Thule DH rack?
- Thread starter BigMike
- Start date
Cannondale...Volvo is a sponsor
eh get a bob ratchet! awesome loading, sturdy, made for DH rigs, several team members have purchased them this year and love them. they now have models that mount to most factory load bars also... not sure for 100% if they are out but the catalogs I picked up today at the headquarters have them listed.
Definitely don't get the Yakima King Cobra. Just in case you were thinking about it.
I think the Sportworks is the best way to go, myself, unless you have some super-killer deal on the Thule (and you can find some testimonial to its effectiveness or want to guinea pig for us all...)
MD
I think the Sportworks is the best way to go, myself, unless you have some super-killer deal on the Thule (and you can find some testimonial to its effectiveness or want to guinea pig for us all...)
MD
the text on the site says "up to 40+ mph". who drives that slow when they are going on a road trip for some DH action? 
damn, i hope my regular lockjaw carrier still keeps the bike in one piece and in place. sometimes there are ominous sounds coming from the roof.
EDIT - i just saw they were referring to the bike being ridden that fast, not when the car's transporting it.
damn, i hope my regular lockjaw carrier still keeps the bike in one piece and in place. sometimes there are ominous sounds coming from the roof.
EDIT - i just saw they were referring to the bike being ridden that fast, not when the car's transporting it.
MikeD said:
Yes, I do have a super-KILLER deal on the Thule
Guess I will be the guniea pig......
The Thule rack isn't available yet. The rep told me something about making 50 then the mold broke. They're retooling now. He has no idea when they'll come out again.
Good luck.. I'd like to try one myself when they are available.
-Jay
Good luck.. I'd like to try one myself when they are available.
-Jay
I want that rack so I can tell everyone they broke the mold when they made this rack.CyberJay said:
.....That rack looks kinda flimsy though, like the bike would sway a lot side to side. I'm in the market for a new rack though so I'd be interested to see how it is.
I have had good luck with my Cobra's. What don't you like about them?MikeD said:
Along these lines. Does anyone have any good or bad experiences with those thru axle fork adapters? I can't fit my Uzzi on my upright rack(Barrecrafter) but I have a Thule fork mount carrier.
same here... although i just bought mine about a month ago during the REI 20% off sale thing. is there something we should look out for?Jesus said:
i was using the THULE big mouth rack but the jaws just don't grab the big bikes.
I actually have a friend that works inside at Thule that helped with the initial stages of the rack design. The rack seems pretty well thought out and from what I've seen of some of their new stuff, I think it will definetely be sturdy enough. I can't wait to get mine!
They make it more difficult to put the bike on the roof, but in my experience are much stiffer. They lower the center of gravity of the bike enough that it horks on the rack less. As far as roof options go, my personal choice is a Rocky Mount tray and Fork Up. The Rocky's are far stiffer than any other fork clamp style rack I have used. The Thule heads have a lot of flex. The newer ones seem to be no better than the older style heads. I have the old heads and replaced the locking Thule qr with a Specialized scraxle (9mm through axle qr) and the rack is much stiffer.Peete said:
BUT, I now have a receiver rack and that is all I use for dh bikes. I have no doubt that the thing has already paid for itself by saving me gas money. The roof rack just KILLED my mileage, plus driving on a windy day with ~100lbs of bikes being caught by the wind so high up makes for an interesting drive to say the least. I drive a Pathfinder.
As of now though, I want to buy one of those ~2'x5' steel baskets that you can plug into a receiver. I know a number of people who own them. They sell for ~$100. The next step is to build some wheel holders out of 2x4's, or I have seen one person who mounted a removeable pole to the rack to keep the bikes upright. Ghetto yes, but the home-made racks I have seen are all very effective, and including the receiver you can have one for not much more than $200. Most of the ones I have seen can hold 3 dh bikes no problem.
Tie-downs and long travel bikes work very well together.
Just my .02
It was terrifying to even think about driving with even a 35lb hardtail on the racks I installed. The tray flexed and swayed in a truly disconcerting way when the car was stationary...when I imagined driving up the twisties to Big Bear, I immediately removed them and returned them.Jesus said:
However, now that you force me to think about it, this could have been due to the fact that they were mounted to the factory Subaru rails which seemed pretty sketch. So, maybe I was wrong to fault the racks themselves.
I considered getting some real Yakima rails, but the total cost to do that was a lot more in total than just getting a Sportworks rear rack, which is what I did. Even including the receiver hitch, it was less than $500. (got the 1 1/4" Sportworks with the fat tire hoops for $385 from rackoutfitters.com!) The rear rack also won't lead to dirty guys throwing 50 lb bikes on the roof while leaning against the car...so I think it's a better idea overall. (I'd initially planned on both roof and rear racks, but given my car size, I think 2 on the rear and one in the rear hatch in absolute necessity is about all I should ever consider.)
