MikeD said: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 want that rack so I can tell everyone they broke the mold when they made this rack. .....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.CyberJay said: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
I have had good luck with my Cobra's. What don't you like about them?MikeD said: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
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 have had good luck with my Cobra's. What don't you like about them?
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: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.
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:I have had good luck with my Cobra's. What don't you like about them?
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: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.
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
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: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.
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.
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:Definitely don't get the Yakima King Cobra. Just in case you were thinking about it.
MD
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: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.
Mike
Yes, No.BigMike said:Does Gas Mileage really suffer THAT much? Does the Fairing help with it?
That's too bad. It might be worth it to get a hitch.BigMike said: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!
YesShmoe said: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..
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: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...
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: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..
Nothing, other than that 1.25" racks are only meant to hold 2 bikes. 2" = up to 4 bikes in most cases.MikeD said:What's wrong with a class 1 hitch for a bike rack?
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: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!
Nothing, and it works perfect for my Si.MikeD said:What's wrong with a class 1 hitch for a bike 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.
Northern Tool -- northerntool.com -- stock a 1 1/4" to 2" adapter for $32.99, part # 330688-2405.Repack said:Nothing, other than that 1.25" racks are only meant to hold 2 bikes. 2" = up to 4 bikes in most cases.