe visit a few folk with racks and try them to see if they fit?

I’m pretty sure a Pendle wheel support one would go on, and they’re bombproof. I suspect to wouldn’t fold away with the bracket in place though, and its a 4 bolt PITA to remove.

I’m using a Thule compact on bmw ix3 electric tow hook if that helps

looks just like yours

^^^ great to know, thanks, may go try and find somewhere local to try the Thule fitting

@iainc Im just outside Glasgow with that e-Scorpion 2 buzz rack!

xora- many thanks, will message tomorrow

Nice – highly recommend the E-Scorpion 2, it’s a very very good rack. And you can expand it to take 3 bikes now too.

Halfords typically have a bunch of racks you can try out

<p>I reckon pretty much any other make will fit – our atera would as it just clamps the ball itself and rests on the rearmost part of the ball neck until it’s clamped in place. Definitely call roofbox as it looks like this design of tow ball is becoming more common and they’ve probably run into it before.  </p>

@woody71 – that looks identical.  Looking at the Thule website it looks marginal, but if it fits as you say, I’ll buy similar Thule rack methinks..

Did some measuring and had a very useful call with Roofbox.  They confirmed that they have seen this recently on a number of their racks and electric retractable towballs, notably the Yakima and some of the Thule ones.  Their recommendation is the Atera Strada range (as per @hot_fiat, many thanks).

So I have ordered the Strada Ebike XL and have sold my Yakima to a friend who was looking for one 🙂

Atera Strada rack arrived, test fitted, all ok, sorted 🙂

Coming back to this with an update. I never really got on with the Atera rack after the ultra slick Yakima one so after some discussion with some very helpful people at BMW I have their own brand one, the Pro 2, which has a clamp designed specifically for these shallow towballs, winging its way to me….

This one https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bPH2urepIYQ

With these bits https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NDMlNt43l6E

The very lightly used Atera one will be getting sold next week I hope !

Did you ever try to connect the electrics before putting the rack on? I’ve got a very similar tow ball on my Volvo with a Takima and it won’t fir unless I connect the electrics first.

Hi, I found with the Thule and Yakima racks that the ball clamping mechanism wraps over and too far down the neck piece beneath the ball, so physically just won’t fit.

The Atera, and the incoming BMW one, have a very different shaped clamp.