Among the many new products launched at North America’s biggest bike expo, the Sea Otter Classic, this week is Thule’s all-new bike carrier called the Epos. This light-but-mighty hitch rack is stocked with features. It folds up into a compact transportable package, it’s fully foldable, tiltable and can carry three bikes of any discipline up to 132 pounds. Optional add-ons also include a brake light kit, a foldable ramp and straps for extra wide or beefy tires.
Versatility is at the center of the Thule Epos. Whether you’re carrying an e-bike, a road bike or a kid’s mountain bike with 16-inch tires, the newly designed and patented telescopic attachment arms will securely hold any shape or size bike frame.
Once loaded, the wheels sit in the recessed channels, and the telescopic arms have pivoting heads and reinforced straps that can attach just about anywhere that works best for your specific bike — as long as the diameter falls between 20mm to 90mm. Thule says these arms and pivoting heads can work around all sorts of angles, allowing users to keep fenders, pannier racks or even bikepacking bags attached to their bikes in transport.
As is, the carrier will securely support wheel sizes from 16 inches to 29 incges and tires up to 3.2 inches. For those carrying fat bikes, Thule sells longer straps that will support tires of up to five inches. The arms are safe for use with carbon fiber frames and wheels, but Thule will also sell a carbon frame protector adaptor for added protection.
The bikes are secured individually and can be loaded and unloaded in any order. And fully loaded or empty, the rack can be tilted down to allow access to the trunk. There is also an additional ramp accessory for helping to load and unload bikes. The ramp can be folded up and stored within the Epos bike rack itself when it is not in use.
Other neat accessories include a work stand for trailhead or parking lot bike maintenance, heavy-duty locks for added security and a brake light kit for extra visibility.
And when the rack is not being used, you can detach the rack from the car and fold it up in a compact package that can be easily wheeled in and out of the garage or over to a different vehicle.
Price & Availability
- Thule Epos will launch to consumers on June 15, 2023
- 2-tray rack: $999.95 USD ($1,249.95 CAD)
- 2-tray with built-in lights $1,249.95 USD ($1,499.95 CAD)
- -3-tray rack: $1,099.95 USD ($1,349.95 CAD)
