Issue 75 features our review of the Thule 891 Slide Bars and the 561 Outride Racks. We also tested this 591 ProRide rack too.
The best way to make sure your bike is compatible with a roof rack is to pick a frame mounting version over a fork mounting one. The advantage is there’s no axle compatibility issues – the disadvantage is a taller vehicle with reduced stability.
That said the 591 has a locking mechanism built into the handle, which is also cleverly designed to be at the bottom of the arm rather than at the top and out of reach of short people like myself.
The jaw opens wide with a pull of the locking lever and it easily grabs the down tube of even large, funny shaped framed bikes like an Orange 5. The jaw clamps firmly although there’s still a gap left, which as it turns out is a lot more secure than it looks.
The rack locks on to the roof bars so you will be left with two identical looking keys – one for the rack to bars lock and the other for the rack to bike. However, a lock is only as secure as it’s weakest point and as with the Outride rack (reviewed in Issue 75) the weakest point is the strength of the plastic locking handle. So, despite the two locks, we can’t recommend that you rely on them to stop any determined thief. If you have to leave your bike alone on your car we’d strongly recommend that you also use an extra good quality cable lock.
Out on the road the rack holds a bike very firmly with no noticeable wobble until you get up to motorway speeds, when we noticed a slight wobble in the front wheel.
Overall: One of the best universal type roof mounted carriers we’ve seen, but make sure you add your own security if you find you need to leave your bike on the roof for your post ride cake and coffee stop.
Review Info
| Brand: | Thule |
| Product: | 591 ProRide Roof rack |
| From: | www.thule.com |
| Price: | £92.50 |
| Tested: | by Mark for 4 |
