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I recently purchased a Thule Upride for my trusty steed.... Now I'm loving how it works and everything but I was just wondering how much movement /rocking should it have. I've tightened all the bolts up as much as I dare but I've still got a bit of rocking from side to side.... Is the norm?
No idea on the freeride but I use the prorides and had the misfortune of travelling behind my car loaded with 4 bikes the other day and was horrified by how much wobbling goes on.
Not too impressed with the Upride I bought, so removed it to tighten last year as it wobbled and creaked far too much for my liking but that didn't make much difference so have since stopped using it. No confidence in it holding the bike securely. I'm fairly sure it was ok at first, but not worth the money paid as I didn't get more than a years use out of it.
I’ve been using an upride with my long and not light full suss bike for four months and it’s working well.
No noticeable movement or rocking this far.
Mines flexes as well. They're designed for strength not stiffness. If they were designed to be stiff they would be much heavier and bulkier. Aircraft wings are a good example of this.
I’m going to get a roof rack for my upcoming car and I’m going for a fork mount holder ie removing the front wheel.
I know the holders where you keep the wheels on are safe but just like the OP I once had some holders which held the full bike and I could see them moving around when I looked through the sunroof and it freaked me out, I just can’t trust them now. I had Atera Giro holders and it put me off Atera and those types of holders.
My Atera Giros also have a lot of movement, even with a road bike up there. It’s just the levering action at work. If you wanted to stop it you’d have to make the bike holder much wider at the base. They’re obviously designed with the best compromise of width and strength. So far I’ve not had any issues.
I know all bike carriers flex to some extent as per design but the Upride seems to have a bit more movement around the pivots than my Proride.
I went for the new Thule TopRide 568. A bit spendy but wanted a fork mount option, and this version caters for 9mm QR, 12mm TA and 15mm boost standards (all adapters included in the box). Seems pretty solid so far.
I have one of these. There is quite a lot of play, hopefully intended, at the big hinge assembly at the very front, where the rearmost wheel hoop rotates. Seems OK once all locked down.
However, I have real trouble with the cam levers on these. They seem to be either slack when locked, or daft tight to engage. A quarter turn here or there with the t-bolts seems to make a massive difference which is a pain as they always move when taking it off. I didn't have any such problem with the 598 version. Contacted Thule and they say it's as it is.
Using it with wingbars with the split rubber infills and it's so faffy to get it on and feeling locked down that I occasionally swear under my breath.
Edit, I did wonder about a fork mount (Carbon frame so wanted to avoid clamping this) but then wondered if the forces on the dropouts when tramming along country roads would be a bit excessive. I find the wibbly upride makes me drive conservatively.
They seem to be either slack when locked, or daft tight to engage.
I've got various Thule racks, and they all seem to suffer from this. A squirt of water on the cam can make quite a difference.
I wouldn't worry about fork mount forces. They going to be pretty trivial compared to what they'll see with a rider on the bike.
I never really liked how the old ThruRide worked, as the axle is just loose in the threads of the fork, but the new 568 looks better.
I think roof racks do wobble a bit, the beauty of them being on your own roof is that you can't see it! Has anyone ever heard of Thule rack failing? I've heard of incidents where they were incorrectly fitted but not failure during correct usage.
I know when I first started using them I would often pull over after hearing some creaking from the roof but they were always tight so I ignore it now.
For the tight cams, I spray a little silicone lube. And always remember to check them after putting the bike on as they loosen up with the extra weight.
I've tried oil, grease and water and no difference. It appears, when oiking them closed, that the cam isn't rolling on the cam face and instead trying to pull the thread of the t-bolt to the side, towards the shortest point between the two places it is attached. The cam profile on the older racks must have a little less lift but it really does rankle me that this was soo expensive and yet frustrates me everytime. It would certainly put me off buying one again.
Never had this with the 598 and the older one, similar to the 598.