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Paddy Hopkirk Quickball car rack review

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$79

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Paddy Hopkirk's Quickball Towball mounted cycle carrier is light and easy to use

BikeRadar verdict

4 out of 5 stars

"A small, simple rack. Securing straps should be included though."

2 comments
Thu 8 Oct 2009, 11:00 am BSTBy

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We must admit that when we first saw this towbar carrier we were a tad sceptical about putting our pride and joy on the back.

At first glance it doesn’t look as sturdy as towbar carriers that hold the bike’s wheels, and we weren’t sure whether the arms which hold the bike were going to be stable enough in transit.

Happily, we were wrong. The size and speed of assembly and collapse of this carrier won us over in no time. You simply place the carrier onto the towball with the carrier’s ball-accepting jaw open, and close the scissor-like fitting securely.

That fitting is secured using the supplied pins, then the two arms can be unfolded ready to take the weight of two bikes. The integrated straps on the Quickball aren’t enough to secure one, let alone two bikes to the carrier – but with the use of a few extra straps we soon had them anchored firmly.

If storage space is a concern, the Quickball takes up very little room and you can easily pop it in the boot while you’re not using it. You can also use a padlock to fit through one of the securing holes in order to lock the bike to the towball. Neat.

As with any other rack of its type, if the Quickball obscures your number plate and/or your rear lights, you’re going to have to buy a number board.

What's the score with BikeRadar reviews? You can find a full explanation of our ratings here.

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User Reviews

There are 2 reviews on this post

Showing 1 - 2 of 2 comments

  • I've got the Thule equivalent of this & it is fantastic. Really easy & quick to mount the rack & bike. First time I used it I was constantly looking at the rear view mirror!

  • Do not under any circumstances buy this horrible-looking piece of meccano without first checking out the Thule version, which has soft rubber frame holders and straps and doesn't have big sharp bolt heads all over it. It works brilliantly, as mudslinger says. Got mine a while ago but I don't think it was any more expensive than this either.

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