Atera Strada DL3-4 compared to Thule G6 Euro Classic 928/9

[Rob C]

For many weeks I have been agonising as to which 3-4 bike tow-bar mounted bike rack to purchase. I couldn't seem to find a definitive answer as to whether any models allow the tailgate to be lifted without fouling the rack or bikes. For 3-4 bikes the choice seemed to come down to the Atera DL3-4 or the Thule 928/9.

The Atera seems to be many people's firm favourite, albeit that the inner bike would need its handle bars turning. I was keen to avoid doing this as it's not that easy on our bikes.

The Thule looked to be a viable option, but as mentioned, I couldn't get a clear answer as whether it too required the handle bars to be turned.

I therefore ended up buying both (don't worry, one's going back!), and I hope the following will help others asses the obvious difference.

My vehicle has a Westfalia after-market removable tow-bar. I think the make and type of tow-bar does make a difference as obviously they (apparently) vary in height and distance from the vehicle etc. So my findings are obviously only related to my type of tow-bar.

Atera DL3-4
When slid away (tilted) this rack doesn't actually allow the tailgate to open even without bikes fitted. It's actually very close, and with a little 'tug' and flex on the rack you can squeeze the tailgate past it. It's actually the clamps for the bike retaining arms that catch the tailgate. It may be possible to reverse how these are fitted to get the extra couple of cms required.

With an inner bike fitted, and without turning the handlebars, the tailgate can be lifted as far as the handlebars. Whilst not ideal there's plenty of room to duck down under the tailgate and get at the rear of the wagon.




Thule G6 928/9
The tilt mechanism restrains the degree of tilt with a short wire cable. The position of the cable can be changed to allow the rack to tilt further than its default setting. It's a two minute spanner and allen key job.

This allows the rack to tilt almost perpendicular to the ground and allows the tailgate to open and clear the rack and any bikes fitted - without moving the handlebars.

There is plenty of room to stand in front of the rack and access the rear of the wagon.


Just a note to say that the bike is not not on the ground. I think that would be the same with three bikes on - but not sure (yet) about how it's be with the option 4th bike carrier fitted.

I hope the pictures help clarify it. There are other plus and minus points for both racks, but these are just opinions (which I'm always happy to share!!) and have been debated elsewhere. But hopefully this helps others who may, like me, be unsure of how each rack works.

 

[Ken M]

Rob, thanks for taking the time to provide this post. I will be picking up our Cali next week and have been scouring the internet trying to find out which is the best option as we do a lot of travelling with 4 Mountain bikes. I currently have the Thule 929, which I have been using to carry three bikes with the fourth on the roof when travelling in an Astra. I have now added the fourth bike adapter in anticipation so will post photos early next week. As you have stated, I believe that when the rack is lowered the forth bike will be on the ground. Our Cali has the factory fitted removalble tow bar but I assume the geometry would be similar.

Ken

 

[sapto]

Great review @Rob C! Thanks a lot.

 

[kave]

I have said many times in this forum the Thule works great with the original vw towbar.
With the fourth bike on, it may touch the ground with pedal or handlebar lightly. It depends on how level the ground is and how much other load the van has. I am considering switchin rear suspension to the transporter one so it will sit even with load.

 

[soulstyledevon]

You sure you have the Atera on properly...???

I have Westfalia towbar with Atera rack and the rack clears the tailgate no problem.

 

[Rob C]

Yes, I spent a good bit of time making sure that it was correct, given that so many others have said that the tailgate does clear it. When I spoke to the supplier (The Roof Box Co.) they too said that on some configurations it just doesn't quite clear. My vehicle is a T6 (whether that's relevant?).

 

[Rob C]

Hi Ken M. I'm sure the Thule would be the same on the factory fit tow-bar - I just mentioned that mine is a Westfalia as there obviously is a slight difference between models/tow-bars (see soulstyledevon's post).

It's also dawned on me that it is probably quite feasible to drill another hole to locate the restraining cable such that it doesn't drop quite as far, but still clears the tailgate. There seems nothing 'special' about the two holes in the main bracket, i.e. they're not reinforced.

 

[T6 CFO]

You sure you have the Atera on properly...???

I have Westfalia towbar with Atera rack and the rack clears the tailgate no problem.

Same here, Atera and factory fit VW removable tow bar and clearance not an issue for the rack or bikes in 2 and 3 slots.


Mike

 

[soulstyledevon]

Same here, Atera and factory fit VW removable tow bar and clearance not an issue for the rack or bikes in 2 and 3 slots.


Mike

I wonder if something has changed regarding the T6, perhaps why Rob C has the clearance issue...???

 

[T6 CFO]

Seems it's safest to do what OP Rob C did and check.
Possibly even subtle differences between fixed or removable.
All I can say is mines good on a T6 with removable.


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[B J G]

Just to add a bit of confusion.

Westfalia now own Witter and the UK Westfalia towbar design is different to the German Westfalia design.

A few months back there was a post on towbar mounted bike racks when one of the points cleared up was that if a Dealer supplied towbar is fitted it will probably be the UK Westfalia version and it has the tow ball further out from the bumper than the German version.

