tow bar bike rack advice

[Steven Knoetze (sk27)]

Best to check your vehicles "nose weight" rating too......

[DieselnDust]

On 8/16/2021 at 10:31 AM, Malcolm Cullen said:

Hi everyone,

I'm in the market for a tow bar mounted bike carrier that can take 4 bikes. 1 is a full sus MTB so I have a preference for a carrier that you put the wheels on rather than a hanging bike rack.

I am seeing this bike rack from boatssa advertised everywhere, and wondered if anyone has any reviews of it. It is cheaper than the rest of the market so not expecting it to have the quality build of a thule

BICYCLE RACK 4 CARRIER TOW BALL MTG | BOATSSA.COM

Thanks
Malcolm

 

 

I don't have any reservations to the product you're interested in. What I would check is the load rating of the rack and then the quality of the fittings. I like that the support bar is in the centre of the rack as this keeps the clamping arms short.

The price is also really good. and I mean really good but in line with what I would expect a locally produced product to cost

[splat]

On 8/16/2021 at 8:11 PM, Kay18 said:

 

Thank you so much for explaining the difference. I really appreciate it.

I initially wanted a roof/ bakkie bin rack but the armadillo on my bakkie prevents it from being installed.

I know I need a light platform. Was thinking of a 3 bike platform for my kids friend if they tag along. I don’t want to spend more than R7k on it. 

I am looking for an affordable platform. Buzz rack, Marvel,… The one the poster initially eluded to is 13-14kg and extremely reasonable. I tried picking up the Buzzrack at Solomons and the Buzzrack won. 

I was at Thule on the weekend. Would love their product but I have overspent. 
 

I note your comment on the security offerings being more of a deterrent. So I will be more cautious.

Having gone down this route over the years, we settled on the Thule Velo Compact 3.
I wasted a lot of money buying and selling a Buzzrack and then a Menabo while trying to be cost conscious. My wife can carry the Thule out the garage past my car without dinging anything, mount it on her car and attach the bikes on her own. Its lighter, simpler and easier than the other options. My only regret is that we didn't do it sooner.

Perhaps the BoatsSA one is as light and easy as that at a great price. I haven't seen one 'in the flesh', so cannot comment.
Having said that, you also get basic and fancy Thule racks...

The Buzzrack and Menabo racks we had were heavy and a real pain to mount on the towbar. One of them couldn't tilt, so wasn't great when we had to get into the boot. I cant remember which one, but the fixings of the bikes were silly.
All in all, they were only slightly cheaper than a Thule, but were much more expensive in the long run.

 

Edit: I was going to suggest looking at the Westfalia range, but then saw their price 

 

Edited August 18, 2021 by splat

[splat]

21 hours ago, BigDL said:

I gave my three bike rack away when I got my new Trek and the advice was not to transport carbon bikes on this type of rack without a specific attachment . 

What Trek have you got and what attachment were you advised to get ?
And what kind of rack do you have now ?