Uebler i21 Z60-DC – Our group test of 7 rear-mounted bike racks

Super small, extra light, and with a cool bonus feature? It all sounds rather promising, right? The Uebler i21 Z60-DC brings all this to the table, where it must prove itself against 6 other bike racks in our group test. Read on to find out if the € 1,300 rear rack has got what it takes to beat the competition.

At around €1,300, the Uebler i21 is the most expensive hitch bike rack in our test field, but it’s also the only one with an electronic parking aid. By the way, without parking assistance, you can get the Uebler i21 Z60 for € 870. Uebler promise that the carrier is easy and user-friendly to mount on the tow hitch. At just under 14 kg, it’s by far the lightest and most compact rack on test. How well does the Uebler i21 fare with these attributes in our real-world tests?

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

A compact powerhouse? How does the Uebler i21 fare in practice?

Getting the Uebler i21 from the garage to your car is easy considering that it weighs just 14 kg. However, our first time mounting it on the tow hitch didn’t prove to be as simple as Uebler claim. You must press a button to make an aluminium guide pop up, which you use to guide the rack onto the hitch. Keeping the rear carrier folded up, you align and push it into a horizontal position: this closes the mechanism and secures the rack on the tow hitch. With a bit of practice, you’ll quickly have the process dialled, and the rear carrier stays securely mounted.

Mounting the bikes wasn’t as easy and quick as we would have liked. The reason for this is that while the gripper arms can be adjusted on the U-frame, the locking mechanism for this is located on the inside of the grippers and can only be accessed by first removing the ratchet straps.
Therefore, it takes some time and fiddling to get everything adjusted. With that done, however, the bikes are secure, and the frames are reliably protected by two rubber pads. Once you’ve got the gripper arm system figured out, adjusting them correctly shouldn’t take too long, though getting the second bike to fit will always take a bit of fiddling. Mounting your bikes is easier and faster on the Spinder TX2 and Thule Epos 3.

We also noticed the short rails of the Uebler i20, which are the shortest on the test at 121 cm. This severely restricts the carrier’s compatibility with long bikes. It won’t accommodate long XL bikes. So be sure to check if your bikes are compatible and will fit on the rear rack before buying. Uebler’s integrated parking aid is a cool bonus feature. The sensor on the rear carrier communicates reliably with the included display, which you plug into the 12V connection of your car. It lets you see whether there is an obstacle behind your rear carrier, down to the centimetre. The display may look quite dated, but it serves its purpose – sweet!

Who is and isn’t the Uebler i21 for?

We recommend Uebler to city dwellers who don’t have a garage and have to store their bike carrier in an upstairs/downstairs apartment/basement. Its compact size and low weight make it the ideal carrier for situations like these. We can also recommend it for city or road bikes. We’re doubtful about the Uebler i21 when it comes to long-wheelbase bikes because the rails are too short.

Our conclusion on the Uebler i21

The Uebler i21 Z60-DC impressed us with its low weight, compact size, and convenient parking assist feature, which is a truly unique selling and turns out to be a useful function. Once you’ve figured out how to mount the rear rack on the tow hitch and become accustomed to the gripper arm adjustment, it should prove to be a reliable companion. However, the short rails significantly limit its compatibility with different types of bikes. And at just under € 1,300, it’s rather pricey, too.

Tops

• electronic parking aid
• compact size
• lightest rear rack on test

Flops

• expensive
• short rails limit compatibility

For more information, visit uebler.com

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

Words: Robin Ulbrich Photos: Antonia Feder