Atera STRADA EVO 3 to 4 bike carrier no. AR2701

We reckon that Atera's STRADA range of carriers are the best designed and best engineered tow ball carriers on the market, bar none. This page shows the 3 bike version; an adapter (listed below) can be added for carrying a 4th bike. Apart from its all round style, what's so special about the STRADA EVO?

(1) It can take a maximum load of up to 66kg, great if you have heavier or electric bikes (do make sure you are not exceeding your towbar noseweight).

(2) Fundamentally, it slides away from the vehicle, rather than tilting, i.e. the bike carrier takes the weight of the bikes, rather than you. The sliding system provides tailgate clearance for many cars with vertical tailgates. The EVO’s sliding and closing system is generally the easiest to use of any sliding or tilting wheel support rack on the market.

(3) It fits to 'bolt on' or 'swan neck' tow balls (including detachable tow bars) without any adjustment; you just place it on the tow ball and push down the handle - no spanners or Allen keys are required.

(4) It's very easy to carry - it won't bump your shins if carried properly - and as soon as you place it on the tow ball the weight is taken, so you can straighten up and rest your back. Other carriers require you to support the platform with one hand while fiddling with the fixing system with the other.

(5) Furthermore, it's one of the most compact 3 to 4 bike carrier available. At just over 1 metre wide it should fit into most if not all car boots, allowing you to park safely without risk of the bike carrier being damaged. You only need to flick up a catch to fold down the upright bike holder support.

(6) The removable, lockable bike frame holders are also without a doubt the best available, incorporating a ratchet tightening mechanism. They fit oval and other outsize frames as well as round ones, wrapping a strap right around the frame for safety and security. (This looks like a simple plastic strap, but it is in fact 'sandwiched' around a spring steel core.) All bike holders have swivel joints, and the long holder has a slight curve in the aluminium support rod to increase the opportunities available. These arms are removable and can be positioned anywhere on the upright and the upright is bigger making it even easier to attach your bikes. We haven't yet come across any combination of bike sizes and styles that can't easily be locked into place (using the same key which locks the whole unit to the tow ball).

(7) The frame is curved allowing you, when the bikes have been slid out of the way, to stand almost right up against the tow ball. This means you can lift items into and out of the boot both safely and easily. This is not a trivial benefit - most other bike carriers have rectangular frames and although you may be able to open the tailgate easily enough, you usually have to lean across the bike carrier frame to reach the boot space, which is definitely not ergonomic.

(8) It has smart new lights. These don't just look better, they are clearer too.

It makes sense when using this carrier to place a safety strap around all the bikes and the bike holder support frame. We're therefore providing a free strap with each carrier - one strap per carrier! As well as providing peace of mind the strap will also help to minimise vibration.

Technical and miscellaneous:

• Weight of carrier: 19.8kg
• Maximum payload: 66kg (with the 4th bike adapter)
• Approximate dimensions when folded: 1080 x 280 x 735 mm
• The wheels are held in place with quick fit polypropylene straps which accommodate tyres up to 2.4" - 2.6" (dependent on rim height). Longer straps are available for tyres up to 4" (Fat bikes) - these are listed below.
• The STRADA EVO has five function rear lights so it is fitted with a 13 pin plug for 13 pin continental type electric sockets. If you have a 7 pin socket you will need the Lighting adapter '13 pin' (rack) to 7 pin (car) listed below. If you need one of these remember to tick the box below to add this to your order. (If you have a 7 pin socket the reversing light and fog light will not work. The 7 pin socket isn't wired for these functions)

Note for vehicles with a rear mounted spare wheel: You may not be able to fit the STRADA EVO onto vehicles with a rear mounted spare wheel: in our experience you almost always have to remove the spare wheel. This could be (1) to get the bike carrier onto the vehicle (the upright may hit the spare wheel), (2) to get the bikes to fit on the carrier (the handlebars etc could hit the spare wheel) or (3) take the carrier off the tow bar after use (the handle to remove it could clash with the spare wheel).

You'll need a lighting adapter if your vehicle has a standard UK style 7 pin socket - buy a STRADA EVO 3 from us this season and we'll give you this for free, saving up to £20 at typical prices!

Made in Germany.

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".

Please note that we can only collect exchange scheme items from mainland UK.

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.

These are our standard charges; there are usually surcharges for all offshore destinations and some remote postcodes - for details please see our delivery information page.

Delivery of other items

Delivery times

Delivery times are calculated in working days (Monday to Friday, excluding Bank holidays).

Cut-off times for Express Delivery orders
Express Delivery orders placed before before the cut-off times shown below will usually be desptached on the date of order. Express Delivery orders placed after these cut-off times will be despatched the next working day.

Delivery FAQs

When will my order arrive?
There are no deliveries on Saturdays, Sundays or Bank Holidays, except for postable items where Royal Mail has a Saturday delivery. Express Delivery orders placed on a Friday (before 1pm) should be delivered on the Monday or Tuesday, Express Delivery orders placed on a Saturday or Sunday should be delivered on the Tuesday or Wednesday. The arrangements for Very Heavy Items are different and are shown above.

What about Next Working Day delivery?
Most Express delivery orders will arrive on the next working day, if the order is placed before the cut-off time (see above). Some will arrive on the second working day if there has been a "split-delivery". So-called “split deliveries” happen when the couriers do not have enough trailer space for everything that should be moved around the UK, so they will load what they can and leave the rest for the next trailer.

Is my delivery day guaranteed?
No retailer or courier company can ever "guarantee" a Next Working Day delivery. As well as split deliveries, 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.

Do I need to be at home?
We are very flexible with our deliveries and will aim to deliver to an address which suits you – this does not need to be your home address. 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.

Payment options:

We take the following cards, and also PayPal. Please note that the entry on your card statement will be from "The Roof Box Company".

Secure payments

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Bike carriers with 7 pin plugs

Wheel support bike carriers which are supplied with 7 pin plugs usually only include rear lights, brake lights and indicator lights, which is why they are often called ‘3 function lights’.

Unusually, Thule bike carriers with 7 pin plugs also include a fog light; this works when plugged into 7 pin electrics, but it does not work when plugged into 13 pin electrics via an adapter.

Bike carriers with 13 pin plugs

Bike carriers which are supplied with 13 pin plugs include a fog light and reversing light, as well as rear lights, brake lights and indicator lights – which is why they are often called ‘5 function lights’.

If these are plugged into 13 pin electrics then all 5 functions will work.

If they are plugged into 7 pin electrics via an adapter then the fog light should work, but the reversing light on the bike carrier will not work.

Please note

These notes assume that your tow bar electrics have been wired correctly!

Tow bar wiring in the digital age is much more complicated than it used to be when everything was analogue. Our experience is that if you are having lighting problems, e.g. a fog light does not work in 7 pin tow bar electrics, the problem is much more likely to be caused by the wiring, not by a dud bulb in the bike carrier.

To find the spare parts you need, please see the diagram below, identify the product codes, then choose them from the list below. If you need more than 1 of any item, change the quantities in the Shopping Basket.