Atera Strada DL 3 022601 Bicycle Carrier - Clutch Carrier

Product Information

The Atera Strada is at the upper end of the price range for bike carriers, however as the saying goes You get what you pay for! This is expensive but it is well made and does everything as advertised to a high standard. 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.) Our bike carriers Exchange Scheme covers roof mounting and tow ball mounting bike carriers only. Rear door mounting / strap on carriers are not included, and nor are roof bars. It allows you to exchange within 90 days of invoice date. Most exchanges are for roof mounting upgrades, or are tow ball carriers with very basic tilting systems being exchanged for easy to use sliding / tilting carriers. 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). The extra straps supplied with the fourth bar are worth using - seen comment elsewhere suggesting that they're not essential - but they do reduce flex/bounce with 4 bikes on. I'm sure the carrier would cope without, but there's less going on in the rear view mirror with them fitted.

The three of us are out cycling whenever we get the chance and the Strada has been brilliant. Don't underestimate how useful its ability to move away from the tail gate is, when you inadvertently leave something in the boot and you haven't positioned the bikes so you can only the tailgate. Not a problem with the Atera Strada :) The width of the Strada is only 100cm and therefore it has a bit of a problem with the largest XL ebikes with 29” wheels and very long wheelbases. We recently tested a Trek Rail XL electric mountain bike for instance, and it could not fit on. Better to search out something like the Thule EasyFold XT 3 which is 123cm wide if you have a very long wheelbase bike. 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. 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.The sliding/tilting frame mechanism is easy to use and again there is an indicator to confirm when the frame has returned to its secure position. We have a 2009 Mondeo and we've used this feature several times to gain access to the boot and it's been a huge benefit! 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.

Unusually, Thule bike carriers with 7 pin plugs also include a fog light; this works when plugged into 7 pin electrics, but it does not work when plugged into 13 pin electrics via an adapter. Often, you will find yourself in need of grabbing something from the trunk. Usually, you would avoid doing it since you will have to unload the bikes first then access the compartment. Atera Strada has developed a unique solution that allows you to open your tailgate without unloading everything. 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. The Strada has 2, 3 or 4 transverse rails for the DL2, DL3 or DL4 versions with clamps and ratchets for both front and rear wheels of each bike to be secured to the frame. 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.It is a tight fit for bikes and with the wide bars of mountain bikes we have to loosen one bike's handlebars and rotate them by 90 degrees. This is no doubt not specific to this carrier and is probably unavoidable. 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’.