Towbar Rack – what’s the recommendation for 4 bikes

Still surprising that the difference for nose weight vs bike rack weight is so big for the Tesla.

Exactly, that’s why I mentioned it. I think it’s the same story for most other cars too, it’s just that they often don’t specify maximum overhung rack weights quite so clearly and people just make the assumption it would be similar to the nose weight figure. I’m sure the Tesla figure is very conservative as I’ve seen loads of fully loaded bike racks on them and nobody has reported any failures. But I’m okay as I can stay just within the specified limit with 2 adult mtbs and 2 kid’s bikes (just).

@ RogerMoore – I could be interested in the Eazzy 4 rack if OP isn’t.

New car has detachable towball so my (ancient) Pendle (two bolt bracket) won’t fit. And as it’s ancient and has lived outside a lot it’s pretty much dead.

Whereabouts are you based?

How is the Whispbar rack?

Another vote for Whispbar here. Brilliantly quick to fit and load(once you’ve worked out the best configuration – but that’s the same for any rack). Very high quality.

Although it’s only a 2 (+1) rack, I’m fairly settled on the Atera Genio pro – really not keen on the ‘open clamp’ style holders on the Thule/Whispbar racks, with carbon bikes. The Atera racks have a ratchet strap with rubber inserts which go completely around the frame, so shouldn’t need to be done up mega tight to hold the bikes.

Just bought a Buzzrack BB4 for about £150 from probikekit after finding a 10% code. Not used yet though but will be later this week.

Regarding nose weight, our car is rated to 75kg, but are we saying that it will definitely be less if used for a bike rack? If so, ball park how much are we taking? The manual doesn’t say anything about bike racks. The rack is 17kg, our two MTBs are about 27kg and then got two kids bike an orbea Mx 24 and an islabike beinn 20. Probably another 22kg there? So maybe 66kg all in?

Regarding nose weight, our car is rated to 75kg, but are we saying that it will definitely be less if used for a bike rack? If so, ball park how much are we taking? The manual doesn’t say anything about bike racks. The rack is 17kg, our two MTBs are about 27kg and then got two kids bike an orbea Mx 24 and an islabike beinn 20. Probably another 22kg there? So maybe 66kg all in?

I would say you are almost certainly overloaded, at least in theory. The 75 kg nose weight means nothing really as my example above shows. How much it actually reduces is also anyone’s guess if there is no manufacturer guidance. Some manufacturers state vague things like “max 2 bikes”, others give precise rack weight limits and others appear to say nothing at all. You might want to speak with your dealer or contact the manufacturer direct for an answer.

really not keen on the ‘open clamp’ style holders on the Thule/Whispbar racks, with carbon bikes

I use a Thule rubber frame protector on my carbon bikes with the Whispbar clamps. I also only fit the clamp so the open side is pointing sideways around the seat tube rather than up or down on the top tube where it could potentially be bumped off the frame over rough ground. I see what you mean about the closed clamps being foolproof, but I wouldn’t want them loose enough to potentially move and rub on the frame either. It’s a shame nobody in the UK seems to make a tyre only rack fixing as it makes life so much easier when fitting multiple bikes. These are relatively common in the US.

Edit: Looking closely at the Whispbar clamps, they actually have a little tab sticking out on the open end to prevent them from coming off the frame. So it’s really not an issue unless they were extremely loose.

I’m a perennial lurker and an infrequent poster but…. I love this place.

Thank you for all the replies, plenty of food for thought, and a second hand rack into the bargain.

From our Kodiaq’s manual (another MQB platform vehicle). They’ve not updated the superb one with this info yet.

From a 2017 Skoda Superb Manual:

Great charts from Skoda there.

A lot of the 4 bike racks are around 75-80 cm so you’d expect the centre of gravity/mass to be somewhere between 35 and 40cm from the ball.

Assuming they’re a little bit weighted towards the front of the rack due to weight of the clamping mechanism etc. and that you’d load heaviest bike nearest the boot probably nearer the 35cm than the 40cm).

I’ve just put those into a chart in Excel to see what the curve looks like. What’s particularly noteworthy is the way the weights drop off very sharply just after 30cm to 60cm. If it’s roughly linear across that range then you’re down to 68kg at 35cm and 61kg at 40cm (crosses fingers that has done late night maths right). That’s alright if you’re on light road or XC bikes but not brilliant if you’re carrying 4 decent sized beefy MTBs.

EDIT – this isn’t a definitive view so don’t blame me if you get in trouble with the fuzz – I’m trying to work this out for myself as part of our (still) ongoing what lifestyle vehicle for four bikes, two kayaks and a massive load of camping kit debate at home!

That’s really helpful. The buzzrack bb4 I’ve just got is 93cm depth. I’ve also just searched in more detail for the weights of the rack and our bikes and now think my total is a bit lower at around 61kg. If I take the COG to be about 40cm from the ball (with more of the weight towards the car by loading the adult bikes nearest), then it’s looking right on the limit!

I’ve got a Buzzrack buzzwing 4 which extends a fair way back from the ball as above (94cm).  I’ve been wary of loading it up, certainly not 4 adult bikes and if it does have 4 on it, then it’s 2 x adult bikes and 2 x kids bikes with the heaviest closest to the car.  Looking at that chart above I will be exceeding the weight limit when taking COG into account, something I hadn’t really considered (beyond simple leverage concerns, but asssuming it would have been taken into account).  Looks like a support strap might be a good idea – anyone know a supplier?

I’m not sure if the support straps solve the issue. I don’t think the primary concern is breaking the tow bar off, but the impact on handling, which straps won’t help with.

My car (Audi A6) has something similar to the Skoda above in the manual, although it starts at 85kg, but reduces with any distance from the towbar.

I’ve just put those into a chart in Excel to see what the curve looks like. What’s particularly noteworthy is the way the weights drop off very sharply just after 30cm to 60cm. If it’s roughly linear across that range then you’re down to 68kg at 35cm and 61kg at 40cm (crosses fingers that has done late night maths right). That’s alright if you’re on light road or XC bikes but not brilliant if you’re carrying 4 decent sized beefy MTBs.

I wouldn’t read too much into the shape of that graph. From 0-30 cm they are basically just eating into the safety factor as the maximum allowed load is identical, but there is more leverage at 30 cm. Then they have decided on an arbitrary point (60 cm) to basically halve the allowable load and then imposed a maximum limit at 70 cm. Although it’s not a very useful limit as you are allowed to carry 0 kg there if you take the graph literally! Personally, as a mechanical engineer, I would take that 35 kg limit to extend out to the 70 cm limit. I think that’s what they almost certainly intended. If it can safely carry 35 kg at 60 cm, it can definitely cope with more than 0 kg at 70 cm.

I’m not sure if the support straps solve the issue. I don’t think the primary concern is breaking the tow bar off, but the impact on handling, which straps won’t help with.

“risk of damage to the towing device” is what Skoda are saying.

“risk of damage to the towing device” is what Skoda are saying.

What is the towing device?…Is it the car, the towbar or the bike carrier?

What is the towing device?…Is it the car, the towbar or the bike carrier?

I would take it to mean the towbar installation in general i.e. bar + mounting points on car. Bike carriers have their own load limits, think mine is 60 kg.