thule bike racks

[hot66]

My old Thule towbar mounted bike rack is coming to the end of its useable life . Been looking at the new models and ones like mine with the independent frame clamp arms are pretty pricy .

Anyone use one of the towbar mounted Thule racks which you uses straps to attach the frame to the rack ?



Are they any good ?

[hondafanatic]

hot66 said:

My old Thule towbar mounted bike rack is coming to the end of its useable life . Been looking at the new models and ones like mine with the independent frame clamp arms are pretty pricy .

Anyone use one of the towbar mounted Thule racks which you uses straps to attach the frame to the rack ?



Are they any good ?

Sorry to hijack, but I've got a question for you. I'm in the middle of picking a bike rack. I've got the option for either towbar or roof mounting.

This might sound stupid, but although I'd prefer the towbar due to height of my car, one thing puts me off. Winter.

My stupid theory being that all the grime of winter roads gets plastered on the back of my car, but very little on the roof. Therefore, I can only assume my bikes would be cover in crap if they were on a towbar mount rather than the roof option.

Or am I being a pleb?

[hot66]

Not too bad in winter , I'm not sure if its due to the airflow been forced under the rack, but they don't get as dirty as the rear of the car noramlly would ..... for me , the advantages of a tow bar option are so much greater than a roof mounted system ....... anyway, a mountian bike is getting dirty anyway just make sure you rinse off the salt

[digger_R]

I've got a two bike rack I bought in Germany sold with the brand name Euroway (it is a Thule sold under a dfferent name), it's an excellent bit of kit and very stable (even at high speed). PM if you are interested in it, I'm about to head over to Canada for a 6-12 months so it would just gather dust in my garage otherwise. I'm just north of Birmingham BTW

[R.P.M]

If available, I would always go rear mounted.

[hondafanatic]

R.P.M said:

If available, I would always go rear mounted.

fnarrrrrrr....

[PH5121]

I was in Halfords at lunchtime, and noticed that the tow bar mounted Thule rack had 30% off making it £109.

If you were fancying that one it may be a worthwhile saving.

[WBC]

PH5121 said:

I was in Halfords at lunchtime, and noticed that the tow bar mounted Thule rack had 30% off making it £109.

If you were fancying that one it may be a worthwhile saving.

I bought the Thule 3 bike tow bar mounted carrier from Halfords and am really happy with it. So nice not to have to lift a wet muddy bike up onto the roof/remove wheels and put in boot. Once set up it takes about 60 seconds to secure my bike. I have noticed no drop in MPG and can't say my bike has got dirty on the back.

Just beware that even with the tilt mechanism it may not be possible to open the boot with a bike loaded. Fortunately I can still access mine (Passat Estate).