Thule’s three-bike, towbar-mounted 909 carrier comes almost fully assembled. Fitting it to the car is quick and easy. Just drop the mount socket over your towball, push down on the locking lever and it’s solid and secure.
If you have standard UK seven-pin wiring, you’ll need Thule’s optional 9901 adaptor (£22) to hook up to the rack’s 13-pin electrics. There’s also a fourth bike adaptor (£75) to increase capacity, but you’ll need to keep an eye on overall weight.
Bikes sit on the wheel supports and are held securely by fully adjustable frame clamps, which adapt to almost any bike design and tube diameter. Fitting and loading is a one-person job, and the tilt function – which works even when the rack’s fully loaded – allows easy access to the boot. It’s secure too – the rack locks to the towbar and the outermost frame clamp is lockable.
It’s a bulky bit of kit so you’ll need plenty of space at home to store it when it’s not in use. But it’s brilliantly simple to use, superbly made and won’t hammer your fuel consumption anywhere near as much as a roof-mounted carrier. It comes highly recommended, and is worth the money if your car’s already towbar-equipped.