Just bought the Thule XT Easyfold for my Sportage and Ebike - Brilliant! [video]

Patledoc

Member
May 26, 2020
15
13
Québec
i bought this Thule xt from the bike store, but we were never able to fit the Levo Turbo... So I ordered a 1up from usa , plus add-on. excellent and light too.

397DE1C7-08E6-4A12-9DB4-E0B606F9B47D.jpeg
 

paul-g

Active member
Dec 27, 2019
582
457
yorkshire

Zimmerframe

MUPPET
Subscriber
Jun 12, 2019
14,028
20,818
Brittany, France
Bloody good job its got a motor on it ..the saddle on that turquoise bike must be twice the weight of the bike itself..??
I think it's one of those new fangled "Utility Saddles" .. a bit like saddle bags of old. One side opens up and contains a full tool set. The other side contains a spare tube and a usb powered tyre inflator. ;)

I bet it's a bit like an arm chair !
 

Fiord

Member
Aug 3, 2020
11
17
New Zealand
I have the Thule 3 bike rack (largest non foldable version) with the 4th bike attachment and have nothing but praise for the rack. We fit 2 Specialised emtb, one non ebike and one kids bike on the rack with no issues.
I admit the first time it took a bit of time to work out the ideal bike , pedal and arm positioning, and was a good problem solving exercise, but now it is easy. The arms can also be positioned on the vertical part of the rack and on the vertical part of the bike frame under the seat, so there are other options on securing the bikes which I suspect some people dont realise.
The arms work brilliantly once you are familiar with them just tighten until they click.
With the larger version of the rack you can move bikes to the left or right a few inches so they fit together better, and dont forget to raise or lower the seats as required to accomodate the bars of the other bikes.
Somebody commented that the clamp to the towball is unreliable. I disagree. If the instructions are studied it is very clear that the correct towball must be used ie a 50mm high rise tow ball with a flat edge under the towball which 95% of tow balls dont have. These requirements are critical to allow proper clamping onto the towball. It is a very smart design but needs the correct towball to work.
My main concern is road grime on the bikes. I am not comfortable with using any of the covers available, despite some being very tough (see photo), due to the significant extra wind loading on the bikes and frame, when the rack is behind a car or SUV. Smaller individual covers for just the motors and chain rings (maybe suspension too) , which somebody will step up and start designing no doubt, would be ideal.

20210221_123558.jpg


20210221_123519.jpg


zoom568x425z100000cw536@2x.jpg


20210112_140607.jpg
 

BOTG

Active member
Oct 28, 2020
233
155
Edo
We really like ours. My wife and I both have e-bikes with fenders and my wife's is a step-thru so most typical clamping methods don't work very well; this one works great! And for much of last season I was recovering from a back injury (not bike-related) and there was no way I could lift a 55-lb bike onto the rack. So when by myself I used the included folding ramp -- not as easy to use as expected, but it did the job.

Picking up from the dealer:
View attachment 53622
Included folding ramp? They are extra arnt they? I didn't get 1
 

BOTG

Active member
Oct 28, 2020
233
155
Edo
I have the Thule 3 bike rack (largest non foldable version) with the 4th bike attachment and have nothing but praise for the rack. We fit 2 Specialised emtb, one non ebike and one kids bike on the rack with no issues.
I admit the first time it took a bit of time to work out the ideal bike , pedal and arm positioning, and was a good problem solving exercise, but now it is easy. The arms can also be positioned on the vertical part of the rack and on the vertical part of the bike frame under the seat, so there are other options on securing the bikes which I suspect some people dont realise.
The arms work brilliantly once you are familiar with them just tighten until they click.
With the larger version of the rack you can move bikes to the left or right a few inches so they fit together better, and dont forget to raise or lower the seats as required to accomodate the bars of the other bikes.
Somebody commented that the clamp to the towball is unreliable. I disagree. If the instructions are studied it is very clear that the correct towball must be used ie a 50mm high rise tow ball with a flat edge under the towball which 95% of tow balls dont have. These requirements are critical to allow proper clamping onto the towball. It is a very smart design but needs the correct towball to work.
My main concern is road grime on the bikes. I am not comfortable with using any of the covers available, despite some being very tough (see photo), due to the significant extra wind loading on the bikes and frame, when the rack is behind a car or SUV. Smaller individual covers for just the motors and chain rings (maybe suspension too) , which somebody will step up and start designing no doubt, would be ideal.