MD
My experience was actually similar to this. I used a Thule TK- system (clip-on) for my truck. The factory rails suck. Period. At least on my 1995 Pathfinder (but they work sweet for a roof-box). But, the Thule trays still flexed a ton on their own. And there is still the issue of gas mileage and total cost. My truck came with a 2" receiver on it.MikeD said:
A friend of mine has a Celica (or similar) that was only speced for a 1.25" receiver. He said that it was cheao and easy finding someone to weld on a needed plate to make the 2" receiver work. Sounds sketchy at first, but consider the fact that he wasn't planning on towing anything. He was still below the 1.25" tongue weight rating.
I can say from experience that Volvo and Chevy factory rails are very strong and provide an excellent base to mount a rack to. But it doesn't exactly take a rocket scientist to tell how strong your rails are if you have them.
well for my GTI, i originally had it set up all thule. thule car mounts, bars, and 2 widemouth racks. i've had this set up on my bike since the summer of 2001 with no problem. i did however notice some flex with the big mouth style racks over time. the mounts that attach to the bars started to bend over time (you can buy replacements for pretty cheap). my bikes did wave in the wind from time to time, but never looked as if they were in danger (only my $$ from pumping extra gas was in danger). i was also only throwing XC/trail bikes up on the rack.Repack said:
i recently bought a king cobra for my big bike and a viper for my trail bike since rei had their sale. it all seems to be stable... i've been around 100mph and up/down the windy roads to snowshoe with no problem. gas mileage on the other hand, is still an issue. i'd prefer to use a hitch type system, but i've got the racks and don't mind mud on my roof... gotten used to it. i can also look up through my sunroof and check out my bikes while driving
one of the things that i did like about the thule racks was that the racks themselves "locked" to the bars (at least for the big mouth). theoretically, someone could remove my king cobra with the bike still locked to it (by that dangling wire lock - a deterrent, no means much protection) but that would cause quite a ruckus.
What's up with the King Cobra's? I've got 3 of them on one car and they work great. They hold an M1, Bullit and a Tracer with no problems. I'd recommend them. OK so I can use a faring with them. I just have to put my stickers somewhere else.MikeD said:
Mike
hey, the directions say to mount the rack backwards if you have a fairing. i have a fairing and mounted it forwards. have any idea why (wind noise)? if i mount mine backwards, the back wheel will stick way out over my windshield?Dartman said:
how do you have yours mounted?
The directions mention mounting the rack backwards if you have a fairing for potential clearance issues (i.e. interference with the lock knob). If you can mount it facing forward and not have problems with the fairing you can do so.
Does Gas Mileage really suffer THAT much? Does the Fairing help with it?
I just got off the phone with Thule, and they said that the Super G rack will be available the 28th and 30th. (That is a quote from the guy at Thule, I dont know what he means by 28th AND 30th)
So, I'm putting in my order, and within a few weeks, I'll let everyone know how they work
I just got off the phone with Thule, and they said that the Super G rack will be available the 28th and 30th. (That is a quote from the guy at Thule, I dont know what he means by 28th AND 30th)
So, I'm putting in my order, and within a few weeks, I'll let everyone know how they work
Yes, No.BigMike said:
In addition to my real-world observations, I saw a study where they found that even aero roof boxes had a very noticeable effect. I have not noticed my box slowing me down, but bikes yes. All the fairing does is reduce wind noise. Bikes have so much akward surface area that they slow you down (at least the vehicles that I have driven) a lot more than you would think. I think that its not only their size, but that they mess with the airflow over the car. I like to think of my receiver rack as acting like a difuser.
Forgot to say earlier. With a roof rack, it is only a matter of time before you end up with scratches on your roof. Lifting a bike and strapping it down after a dozen runs worth of arm pump sucks. All it takes is a mommentary lapse of balance and you've planted a muddy tire or fork-up on your car. Plus it is easy to end up with mud baked on to your car from the sun.
I dont really care about the roof of my car..... Its a 91 Volvo Station wagon, which is why i'm concerned about the mileage/wind resistance.
I dont really have any other choice though, I dont have a hitch, and the back of the car rack scares the crap outta me!
I dont really have any other choice though, I dont have a hitch, and the back of the car rack scares the crap outta me!
That's too bad. It might be worth it to get a hitch.BigMike said:
We just went to Vermont in a minivan with a yakima roof rack (the one with the red knob that you have to loosen and pull out to get your bike out).
It was the biggest pain in the azz that I could possibly imagine.
Getting them on and off was sketchy as he11, and the wind blew the van around all the way up there and home.
