[Barbaton]

So I'm looking into roof racks and have pretty much settled on Thule. I searched and saw the old thread on fork vs upright but if anyone has new insight on that question I'd like to hear it.

I've got a traditional fork on an XC bike with hayes discs so the V2 looks the way to go on the fork mount route, but for the uprights, the super G looks like serious overkill and I've found the big mouth ones to be difficult to adjust and rock around alot. That leaves the middle one, the Criterium.

Anyone have any experience with the Crit and have any advice? Incidently, the bikes I'll be carrying are a SC Blur and a C-Dale R600.

Thanks in advance...

 

[JRogers]

I have never used the Criterium but I wouldn't hesitate to get one. I worked for a Thule dealer for a long time and they think their stuff out and take care of customers. Right now I have a V2 and 2 Big Mouths on my car. None of these have given me problems. The big mouth does seem a bit flimsy but I have driven hundreds of miles with my DH bike (Tomac 204, not a light one) on there and never had an issue. How is the big mouth difficult to adjust? Once you set up the tray location (which you have to do on any rack) then you just clamp onto the downtube and strap in the wheels. There really are no adjustments after you install it.

 

[Toshi]

yo thad, i just bought* a sportworks bob ratchet mount for my thule rack. if it plays out well it may be the ultimate in roof rack-ness: 50 lb weight limit, easy loading/unloading, fits thule and yakima bars alike.

* just bought means that i bought it a while ago but it's still sitting in the hallway since i'm too lazy to either ride or mount it up

 

[Barbaton]

I have never used the Criterium but I wouldn't hesitate to get one. I worked for a Thule dealer for a long time and they think their stuff out and take care of customers. Right now I have a V2 and 2 Big Mouths on my car. None of these have given me problems. The big mouth does seem a bit flimsy but I have driven hundreds of miles with my DH bike (Tomac 204, not a light one) on there and never had an issue. How is the big mouth difficult to adjust? Once you set up the tray location (which you have to do on any rack) then you just clamp onto the downtube and strap in the wheels. There really are no adjustments after you install it.

I've had difficulty with the big mouth ones and the screw under the shaft of the handle. Switching around bikes with different diameter downtubes tends to lead to a lot of time spent turning the nut. Also, the two plastic nubs that push against the screw seem to push out and become less secure as the thing gets older. This is my experience with big mouths that are a couple years old so maybe they've changed the design since.

I really like the big ratcheting adjuster knob on the criterium, but have heard murmurs that the 1-sided arm thing is geared more to road bikes. My mountain bike isn't particularly heavy but I wanted to see if anyone had any opinions.

 

[JRogers]

I've had difficulty with the big mouth ones and the screw under the shaft of the handle. Switching around bikes with different diameter downtubes tends to lead to a lot of time spent turning the nut. Also, the two plastic nubs that push against the screw seem to push out and become less secure as the thing gets older. This is my experience with big mouths that are a couple years old so maybe they've changed the design since.

I really like the big ratcheting adjuster knob on the criterium, but have heard murmurs that the 1-sided arm thing is geared more to road bikes. My mountain bike isn't particularly heavy but I wanted to see if anyone had any opinions.

First, I'm sure the criterium would be fine as long as your bike is not crazy heavy. Thule is very cautious with weight limits and fitting so if it's within any limit they give then it should be well within the actual limits.

As for the Big Mouth, I have no idea what you are talking about. There is a handle that operates the main clamp, but no adjustments for it I know of. You just put the downtube in the clamp and press the handle in; it automatically sizes the clamp to the tube. I have put my Tomac 204, SC Bullit, Empella CX bike and Giant VT in the same Big Mouth without having to do any adjustments. One DT is flat, one is wide, one is regular and one is teardrop shaped but they all fit fine.