I was buzzing with excitement when unboxing the BUZZRACK Eazzy 4 tow bar platform bike carrier. Why the flurry? It’s a truly unique rack with features no other bike carrier on the market!
Most of us here in Hungary are not familiar with the BUZZRACK brand. I had some vague memories seeing their booth at Eurobike a few years back, and having talked briefly to a company representative. This renowned brand’s otherwise well-established products have unfortunately never appeared in any of our bike rack tests or reviews. So it was a great revelation to learn that BUZZRACK has been in the bike carrier business for 30 years, so they must have collected a lot of experience and know-how regarding the design of a well-functioning, secure rack for bicycles. In fact, their main profile is the OEM market, and their large facility in Taiwan manufactures various types of carriers for other well-known brands. Besides bikes, BUZZRACK are a specialist of racks for canoes, kayaks and all-terrain vehicle accessories. They are known in the industry as an innovative company with over 50 patents for different racks and carriers. The brand BUZZRACK was actually established quite late in their business operations, its main purpose is to showcase the various technologies the company has developed over the past decades. So the brand is in fact a shop window, and the Eazzy 4 tow bar bike carrier in the review is one of their flagship models, displaying most of the features of modern bike racks. As a bonus, the top-level of technology and industrial expertise doesn’t come at a high price: BUZZRACK bike carriers are actually quite affordable!
BUZZRACK specializes in a certain type of bike racks: those attached to tow bar of cars and trucks. They are experts in this field, their lineup includes no less than 40 such carrier models. The recently introduced Eazzy 4 is one of them, sitting in the top segment of the vast range. BUZZRACK managed to integrate most of their proprietary technology in this model, with many useful features, making it one of the most lust worthy 4-bike tow carrier on the market.
Unpacking the Eazzy 4 reveals a thought-out design, premium materials and high-end manufacturing. BUZZRACK employs the most appropriate material for every element of the rack, starting from the sturdy steel tubing, through the various types of industrial grade, reinforced plastics to the aluminum alloy parts complemented by a sophisticated finish. All joints and fittings are prototypical, best examples of professional construction. Soft surfaces are almost rubbery, flexible ones bend accordingly, and where stiffness is a must, the construction is rock solid. The ratcheting bands are actually very secure, but the Eazzy 4 is also gentle to bikes, you can trust it hold your prized carbon steed.
With thought-out material selection BUZZRACK manages to keep the weight of the carrier at bay, which is a bonus at the time of installation and removal. The Eazzy 4 model weight just shy of 20 kg (42 lbs). In harmony with the Eazzy model name, this rack was a breeze to install, especially as it has been pre-assembled at the factory. It’s ready to use from the packaging save for the attachment of the two tail lights. Despite the user-friendly weight, the Eazzy 4 is extremely stable on the car or truck, even when supporting 4 complete bikes weighing up to 60 kg. And the extra forces of the moving vehicle have also been fully taken into account.
Now let’s examine the special features that make the Eazzy 4 unique among other tow racks on the market! The first in this list is definitely the attachment of the rack onto the vehicle’s tow bar. This is a key aspect of the design of any tow bike carrier, since in our four bikes weight almost 60 kg. As the furthest of the bikes is placed nearly 1 meter from the attachment point, this puts an enormous force on the joint. BUZZRACK’s patented system is unique and very stable. It consists of a special cone shaped attachment that goes over the tow bar. Inside the cone the tow bar’s ball is machined out, and the cone has been separated into 4 parts. The structure resembles a skirt, which goes over the tow bar. The ball is “dressed up”, and nestled with a very sturdy fit.
Once the tow bar has been housed inside the cone, we have to hand-tighten the outer shell at the end of the bike rack. When this has been done, the rack is in fact attached to the tow bar. Then we tighten another bolt using the lever on the outer shell, which fully secures the attachment. At this point we have a rock solid fastening that simply cannot come apart.
Once the Eazzy 4 is securely attached to the tow bar and the platform is lowered, and one can feel how solid the structure feels. The main axis of the rack is an approx. 90 cm long hollow section of high strength steel, onto which the 4 separate bike carriers are welded. This results in an extremely rigid construction lengthwise, which holds two 70 cm high U-shaped vertical tubes. The bars look like two giant U-locks, and they certainly feel just as sturdy and solid as bike locks. These bars serve as support for the 4 bikes in question. Bikes in pairs are to be secured to them just like when you park your bicycle on the street or in front of the supermarket.
