Which bike carrier for a carbon frame?

hoohaar

So I have managed to find some roof bars for my car, now I just need to purchase the bike carrier. Can anyone recommend a good one? Are the ones that fasten to the forks better than the frame clamps?

Wirral_paul

Dont skimp on one. Thule stuff is pretty much always great quality even if a little pricey. Shop around and you'll find a decent discount i'm sure.

Personally - i'd go for this one..

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/accessories/car-racks/product/review-thule-proride-591-car-rack-11-35074

maybe here - check the postage (or try ringing a Ford dealer??)
http://www.fordonlineparts.co.uk/product/Thule_591_Bicycle_Carrier_Pro_Ride_591_-_1698518_F1698518-450?utm_nooverride=1&gclid=CKDk69elnq4CFQlpfAodnT7QLg

RedJohn

For a carbon frame I'd advise one that clamps the forks with the wheel off, not the down tube. The Carbon in the down tube may well be damaged by the clamping force, which it isn't designed to take. Plus the down tube clamp is almost guaranteed to rub off some paint.

petergriffin

Yes, I agree with the other posters. Get a fork mounted carrier made by Thule. These are guaranteed to be of the best quality and by holding the fork securely you run less risk of damage to the frame in other areas such as the down tube.

hoohaar

Cheers guys, have opted for the Thule Outride 561 fork carrier. Quite a bit more that I was expecting to pay (nearly £90), hopefully will be worth it.

Crankbrother

Don't believe the hype about the downtube clamping carriers ... You would have to be using a ridiculously unnecessary force to cause any damage ...

If anyone on here can demonstrate through personal and proven experience tjen I might change my mind ... Until then it's just a daft idea people agree with with no thought or experience ... or a cheapo chinese frame ...

Wirral_paul

Crankbrother wrote:

Don't believe the hype about the downtube clamping carriers ... You would have to be using a ridiculously unnecessary force to cause any damage ...

If anyone on here can demonstrate through personal and proven experience tjen I might change my mind ... Until then it's just a daft idea people agree with with no thought or experience ... or a cheapo chinese frame ...

+1 to this. Never had a problem, seen a problem or heard of a problem with a quality (such as Thule) downtube mounting type clamp - the clamping pressure is very low - no more than you would quite happily put on a band-clamp fitment front derailleur. Interested to hear from anyone who has had a problem though.

OP - you wont have any issue with the 561 at all. As said by many - they're a quality bit of kit and will last years.

amaferanga

When I was thinking about getting a roof mounted carrier for a carbon frame I found that about 50% of people claimed fork mounted clamping would wreck carbon frames and the other 50% claimed that downtube clamping would do the same. Don't recall anyone with actual experience of frames damaged by bike carriers though, other than muppets who'd driven into barriers with their bikes on the roof.

In the end I went for a Saris Grand Fondo but only because my car has a part glass roof.

Wirral_paul

amaferanga wrote:

Don't recall anyone with actual experience of frames damaged by bike carriers though, other than muppets who'd driven into barriers with their bikes on the roof.

That reminds me of a cop van in Nottingham - one of those with the camera on a hydraulic pole that comes out of the roof. The dopey driver drove off with the camera extended and broke it off. Something like £20k of damage!!

RedJohn

My aluminium MTB is very scratched and worn where the down tube clamp has gripped it. I put my carbon frame in it once or twice, padded the tube before clamping, and still winced. I don't know if it was my imagination that the tube felt as though it was flexing. It came out looking fine though.

However ... having spent possibly thousands on a carbon frame bike, and buying a new carrier anyway, why take the chance of damage just to save the effort of taking off the front wheel? Some carbon frames (Argon 18, for example) come with a huge sticker on the top saying "ultra thin walled tubes, do not clamp". The fork dropouts are designed to take exactly that kind of clamping force. The down tube isn't.

ajb72

Wirral_Paul wrote:

Crankbrother wrote:

Don't believe the hype about the downtube clamping carriers ... You would have to be using a ridiculously unnecessary force to cause any damage ...

If anyone on here can demonstrate through personal and proven experience tjen I might change my mind ... Until then it's just a daft idea people agree with with no thought or experience ... or a cheapo chinese frame ...

+1 to this. Never had a problem, seen a problem or heard of a problem with a quality (such as Thule) downtube mounting type clamp - the clamping pressure is very low - no more than you would quite happily put on a band-clamp fitment front derailleur. Interested to hear from anyone who has had a problem though.

OP - you wont have any issue with the 561 at all. As said by many - they're a quality bit of kit and will last years.

+2. Never head a single account of the frame clamp type actually damaging a carbon tube, pure hype. And as for scratches to down tube, a simple rag around the tube prevents any marks. For ease of use you cannot beat it.

mroli

Elite san remo is pretty good and just over £30: http://www.fatbirds.co.uk/834/products/Elite-San-Remo-roof-carrier-black.aspx?utm_source=Froogle&utm_medium=PriceComp&utm_term=Froogle&utm_content=None&utm_campaign=PriceComp1

RedJohn

Wirral_Paul wrote:

OP - you wont have any issue with the 561 at all. As said by many - they're a quality bit of kit and will last years.

Yep. 'Cos it clamps the forks

ForumNewbie

I've bought a Cube Agree carbon bike last year and I am a bit concerned about clamping it to my Thule 591 rack as the Cube manual says the frame shouldn't be clamped. However you see all these expensive carbon bikes clamped to the top of support cars in professional races, so that makes me think it must be okay?

ajb72

ForumNewbie wrote:

I've bought a Cube Agree carbon bike last year and I am a bit concerned about clamping it to my Thule 591 rack as the Cube manual says the frame shouldn't be clamped. However you see all these expensive carbon bikes clamped to the top of support cars in professional races, so that makes me think it must be okay?

You can make your own mind up. Those of us that have 591's and happily use them without issue, or those that haven't owned one, haven't seen a single report of crush damage, yet still tell you it will destroy your frame!

Joeblack

Hoohaar wrote:

Cheers guys, have opted for the Thule Outride 561 fork carrier. Quite a bit more that I was expecting to pay (nearly £90), hopefully will be worth it.

Sorry to drag this thread up but iv come accross it whilst googling Thule 561, on the Thule website it states this isn't suitable for carbon frames and you should only use the sprint XT on carbon frames but I don't know why, can anyone give me any advice on this?

cougie

Can't believe people clamp their frames without padding. I always put some soft cloth between the frame and the grip. No problems. Also not cracked a frame yet.

Craig_Broadbent

I think the new product has a torque limit, so it is less likely to do damage and more likely to have sufficient torque to hold the bike. Idiot proof apart from low bridges and indoor garages.

I would recommend a frameless fix at the rear though.
http://www.auxtail.com