How to protect frame from Thule roof rack carrier.

geomickb

Hey,

Does anyone else put some tape on there frame to protect it where the roof carrier grips it?

What are you using? Some kind of helitape?

Cheers,

Mick

poptart242

I wrapped some helitape around the downtube - used some spare chainstay length ones. Two did the trick for me but my CAAD doesn't have massively wide tubes.

Thule sell this for carbon frames too: https://www.thule.com/en-gb/gb/bike-rack/roof-bike-rack-accessories/thule-carbon-frame-protector-_-984000

JBA

I bought a 2m roll of 10cm wide 3M helitape and cut lengths and shapes to fit where needed, including wrapping the downtube where my Thule carrier grips it.

tonysj

geomickb wrote:

Hey,

Does anyone else put some tape on there frame to protect it where the roof carrier grips it?

What are you using? Some kind of helitape?

Cheers,

Mick

It may be more risky for the frames but I dont use anything on mine as the jaws are rubber covered and I just put a
re-usable tie wrap around the bike frame and clamp to steady it further. Its mainly on the alloy tubed bikes as I use a San Remo Elite for the carbon bike

figbat

On my two road bikes the cables run down the underside of the downtube so I have put a bit of clear tape on the frame where the Thule clamp grabs it to prevent scratches from the cable. Other bikes with cables elsewhere just get a cursory clean of the frame before mounting. Before I fitted the tape I had a small section of old inner tube which I put around the frame for protection from the cables.

oxoman

I use helitape on my MTB,s and ensure the downtube clamping area is clean before tightening Thule clamp. Failure to clean grit and mud off in wet weather turns it into grinding paste and will go straight through the paint, learnt the hard way. Carbon bike I use a carbon protector as linked above.