Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with thule

No more (bike) junk in my trunk

fijiwriter — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 06:41:51 -0800

Shopping for trailer-hitch mounted bike rack for my road bike, with room for two additional ones. What should I look for? Who do you recommend? Who or what to avoid? I've grown tired of putting my road bike in the back of my SUV, so I'm shopping around for a trailer-hitch-mounted rack. I've seen my fair share of Yakimas and Thules, but I really love how the Saris models look.

But seriously, what should I know? What should I look for? Currently, I have a road bike, but I can foresee needing space for two more bikes for my family or cycling trips with friends.

To add more confusion, I don't currently have a trailer hitch, so I'd need to get one - it looks like 1.25 or 2".

Side-question: can I make do with a standard gate-mount rack, rather than such a big $$$ investment for a hitch and rack?

FWIW, it's a '97 Ford Expedition, with factory roof rack (which I don't want to use), no trailer hitch.

Should I Put a Yakima on the Roof?

Mid — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 09:40:36 -0800

I'm thinking about buying a big Yakima or Thule roof cargo box. I'd appreciate your advice/tips on whether this would be a good idea and whether you found either brand to be better. We have a VW Passat station wagon. Baby on the way; dog goes in the back. We're going to need more room, especially for long trips, but we really really don't want to buy a bigger car. A cargo thingamajig on the roof seems like the way to go, but I have no experience with them and don't know anyone who has one. Here are my key questions:

--Yakima or Thule? I'm leaning Yakima, but that's really just because their website is a lot better.

--Is it easy to pop on and off, or do you just have to leave it up there all the time? I understand there is a big gas milage hit, so I'd like to pop it off when I am not using it, but don't know if that is feasible.

--Will it whistle and make all kinds of noise up there?

--Will it block the sunroof?

Thanks for your advice.