Roof bike carrier Thule Proride 598 - recall after 3500 km
Well, I returned from the Krasnodar Territory, where I went by car with a bicycle on the roof. I was given a new Thule Proride 598 bike carrier for testing, which mounts to the car's roof. In total, I drove about 3500 km from Moscow to Sochi and back. I drove on roads with various surfaces, including rather uneven dirt roads in the fields. In total, the attachment stood with me for a total of 3 months, since the trip was postponed for a long time. I think this experience is enough to draw some conclusions and write your own review..
The content of the article
Thule Proride 598 bike carrier review
Impressions and my review
To begin with, I'll tell you how I traveled around Moscow with a bike carrier. First of all, after the mount was installed, for the first week I wondered if they would resist :) As you can see, nothing happened, so I relaxed and stopped paying attention to the arcs with the mount. It seems that no one needs them, especially since it is not easy to remove them..
I was given 2 keys, one from the bike carrier (while the bike is not there, you can leave it open), the second from the arches. As I understand it, the keys can be picked up, there are about 120 larvae in total (if I'm not mistaken), but the idea is dubious. And then it is more profitable to remove the wheels, 1-2 wheels will be more expensive than mounting with arcs. But maybe there are cases of theft, I don't know. Looking ahead, I will say the bike has also been left unattended several times on the roof and no one has coveted it either, but you should not do this, this is not a means for storing a bicycle and is not positioned as protection against theft.
3500 km with rooftop bike
But the main test started on the trip. The first 100-200 km I constantly looked out of the window, looked through the hatch, shook my bike at a gas station, I kept trying to figure out if it was standing there firmly. Indeed, when driving, it sways from the headwind and unevenness. Then I realized that the bike was not going anywhere and forgot about it. Perhaps, if he had made a noise, I would not have been able to forget, but I had no noise. Only if the hatch or windows are open, but I always drive with them closed. Without the bike, the noise from the mount and arcs is even less, but it's obvious. I read that cheap and non-aerodynamic arches create, if not a whistle, then some kind of howling or other unpleasant sounds that are heard at high speeds even through good noise isolation. There is no such thing here, I accelerated to about 140 km / h - quietly. But usually I drove 100-120 km / h just in case, it was advised in the store, and according to traffic rules it should be so :)
The bike carrier can be placed on either side, but by default it is placed on the right. The instructions tell you how to change sides. Also on these arcs you can put another bike on the other side (you need a second bike carrier) and a box. Someday I will do this too, I really want to go on a tour of Europe for a month with a company (ideally several cars), take bicycles with me, tents, equipment, and wind a circle in several countries, staying in hotels and campgrounds, and periodically riding bicycles in interesting places and cities.
For the winter period, the mount can be removed so that it does not interfere with the roof of the car. It can be removed very simply and quickly, in just a few minutes, unscrew two twists. There will remain gaps in the arcs, they will need to be closed with rubber inserts (they are included in the kit). But, probably, you can not shoot, as I wrote, it does not cause inconvenience, standing on the roof.
Thule mount Proride 598
Thule Proride 598 bike carrier
Differences from the Thule Proride 591 bike carrier
First of all, the bike frame clamp has been redesigned from the previous model, the Proride 591. Now the frame cannot pop out of it. And then they wrote to me in social networks that in 591st there was such a problem sometimes. If you look at the photo, you will see that this is now impossible. In fact, the holder with the flask is superfluous there and it was better to clamp it next to it, but it also holds on without any problems.
The main clamp is made so that the frame cannot jump out of it.
Main clamp handle
Plastic straps are now tightened diagonally instead of straight across the wheel. As I understand it, this was done so that when installing the bike on the roof, they would interfere less. So, they really do not interfere and are not pressed down by the wheel. Moreover, there is a separate slot where you can remove these clamps while you put the bike down, but without it everything is ok. There is also a closer, I don't know what else to call it, when you can tighten the clamp even more.
Wheels are tightened with plastic clamps with a closer
pros
- No serious installation required, just put the arches on the roof and screw on the bike carrier. All together it takes literally 10-20 minutes. Also, the mount can be easily removed as unnecessary, you do not need to dismantle anything. I have roof rails, but I think everything is about the same on cars without them. Thule has arcs for every car.
- Thule arches and bike carrier do not create unpleasant whistles and noise. Yes, there is an extraneous sound, but in my car it is not heard at all. I tried to drive a maximum of 130-140 km / h and did not hear anything. If you open the windows, then yes, the noise is heard, but no stronger than the noise of an open window.
- The arches are aluminum, the rest of the parts are made of stainless steel, so there is no rust or smudges on the roof. The fastening on the car has already cost me a total of 3 months - there is not a spot.
- Thule ProRide 598 is suitable for fatbikes and is now the only one on the market. You can buy other cups (where the wheels are inserted) and then wide wheels will fit.
Minuses
I found only two minuses for myself and both relate rather not to the Thule mount itself, but in general to the type of mount.
- If you are short, like me (170 cm), and at the same time you have a SUV or a jeep, you will have to park your car at the curb and use a stand in the fields (see my video) so that you can reach the bike frame. In other cases (tall or low car), this minus is not relevant.
- You can somehow forget about the bike carrier and the bike on the roof and enter somewhere you cannot enter - an underground parking, a bridge, etc..
There are no such disadvantages for bike racks on the rear door or towbar. However, such bike racks require more serious installation, including drilling holes in the body or, accordingly, installing a towbar. Yes, the same Thule has those that are quickly installed without drilling and without a towbar (look at the Thule ClipOn High 9106 or Thule ClipOn High 9103 models), but the rear door mounts have their drawbacks: they interfere when parking in the city to the impossibility of parking, plus access to the trunk will always be difficult. Most likely, it will be convenient to install such mounts only for the duration of a trip with a bicycle, when I can forget about mine on the roof for at least a year and never take it off at all. In general, everyone chooses what is more convenient for him in the end..
Another disadvantage is the price, because it costs more than competitors (here is the price and characteristics), but the price is not an order of magnitude higher. Moreover, Thule is a well-known brand and the overpayment (if it is considered an overpayment) goes for it, for the materials and the way everything is done. This is not the first time I personally noticed that in more expensive things, everything is much better thought out and done. And if you take another good mount, then it will cost the same.
Video review
For those who find it more convenient to perceive in video format, there is a video review. It is especially interesting to see how I shot my bike epic because of my short stature from a tall car. Plus there are a few views from the quadcopter, which I just started filming..
P.S. Who used this or a similar mount, pliz, write how they are to you. Particularly interested in the bike racks for the tailgate and the towbar, with which I have no experience.
P.P.S. Review of what else to do? :)