View attachment 53689

View attachment 53690

View attachment 53691

View attachment 53692
Your car creates a draft so wind is not really an issue.
 

Fiord

Member
Aug 3, 2020
11
17
New Zealand
Your car creates a draft so wind is not really an issue.
Yes it does create a draft but the cover would still catch a certain amount of wind around the edges. How much I am unsure. But with the maximum weight already being tested I am concerned about any extra wind loading. With some racks and bikes being worth more than some cars you wouldn't want your insurance company to turn down a claim. It would be interesting to know what Thule's position on this is as far as warranty goes.
 

paul-g

Active member
Dec 27, 2019
582
457
yorkshire
I have the Thule 3 bike rack (largest non foldable version) with the 4th bike attachment and have nothing but praise for the rack. We fit 2 Specialised emtb, one non ebike and one kids bike on the rack with no issues.
Yes it does create a draft but the cover would still catch a certain amount of wind around the edges. How much I am unsure. But with the maximum weight already being tested I am concerned about any extra wind loading. With some racks and bikes being worth more than some cars you wouldn't want your insurance company to turn down a claim. It would be interesting to know what Thule's position on this is as far as warranty goes.

nice one at least this shows the disbeleivers, conspiracy theorists ( i`ve said that quiet Zimm)
who think that Thule don`t make racks to do the job intended.
but the escence of the story is (your quote)
"I admit the first time it took a bit of time to work out the ideal bike , pedal and arm positioning, and was a good problem solving exercise "
as we all did who have solved the problem.
brilliant racks
 
Last edited:

Mr President

Active member
Sep 20, 2020
291
208
monmouth,wales
yea Hodge
it`s either the "garage"
or
"carpark" where ther is a high barrier to stop camper vans
you want 50p bet?
give you first dibs
actually neither. I've never carried bikes on the roof, because if I did I know I would forget about them at the wrong time.
I have a friend who used to race back in the 70s with his brother. they were coming back from a race with their bikes upside down on the homemade roof rack of their morris minor. they stopped to pick up a couple of mates who were riding home from the same event. Going over a compression in the road the rack broke free, flipped over and the bikes wheeled away down the road. there was no damage! However, as they tried to reassemble the rack on the roof their passengers decided might be wise to cycle home.
 

The Hodge

Mystic Meg
Subscriber
Sep 9, 2020
3,975
8,458
North West Northumberland
actually neither. I've never carried bikes on the roof, because if I did I know I would forget about them at the wrong time.
I have a friend who used to race back in the 70s with his brother. they were coming back from a race with their bikes upside down on the homemade roof rack of their morris minor. they stopped to pick up a couple of mates who were riding home from the same event. Going over a compression in the road the rack broke free, flipped over and the bikes wheeled away down the road. there was no damage! However, as they tried to reassemble the rack on the roof their passengers decided might be wise to cycle home.
Cheers Mr.P ..at least you have saved me the price of a pint ?
 

paul-g

Active member
Dec 27, 2019
582
457
yorkshire
actually neither. I've never carried bikes on the roof, because if I did I know I would forget about them at the wrong time.
I have a friend who used to race back in the 70s with his brother. they were coming back from a race with their bikes upside down on the homemade roof rack of their morris minor. they stopped to pick up a couple of mates who were riding home from the same event. Going over a compression in the road the rack broke free, flipped over and the bikes wheeled away down the road. there was no damage! However, as they tried to reassemble the rack on the roof their passengers decided might be wise to cycle home.
that`s buggered a pint up either way now, can`t you tell a little
porky and hope Hodge doesn`t see it
 

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