Advice sought: Witter ZX504 and other towball mounted racks

deejay.

Hi all,

I needed a rack to hold four mountain bikes (or road bikes) for friends/family outings and holidays. I bought a Witter ZX504 (reviews were good) but have struggled with the inflexibility of the locking clamps on their arms (and positioning)versus frames with small triangles (compared to road bikes) and the fact that the locations for the wheels are not really far apart enough for modern mountain bikes (I have a Whyte T-129) with wider axles etc. I'm currently arguing the toss on the transaction, as to me, the rack is not fit for purpose: I can't get my family's bikes on the rack and secure them without damage. I have had it explained to me by the manufacturer that they can't make the rack any longer (read: able to take more bikes, or increase the space between them) due to the potential for damage to the chassis of the car which is carrying the rack.

I'd like to hear about the experiences of others with Witter and other four-bike racks, and any recommendations for alternatives. It may be that I have to live with this and accept some compromises, i.e. that it can only really hold three bikes, and not four, but at the moment, I'm not ready to do that, and I'd appreciate some advice from the learned members of the forum.

Many thanks!

deej

sniper68

I have the three bike version and have never used the locking bars/clamps.
I use straps to fasten the bikes together/to the rack.I've had 3x160mm travel FS bikes or 3X road bikes with no damage or problems.

The Rookie

I have a cheap Halfords rack, it's made by Thule but specced below their own racks, it uses two hoops to attaché the bikes to using straps so will take almost anything.

Road bikes are no issue, but with MTB's you have to juggle them a bit to get the bars to clear each other and the saddles, but it's just a bit of patience and not hard. The genuine Thule part has the same issue and the fiddly (all be it rather more 'elegant' clamps.