Tesla OEM bike racks vs Thule?

[OrthoSurg]

Hesitating between these 2 models Crochet d’attelage pour Model X/Y

Or the Thule T2 Pro XTR 2 Support d'Attelage T2 Pro XTR | Attelage 2''

Has anyone owned or tried both and can share their experience for easiness of using and how well à road bike or mountain bike is supported with the Tesla rack of the top tube instead of the Thule on the wheels?

 

[thesmokingman]

Hesitating between these 2 models Crochet d’attelage pour Model X/Y

Or the Thule T2 Pro XTR 2 Support d'Attelage T2 Pro XTR | Attelage 2''

Has anyone owned or tried both and can share their experience for easiness of using and how well à road bike or mountain bike is supported with the Tesla rack of the top tube instead of the Thule on the wheels?

It's always better to have a bike supported on its wheels and that also makes it ideal for carbon bikes or bikes with unusual frame designs or suspension.

I haven't used the Thule in your link though I've used other Thules inthe past and now I'm all in on Kuat. The two most used around here are the 1UP and Kuat NV 2. The 1UP has been a longtime fav in the mtb scene. It's light and fast. I personally went with the Kuat NV 2 and also got the 2 bike extension. The Kuat is a fully loaded design like polar opposite to the 1UP. NV comes with locks to lock up each bike. It has a built-in bike repair stand arm so you can do repairs right from the rack. You can also get optional tripod legs for the arm so you can have a repair stand in the field. I've used this setup at many mtb races when supporting my kids team. There are also ramps for the Kuat for those crazy heavy ebikes and probably more stuff I don't know about now.

 

[OrthoSurg]

It's always better to have a bike supported on its wheels and that also makes it ideal for carbon bikes or bikes with unusual frame designs or suspension.

I haven't used the Thule in your link though I've used other Thules inthe past and now I'm all in on Kuat. The two most used around here are the 1UP and Kuat NV 2. The 1UP has been a longtime fav in the mtb scene. It's light and fast. I personally went with the Kuat NV 2 and also got the 2 bike extension. The Kuat is a fully loaded design like polar opposite to the 1UP. NV comes with locks to lock up each bike. It has a built-in bike repair stand arm so you can do repairs right from the rack. You can also get optional tripod legs for the arm so you can have a repair stand in the field. I've used this setup at many mtb races when supporting my kids team. There are also ramps for the Kuat for those crazy heavy ebikes and probably more stuff I don't know about now.

Cool, thanks for the info.

Porte-Vélos NV 2.0 | 2"

Kuat NV 2.0 a tout: style, sécurité et facilité, le tout parfaitement intégré pour créer LE rack. Grâce à son système de pivot assisté par le pied, vous pouvez déplier le support d'un simple tapotement du pied. Les verrous de câble intégrés sont suffisamment longs pour s'adapter à n'importe quel...

www.primeauvelo.com

That’s the rack you are using?

Interesting, I did not know of this company.

 

[thesmokingman]

Yeah that is the rack. In the close up pic you can see the repair stand arm at the top of the rack. At the end on the platform you can see the bike lock. When you pull the lock out it reveals a cable. It's just a few less things to pack imo.

 

[Ogre]

I definitely suggest a bike rack that does not contact the bike frame.

I highly recommend this rack: 2" Heavy Duty Double and use it with my Model Y.

But it is a US direct to consumer brand and I don’t know if they ship internationally (Not sure where you are located).

 

[OrthoSurg]

I definitely suggest a bike rack that does not contact the bike frame.

I highly recommend this rack: 2" Heavy Duty Double and use it with my Model Y.

But it is a US direct to consumer brand and I don’t know if they ship internationally (Not sure where you are located).

Thanks, seems like an interesting rack however I am located in Canada so options are limited .

 

[Madsen203]

I definitely suggest a bike rack that does not contact the bike frame.

I highly recommend this rack: 2" Heavy Duty Double and use it with my Model Y.

But it is a US direct to consumer brand and I don’t know if they ship internationally (Not sure where you are located).

Thanks for this post. Will
Order this rack when I opt to get a bike. Looks ideal.