If ordering a new Cali again I'd go for a fixed flange type towbar as a spacer could be fitted to move the towball out giving better tailgate clearance.

 

[California4x4]

Thule 933. Has anyone got any experience of a Thule 933. I'm in Norway and none of the shops I've been to stock the 928 or 929. The 933 looks great and folds up when not in use so it takes up about as much room as a large suitcase when not in use. Thule 933 EasyFold 2 Bike XT Cycle Carrier Rack Tow Bar Ball Mounted Foldable https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XSXHMGW/?tag=eliteelect-21 amazon link just for example.


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[swizzle]

Just wanted to add our two cents worth to the collective tow bar mounted bike rack wisdom!

We're a family of 4, T6 beach with factory fit removable towbar (not UK!).

We were all set to buy the Atera Strada DL3 with 4th bike extension after reading all the relevant forum posts. But the place we went to had both the Atera and Thule G6 euro classic 929 in stock and were very knowledgable and let us try both. The salesman seemed to know his bike racks (and his customers) and recommended the Thule over the Atera for the following reasons:

- removable arms, therefore easier bike loading. (Having now used a couple of times, we appreciate this point!)

- sturdy grips that lock on to the bike frame (compared to straps on Atera. He claimed some customers have had their bikes stolen because the straps are easily cut. I found references in the marketing specs for a different Atera model stating the straps have a metal core, but could find nothing in relation to the DL2/3).

- the fixture over the tow ball on the Atera eventually warps/widens/loosens, thus requiring an additional shim. (This we could corroborate with a bit of googling on both English and German language forums).

We tried for a day to test and ended up purchasing the Thule with 4th bike extension and have returned from our first long distance trip happy campers/customers.

The Thule is heavier (17.6kg) than the Atera (14.5kg), but Mrs Swizzle was able to fit and load the rack singlehandedly no problem.

One of the most important points of course: the tailgate CAN be opened when fully loaded with 4 bikes!! As has been previously mentioned, there is a wire stop with two possible pin positions. Using the outer position enables the rack to tilt far enough to open the tailgate.

For travelling, we did remove the outer pedal and turn handlebars on the 4th bike to avoid touching the floor when tilted (we could still open the tailgate without doing so, but they would have then touched the ground). We also ended up rotating the handlebars on the other 3 (mountain) bikes, which made loading much easier and also avoided potentially knocking on the back windscreen over a bump. But again, this wasn't necessary in order to open the tailgate, more our cautious preference! It takes all of a couple of minutes to rotate them so not a big inconvenience for us. The spacing between bikes on the Atera is 18cm, compared to 22cm on the Thule, so Atera more compact but Thule offers more space for wider bikes, such as mountain bikes.

Pics below of our initial test load before purchase (unfortunately forgot to photo the open tailgate... you will have to take our word on that will try to remember next time we have it loaded).

 

[sapto]

Thanks for sharing @swizzle! Great points and important for everyone thinking to buy a bike rack. May you post the name of the shop/place where you bought it?
Thank you


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[soulstyledevon]

Thanks for sharing @swizzle! Great points and important for everyone thinking to buy a bike rack. May you post the name of the shop/place where you bought it?
Thank you


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Hmmm
My first thought is never trust a salesman.
This guy has to turn 3 sets of handle bars and remove pedals.
Exactly how far does the Thule move away from the rear to allow easy access to the boot...?

I still think the Atera rack has the edge over the others on offer.

 

[sapto]

Hmmm
My first thought is never trust a salesman.
This guy has to turn 3 sets of handle bars and remove pedals.
Exactly how far does the Thule move away from the rear to allow easy access to the boot...?

I still think the Atera rack has the edge over the others on offer.

I just thought it's great if someone actually like to compare these two in flesh and is situatend in Switzerland.

Btw: I am still super happy with my Atera.

 

[soulstyledevon]

I just thought it's great if someone actually like to compare these two in flesh and is situatend in Switzerland.

Btw: I am still super happy with my Atera.

Yes, good to hear different opinions. Most important is real world experience.

Same here, still completely satisfied with Atera rack

 

[swizzle]

This guy has to turn 3 sets of handle bars and remove pedals.
Exactly how far does the Thule move away from the rear to allow easy access to the boot...?

As stated this was not a necessity, rather our preference to make loading far quicker and easier (we have three mountain bikes almost the same size or with saddles in the place where handle bars need to go if alternating, so getting them on any rack would require careful alignment)! Not necessary at all in order to tilt or open the tailgate

Was a close call for us which rack to get, we saw both in action, went home again to research more and try before be bought. Happy with our decision, glad you are with yours

We'd read endless forum and internet review posts about bike racks and these points we hadn't seen raised before in relation to the Atera (specifically the potential need for a shim and potential bike theft) and it had also been difficult to find a definitive answer of 'does he Thule tilt enough?'. Hence the purpose of bothering to post.

@sapto it was this shop: dachbox.ch -
the Kloten 'showroom' is quite close to us.

