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Afternoon All,
I have a towball mounted Thule 3 bike carrier that will take 2 x Ebikes. For a number of reasons I want the option to put it on the roof. I also have roof bars with 2 x Thule ProRide racks on them.
The ProRide is no use for the Ebike, although I am fairly happy with it for the lighter acoustic bikes.
So, the 2 options are:
ThruRide: Take front wheel off and mount through the forks. 17kg limit. My bike is 23kg. If I remove the battery and the front wheel, I think I can get it down to 18kg....
Benefits I see, lower centre of gravity, less weight to haul up onto the roof. The weight in the Ebike is fairly low anyway.
Issues? Don't know. How stable is it when mounted with the bolt through?
The second option is the UpRide. This has a 20kg limit. So, battery out would take me to just under 20kg. That's a big, awkward lump to heft up that high...
Benefits, no messing about taking the front wheel off.
Issues? Again, I don't really know. Stability? Its much higher up than the UpRide.
What do you folks use? What works well?
Thanks
Dave
Firstly they are not acoustic bikes. Maybe analogue.
Thule UpRide would be my choice. Maybe it’s time to start power lifting or a lighter bike.
Or maybe just bikes?
Why the UpRide? Have you got one?
Regarding lifting....my feeble pipe cleaners masquerading as arms can barely lift a pint of ale...
you'll need
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Arnolds-Bodybuilding-Men-Arnold-Schwarzenegger/dp/0671531638
or a ramp - and some circus / Macaskill training.
I’ve got a Thule UpRide for my Levo. I have done a bit of powerlifting over the last few years but my shoulder press is miserable due to faulty bass-playing / crashed-on shoulders.
I leave the battery in because there are clearly big safety margins and how you drive will have far more effect on the loads than a small increase in bike weight.
chiefgrooveguru - Really? You lifted a Levo onto an UpRide? Sounds like you are being modest about those crashed on shoulders. Either that or I am waaay more feeble than I first thought...
Yes, totally. There will be a big margin for error, as in, they need to be able to keep the bike on in an accident. Thule state 130kph if I recall. Not sure if I would be all that worried about the E-bike in a shunt at that speed..
Is it stable enough on the UpRide then? Driving sensibly
It seems fine up there - no more wobbly than a normal full-sus on the usual downtube clamp Thules. The fact that all the extra electrical stuff weight is low down and central must help quite a bit.
I’m probably stronger than a fair proportion of riders but I’m sure plenty are stronger than me - I’m fairly medium-sized and genetically an endurance rather than strength ‘athlete’. My Levo weighs slightly more than an empty barbell and I can comfortably push-press twice that.
I bet you could lift an ebike up there, you just need to get your body organised, sort of clean the bike up to chest height and then use your leg spring and arm push to get it all the way up. Try it with a normal bike and you’ll see what I mean.
I presume you aren’t using your pro ride because it’s an internal battery e-bike so the downtube is to fat?
I use a pro ride for my e-bike but it’s external battery so I just take the battery out to save some weight.
Do you have factory roof rails with roof bars fitted to them? If so I'd be more concerned about the weight limit on those as it's usually less than your roof bars will be rated for!!!
One thing to watch out when roof mounting a Levo is they can be slippery little buggers when covered in mud
Watch you dont lose your grip and drop it on to the roof causing a big dent and scratched paint work, its surprising how easily they can topple over when being held up at head height!
Also have you checked what the weight limit of your roof is? most are around 50 to 75kg so you should be ok
Thanks folks
Yeah the roof load is not an issue.
The ProRide is no use, my bike does have an internal battery. Even if it didn't, I don't find them the most stable at the best of times. Even with a 14kg bike on them
So, no takers for the Thru Ride?