Thule RideOn 2 bike tow bar carrier no. 9502

The Thule RideOn 9502 is Thule's entry level 2 bike wheel support rack. As you'd expect for a rack at this price it's not a bells and whistles carrier, but it does the job OK. It fits to both 'bolt on' and 'swan neck' tow balls without adjustment - you just tighten it on with a spanner (supplied).

There's a rudimentary tilt mechanism to allow you to open the tailgate without removing the bikes and the carrier. This requires two handwheels to be loosened, one on either side of the carrier.

• 2 bikes maximum
• Maximum total load 30kg, and as the carrier weighs 9kg, the maximum tow ball loading should not be more than 39kg
• The maximum weight per bike is 20kg, should you have any particularly solid bikes!
• Fits frames from 22mm to 70mm, which are strapped onto the uprights
• Buy a cable lock if you want to lock the bikes to the carrier - listed below
• Can be locked to the tow ball using a 957 lock - also listed below
• Comes with standard UK 7 pin lights, i.e. no fog lights or reversing light

It makes sense when using this carrier to place a safety strap around all the bikes and the bike holder support frame. Why? The bike holders sometimes only grip around the top and sides of the bike frame, especially on irregular shaped frames, so there's the potential for the bike holder to jump off the frame, e.g when travelling over bumpy roads or speed bumps. We're therefore providing a free strap with each carrier - one strap per carrier! We've reduced the price of the carrier by 10p to allow for this.

Summary: No TÜV approval, but overall good value for money.

Deciding which bike carriers to buy is not always easy, especially as you may not have had experience of using bike carriers before. We hope that our buying guides provide useful guidance about which bike carrier 'strategy' will be most appropriate for your circumstances, as well as highlighting the best features of particular models. We also have troubleshooting FAQs - for example, some customers struggle at first to fit four bikes onto a tow ball carrier, and wonder whether a different carrier would allow the bikes to be spaced wider apart. (It won't, but we have some good tips which make bike fitting much easier.)

Our bike carriers Exchange Scheme covers roof mounting and tow ball mounting bike carriers only. Rear door mounting / strap on carriers are not included, and nor are roof bars. It allows you to exchange within 90 days of invoice date. Most exchanges are for roof mounting upgrades, or are tow ball carriers with very basic tilting systems being exchanged for easy to use sliding / tilting carriers.

These are the rules of the bike carriers Exchange Scheme:

• You are allowed one exchange only.
• The original equipment must be in "as new" condition, subject only to fair wear and tear.
• The replacement items must be different models from the originals.
• The replacement items must not be part of a package deal or be from our Bargains section.
• Roof bars are never part of the Exchange Scheme.

This is how the exchange scheme works:

• We charge in full for the replacement items, including the appropriate carriage charge and a charge for any packaging needed for the return of the originals.
• We pay the return carriage costs.
• When the originals arrive back here we refund you for their invoice value, but you won't get back more than the invoice value of the replacements. In other words, if the replacements are cheaper than the originals we won't be giving you "extra cash back".

Technical specifications at a glance:

Max number of bikes: 2

Fits bolt on tow ball: yes

Fits swan neck / detachable tow ball: yes

Dimensions: 105 cm (width) x 55 cm (depth)

Weight: 9kg

Max load capacity: 30kg

Max weight per bike: 20kg

Tilting: yes

Integral lighting board: yes

Lighting board plug type: 7 pin (13 pin adapter available if required; shown below)

Bike carrier to tow ball lock: available (adapter 957; shown below)

Bike carrier to bike lock: no (you can use a cable lock; shown below)

Possible to tow when in use: no

Fits with a spare wheel: no

Guarantee: 5 years

Useful information:

The maximum permitted load you can carry is also determined by your nose weight; you will need to check you don’t exceed this before using any tow ball mounted bike carrier.

Delivery charges and arrangements:

We charge a contribution towards delivery costs, depending on what you order, where you live, and how quickly you want the goods.

For most UK addresses, the charge for our two to three day service is £5.50 (£9.50 for orders including a roof box) and our charge for Next Working Day deliveries is £8.50 (£12.50 for orders involving a roof box). AutoSock, and small spare parts, are charged £3.95 (1st Class post) or £5.50 (express courier, usually Next Working Day).

There are different charges for any delivery including a sea crossing, and deliveries to Skye - we will contact you with a quote on receipt of order.

Orders for Next Working Day delivery need to be received by 4.00pm.

There are no deliveries on Saturdays, Sundays or Bank Holidays. Next Working Day orders placed on a Friday will be delivered on the Monday, Next Working Day orders placed on a Saturday will be delivered on the Tuesday.

We are very flexible with our deliveries and will aim to deliver on a day and at an address which suits you. Goods can usually be left without signature - we prefer this with roof boxes. There's a "Special Delivery Instructions" box in the checkout area where we'll ask you to choose a typical instruction and then amend it to suit your particular requirements.

No retailer or courier company can ever "guarantee" a Next Working Day delivery. All courier companies occasionally have the same transport problems as can happen to everyone else, including snow blocked roads, closed roads, traffic jams, mechanical breakdown, an inability to find the delivery address, or to gain access to it if, for example, it's in a block of flats. We work with some of the best couriers in the business, and overall they provide an outstanding service.

Please click here or on the pdf symbol below to see the fitting instructions: