Tested: Thule Epos towbar bike rack

Long gone are the days when in order to embark on an outing to the rail trail or mountain bike park for a two-wheeled adventure, you had to pull the front wheel off the bike and twist the frame into shape before jamming it all into the back of the station wagon or SUV; all while trying not to get chain grease on your clothes and the car’s interior, or pulling a muscle in the process…

These days there are countless vehicle-mounted bike racks of different types available, and catering to all budgets; all designed to make bike-carting duties that little bit easier.

One of the oldest and best known brands in the bike rack business is Europe’s Thule (pronounced Too-lay), which mostly plays at the premium end of the market and offers a large number of models, from towball, hitch and roof mounted to rear hang designs.

Released in Australia in late-2023, the new Epos 3 is being pitched as the ‘latest and greatest’ tow ball mounted bike rack and is described by Thule as its “most versatile bike carrier ever.”

The Swedish outdoor and vehicle accessories giant also claims its latest foldable and tiltable Epos bike loader is "the only bike carrier that fits any frame design and bike geometry plus provides easy, independent loading and unloading".

But how does it all work in practice? We managed to get hold of a review unit and test it out on the family wagon, to see whether it lives up to the hype…

The Epos is the range topping model in Thule’s seven-model range of tow ball mounted bike racks, which all require a tow ball fitted to your vehicle, along with a trailer plug to run the built-in tail lights.

One of the advantages of a tow ball mounted rack like the Thule Epos is it all sits lower to the ground which makes it easier to lift, load and secure the bikes, especially if they weigh a lot. However, there's a lot more to like about the Epos as we'll soon discuss...

The Thule Epos comes in two and three bike versions, with our pricier three bike review unit coming with an impressive 30kg (individual bike) and 60kg (total load) capacity, which is desirable for owners of heavier mountain and e-bikes.

Setting and loading up the Thule Epos is a relatively quick and easy one-person job.  It comes mostly complete out of the box, with just some assembly required of smaller items like the two roller wheels. Also supplied for the Australian market is a 50mm-type tow ball if required, and a trailer pin adaptor to match the flat 7 pin sockets common on Australian vehicles.

Dropping the Epos’ towball receiver on top of the Subaru Forester’s Euro-style hook tow bar is a simple job, and you just need to ensure it’s level before locking it in place using the adjustable handbrake style clamp. The base then folds down and you're ready for bike loading...

Designed to transport bikes of almost any type or size, the Epos comes with extending and rotating arms that make it dead easy to secure the bike in different locations using the built-in straps.

We chose a combination of frame and wheel rim locations for the three lock-down points provided for each rack, when mounting a large ’29 inch’ mountain bike and two smaller hybrid tourers. A nice touch is the amount of space provided between each bike to avoid bumps or scrapes to hands or precious bike bits, either when loading or transporting.

The telescopic arms fold down flat when not in use, and the rubber straps also tuck neatly away to avoid flapping. The ratchet, pump-style mechanism also makes it a simple task to tighten the straps to the required tension, and after a few goes it didn’t take much more than a couple of minutes to secure all three bikes in position.

There’s an optional fold-up ramp that makes one-person loading possible if the bike is too heavy to lift, as well as optional wider wheel straps designed for ‘fatbikes’ with tyres up to five inches wide.

A single key is provided to lock the tow ball clamp as well as the three central telescopic arms, or you can pay extra for an optional heavy-duty lock if you’re feeling paranoid about thieves stealing your $5000 e-bike.

However, the Epos’ biggest party trick is its ‘smart’ tilt-back feature that allows excellent access to the rear of the car without having to remove the rack or unload any bikes. Pressing a pedal at the back with your foot gently lowers the platform by 45 degrees. It then holds in place while you let the dog out or grab some gear, before being pushed back into place with a 'click' and you’re ready to go again. Brilliant!

As an added bonus the Epos can also be fitted to vehicles with an exterior spare tyre, like that found on many larger 4WD wagons.

Out on the road and with around 30kg of bikes loaded up we only noticed some minor wobble in the rear view mirror, and putting the heaviest bike closest to the towball helps with stability. Importantly, the excellent tie-down system kept everything firmly in place with no bike-to-bike banging, which should appeal to owners of delicate carbon frame bikes.

The Epos works just as well, if not better with just one or two bikes loaded, and Thule recommends a maximum speed of 130km/h which shouldn't be an issue on Australian roads.

The only hiccup was when we tried using the supplied tow ball behind an Isuzu D-MAX ute, with the Epos platform swinging from side to side during the short test.

The solution (as outlined in the instruction manual) is to ensure the tow ball is tightened to at least 120Nm using a torque wrench rather than by hand using a spanner, which should prevent any movement of the ball when the Epos is clamped on.

We’ve only used it a few times so far, but there are no signs of wear or tear yet and it looks durable enough to last more than a few seasons, thanks to a strong frame, some tough-looking plastics and plenty of metal reinforcement right down to the steel reinforced straps.

While the grip handles and wheels make it easier to lug around when off the vehicle, trying to lift the 22.7kg unit up stairs to a top-floor apartment might prove a chore. However, once there it should store neatly in a corner thanks to its compact fold-down dimensions (91cm x 27cm x 75cm).

And while the 30kg (bike) and 60kg (total) capacity is more than that offered by many of its rivals, it still might not be enough if you plan to carry three big-boned e-bikes, for example.

However, the biggest deterrent for buyers will be the premium pricing, with the two-bike Epos listed on the Thule website at $1999, and our three-biker test unit retailing for $2199. You can then add another $149 for the fold-up ramp, plus other options like the ABUS High-Grade lock ($149), premium storage bag ($129), and bike repair holder attachment ($129).

Obviously, there are plenty of cheaper alternatives on the market that will do a similar albeit less user-friendly job of transporting your bikes. Thule alone offers 15 tow ball mounted racks starting from as low as $249, plus dozens of other bike racks that either mount on the roof or hang off the rear of the car.

But if you can stretch the budget, and are seeking a heavy-duty, fuss-free towball mounted rack that's specifically designed for quick and secure mounting of heavier, more precious electric and mountain bikes behind your daily driver, it shapes up as money well spent...