BEST ROOF BIKE RACK

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  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    Yep Thule whichever model is in budget. Have a couple of older pretty basic models and they are easy to use and seem bulletproof. Their roof racks as well.
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  • davesnothere
    davesnothere Posts: 620
    Proride are better/easier to use than Freeride but a bit dearer

    I've got 2 proride racks that have been in regular use for 10 years, stlli going strong. Had to replace one of the rear wheel holders as some f*&ker nicked it off my car but other than that, never had to look at them

    IMPORTANT NOTE: Dont' rely on the thule locking mechanisms to stop your bike getting nicked. Any thief who knows what they are doing can release these in 10 seconds. Use a lock and cable/chain if you are going to leave unattended
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  • woodboy76
    woodboy76 Posts: 25
    Great advice, is it really worth double the price for the proride, what benefit am I going to see out of the different clamp?
  • figbat
    figbat Posts: 680
    I use the Proride with alloy and carbon framed MTBs and road bikes. The main benefit for me is the speed of mounting a bike. Once the rack is in place (mine is on the car permanently) it is 30s to put a bike up there. One thing I do is clean the frame around the clamping area to prevent rubbing of the paint (I have also added some frame protection tape to the bikes with cables running along the downtube). The clamp has soft silicone jaws, the clamping torque system is quick and foolproof and releases in an instant. In fact I am in the market for some more as the family gets more interested in cycling. Try eBay or Facebook Marketplace for some second hand ones.
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  • poah
    poah Posts: 3,369
    I use the proride units. can be a faff depending on the bike (mine is) and your height (I'm a short arse)
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  • davesnothere
    davesnothere Posts: 620
    woodboy76 wrote:
    Great advice, is it really worth double the price for the proride, what benefit am I going to see out of the different clamp?

    As above, mounting is quick and easy with Proride. You put the clamp up at approx the correct height, plonk the bike up and twist the handle to secure

    With the freeride you have to line up the bike fairly accurately over the clamp arm, then move it up so it is either side of the downtube and then twist the clamp at high level (Proride clamp operates on twist control at low level)

    OP - The older version 591 is a bit cheaper if you shop around
    http://www.rackshackuk.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=11319&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIw9qtr7nP1wIV75PtCh3aqQglEAAYAiAAEgK5yfD_BwE
    POAH wrote:
    I use the proride units. can be a faff depending on the bike (mine is) and your height (I'm a short ars*)

    as above I've found the freeride more of a faff having used them on my mate's car recently
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  • buddy_club
    buddy_club Posts: 935
    Ive got the freerides - bit of a faff if you use different bikes on them regularly but for the same set of bikes each time on the same rack they are very quick and very easy to use. More difficult to nick bikes off the freeride ones than the proride too.
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  • Craig_Broadbent
    Craig_Broadbent Posts: 30
    If you are buying roof bars, I would recommend the manufacturer one's. If your car has some rails, then you can save money and go generic with the cross bars.
    Cheapish to replace the rails if there is some damage. Expensive to replace a roof!
    A little more advice on the link.
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  • Diesel73
    Diesel73 Posts: 14
    I would seriously recommend taking a look at Gumtree/Ebay.
    Managed to bag 3 almost new Proride 591 for £100 from a guy 2 miles away.

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