As soon as I got home, I went and gave my Sportworks a big hug.
Is it possible to put a 2 inch hitch on a smaller car? Often wondered this as it would work much better for me then a roof rack..
YesShmoe said:
But I'm not going to have this car for THAT much longer, plus..... its not meant for it, and its kinda sketchy
It's not sketchy at all to put a hitch rack on a smaller car...Acadian's WRX wagon has a sportworks on it, which led me to get the sportworks and 1 1/4" hitch for my own subie.
Oh, yeah, I thought the Yakima King Cobra sucked because of the red knob retention system as well...takes a lot of effort to unscrew or screw in the sucker while you're wrangling a DH bike on your roof...
Oh, yeah, I thought the Yakima King Cobra sucked because of the red knob retention system as well...takes a lot of effort to unscrew or screw in the sucker while you're wrangling a DH bike on your roof...
Hitches that attach to frame rails are ok. I looked into one for my M3 when I picked it up. All that was available was one that braced to the sheetmetal of the spare tire well. 
I can only imagine what the weight of 2 FR/DH bikes bouncing up and down on a hitchmounted rack driving down boston roads would do to it.
So instead I picked up a Volvo cross-country and transferred the King Cobra racks that I'd used on my VW last season. Two seasons and going strong with the King Cobras.
I can only imagine what the weight of 2 FR/DH bikes bouncing up and down on a hitchmounted rack driving down boston roads would do to it.So instead I picked up a Volvo cross-country and transferred the King Cobra racks that I'd used on my VW last season. Two seasons and going strong with the King Cobras.
Hmm, just looked into it. Looks like they only make Class 1 hitches for my car (92 VW Jetta). Im gonna keep looking, maybe somthing better will pop-up..MikeD said:
Yes, but... A friend of mine did it, but he had to have a couple of plates welded to the car frame. It cost him next to nothing. But from what I understand, you may be able to just bolt it on, but even then might have to drill a couple of holes. It depends on the vehicle. Have you ever looked to see how the receivers bolt on? You can sdjust them quite a bit, and drilling a frame rail is easy and won't hurt anything unless you try to tow something huge.Shmoe said:
Nothing, other than that 1.25" racks are only meant to hold 2 bikes. 2" = up to 4 bikes in most cases.MikeD said:
Easy solution. Take the wheels off. Not only are you instantly dropping like 30lbs., but it is all rotational weight. Trunk rack bars are what, like 18" apart? By taking the wheels off, the weight is not only reduced but placed closer to the rack, making the whole thing more stable. This is how I used to do it. I would even place a wheel or 2 on the rack. You would be surprised at how much of a difference it make to have the weight centered around the rack. Or, it you don't care about the roof, just bungey the wheels up there.BigMike said:
Nothing, and it works perfect for my Si.MikeD said:
I only have to carry around one smelly DHer at a time.
That is another bonus of having a 2 bike Sportworks rack.
lol...that's what I was thinking, too. Had this big plan for stuffing 4 riders and 4 bikes in my little wagon, then realized it'd be pretty stupid to encourage that. Two will be just fine, thanks...three if we're desperate.Jeremy R said:Nothing, and it works perfect for my Si.
I only have to carry around one smelly DHer at a time.
That is another bonus of having a 2 bike Sportworks rack.
MD
Who wants to lift a 40+ lb. bike up onto a roof?!?!? Get a hitch mount!
Northern Tool -- northerntool.com -- stock a 1 1/4" to 2" adapter for $32.99, part # 330688-2405.Repack said:
Funny, I was leafing through the catalog last night looking for a hitch for my Exploder and saw it. I also want to get a hitch rack. I'm tired of lifting my heavy-ass bikes onto my roof.
has anybody taken a look at the Hollywood tich mount rack...it's basicly a ripoff of the Sportworks. A buddy here in Asheville has it and it seemed to work fine, although it holds the bike by the frame itself.
Also, you guys left out that new Saris hitch mount rack. It looks to be really friggin solid. I saw a 4 bike version running around Snowshoe and checked it out.
I'd own a Sportworks or the Saris in a heartbeat if it wasn't for that HUGE cost. $329.00...OUCH!
Also, you guys left out that new Saris hitch mount rack. It looks to be really friggin solid. I saw a 4 bike version running around Snowshoe and checked it out.
I'd own a Sportworks or the Saris in a heartbeat if it wasn't for that HUGE cost. $329.00...OUCH!
You can get a good hitch shop to put a 2" on just about any car for reasonable money. Just tell them what you are going to use it for. The reason the 1 1/4 is only rated for 2 bikes is that the weight of 4 bikes on a small hitch is too much tortionally. The rack flops around too much.
Me? I just bought a truck.
Me? I just bought a truck.