Looking for a new rood mounted bike carrier. Not sure whether to go for frame clamp (no wheel removal) or the fork mount type. Any benefits/disbenefits of either system? Which brand (Thule... any others?)
thanks
The Thule with the arm that attaches to the bikes downtube and a big knob to clamp the bike seems to be head and shoulders above the rest. I've used a mates a few times and its very quick to attach bikes. No good if you have a funny downtube though.
The fork mounted carriers put more stress though the fork dropouts so personally I'd steer clear of them. Some of the fork manufacturers won't warranty forks with cracked dropouts from these type of racks.
I'd still go for a wheel support towbar rack though, got to be the best option if you don't want the bikes in the car.
Thule Proride - awesome - no comparison to others
got to be one of these [url= http://www.rei.com/product/684568 ]king cobra[/url] i have the cobra which doesn't have the lock built in. bought it from rei and they shipped it within the week. it's superb as a roof top rack , fit the bike in seconds and it doesn't matter about the frame shape which attracted me in the first place.
+1 for Thule Proride. Simple to fit and rock solid during transporting the bikes.
Atera Giro, it is similar to the Thule and it works in the same way as the Thule with a twist grip bar clamp, and is cheaper too!
IVE GOT AN ATERA GIRO AF ON EBAY AT THE MOMENT
FANTASTIC RACK, EASY TO USE AND HOLDS BIKES SECURELY
IVE HAD THE THULE AS WELL, THEY ARE GOOD, BUT THE ATERA SEEMS TO BE BETTER QUALITY OVERALL