This behemoth can carry individual bikes (non-powered or electric) of up to 30kg each, with a maximum combined weight of 60kg. This is impressive and means you can easily carry two 25kg ebikes and a child’s bike on holiday with you. In addition it can tilt a very long way to allow the car or campervan boot to open – the bikes are almost horizontal! Firstly, I own a VW T4 with a tailgate and wanted a carrier that would allow me to open the tailgate with mountain bikes on. Having researched options, Atera Strada seemed best option vs Thule. Item No. 022 684 Product information ⟩ ​ | STRADA SPORT 2 Compact and very light trailer hitch bike carrier for bicycles and e-bikes. A full set of tail lights and indicators which are connected to your tow ball electrics using a standard EU 13-pin connector Wheel support bike carriers which are supplied with 7 pin plugs usually only include rear lights, brake lights and indicator lights, which is why they are often called ‘3 function lights’.

We recently reviewed the excellent Thule Easyfold XT3 and were blown away by its overall design – it’s almost a work of art in the way it can fold up! Unfortunately, the Easyfold is not an ideal choice for campervan owners because it does not tilt far away enough from the vehicle to allow a boot with a big sweep to open whilst keeping the bikes attached.It's also supposed to be really light etc etc. it's still a big bike carrier and can be a a bit cumbersome and is not light as a feather. Bike carriers which are supplied with 13 pin plugs include a fog light and reversing light, as well as rear lights, brake lights and indicator lights – which is why they are often called ‘5 function lights’. Fundamentally, it slides away from the vehicle, rather than tilting, i.e. the bike carrier takes the weight of the bikes, rather than you, and there's tailgate clearance even for vehicles with vertical tailgates. It's by far and away the easiest tilting carrier to use. A central U-Shaped support bar which is folded flat during storage, but lifted up and clamped in a vertical position in use at a 90° angle to the base.

Item No. 022 685 Product information ⟩ ​ | STRADA SPORT 3 Compact and very light trailer hitch bike carrier for bicycles and e-bikes. If you are an outdoorsy person, riding bikes is probably something you enjoy. However, anyone who rides a bicycle knows the exertion and extra effort of transporting it. If you plan on going somewhere scenic and need to bring your bike, you know that trying to shove your bike in the trunk will do no good.Having done a considerable amount of research on cycle carriers (google, various forums inc the UK Lexus Forum) I was directed to www.roofbox.co.uk. Item No. 022 700 Product information ⟩ ​ | STRADA VARIO 2 Completely foldable trailer hitch bike carrier for bicycles and e-bikes. a main base unit comprising the lights, electrics, towball clamp and silver bike rails with ratchet straps.

After agonizing over which towbar mounted bike carrier I was going to get to replace my roof mounted system (having bought a 4x4 it's simply that bit too high to be convenient) I finally settled on the Atera Strada DL 3. The frame is triangular which allows you, when the bikes have been slid out of the way, to stand almost right up against the tow ball. This means you can lift items into and out of the boot both safely and easily. This is not a trivial benefit - most other bike carriers have rectangular frames and although you may be able to open the tailgate easily enough, you usually have to lean across the bike carrier frame to reach the boot space, which is definitely not ergonomic.

Delivery FAQs

Note for vehicles with a rear mounted spare wheel: You may not be able to fit the STRADA onto vehicles with a rear mounted spare wheel: in our experience you almost always have to remove the spare wheel. This could be (1) to get the bike carrier onto the vehicle (the upright may hit the spare wheel), (2) to get the bikes to fit on the carrier (the handlebars etc could hit the spare wheel) or (3) take the carrier off the tow bar after use (the handle to remove it could clash with the spare wheel). Deciding which bike carriers to buy is not always easy, especially as you may not have had experience of using bike carriers before. We hope that our buying guides provide useful guidance about which bike carrier 'strategy' will be most appropriate for your circumstances, as well as highlighting the best features of particular models. We also have troubleshooting FAQs - for example, some customers struggle at first to fit four bikes onto a tow ball carrier, and wonder whether a different carrier would allow the bikes to be spaced wider apart. (It won't, but we have some good tips which make bike fitting much easier.) Changes in vehicle design are making it less viable to carry cargo on the roof, too. Many SUVs have surprisingly low maximum roof load limits, as do cars with multiple sunroofs, which are becoming popular. And long gone are the days when gutters, or raised roof rails, meant that a set of roof bars would fit most vehicles. Now, when you change your car, a new set of model-specific bars is almost always required. We used the Atera Strada DL3 with 2 e-bikes attached on our trip to Spain and Portugal pre-Covid 19 this year. When we first got it I was concerned about the about of movement in the carrier itself. The curved slide mechanism adds to some movement. However, after using continuously on our 4,500 mile trip, it was never removed and did not budge. It was completely fault free and served us very well. First things first, the build quality of this is excellent and feels very solid although not too heavy; it's an easy one person job to lift it on and off your towbar.

If they are plugged into 7 pin electrics via an adapter then the fog light should work, but the reversing light on the bike carrier will not work. We have moved from the VW T6 tailgate mounted carrier to a tow ball mounted Atera Strada DL3. The main reason for the move was that you cannot open the tailgate when the bikes are mounted (and it is less height to lift an e-bike!) This was a pain on our travels when stopping in Aires and wild camping for a night. The 63kg weight limit of the Strada DL3 means that it can comfortably carry a couple of electric bikes which typically weigh 20-25kg each. Three ebikes may be a stretch though in terms of both size and weight.

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Item-No. 022 686 Product information ⟩ ​ | STRADA E-BIKE Extra wide trailer hitch bike carrier for bicycles and e-bikes with long wheelbase. Item No. 022 600 Product information ⟩ ​ | STRADA DL 2 Compact and very light trailer hitch bike carrier for bicycles and e-bikes. Note for vehicles with a rear mounted spare wheel: You may not be able to fit the STRADA DL to vehicles with a rear mounted spare wheel - you usually need to remove the spare wheel. This will allow you (1) to fit the carrier onto the vehicle (the upright usually hits the spare wheel), (2) to fit all the bikes onto the carrier, (3) to remove the carrier after use (the removal handle usually clashes with a spare wheel). Item No. 022 701 Product information ⟩ ​ | STRADA VARIO 2 Completely foldable trailer hitch bike carrier for bicycles and e-bikes.