Quick review of the Thule Easyfold XT 2 bike tow bar rack

[alan_sh]

Not a cheap option, but in my opinion, apart from 1 fault, it's perfect.

Starting with mounting it. You put the mount on the tow bar (hitch) and then press a lever down to lock it in place. The tension is adjustable and when it's locked, it doesn't move. You can also lock the lever so theives can't just lift it off. Then attach the electrics and you are ready. Mine came with the 13 pin plug (my mistake), but a 7 pin to 13 pin was available from Amazon - so no issues there.

When not mounted, it folds away and is easy to carry.

Bikes go on and the tyre slot is wide enough for the tyres we have. The main thing that holds the bikes in place are two bars which come out from the front and attach to the downtubes. It all works very well and is extremely secure. These bars can also be locked so they can't be undone. There's a couple of straps to hold down the wheels - and that's all you need. Of course, having just had two stolen, I also add a load more security - but it's not needed of you are not leaving the bikes alone.

Now, the one fault. With my EST-520's, I have to take the batteries off to get the cetral bars to lock in place. Which means the electric contacts are exposed to the elements. I'm working on making some sort of cover for them (Decathlon don't do one). At the moment, I just put tape across. The picture below shows what I mean.

Would I recommend it? Yes, undoubtedly. I had a cheaper one before it it took forever to get the bikes on and locked down.

 

[FSEngineer]

I use the same rack and have no problem with leaving the batteries off whilst in transport - in fact I like the fact it removes 3kg+ of unnecessary weight from each bike whilst in transit, and I've never had an issue with water ingress into the connector (shimano steps).

You might find that if you move the clamps for the arms to the sides of the main hoop rather than the top, you can clamp them onto the underneath of the downtubes from the underneath instead of the seat tube from inside the frame. This would mean you should have enough space to leave the batteries in if you want to

 

[alan_sh]

Cheers. We did try that yesterday, but couldn't make it work. Our connectors are Decathlon ones and they do seem exposed. Maybe we'll have another look at the clamps.

 

[FSEngineer]

I have managed it on mine with a friend's Canyon Spectral:ON which has a pretty chunky downtube so it should be possible - you do have to open the clamps really wide though, and 'thread the needle' between the frame and rear wheel of the inner bike for the outer clamp. The clamps detach easily from the hoop if you didn't realise

 

[alan_sh]

Thanks - Yes, I did realise the clamps removed.

 

[arawa]

I use the same rack to carry my 2 bikes and am very pleased with it. I also bought the optional folding ramp that makes it much easier for an oldie like me to load my heavy Haibike Flyon.

 

[Hobo Mikey]

I use one of these racks, like you said they cost a bit, think I got mine for £450 but what a great bit of kit and folds down to access boot.

 

[Swissrider]

When I looked at racks I chose the Thule Velospace, which is 8cm wider, Thule says is specifically designed for ebikes. Being wider, I find this really helps with longer bikes, compared to a friend (who has the shorter rack). Getting his large Levo on is quite tricky (he also had to order extra long straps). Putting my Kenevo and my wife’s Levo on my rack is a snap. The wide channels and long straps are fine with my 2.8 tyres. The system for locking the bikes on is very versatile and I’m surprised you have any problem fitting the struts on. I’ve used mine with many different types of bike and have never had a problem. Only disadvantage is that it does not fold down But if you’re wanting a good rack for an ebike, either of these would do - both rated for 60k.

 

[alan_sh]

I don't have a problem - I just have to take the battery out (Decathlon EST-520's) otherwise the long strut won't go through. Someone above has suggested repositioning the struts, but I tried that and it's a right faff. The straps and channels are fine for the bikes, but I wouldn't want any wider tyres - the channels are just wide enough.

The length is fine for our bikes and it all feels really stable. One reason I chose the Easyfold is because it folds up. This means I can leave it in the car when we go off our jaunts and it doesn't take up much room in my very crowded garage (3 large motorcycles, 2 normal bikes and 2 ebikes plus the normal garage clutter).

Overall, I am very happy with it and can recommend it.

 

[steve_sordy]

I have the Thule Velospace X2 938. It is designed for ebikes and fat bikes, so it can carry up to two 30kg bikes. The tyre channels and straps are suitable for big tyre diameters. The metal tube support bracket looks to be taller than yours, so I have no difficulty clamping on the top tube. Like yours, the whole thing folds up and can be stored in the boot, or hung on my garage wall. It weighs 18kg.

