AEsco48

my new specialized tarmac in 58 is a pain to get into the trunk of my car (old bike fit fine) so im going to get a roof rack....advice, comments and opinions are welcomed....top of the line fork mount roof rack for both (at some point ill prob get a mountain bike with disk brakes so the top of the line model is the one to get right)......which is better and why

53-11_alltheway

You'll get some answers here, but this is more info faster https://www.mtbr.com/reviews/bike_rack/

my58vw

Both racks have their benefits and downfalls, but they are both good products. Now as to which carrier to get it is your choice. If you are carrying the bike alot (like I do) then a rack that you do not have to take the front tire off is a good idea. I use a yakama rack with king cobra racks and it works very nice (see attached)...

bikeman

Either Yakima or Thule are fine companies and make great products. I've been pleased with all my Yakima purchases over the years and have had a variety of mounts for different cars. Never any problems to speak of. I have a friend that has Thule for his cars and really likes them too. Build quality seems to be very similar and the obvious difference is the round versus square cross bars. Some people think there is more flexibility in mounting with the round bars (Yakima) but not having actually owned Thule I can't say for sure whether it is nuisance. Rocky Mounts makes aftermarket mounts for either rack bar (www.coloradocyclist.com sells them) and they are a bit cheaper than the Yakima/Thule brand mounts. The engineering that I've seen on the Yakima seems to be very well thought through and the hardware and locking mechanisms are top notch. It is a domestic product versus overseas brand if that should be an issue with you. Either way you go I think you'll be happy. You might try ebay for sales since I know a couple of people that have bought lightly used racks for cheap.

Good luck whatever your choice.

Jakey

I have Yakima crossbars with two yakima trays, and one rockymount one... I prefer the style where you have to take the wheel off and lock the fork down.... Can't speak for Thule, but both Yakima and Rockymounts get a big thumbs up from me.

kevinmcdade

This is how I transport my Tarmac Comp on my Jeep Cherokee. I wouldn't have it any other way.

AEsco48

overseas as in asia?

Retro Grouch 

I've had a Thule roof rack system with two Velovise bike mounts and a tandem mount for about 7 years. I like it fine. I'm particularly high on the Velovise fork mounts. Their design means that nothing touches the painted parts of your bike. The Velovise is easily operated with only one hand so you can use your other hand to hold your bike while you clamp it down. I'm not sold on the front wheel holders. They're a pain to install and, if you don't use the provided safety strap to hold the wheel, it can actually bounce out of the holder and get lost. I carry my front wheels inside the car but I don't have to contend with muddy mountain bike wheels.

Once the whole system is assembled and square, I can remove it from the car all in one piece so it only takes a few minutes to remove or reinstall it if I choose to.

AEsco48

Does your Velo Vice have rust?

biker7

I prefer the Saris design roof rack and fork mount in particular to both Thule and Yakima designs. I do believe they will all do a great job however.
George
Here is mine:

Cycleman1958

There is just nothing wrong with Yakima. Unless you have to live there.

bsyptak

I've had Thule and Yakima racks. What I didn't like about the Thule was that the crossbars on the Thule were plastic coated and the plastic started to crack. They may have fixed that on newer ones. The Yakima is plastic coated, but it doesn't crack. Right now I'm running Rocky Mounts on my Yakima. They're only about $50 a piece and come in lots of colors. I think all of the fork mounted trays are about the same (they work), so shop price and looks. The Rocky Mounts fit both square and round bars.

I also like the round bars better than square. In the winter when I have the ski racks on, I can rotate the bars 1/4 turn so that the racks sit behind the bars when I'm not using them.

zanq

I had a full Thule rack on my previous car and now have a station wagon with factory roof rails and cross bars, and Thule carriers. To get my Thule V2 trays to fit, I only needed $20 worth of adapter kits. I liked my Thule rack and like the setup I have now as well. I like the square bars since it's providing greater surface area to clamp to, but don't know if it actually offers any greater strength. I prefer the fork mount trays for the reason stated above, the finish on the bike frame isn't touched.

I think both companies make good systems. Thule tends to be a little cheaper and I believe most of their products are made in Europe or the US (according to their site).

This is where I've bought before:

https://www.carracksdirect.com/

Retro Grouch 

Define "rust". The knobs that grab the fork are certainly discolored after 7 years of pretty continuous weather exposure, but I wouldn't call them rusted.

Incidentally, another thing that I like about Thule is that all of those parts, like the Velo Vice clamp, are available separately. For example, I've even been able to order replacement parts for my tandem mount which is a discontinued model. The bad news, of course, is that the clamp probably costs almost as much as a whole Velo Vice bike mount.

inja

As I understand it, both Yakima and Thlue can accept the other for MOST parts above the bars. (except the fairings)

sathomasga

I've recently replaced by Thule bars and fork mounts with Yakima. I got several years of use from the Thule bars, but I wasn't completely satisfied with them, so I decided to give Yakima a turn. My two complaints with Thule:

1. The square bars. My vehicle is 2001 RX300, and Thule's recommended mount uses the existing rails (but not the factory bars). The RX300 roof line is slightly curved, however, and the square bars want to mount exactly parallel (viewed from the side) with the mount. Of course, with a curved roof line, that's not possible. Over time, the strain on the mounts built up to the point that they simply wouldn't attach. (I should note that I would remove the rack from the roof when it wasn't necessary.) The last time I re-attached the rack it truly took me more than half an hour of trial and error to get the latch to catch. (It should take about 10 seconds.) I was so frustrated I vowed then and there to replace the racks as soon as I could. Yakima, with its round bars, doesn't have this problem.

