Atera linea for T6( AR4708) 2015 onwards. Reviews?

[Carolinegallen]

I seem to have read every thread on tailgate mounter bike carriers. We would be carrying no more than 2 bikes. Has any one got the Atera linea? Pros and cons? Comparisons to other makes? At around £350 it seems significantly cheaper than the vw one. I have a 2017 california ocean.
Many thanks, and I apologise if this question has been asked before - I did trawl through past threads

 

[owen_h]

I have the T5 version which looks to be the same as the T6 apart from the top brackets (due to different shape of the tailgates).
Had it 5 years now and been very pleased. Mostly stainless steel construction with alloy wheel trays. It can be put on / taken off by one person in under 5 mins so I only leave it on when I want to carry the bikes. Two bikes will easily fit on it, either road or (29er) MTB and I have had 3 on there (all road) on a couple of occasions. Driven across Europe using it with no issues. The way it fits means that it can't be removed without opening the tailgate.
Things to be aware of
If you have the chrome strip at the bottom of the tailgate it won't fit.
Wheel straps only just fit the larger MTB tyres (2.3s on a 29er) and deep section aero wheels. I have a set of 80mm deep aero wheels and for these I need to use a toe strap instead of the plastic straps for these wheels. Maybe the newer versions have longer straps to accommodate the trend for bigger tyres & wheels.
Be careful when releasing the longest arm, it once swung down on me and hit the tailgate putting a (tiny) dent :-( I've now increased the friction to prevent reoccurrence.
Roofbox.co.uk usually are the best price & service and if your a member uf cycling UK (ex ctc) there is a 5% discount available I think.
I have posted some pictures on this site in the past, it was quite a while ago though. Found it:
https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/help-please.4915/
some other threads:
https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/atera-linea-bike-rack.372/
https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/vw-bike-rack-v-atera-linea.15952/#post-175664

Owen

 

[Carolinegallen]

I have the T5 version which looks to be the same as the T6 apart from the top brackets (due to different shape of the tailgates).
Had it 5 years now and been very pleased. Mostly stainless steel construction with alloy wheel trays. It can be put on / taken off by one person in under 5 mins so I only leave it on when I want to carry the bikes. Two bikes will easily fit on it, either road or (29er) MTB and I have had 3 on there (all road) on a couple of occasions. Driven across Europe using it with no issues. The way it fits means that it can't be removed without opening the tailgate.
Things to be aware of
If you have the chrome strip at the bottom of the tailgate it won't fit.
Wheel straps only just fit the larger MTB tyres (2.3s on a 29er) and deep section aero wheels. I have a set of 80mm deep aero wheels and for these I need to use a toe strap instead of the plastic straps for these wheels. Maybe the newer versions have longer straps to accommodate the trend for bigger tyres & wheels.
Be careful when releasing the longest arm, it once swung down on me and hit the tailgate putting a (tiny) dent :-( I've now increased the friction to prevent reoccurrence.
Roofbox.co.uk usually are the best price & service and if your a member uf cycling UK (ex ctc) there is a 5% discount available I think.
I have posted some pictures on this site in the past, it was quite a while ago though. Found it:
https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/help-please.4915/
some other threads:
https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/atera-linea-bike-rack.372/
https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/vw-bike-rack-v-atera-linea.15952/#post-175664

Owen

Many thanks. That is really helpful. They look well made, and are a lot cheaper than the vw one.