Thule towbar racks - what do you make of them?

daniel_b

Chaps,

I currently have a Thule 912 Bikeon rack

Which carries 2 bikes.

I bought it 2nd hand off ebay, and it does a good job, the only alarming thing is that it can pivot on the towball, but to remedy this you can use a couple of straps to tether each side to the car, so no biggie.

A friend has just offered me this Thule 914 Euroclassic


It's a sturdier design, and the main advantage for me, is that it takes 3 bikes as standard, and has the adaptor with it to take a fourth - the reason I want this is that we want to go to France and take all 4 bikes, but it would also be handy for going to trail centres and taking a mates bike at the same time.

It does have a different way of attaching to the towbar, so I'm hoping it will still fit, but I haven't managed to try it out yet.

Does anyone on here have one, and what do you make of it?
How was it at attaching to your towbar for example, and was it easy to use and stable at speed?

Dan

nicklouse

sounds like you are not fitting it quite right. there should be a means of locking it into position on the tow bar.

i use the 903 euro clasic and it clamps on and does not move. bikes are well held and donr move. the 914 looks similar.

Cps

I got one of these

Tradekar SILVERBIKE

http://www.roofbox.co.uk/bikeRack1.html


Not quite as stylish as the thule, but after looking at a number of thule towbar racks at my local trail centre, I was concerned about the durability of some of the components - so i went for this one. Solidly built and a doddle to use.

daniel_b

Thanks chaps,

nicklouse, looking online would appear the euroclassic 903 is a newer version of the 914, the arm that sticks out to the side is the same as on the 914, and this is totally different to that on the 912.

There is definitely no way to fix the 912 so it can't spin, there is only a central clamp, that locks onto the ball, but as the ball is round, it can, and will spin.
The guy I bought it off with a different car had the same issue, and threw in the ratchet straps he had bought with it which was nice of him!

From what you say about your 903, I'm hoping this means the 914 will properly lock on, and not need additional straps. Does the arm somehow enable it to lock onto the towbar further down?

What kind of car and towbar do you have nicklouse?

I think mine is just a normal towbar, but am not sure if the 914/903 are only compatible with swan neck towbars - if so, it may now fit :?

Dan

nicklouse

yes and the 903 has the same central clamp that holds the rack at the required angle. the lever just clamps around the ball the central adjuster stops the movement.

gs3

Make sure that your towball and the contact points on the rack clamp are thoroughly de-greased before attaching the rack. It only takes a tiny amount of grease/ oil from caravan or trailer hitch to stop the clamp from gripping tightly enough

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