tires and wheels roof rack questions. (thule vs yakima, and which mounts)

[Guest Anonymous]

URL: http://www.yakima.com

I'm looking for opinions on Thule vs Yakima racks.

Why people think one brand is better than the

other? Also, which mounts work best? I think it

would be good to keep the bike and it's wheels out

of the car to save on space and wear and tear. And

I'll want to lock the bikes on the rack (still many

options to choose from).

The Yakima racks have 10 different kinds on their

website.

[Guest Anonymous]

Because of the round bars -the Thule bars get bent over time. For non gutter mounts (modern cars)I like Thule better. Of course if it's a Saab or Volvo you need a Thule rack!

[Guest Anonymous]

..addition to the Thule lock for the forks (and the rack locks), I use a long Kriptonite (spl.) cable between the two bikes as an added measure.

[Guest Anonymous]

Bought a gutter mount (1A)rack in 1984 to go on my 02. 7 years later, the same rack works on my M3. 19 years later, the same rack fits on my tii. Still using the original attachments, but all the new parts fit just fine! I use fork mounts for all bikes(road/mtn/track/tandem) as I like the stability. If you want to keep the wheels out of the car, just use a wheel fork mount. They finally got smart and have a block that keeps the wheel from spinning. I always just used mini-bungees.

I only had one failure and that is when I pulled into the garage with the bike on top. (once in 25 years is pretty good) The tower was broken, but I was able to get a replacement from Yakima no problem. I think they even did it under warranty.

Another bonus- gutter mount Yak racks can be had very cheap at bikeswaps & fleamarkets. All the new stuff fits fine, at they last, and last, and last....

[Guest Anonymous]

Yakima rocks! (see pic) I work at a bike shop and have for about 7 years now. LOTS of experience with both brands. The Raingutter towers, and any of their fork-mount (take the front wheel off) bike carriers are the way to go. Incredibly easy to install, you can lock the rack to the roof, and you can lock the bike to the rack. I've even driven into carports (with bikes on top, ugh) repeatedly without damaging the rack. If you'd like to keep the wheels out of the car and trunk, a wheel fork will mount them on your roof. I have driven down the coast with 4 complete bikes loaded on my 2002 before, Yakima systems are great!

[Guest Anonymous]

(nt)

[Guest Anonymous]

I use a Yak system on my '02. Yakima stuff is higher quality than any other rack system I've encountered, and it's reasonably priced for what you get. Unfortunately, "reasonably priced for what you get" is not cheap.

[Guest Anonymous]

(nt)

[Guest Anonymous]

Your Car looks AWESOME!

[Guest Anonymous]

(nt)

[Guest Anonymous]

and you can find attachment's at many locations from sporting good outfitters to almost any good bike shop..They have locking front fork rails, tire forks, kiyak attachments,ski bars,I paid 30.00 bucks for the front fairing brandnew and 20.00 bucks for two wheel hold down clamps at a local outfitter in kansas City.cheap and easy to put on and remove from your 02...IMO..It's the way to go..

[Guest Anonymous]

Thanks! The red paint is kind of shoddy up close, but looks good from 5 ft. The wheels are '89-casting BBS 15's with a really pretty deep dish lip but a terrible 30 offset. They scuff even with the fenders rolled in. I'm thinking of trying to have them machined to fit. Any suggestions would be great. Cheers!