Thule 9708 - Any Good?

alesupper
alesupper Posts: 286
edited March 2012 in Road buying advice
Hi All

I am considering purchasing a the Thule 9708 towbar mounted bike rack and wondered if anyone could offer their experienced opinion on these please?

http://www.thule.com/en/GB/Products/Bike-Carriers/Towbar/Thule-HangOn-9708

One thing that concerns me is if you have four bikes on one of these racks do the bikes rub against each other and mark/scratch the frames/forks?

Cheers, Alesupper

Comments

  • Oasticles
    Oasticles Posts: 19
    No experience of this one but bought an Altera Strada tow bar mounted rack from the roofbox company. A bit pricey but worth it for the build quality and the way the bikes are fixed using rigid bars ie no swinging into each other. Might be worth a look?
  • alesupper
    alesupper Posts: 286
    Oasticles wrote:
    No experience of this one but bought an Altera Strada tow bar mounted rack from the roofbox company. A bit pricey but worth it for the build quality and the way the bikes are fixed using rigid bars ie no swinging into each other. Might be worth a look?

    Thanks for the suggestion but they cost a lot more than I was wanting to pay and I would also struggle for storage space as I don't have a garage.
  • nicklouse
    nicklouse Posts: 50,673
    alesupper wrote:
    Hi All

    I am considering purchasing a the Thule 9708 towbar mounted bike rack and wondered if anyone could offer their experienced opinion on these please?

    http://www.thule.com/en/GB/Products/Bike-Carriers/Towbar/Thule-HangOn-9708

    One thing that concerns me is if you have four bikes on one of these racks do the bikes rub against each other and mark/scratch the frames/forks?

    Cheers, Alesupper
    swinging bikes.

    if you dont mind the time taken adding pipe lagging then go for it.

    other wise look at the ones that have channels for the wheels and a bar for the frame.

    I has an old Thule 3 bike euroway that has moved bikes on a few 1000Km+ trips.
    "Do not follow where the path may lead, Go instead where there is no path, and Leave a Trail."
    Parktools :?:SheldonBrown
  • Oasticles
    Oasticles Posts: 19
    The Altera does fold down flat but as you say it's a bit pricey. I'd concur that the platform design is best to keep the bikes steady. Perhaps look for a s/h one on ebay?

    There are often 10% codes knocking about for roofbox company if you google it.
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    nicklouse wrote:
    swinging bikes.

    if you dont mind the time taken adding pipe lagging then go for it.

    other wise look at the ones that have channels for the wheels and a bar for the frame.

    I has an old Thule 3 bike euroway that has moved bikes on a few 1000Km+ trips.


    +1. I have the 2-bike version of the type that the wheels sit into - bought it from the first Royles.biz Daily Deal promo. Really pleased with it and it seems really nicely made. Because it has a built-in light board, there's no issues with an obstructed light or numberplate. It also folds down to allow access to the boot.
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • alesupper
    alesupper Posts: 286
    Thanks to all who have responded, you have helped me make my decision. I am very precious about my bikes and don't want them scratched. But I also don't want the hassle of having to put pipe lagging on the fames and forks whilst using a hang-on type bike rack, so I am going to go for a towbar rack where the wheels sit on the rack. Something like the Thule 9502.

    Cheers, Alesupper.

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