Thule Camber 4 Bike Mount Carrier

I used to have an older Thule 4 with rubber straps. I read a lot of complaints about the new straps, but don’t agree. The new plastic straps work fine. You have to push hard to open the channel so the strap can pass through easily.

Also, this rack fits 4 bikes way better than my old Thule. The 7″ spacing between bikes is perfect. It was really easy to get 4 bikes to fit on there together. They do touch a little, where the handlebars hit the spokes of the bike next to it, but I have no problem with that. Maybe that’s a problem for you if you don’t want a nick or scratch. I considered the Kuat NV 2.0 with add-on, but it’s way more expensive. The cheaper hanging style racks are lighter and easier to deal with and super sturdy. The platform style racks seem like overkill to me.

Finally, this rack comes with integrated anti-sway cradles and straps. It looked like a pain to remove the straps, so I never installed them. I didn’t think swaying was such a big deal because my old Thule 4 didn’t have anti-sway and worked fine. And after a 2 1/2 hour trip to the beach and back, I can report that swaying was not a problem.

I highly recommend this rack for 4 bikes!

Product arrived with missing/incorrect mounting hardware. Thule customer service was helpful and sent out the correct bolts and washers which arrived in three business days.
The bike rack itself is a solid product. It was easy to mount and we have had no trouble mounting four adult bikes. As with every rack I have used it does require adjusting pedals and wheels to make everything fit. After one month of daily use the straps have shown no sign of failure.

I previously had a similar Thule 4 bike car carrier that was great. It was solidly built with thick rubber straps that made it easy to load and lock down bikes. It survived several hard impacts but when I accidentally backed it into a tree it was done. I went looking for the exact same rack but was dissapointed that they don’t make them that way any more. So, I bought this, the 2020 version.

First, the good. The core and frame are solid and heavy duty. It is easy to assemble and attaches snugly to a tow hitch. The mechanisms to raise and lower the bars are easy and efficient to use. It will easily hold the weight of 4 bikes (although hanging 4 adult size bikes on it would require a Tetris expert). I usually only carry two (adult mountain bikes and it works well for that). The rubber rests are solid and can be adjusted to fit various bike frames.

Now the bad and annoying parts. The straps (for holding bikes down) are a pain! They are thin, with plastic teeth and tighten down by threading through small locking boxes. To lock in place the straps must be run straight through the locking boxes. This can be difficult with wide or odd shaped bike frames. I haven’t lost a bike yet but the thin straps do not have my confidence for holding up over time, elements or bumpy roads.

Second, to unlock the straps, you push down on a plastic release lever which is supposed to raise off the teeth so they can be pulled out. However, again, the straps must be straight in the boxes to release and remove. If bikes have shifted during the drive (which they always do) you have to lift and adjust the bike to straighten the strap to get it out. Also, the release lever tends to flip over when it’s under pressure (like when the bike shifts en route) – this doesn’t release the strap fortunately – but it gets stuck, and the release lever has to be pushed back into place. To do this, again, you are lifting and struggling with the bike to straighten the strap. Even when the straps are straight getting them out of the box can be a pain.

Im a big guy and the straps are just an annoyance but they would be a major problem for many women and anyone with a slighter build. Even for me, after a day riding, Ive left the bikes on the rack overnight rather than fight to get them off.

The heavier, thicker rubber straps on the previous model were much more efficient and easy to use. You just pulled and hooked them. They were sturdy and I never had any problems getting them on or off. Switching to this overcomplicated strap and lock box design was a bad idea.

So to wrap it up – this works ok as a bike carrier. The frame and its workings are solid. The straps will be annoying for anyone – but a big problem for many women and those with a slighter build who will struggle to get bikes connected and disconnected.

Very easy to put together, took 10 minutes. Easy to fold down to open hatch. Very pleased with this product!!

I bought this new and the box is so messed up. The bags with the straps and bolts are ripped open. The bike rack itself is dusty and scratched. There’s a piece of plastic from somewhere that is snapped off and broken.

We are really enjoying this product. It is quite flexible in accommodating our bikes. Seems sturdy enough to do the job. We’ve used it some 5-10 times already. Womens bikes without the horizontal frame bar will need an adapter. Very small kids bikes may not fit perfectly either. Those are common issues with all bike racks of this type. I will say that this one is more flexible than others because the mounts can rotate and the extra 3rd strap can be removed for small kids bikes.