The rails in which the bike wheels sit can be raised or lowered according to need, which is another one of the new features of the Eazzy series of bike carriers. When lowered, the position can be easily and securely locked with 2 plastic hooks on each side. The rails are made to accommodate all types of bikes from children models to fat bikes with up to 3.25” wide tires. The latter figure is from the manufacturer, however I had no trouble attaching my 4.6” wide fat bike onto the Eazzy 4.
The wheels are fixed to the rails using ratcheting quick-release straps. Another nice feature are the rubber protectors on the straps to avoid chafing. This will help making a secure attachment while keeping the nice anodized aluminum rims scratch-free. Once the carrier platform is folded up, there is only a 24 cm protrusion, paired with 94 cm width and 70 cm height. It’s quite a compact package when it’s not in use. To aid lowering and raising the platform, the U-shaped bars have rubberized handles at the top.
Once the Eazzy 4 is mounted onto the vehicle and the platform is lowered, we find another innovative feature which revolutionizes the way we transport our bikes. This is in fact the attachment of the bikes to the U-shaped bars. Other manufactures often employ some type of additional horizontal bars to “reach out” to the bike frames, while BUZZRACK offers an innovative solution to age old problem. It’s an oval shape head unit for each bike that swivels in 360 degrees. The head unit can be moved up and down along the vertical rails, thereby providing an infinite number of locations for bike frame attachment. Virtually any size or shape of frame can be attached to the rack, the angle of the tubes are also arbitrary. Rubberized ratcheting bands are used to secure the frame to the bar while protecting the tubes from damage.
The BUZZRACK system allows the user to secure virtually any type of bicycle to the sturdy rack, including burly full-suspension frames. The four bikes attached to the rack can all have different frame designs, which is a welcome to relief for families and extreme mountain bikes alike. The 60 kg (125 lbs.) load capacity is the icing on the cake, so even the largest MTBs, fully decked trekking bikes or e-bikes may be mounted up to the total weight limit.
Speaking of order of placement, first we should plan and determine the ideal sequence of bikes to be mounted. This should be done the first time we set out on a journey, latter the methodology will be second nature. As a rule of thumb, the bike with the narrowest handlebar width should take the first place next to the vehicle. This is primarily to avoid interfering with the rear windshield – if this is applicable for the given vehicle type. The second and third place should be taken up by the narrower bikes, since the distance of the two vertical U-bars are 2 cm narrower, at only 18 cm. The third bike is the bottleneck in the sequence, if it fits, then the user will not be facing any more problems along the way. It also helps if the saddles on the middle two bikes are completely lowered – or the post is removed – before they are placed on the rails. This helps to find the perfect spot for them. Another consideration is weight distribution: in case all bike have similar width, it’s a good idea to place the heaviest next to the vehicle, and the lighter ones further outside.
Once we have gone through this process, there is no need to experiment any further, the exact same steps can be repeated for further use. This is especially true if the same bikes are transported on the rack time and time again. One more thing the user should pay some attention to is the possible contact between the two middle bikes. I decided to use pipe insulation on the forks to prevent any damage to the finish on the parts and the frame. As seen from the accompanying pictures, I ended up placing the fat bike furthest outward, since the weight limit was kept well in check, and this provided the most space for the swelter ones.
The Eazzy 4 provides double security. On one hand we can lock the attachment part to the tow bar, hence the complete rack with the bikes can be only removed with a key. In addition, each bike can be secured to the vertical U-shaped bars using a movable lock mechanism and the accompanying 1.5 m long flexible steel cord. The latter is to prevent anyone quickly unlocking any of the quick-release securing bands and removing the bike when the vehicle is parked.
Finally there is one more very useful feature found on the Eazzy 4: the complete rack packed with bikes can be tilted in order to access the vehicles rear door. This is done by loosening a bolt, and tilting the rack back toward to ground. Nothing could be simpler, the rear door is free to open, and stuff can be loaded or removed from the trunk. Even with a bike with a wide handlebar size outside there is at least 5-10 cm distance from the tip of the bar from the ground. This is what I’d call a mindful design!
