Tilted bikes

[des16]

I have Tesla bars and mounted my bikes on my Thule racks. It was a little worrisome that they are very slanted, owing to the slip on cross bars. The rack hasn't failed, but I would be happier if they were level.

 

[silenteski]

Move the racks closer to the center of the vehicle for quite a bit of improvement.

 

[des16]

Move the racks closer to the center of the vehicle for quite a bit of improvement.

I did move them closer, and found there was little improvement. I did not move them as close to the center as possible, since first, there is a fair amount of lateral movement (probably 3 inches), and certainly did not want to run the risk of them touching handlebars, and second, when they are as close to center as possible, it becomes cumbersome to put up and take down. In fact, my wife's reach is not long enough to do so alone.

 

[ShonuffTX]

Is there possible a right and a left? Maybe they are on the wrong sides?

 

[Adam3]

Yea that doesnt look right

 

[des16]

Yea that doesnt look right

There is no left and right. And if you look at the racks, they certainly have a significant grade of a few degrees. So, nothing wrong with the bike racks and their installation. They have been on several cars with level cross bars and don't lean.

 

[N54TT]

The lean is due to the cross bars not being straight. They are curved and I think are more pronounced at the ends. Your bike rack in that pic is outside the steering wheel. If you slide them in a bit, just inside the steering wheel it’ll help minimize the slant…but you can’t totally get rid of it. This is what mine looks like.

 

[pnwadventures]

The lean is due to the cross bars not being straight. They are curved and I think are more pronounced at the ends. Your bike rack in that pic is outside the steering wheel. If you slide them in a bit, just inside the steering wheel it’ll help minimize the slant…but you can’t totally get rid of it. This is what mine looks like.

View attachment 742952

I swore you stole my car and bike for a minute, until I zoomed in to confirm that isn’t my Transition on top

But seriously, this is exactly how my setup looks.

 

[N54TT]

I swore you stole my car and bike for a minute, until I zoomed in to confirm that isn’t my Transition on top

But seriously, this is exactly how my setup looks.

Lol it’s only a Marin Rift Zone 3. My entry level jump into full suspension. I just started riding again after about a 15yr hiatus…my previous bike was an old Marin hardtail that’s still riding strong lol. Couple more pics with the bikes on the top!

 

[pnwadventures]

Lol it’s only a Marin Rift Zone 3. My entry level jump into full suspension. I just started riding again after about a 15yr hiatus…my previous bike was an old Marin hardtail that’s still riding strong lol. Couple more pics with the bikes on the top!

View attachment 743036

View attachment 743044

Mine is usually on the hitch mount, but for comparison:

 

[walrus909]

This annoys me as well, because I fit 4 racks and use the full width. So far it has not been a problem, but just looks goofy.

I am thinking about designing some wedges to put in between the rack and bars to level them out, but the angles will be very specific to each location and might put uneven stress on the T-bolt heads within the slots. Not sure if it's worth the trouble or risk.

 

[PianoAl]

I noticed the same thing. I think they're secure, but it looks funky.

If you're worried you could tie the bikes to one another (yes, kludgy!).

Luckily I transport only one bike, and I move it more toward the center, but it would be more convenient toward the side.