However, twice now, the clamp has lost its grip on the bike and the whole bike swivelled down such the the grip dragged on the road! And yes, it did make quite a mess. The second time was my fault because I had forgotten to implement my security measure.

Once at 40mph on a winding descent with nowhere safe to stop. And once when going through the exit barriers at a car park. Ever since the first event, I wind Gorilla straps in a figure of eight pattern around the clamp and the top tube. I would use toe straps, Zip ties, string, ... anything rather than risk a third event. You have been warned!

 

[alan_sh]

Thanks for the warning.

 

[Swissrider]

I have the Thule Velospace X2 938. It is designed for ebikes and fat bikes, so it can carry up to two 30kg bikes. The tyre channels and straps are suitable for big tyre diameters. The metal tube support bracket looks to be taller than yours, so I have no difficulty clamping on the top tube. Like yours, the whole thing folds up and can be stored in the boot, or hung on my garage wall. It weighs 18kg.

However, twice now, the clamp has lost its grip on the bike and the whole bike swivelled down such the the grip dragged on the road! And yes, it did make quite a mess. The second time was my fault because I had forgotten to implement my security measure.

Once at 40mph on a winding descent with nowhere safe to stop. And once when going through the exit barriers at a car park. Ever since the first event, I wind Gorilla straps in a figure of eight pattern around the clamp and the top tube. I would use toe straps, Zip ties, string, ... anything rather than risk a third event. You have been warned!

I have the same model and the clamping system is the best I’ve come across. These days, with many frame sizes and shapes of tubes it can be difficult to fit the clamp securely. On the Velospace, the supporting frame on the rack is taller than on the easy fold and this does give more options for fitting the supporting bars. Also, on the Velospace, there is more distance (25cm rather than 22cm) between the bikes which makes things easier with the wide bars on mountain bikes. The angle and position of the supporting bars has to be right to get a really secure fit and for some bikes I have to move the supporting arm to the vertical part of the rack frame to fit on one of the more vertical frame members, such as the seat tube. However, I had the same thing happen as you a couple of days ago. Not on a Thule rack but the problem was on a friends rack. On this one the inner bike is fixed to the rack frame and the outer bike fixed to the outer bike. As we went over a speed bump, the clamp to the inner bike slipped and the two bikes swivelled downward. Fortunately, the straps around the wheels stopped the bikes hitting the ground and no damage was done. My friend will from now on use a ratchet strap to make sure this cannot happen again. It boils down to whether one wants the ease and versatility of the Velospace against the portability and size of the easyfold but both are excellent racks.

 

[lmartins]

I have the Thule Velospace X2 938. It is designed for ebikes and fat bikes, so it can carry up to two 30kg bikes. The tyre channels and straps are suitable for big tyre diameters. The metal tube support bracket looks to be taller than yours, so I have no difficulty clamping on the top tube. Like yours, the whole thing folds up and can be stored in the boot, or hung on my garage wall. It weighs 18kg.

However, twice now, the clamp has lost its grip on the bike and the whole bike swivelled down such the the grip dragged on the road! And yes, it did make quite a mess. The second time was my fault because I had forgotten to implement my security measure.

Once at 40mph on a winding descent with nowhere safe to stop. And once when going through the exit barriers at a car park. Ever since the first event, I wind Gorilla straps in a figure of eight pattern around the clamp and the top tube. I would use toe straps, Zip ties, string, ... anything rather than risk a third event. You have been warned!

I had the same thing happening to me. I love this rack, and would buy it again, but you do need to have a safety measure because the clamps ar too small to go around a frame (I actually clamp mine on the suspension pivots) and they can get loose on a bumpy road. I’ve destroyed my levo SL handlebar by dragging the bike on the tarmac before I realized it had felt from the clamp.

 

[alan_sh]

My fear is not the clamp end (which works fine on my bikes and can lock) but the other end, which seems to be just plastic and would, in my mind, be very susceptible to being broken by some lowlife scum. So, I always put my Sold Secure Gold locks around the bike and the metal post at the back.

Alan

 

[lmartins]

Oh I wouldn’t trust leaving my bike on the rack no matter what. Even the lock on the handle that fixes the entire rack to your car can so easily be forced.

 

[alan_sh]

Yes, but unfortunately, we have to leave it on occasionally (service station stops for example).

Alan

 

[steve_sordy]

Yes, but unfortunately, we have to leave it on occasionally (service station stops for example).

Alan

I would piss by the side of the car. I absolutely would not leave the bike unguarded.