In order to drive on state roads, the vehicle must have visible tail light and license plate unobstructed by any objects mounted to the rear. Eazzy 4 provides a set of tail lights mounted on the end of the carrier as well as a license plate holder. The tail lights must be attached to the carrier before use, the rack has a standard 13-point plug to attach to the vehicle’s electrical system. Older 7-point sockets need an adapter, which is fortunately included in the package. The license plate holder is made of flexible plastic, so the plate can be inserted with no difficulty.
The added stability of the Eazzy 4 is something that we’ll appreciate while on the move. This is by far the best tow bar carrier I have ever used, it’s rock solid even when four bikes are mounted. I drove on some dirt roads and failed to experience any twisting or shaking from the rear. The rack itself is fairly high from the ground, and the extra clearance come handy when driving over curbs, on steep inclines or into a multi-level parking garage. Similarly the BUZZRACK Eazzy 4 is stable at higher speeds on the motorway. The rack’s unique bike attachment helps to keep everything rock solid, the bicycles don’t budge or rattle. The whole structure acts as a single unit, there is no independent movement of any of its parts.
One advantage of tow bar racks is that they do not increase fuel consumption as much as the roof mounted variants. On longer journeys the extra deciliters caused by the greater air resistance add up, not to mention the noise level, which for the Eazzy 4 is quite low. Finally lifting up bikes to a tow bar mount is a meter less than to the roof!
To sum up my experience with the BUZZRACK Eazzy 4, I have to say that I’m quite impressed. It’s by far the best tow bar bike rack I have ever used, and there was no combination of four bikes which it could not easily transport. Even my beloved fat bike fits, something I cannot say of any other rack I had a chance to try!
Among our cycling team, Zsolt Pántya has been using the BUZZRACK Rack Wing 3, an earlier model from the Taiwanese rack specialist. He had this to say about his experience with BUZZRACK:
“After having done quite a long research, I ended up purchasing the Rack Wing 3 model. For some reason I had bad fortunes with rack systems employing the horizontal bar attachment. They fail to cope with some frame designs, especially ones where the rear suspension shock is located under the top tube. If two such bikes have to be attached to the rack, the routing of the bars become a difficult or outright impossible task. BUZZRACK solves this problem with their proprietary attachment system. Each bikes gets its own attachment, they are not sharing horizontal bars. The rubberized head unit can not only swivel, but move up and down, hence there is always a secure attachment place no matter what type of bike or bikes are placed on the rack. I found the ratcheting straps to be secure and also gentle with the frames and the wheels. The distance between the rails is sufficient, I haven’t found a combination of bikes that couldn’t be dealt with, even if bikes with a Boost type of wheel attachment could be placed side by side without any rubbing. Mounting the rack to the tow bar is quite ingenious, it’s the best system I have ever encountered. The “skirt” inside the attachment is secured by hand, and this is sufficient to keep the rack in place, so there is no need to hold the rack with one hand while securing the main bolt. The rack has a security lock as well as a tilt function for trunk access. I always use the steel cable to lock the bikes to the rack to avoid surprises. My experience with the BUZZRACK Rack Wing 3 is absolutely positive, the quality of construction is top notch, the rack and the bikes are equally stable on the car. There is no sign of movement, shaking or rattling of any sort. Mounting the bikes is also much simpler than on previous racks I have used.”
The BUZZRACK Eazzy 4 in this review was provided by the Hungarian distributor is BUZZRACK, autofelszerelesbolt.hu. They have given us support to make the present review possible.
https://autofelszerelesbolt.hu/buzz-rack
Currently there is a special offer for this bike rack model, you can purchase the BUZZRACK Easy 4 with nearly 15000 HUF discount. Please visit the distributor’s website for current pricing by clicking here!
https://autofelszerelesbolt.hu/Buzz-Rack/buzz-rack-eazzy-4-kerekpartarto
Technical details:
Number of bicycles: 4
Dimension (w, h, m): 113 x 94 x 70 cm
Folded dimension: 24 x 94 x 70 cm
Bicycle carrier weight: 19.8 kg
Load capacity: max. 20 kg / bicycle
Total load capacity: 60 kg
Tilt function: yes
Electrical connection: 13-pin (7-pin converter adapter included)
Carrier locks to tow bar: yes
Bicycles can be locked to the carrier: yes
Mounting and securing: without tools
Warranty: 3 years
