Thule T2 Pro XT & Luna Apex

[robo21]

Wow, what a pain in the neck. I bought and assembled a Thule platform style, hitch mounted, bike carrier the Thule T2 Pro XT and unfortunately the lower strap that is supposed to go around the wheel and tire and lock into a ratchet mechanism fails to reach the locking mechanism. It is only about 1.5" too short. Hopefully Thule has anticipated this and offers optional longer straps. They advertise this model as being suitable for bikes with up to 5" tires.

[robo21]

Actually it is a "duh" on my part... I should have thoroughly read the instructions. They have a drawing of a fatter tire with a caption as follows >3" and then another drawing showing what to do with the strap. Basically, you pull the strap all the way out and then feed it back in to the mechanism using a different strap path which increases the effective length of the strap. It really is a clever setup. I must say that Thule really is a quality company. I wish they had written instructions in addition to the drawings, but other than that it is a great bike carrier.

[mtm408]

Wow, what a pain in the neck. I bought and assembled a Thule platform style, hitch mounted, bike carrier the Thule T2 Pro XT and unfortunately the lower strap that is supposed to go around the wheel and tire and lock into a ratchet mechanism fails to reach the locking mechanism. It is only about 1.5" too short. Hopefully Thule has anticipated this and offers optional longer straps. They advertise this model as being suitable for bikes with up to 5" tires.

Take a look at 1Up USA racks. They have both a single and double heavy duty and a wide tire kit. Love mine.

[xcnick]

Another vote for 1up. With your old bike the 4.8 tire does lightly touch a nut which I protect with a wedge of wood. I bought a single with an add on for the second. It was just a bit more than buying a dedicated two together, but more versatile. You probably need only one and can add another later if you need to.

[robo21]

Take a look at 1Up USA racks. They have both a single and double heavy duty and a wide tire kit. Love mine.

That does look like a solid, well built rack. I will definitely look into this.

Another vote for 1up. With your old bike the 4.8 tire does lightly touch a nut which I protect with a wedge of wood. I bought a single with an add on for the second. It was just a bit more than buying a dedicated two together, but more versatile. You probably need only one and can add another later if you need to.

I would definitely need a double as my wife and I always go riding together. I will need to compare the Super Duty and Heavy Duty.

Thanks to both of you for the great suggestions, I hadn't seen 1Up racks until your posts. I like the look and design.

Not so urgent that I switch out now that we have figured out the strap configuration. It will easily handle a 4" or 5" tire in this mode. I do have a 30 day exchange window so I want to figure out which will be best for the long haul. One thing I really like about the Thule is that it has an expanding hitch that snugs up tight in the receiver. There is no wiggling or rattling once the knob is turned all the way to the right and locked.