 

[sapto]

Thank you @swizzle

 

[swizzle]

Headed out with our bikes again today so for completeness took some more photos of the critical points using the Thule Euroclassic G6 929:

It's possible to load up with no turned handle bars or saddle removal, though required some jiggling / Tetris tricks due to our current bike geometries. This is the primary reason we usually just have an Allen key handy and turn the handle bars, makes loading much quicker in our case! The only way we could do this with our bikes was having the inner bikes facing the same direction, but the 22cm distance between bike rails allows for rear wheel axles side by side... just.

Clearance against the rear windscreen is fine:

This shows the loaded rack tilted, BUT note the outer handle bar and pedal resting on the ground, so we normally remove the pedal and turn the handle bars on the outer bike. Not to everyone's liking, but in our opinion not a big deal:

And the important thing for most Cali bike rack owners: clearance on the tailgate:

Hope that might be helpful info for others researching bike racks

 

[CampervanTime]

Thanks - have you got the factory fitted removable towbar?

 

[swizzle]

Thanks - have you got the factory fitted removable towbar?

Yes... but it's a Swiss Cali in case that matters (it was suggested further up this thread that there may be a slight difference between the UK factory fit tow bars and those on the continent?)

 

[Rob C]

Hi All. As I started this post I thought I'd just report back. To recap, we opted to keep the Thule Euroclassic G6 and returned our Atera as it didn't allow us room for the tailgate to clear.

We have just returned from our first trip with 4 bikes loaded and I'm 100% satisfied with the rack. We did not turn any handle bars and with our fairly standard MTBs they cleared the rear screen by a comfortable margin. The bikes were very easy to fit, with each offset a little. The 'snap fit' detachable arms are a fantastic bit of design thought and engineering (which I wish someone had invented years ago!). The rack is is very easy for myself or my wife to tilt down and push back up. We were in and out of the tail all weekend without any bother. The 4th bike does just nudge the ground (as shown in Swizzle's post)), but not with any great force - it sits comfortably enough.

So for us, the dilemma is finally resolved - and we're off to enjoy our hobbies. Thanks all.

 

[California4x4]

For many weeks I have been agonising as to which 3-4 bike tow-bar mounted bike rack to purchase. I couldn't seem to find a definitive answer as to whether any models allow the tailgate to be lifted without fouling the rack or bikes. For 3-4 bikes the choice seemed to come down to the Atera DL3-4 or the Thule 928/9.

The Atera seems to be many people's firm favourite, albeit that the inner bike would need its handle bars turning. I was keen to avoid doing this as it's not that easy on our bikes.

The Thule looked to be a viable option, but as mentioned, I couldn't get a clear answer as whether it too required the handle bars to be turned.

I therefore ended up buying both (don't worry, one's going back!), and I hope the following will help others asses the obvious difference.

My vehicle has a Westfalia after-market removable tow-bar. I think the make and type of tow-bar does make a difference as obviously they (apparently) vary in height and distance from the vehicle etc. So my findings are obviously only related to my type of tow-bar.

Atera DL3-4
When slid away (tilted) this rack doesn't actually allow the tailgate to open even without bikes fitted. It's actually very close, and with a little 'tug' and flex on the rack you can squeeze the tailgate past it. It's actually the clamps for the bike retaining arms that catch the tailgate. It may be possible to reverse how these are fitted to get the extra couple of cms required.

With an inner bike fitted, and without turning the handlebars, the tailgate can be lifted as far as the handlebars. Whilst not ideal there's plenty of room to duck down under the tailgate and get at the rear of the wagon.
View attachment 24679

View attachment 24680

Thule G6 928/9
The tilt mechanism restrains the degree of tilt with a short wire cable. The position of the cable can be changed to allow the rack to tilt further than its default setting. It's a two minute spanner and allen key job.

This allows the rack to tilt almost perpendicular to the ground and allows the tailgate to open and clear the rack and any bikes fitted - without moving the handlebars.

There is plenty of room to stand in front of the rack and access the rear of the wagon.
View attachment 24681
View attachment 24682 View attachment 24683
Just a note to say that the bike is not not on the ground. I think that would be the same with three bikes on - but not sure (yet) about how it's be with the option 4th bike carrier fitted.

I hope the pictures help clarify it. There are other plus and minus points for both racks, but these are just opinions (which I'm always happy to share!!) and have been debated elsewhere. But hopefully this helps others who may, like me, be unsure of how each rack works.

Rob,
This is really helpful. Thank you. I'm in Norway so can't get an Atera so I wanted to find a Thule, which are easy to source here. When you have the time, could you please post a photo of the new retaining cable position? On my 929 there are two holes, the one that it was fitted with and another that allows a bit more tilt. The latter does not end up with the outer bike touching the ground and more importantly, my T6 door doesn't quite clear the frame. Did you drill an additional hole? Thanks.


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[Rob C]

Hi California4x4.
If you look back at one of my posts earlier in this thread you'll see a photo with the cable in its new position. I didn't drill any extra holes, I simply moved the cable to the other available hole. It seems really strange that the clearance on all makes of rack seems to vary from vehicle to vehicle. As you can probably see from the photo, our tailgate clears the rack easily. The only difference must be the make of towbar?