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

[Seán Kerr]

Prompted me to give a quick word of caution with the Atera as I got caught out with it not locking in the forward position, something I thought I had checked. Some WD 40sprayed up into the sliding mechanism made it slide much easier and make a more positive click when locked as I was beginning to struggle with operating it.

Mike

I’d concur with this. I found the same and now regularly spray it with WD 40. Makes a massive difference.


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[soulstyledevon]

I’d concur with this. I found the same and now regularly spray it with WD 40. Makes a massive difference.

Good to know.
Must admit, never done mine. So probably wise to give it a squirt

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[soulstyledevon]

The Thule carrier does look like it blocks entry to the rear.
Looks a right PITA.

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[B J G]

Prompted me to give a quick word of caution with the Atera as I got caught out with it not locking in the forward position, something I thought I had checked. Some WD 40sprayed up into the sliding mechanism made it slide much easier and make a more positive click when locked as I was beginning to struggle with operating it.

Mike

Found that was the case straight out of the box.
Couldn't even get a 'click' on the towball clamping handle which initially made me think that it couldn't be locked on. half hour spent trying it another car etc showed that it was locking but no click sound.
I'll do the WD thing before refitting, thanks.

 

[whistlingdogg]

Just thought I’d share my experiences and thanks everyone to contributing to this really useful thread. Picked up my new T6 Beach a couple of weeks ago and went for the Thule 929. I have the detachable tow ball (the one that is on the options list) and I attached the bike rack for the first time the morning. The tail gate doesn’t open. But... all you need to do is apply a small amount of pressure to the bike rack downwards and the door easily passes. My next worry was, would it fit my rather long mountain bike. My bike has 780 bars and so I worried that I wouldn’t be able to attach the bike to the first position but all was fine. Tail gate opens. Happy days. Here’s a few pictures.

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[MicA]

The tail gate will clear the handlebars if you move the tilt cable to the hole closer to the hinge.
The rack will tilt even further.

 

[sapto]

Spring is here and DL3 is going to be more used! Just love it&parks well in the garage

PP is only carton

I had to replace some screws and move the lights a little more to the left/right so I got more space for the licence plate.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Spring is here and DL3 is going to be more used! Just love it&parks well in the garage

PP is only carton

I had to replace some screws and move thw lights a little more to the left/right so I got more space for the licence plate.

Had mine 5 years and it’s still spot on.
Definitely recommend the Atera rack

 

[mikebravo]

Lots of great information in this thread. I am currently trying to decide what rack to get. I have a T5.1 Claifornia with rear parking sensors and a tow bar fitted with 13 pin plug. I'm considering a tow bar mounted rack vs the VW door mounted rack. The thing I'm struggling with is whether reversing and parking becomes a big problem with a tow bar mounted rack attached because of the extra length. What do you you reckon? I feel like the door mounted rack would be better because it will allow normal parking in supermarket bays or on-street, and it would still allow the sensors to function. Another plus point for the door mounted rack is that I don't need to worry about storing it in the house. Any advice on this would be much appreciated. Cheers

 

[sapto]

Lots of great information in this thread. I am currently trying to decide what rack to get. I have a T5.1 Claifornia with rear parking sensors and a tow bar fitted with 13 pin plug. I'm considering a tow bar mounted rack vs the VW door mounted rack. The thing I'm struggling with is whether reversing and parking becomes a big problem with a tow bar mounted rack attached because of the extra length. What do you you reckon? I feel like the door mounted rack would be better because it will allow normal parking in supermarket bays or on-street, and it would still allow the sensors to function. Another plus point for the door mounted rack is that I don't need to worry about storing it in the house. Any advice on this would be much appreciated. Cheers

You said a lot about the pros and cons. I can only give my view for the towbar idea:
Yes, I sometimes get out to check the rear when parking and I rather get out than be sorry afterwards. When searching for a parking I like to park backwards. The extra length is somethines a problem and need some practice. I once stopped m, got my bikes and the rack off to park sideways in Munich
I store mine either in our "bike" cave or just next to our van or get a wall mount like you easy find online.

 

[mikebravo]

Just realised I never reported back on this. In the end I went for the Thule EasyFold XT 2-Bike Towbar Mounted Bike Rack (£600 from Halfords) and I’m really happy with it. When not in use it can be folded up and stored in the cupboard under my stairs. Note that, out of the box, it does not allow enough clearance for the tail gate to open and some unofficial manual adjustments are required to make it compatible. There are two big black plastic stoppers in the tube frame that need to removed and various screws/bolts need to be removed first to allow you to do that. It was a little fiddly but I managed. The result is that the platform and bikes can then be tilted right down by 90 degrees, which gives plenty of clearance. With no bikes mounted, I use a travel rug to stop the unit getting scratched when it’s swung open on the ground. With bikes mounted, no buffer rug is required since the bike handle bar hits the ground first and supports the whole unit perfectly.