Roof carrier for 15mm thru axle

Stoatally

I’ve always used roof mounted carriers that clamp the forks of bikes in the past but I’ve inky ever had the old style quick release (and still do on my road bikes).

I’ve got a new carbon framed mtb with a 15mm boost thru axle. I’m reluctant to get a frame clamping carrier as I’ve heard you shouldn’t clamp carbon frames and all the rest seem to not take boost or they axle without loads of adaptors.

I’ve looked at the Thule 365 (needs an adapter) and the whispbar wb200 but can’t find it fir sale anywhere.

I drive from Bristol to Cannock and back every week with the bike on the tonneau cover of my pick up so need something suitable and durable.

I’m currently using a converter on a QR carrier but I’m not sure I trust it.

cooldad

It's a truck. Why not just use the loadbed?

figbat

I use a Thule Proride carrier that clamps the frame on my carbon fibre MTB and road bike... no problems so far. The clamp is mostly for stability so doesn’t need to be done up like a vice.

Stoatally

cooldad wrote:

It's a truck. Why not just use the loadbed?

It’s a pickup with a tonneau cover so I use the loadbex for everything else and have roofcrails and bike carrier fitted to the tonneau cover.

The fact that it’s a 29”er also means to get it in the load bed I have to take both wheels off, which I find a bit of a pita, it also means my bags have nowhere else to go. The back seat of the truck had been converted to a dog ‘kennel’ so no room there either

billycool

Stoatally wrote:

cooldad wrote:

It's a truck. Why not just use the loadbed?

It’s a pickup with a tonneau cover so I use the loadbex for everything else and have roofcrails and bike carrier fitted to the tonneau cover.

The fact that it’s a 29”er also means to get it in the load bed I have to take both wheels off, which I find a bit of a pita, it also means my bags have nowhere else to go. The back seat of the truck had been converted to a dog ‘kennel’ so no room there either

I've gone down the towbar mounted option and really like it.

Bike can go on in one piece, the clamp is for securing and not too grabby. Easy on/off and for me, less faff than roof mounted.

Don't know how that works with a 4x4 though although I think some exist. Not sure if that option appeals to you.

figbat

I also have a towbar-mounted Thule rack. If I just want to take one bike I use the roof (atop a Volvo XC60) - it's a bit of a reach, true, but so long as you remember you have the extra height up there, there's no big deal. The towbar carrier is for when the whole family wants to take bikes, in which case 3 go on there and one on the roof. The roof carrier stays pretty much permanently attached to the car as I use it 2-3 times a week. I wouldn't leave a towbar carrier attached - it adds significant length to the car and makes parking a faff, as well as getting in the way of accessing the boot. Horses for courses.

In terms of frame protection, I tend to just use a strip of inner tube around the frame to reduce paint scuffing, and give the frame a quick wipe over before mounting. On my alloy Synapse with gear cables routed along the bottom of the downtube, I have put some protective tape on the frame so the cables don't chafe the paint when clamped. The geometry of the bikes and roof carrier means that the clamp tends to hold the bikes pretty near the bottom bracket, which is a fairly robust location.

sprinter2012

The Thule ThruRide 565 is what you're looking for, clamps directly onto 12-20mm thru axles. I've been using one for the last 2 years on two bikes with 15mm axles, one Boost and one non-Boost with no issues whatsoever.

https://www.halfords.com/motoring/bike- ... ke-carrier

figbat

There’s always the Yakima one...