Thule 561 or 591

furiousd

I am travelling to Spain with the family for our summer holiday. This year I am thinking of taking the bike.
I already have Thule Aero bars so the roof option is the most viable. Also it is a company car so I don't want to go tow bar route.

Therefore which would be better for the journey to Spain, 80mph all the way for several hours in end.
Bike wise I have a Bianchi Via Nirone and Cervelo S2. I am going to take the Bianchi to Spain but might use the carrier once back for the Cervelo. But could buy a different carrier.

What are the pros and cons of each. My concern is the high motorway speeds and the amount of time it will be subject to these conditions.
So 561 or 591???
Thanks
D

animal72

I've got the old version of the 561, have used it with Carbon, Ally and Steel bikes.

That's what I'd go for.

limoneboy

I drove down to Italy last year with THULE tow bar mount ,it was faultless and didn't make a sound on the motorway at 83mph all the way there and back, however i bought a new A6 and didn't opt for the tow bar so bought some aero bars and a 591 roof mount , load more wind noise and really effected the mpg by 10-15 miles per gallon.

Tried all different ways around but still noisy , so much so that i am considering not taking my bike to france this year due to the wind noise not something i am used to in a A6.

so my choice would be tow bar but i understand your issue of a company car as its dead money in 3 years.

Gary D

I am in the same position as you with respect to a company car - so no tow bar!

I have both the 561 and 591's. I tend to use the 561 for my carbon Bianchi and the 591's for all of the other bikes that go on the roof bars which are all Aluminium.

To be honest, I went for the 561 when I had some older Atera roof bar racks. Their clamping system was cam operated and was adjustable. You could exert a huge amount of crushing force on these and I really didn't fancy that on my Bianchi's down tube

However, those have now been replaced by the 591's which don't seem to exert as much force. In reality, I would probably be quite happy to put the Bianchi on the 591's now if I didn't already have the 561. I hope that makes sense!!

The downside of the 561 is that you still have to store the front wheel - which if you are going on holiday with your family will probably mean boot space is limited. You can get separate holders for the wheel to go on the roof but I have never used mine. I would be too worried about the wheel being nicked.

Overall, I would say the 591's hold the bikes a little more secure and stable - as long as you put a strap around the front wheel and the clamp arm. The support for the bike is higher up the frame as well as securing the 2 wheels. Whereas on the 561, it is all low down.

As limoneboy said though, either option is noisy and knocks your fuel consumption for six!

Cheers,
Gary.

furiousd

Thanks guys, not as simple as i thought then. Going to the odd sportive i can throw it in the back of the car A4 Avant. However family of 4 on holiday is more of an issue.
I did not realise that they hit the mpg that much, not a big deal company pay for the fuel
The noise might annoy me though.
The 591's do look precarious on top of cars shooting down the motorway.
A little more research i think. Journey up to 100 miles no problem, but this is around 1,000 straight.

Thanks
D

kevin_stephens

Neither.

Get a Saris Gran Fondo (if it fits your company car)
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/saris-gran-fondo-2-bike-rack/

I'm finding mine brilliant, secure, stable and not much wind noise. No stress on carbon frames too

furiousd

Kevin Stephens wrote:

Neither.

Get a Saris Gran Fondo (if it fits your company car)
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/saris-gran-fondo-2-bike-rack/

I'm finding mine brilliant, secure, stable and not much wind noise. No stress on carbon frames too

Mmhh, looks like an option. Can you still open the boot? Does is cover up your plate or lights?
Audi A4 Avant, so will take a look to see if it fits.
You are happy then? Definitely not going to fall off then?
D

kevin_stephens

Yes can open boot (makes it a bit heavy) great thing about design is it doesn't cover lights or number plate . Seems very secure on motorway and windy lanes. Mines on a Golf estate.