 

[spokey]

Thanks for this post. Will
Order this rack when I opt to get a bike. Looks ideal.

one consideration that kept me from the 1up was that I take the rack off pretty much everytime I use it. The 1up needs a separate wrench (allen?). The equivalent kuat has a knob. But if you want a single, 1up has that but kuat only has a 2 bike rack.

 

[Alan_F]

Kuat has a one-bike rack, just not in the NV series. I have a Kuat Transfer V2 which is a solid rack without all the bells and whistles of the NV. There is a +1 extension available to carry a second bike. I had to contact Kuat customer support after I bought it and they were outstanding.

 

[spokey]

Agree about the service. The NV lock doesn't work on the MY. Although it took awhile as the older lock was out of stock, but they sent one free. Then when I asked out replacing cores, they said yes and sent me a bag of cores to match the rack. Again free.

 

[Ogre]

Agree about the service. The NV lock doesn't work on the MY. Although it took awhile as the older lock was out of stock, but they sent one free. Then when I asked out replacing cores, they said yes and sent me a bag of cores to match the rack. Again free.

Seems like the lock not working issue is pretty common. I had to take an angle grinder and cut off half the knob to get my 1Up locking pin to work.

it’s just a tight son of a b….

Good news is damned near impossible to get a tool in there to cut that lock once it’s in.

 

[thebarold]

Has anyone tried the Saris Superclamp? I need to be able to transport 3 bikes (so the 4 bike option for me) and want the rack to be carbon friendly. The pros for the Saris are wheel clamps on both wheels and lower height when folded, but the bikes are closer together, which concerns me as two of the bikes will be carbon frames.

 

[Ogre]

Has anyone tried the Saris Superclamp? I need to be able to transport 3 bikes (so the 4 bike option for me) and want the rack to be carbon friendly. The pros for the Saris are wheel clamps on both wheels and lower height when folded, but the bikes are closer together, which concerns me as two of the bikes will be carbon frames.

The 1Up lets you buy 2 rails and add a 3rd and/ or 4th rail optionally so you don't have to mess with the extra rail sticking out. I have 2 and keep a 3rd rail in the under vault storage for when I have a friend over. Super nice to be able to add/ subtract that extra rail quickly.

The Quikr rack is similarly flexible but pricier.

One final thing. Be careful with the weight on 4 rail racks. The receiver is only rated at 160 pounds.

 

[Arthur31]

I have the 1UP as seen in my Avatar. beautifully made and very secure setup.
I have 2 extra rails ( for a total of 3 bikes) when I'm on shuttle duty.

 

[SirSycho]

+1 for the 1UP racks. I owned a dual which I had for 10+ years and gave to a family member. Now I have the 2" Heavy Duty Single and it pretty much stays on the car 9 months of the year. I have an add-on if someone wants to tag along. Beautifully engineered and very secure, the parts that wear are cheap to replace and they last forever, no real plastic on them to deteriorate/crack.

The QuikR stuff is nice too, they just need to speed things up over there.

 

[Rootboy]

It's always better to have a bike supported on its wheels and that also makes it ideal for carbon bikes or bikes with unusual frame designs or suspension.

I haven't used the Thule in your link though I've used other Thules inthe past and now I'm all in on Kuat. The two most used around here are the 1UP and Kuat NV 2. The 1UP has been a longtime fav in the mtb scene. It's light and fast. I personally went with the Kuat NV 2 and also got the 2 bike extension. The Kuat is a fully loaded design like polar opposite to the 1UP. NV comes with locks to lock up each bike. It has a built-in bike repair stand arm so you can do repairs right from the rack. You can also get optional tripod legs for the arm so you can have a repair stand in the field. I've used this setup at many mtb races when supporting my kids team. There are also ramps for the Kuat for those crazy heavy ebikes and probably more stuff I don't know about now.

100 percent Kuat. Regardless, put those bikes in trays. If you're driving this car, my guess is your bike is worth it.

 

[spokey]

100 percent Kuat. Regardless, put those bikes in trays. If you're driving this car, my guess is your bike is worth it.

One clarification on the post you quoted. The repair stand is only on the higher end. I have the base which I believe is identical, but without the repair stand, but also significantly cheaper.

Those ramps aren't just for heavy e-bikes. I recommended them with the NV-2 for a woman I know who has trouble lifting her bike (she is 87).