2. Paint chipping. The black paint on my fork mounts began chipping off after about a year, By the time I retired the Thule, the fork mount was more silver than black. Purely aesthetic, but it does make me wonder about the supposed quality. I've only had the Yakima for a couple of months, so I can't say much about it.

As a side note, I've always used the Yakima sidewinder tandem mount, even with my Thule bars. It's much better than the Thule tandem carrier.

There are a few additional notes that are specific to my setup. YMMV. The Yakima bars allow me to use a fairing, while the Thule didn't. With Thule, the base of the fairing would have spanned across my sunroof, and that looked like an accidental press of the sunroof button away from disaster; the Yakima fairing rests in front of the sunroof, so it fits fine. Also, the sidewinder tandem rack, when installed on the Thule bars, would not allow me to open my rear hatch completely. With Yakima bars, the hatch opens fine. And lastly, putting on or taking off the Thule rack was a one-person operation, so I could do it frequently. Removing the Yakimas quickly (i.e. without disassemby) is a two-person operation. That means the Yakimas stay on more than the Thules, with the resulting decrease in gas mileage.

Stephen

AEsco48

Apparently Thule has the exclusive right with BMW to use the OEM roof rack mounts...IOW the OEM BMW roof rack is made by Thule....and i dont like the way the Yakima roof mounts grab on to the little frame around the window....so i guess i have to get the Thule roof mount...from my research it seems that Yakima is the brand of choice for the bike carrier.....so question is....can i use the Thule roof mount, Yakima round cross bars and Yakima bike carrier?.....or will the Thule roof mount not accept the round Yakima bars?

thanks

sathomasga

The Thule 53 BMW Specialty Carrier will not support Yakima round bars, so if you choose it, you will also have to use the Thule load bars. Both vendors' bike carriers will work with either type of load bars.

I understand your apprehension with the Yakima Q towers. I felt the same way too, as it seemed that either (a) they would wreck my vehicle, or (b) they wouldn't hold worth a darn. FWIW, they definitely hold a lot better than the Thule Tracker II towers that mounted in the factory rails of my RX300. I don't know if the BMW carriers are the same as the Tracker II (they look very similar from the web site). With the Thule, if I pulled on the rack I could feel looseness in the towers. The Yakimas, on the other hand, feel like you could hitch a crane to them and lift the entire vehicle; they're rock solid. I suspect that the play in the Thules was due more to the rather flimsy factory rails on the RX300 than to any defect in the Thules themselves.

ycookmd

I have been very happy with my Yakima rack. I've had the "Steelhead" roof rack since 1997, I believe. It's been on 3 vehicles. I once ran my old Ford Explorer into a carport with the Fisher Joshua attached to the top. The carport snagged the seatpost, but the Yakima fork mount grabbed the bike like it was welded in. The entire front half of the Yakima rack held together and (literally) just peeled right out of the SUV's sheet metal roof. $1100 damage to repair the truck -- D'oh! -- but I just reattached the Yakima rack when I got it back from the body shop. The same rack is now on my 5-year old 4-Runner (a faithful truck more deserving of the rack, BTW). This year, the clamp on one Steelhead is finally going, but everything else including the lock cores are holding strong. I've heard good things about Thule, but at this point I'm sold on Yakima.

My piece of advice would be to invest in a "B-string" for your bike, especially if you have a carbon rig. Yakima doesn't make them anymore (which is my one criticism of the company) but you can get them from Colorado Cyclist and a few other places. Not only will it keep the bug splatter off the bikes but it will help prevent paint chips or carbon fiber cracks from small road debris.

AEsco48

yea definitly....and the one where its not open btwn the fork legs...if not the down tube is exposed...

zanq

Found a couple:

Colorado Cyclist

Nashbar

I have the Nashbar version and is holding up well.

I had a specialty Thule rack on my VW (Thule #444). I had an incident where I had my mtn bike on the car and exited a parking ramp a different way than I came in (that had a lower clearance). The saddle caught the ceiling and the entire car jumped. The bike was still in the rack, the rear feet still attached, but the front feet had popped off. Loosened everything, refitted, tightened and I was good to go. I would say Thule makes some solid mounts to have my car get jolted like it did. I'm sure different cars with different roof lines have unique fitting requirement that Thule or Yakima cater to better.

AEsco48

yea the nashbar is the one to get...

AEsco48

is the viper the bike carrier to get from yakima?