Bike Carrier

Every adventure needs a dependable supporting cast. Torque gets the trails, Vanilla gets the road trips, and somewhere at the back is Towzer, quietly carrying the bike.

Towzer is my Thule EuroClassic G6 928 — the two-bike version. It is the bit of kit that helps turn “I fancy riding there” into an actual day out.

And that makes it a worthy member of NIX // TRAIL.

Having an electric mountain bike opens up plenty of possibilities. Having a way to transport it opens up even more.

My Scott Aspect eRIDE 910, better known as Torque, is made for getting out and exploring. But I don’t always want the ride to start from home. Sometimes I want to begin among the trees, explore somewhere further afield, or take the bike away for a weekend.

That is where a carrier earns its keep.

Preferably somewhere with a café at the end. Adventure is important, but so is a decent bacon sandwich.

This video covers the EuroClassic G6 928/929 range. Mine is the smaller, two-bike 928.

Torque is a proper e-MTB, complete with a Bosch motor and battery. Wonderful on a climb; rather less wonderful if you have to lift it a long way.

The appeal of a towbar-mounted platform carrier is straightforward: the bike sits down behind the vehicle, with its wheels supported on the carrier.

That lower loading position makes far more sense to me than trying to lift an electric mountain bike onto a roof. I want a ride in the woods, not a qualifying round for World’s Strongest Man.

With two bike positions, Towzer also gives me the option of taking company. A solo ride has its pleasures, but sharing the scenery — and debating whose idea the steep bit was — is part of the fun.

One useful thing about checking the identification label is that it takes the guesswork out of which version I own.

The label on my two-bike EuroClassic G6 928 lists:

• Carrier weight: 17.6 kg.
• Maximum combined bike load: 51 kg.
• Maximum individual bike weight: 25 kg.

The same sticker also lists the larger three-bike model, so it is important to read the correct column.

For an e-bike, that individual limit matters just as much as the combined capacity. Having a spare bike position does not increase the permitted weight of the bike in the other one.

The loaded carrier also needs to stay within the vehicle and towbar limits. It is worth checking the bike’s actual transport weight rather than guessing from how heavy it feels when you lift it.

Here is a video specifically titled for the EuroClassic G6 LED 928, giving another view of the model.

Years around vehicles give you an appreciation for the humble final check.

With a bike carrier, that means checking the mounting, bike attachments and wheel straps, making sure loose accessories are dealt with, and checking the lights and number plate are clearly visible.

It is a small routine that deserves a place alongside checking you have packed your helmet.

And the battery. An electric bike with a forgotten battery is an unusually heavy exercise in regret.

The best accessories make it easier to enjoy the things you bought them for.

That is the attraction here. More choice over where a ride begins. More opportunities to take Torque away. More reasons to explore a woodland trail or stop somewhere interesting during a trip.

Towzer will probably never get as many photographs as the bike. Bike carriers rarely get the glamorous sunset treatment.

But every good adventure has something dependable working away in the background.