If you are looking for an easy to store, tow-ball mounted bike rack for a pair of bikes, then the Thule EasyFold 932 is a clever choice.
The Thule EasyFold does what it says on the can, it really is easy to fold away to store, and carries two bikes, of varying size, very safely. Once you get the hang of what goes where, it’s quick to mount onto a tow-ball and very simple to lock the bikes in place. The EasyFold can be locked onto your tow-ball and once in position, the bikes can be locked onto the bike rack, making this a very secure way to transport your precious cargo. It does come with a hefty price-tag at £494.99 but compared to the cost of replacing your bikes then this carrier is well worth it to keep them safe on when you are driving to a ride.
As my last experience with a bike rack had involved a bike coming off the cheapo rack I’d bought for my car, at 70 MPH on the A14, I was predisposed to look for safety above all else with the EasyFold, and I wasn’t disappointed. As well as a locking mechanism to ensure the rack stays on the tow-ball, each bike is then secured in three places – there are two ratchet tightened wheel straps and a locking frame holder which could be adjusted to fit everything from a wide, circular framed cruiser to my partner’s skinny road bike.
The ‘EasyFold’ part of the package means than instead of being left with something the width of your car to store, when not in use the Thule rack folds up in two movements to a cuboid shape of 614 x 310 x 675 mm, which fitted easily in the boot with room for shopping or dogs beside it.
Out of the box, the only thing I needed to buy was a numberplate. It came with instructions but of the pictorial kind which I found quite confusing to understand. This may be because I’m not mechanically minded but as Thule had translated the safety instructions (short version – use it for carbon-framed bikes at your own risk) into many languages, it was a pity that they hadn’t printed a written set of instructions to accompany the diagrams. Once I understood what I was aiming for, however, it all fell into place and after you have done an initial set up then re-mounting is very quick.
The key to the strength and stability of the rack is how tightly you initially turn the screw that adjusts the clamping force on the tow-ball. The tighter it is onto the tow-ball the more difficult it is to lower the lever but the more secure it is. My chap found this a very easy mechanism but I struggled a little on my own with balancing the rack in the correct position and pushing down on the lever. When I accidentally let go, I did bang myself on the head with the rest of the rack, at which point my housemate took pity on me, and used her better upper body strength to secure down the lever fairly easily. In this case, I think it was a failure in my abilities rather than the rack in general.
There are some other clever features included by Thule. After you have mounted your bikes, you can still access the boot by deploying the foot pedal. This looks precarious as it tilts the rack and bikes over so you can open the boot, but was in fact perfectly secure. The lights were easy to install via a 7 pin connector, and the bike frame holders could easily be detached if you needed to shift things around. The only thing I missed was a catch or strap to hold the rack together in the folded position for storage.
Verdict
A very cleverly designed piece of kit which can be easily installed by one competent or two incompetent people. Small to store and incredibly safe and secure.
Pro
– Safe and secure
– Allows easy access to car boot while bikes loaded
Con
– Expensive
– Lacking strap/clip/catch for easy storage
Weight: 16.9kg
Load capacity: 60kg / 2 bikes
Price: £494.99
UK Supplier: Madison
More information: Thule
What Thule say about the EasyFold
The most convenient, fully foldable two bike carrier for all types of bikes (even E-bikes/Pedelecs). Folds in only two steps for easy mounting, handling and storage.
Thule even provided a video:
