ORIS Tracc – Our group test of 7 rear-mounted bike racks

German brand ORIS market the Tracc as their flagship rear-mounted bike carrier, promising a robust construction and easy assembly. Priced at around € 500, we put the rear rack through its paces to find out if it can deliver, and how it fares against the competition.

ORIS specialise in rear-mounted bike carriers and tow hitches. The ORIS Tracc rear carrier on test is marketed as the brand’s flagship model and can be upgraded from a two to three bike carrier with the help of an additional rail. How does the ORIS Tracc fare in practice?

You can find an overview of this group test here: The best rear-mounted bike rack – 7 models head to head

No pain, no gain – How does the ORIS Tracc perform in practice?

Getting the ORIS Tracc to the tow hitch is easy because it weighs just 17 kg – it’s the second lightest rear carrier on test – and the handles are well-positioned, too. As such, you won’t miss having wheels like on the Thule Epos 3 or Norauto E-FIT 200-2. Unfortunately, the easy handling ends there because it was the most difficult carrier to attach by far, requiring you to place the ORIS Tracc on the hitch at a slight angle from below. We even had to watch the instruction video to see how it’s done. Locking the rear rack on the tow hitch relies on ORIS’ in-house system, which is just as complicated to use. To do so, you must first unfold the right side of the carrier, and then unfold the other side with a force of 47 kg (!). There’s no conventional lever to lock the carrier in place. Once the ORIS Tracc is mounted on the hitch, you can easily secure the bikes to the rack with the gripper arms. Thanks to two adjustment options, the gripper arms can be adapted to different frame shapes with ease. Unfortunately, the ORIS Tracc can’t accommodate bikes with wider tires because the wheel straps are too short. This severely restricts the rack’s versatility. If you want to take mountain bikes and eMTBs with you on holiday, you should definitely upgrade to the longer straps. The ratchets, gripper arms, and carrier platform don’t make a high-quality impression and quickly show strong signs of wear – too bad! Once the bikes are mounted, there’s enough space between them, so they don’t need to be padded. Fitting the additional rail for a third bike will cost you plenty of time and nerves because it’s an incredibly cumbersome and fiddly task. You can lock all bikes with a key on the grippers and on the trailer hitch before setting off.

Should you buy the ORIS Tracc? Who is and isn’t it for?

The ORIS Tracc rear-mounted bike rack is primarily suitable for bikes with skinny tires, since it can only accommodate mountain bikes and eMTBs by upgrading to longer wheel straps. Due to the cumbersome attachment mechanism, you’ll need a steady hand and calm nerves. Those who prefer easier handling should consider the Spinder TX2 Plus, which offers a more user-friendly alternative for just about € 100 more.

Our conclusion on the ORIS Tracc

ORIS set expectations high with the Tracc rear-mounted carrier, but it can’t deliver. Mounting it to the tow hitch is overly complicated and the low-quality workmanship is disappointing. While the flexible gripper arm system makes it easy to secure different types of bikes, it is cumbersome to use. Overall, we were disappointed with the performance of the ORIS Tracc, and it can’t keep up with the competition.

Tops

• flexible gripper arm system

Flops

• low-quality workmanship
• complicated to mount on the tow hitch
• limited use case due to short wheel straps

For more information, visit oris.com

The test field

You can find an overview of this group test here: The best rear-mounted bike rack – 7 models head to head

Words: Benedikt Schmidt Photos: Antonia Feder