Along with its boot-mounted counterpart, this represents roof box-specialist Exodus’ first venture into the bike rack market – the result of a one-year design process, or so we’re told. After that long we almost expect rocket propulsion, but no.
We’re also told the rack is compatible with carbon frames, though what makes that the case isn’t clear.
Out of the box setup is a little fiddly, with a fair amount of assembly. Adaptors are included for square, round or T-track roof bars, so it should be possible to fit this carrier to whatever system you already own.
A single lockable clamp means it’s secure, and the clamping mechanism – also lockable with the same key – can be reversed for use on the left or right of the car. Maximum bike weight is 15kg, which will accommodate most trail full sussers but rules out heavyweight downhill bikes.
Securing the bike is a matter of lining up the clamp and then using a spot of trial and error to rotate the quick release cam until it’s the right combination of tight, but not too tight. It needs to be locked every time, too.
The wheel straps aren’t the best – they can’t be tucked out of the way for loading and they tend to slide out of position, meaning re-adjustment every time, even when you put the same bike back on the rack. Decent then, but still needs some debugging.