Thule UpRide

I was a bit worried as to whether this would mount on a non-THULE roof rack, but this mounted well and securely to my BMW brand roof rack. It’s extraordinarily sturdy, holds the bike nicely without damaging the carbon frame, which was the reason I purchased this particular rack. It was easy to set up an install, and although as with any roof rack, it’s a bit more cumbersome to get the bike up there rather than a tail rack, for roof rack it’s pretty easy to use. As long as the bikes not too heavy. I certainly would not recommend it for an electric bike. I think it could handle the weight but I’m not sure you’d have any luck getting a 65 pound bike up there without a lot of help. I’d still be a bit nervous about having such a heavy bike up there anyway. It might be an expensive rack, but it’s amazingly well built and instills a sense of confidence when you have your bike up in such an exposed position.

Perfect for with my Cannondale Topstone AXS 1. Having a fully carbon bike meant I didn’t want any contact points on the frame and this rack has been great. No issues with the bike coming loose. Just understand how it works and set the rack up correctly and you are good to go. I do get nervous with the swaying and shaking that can happen on windy days, but so far so good. I would recommend this rack to anyone looking for easy transport of expensive bicycles.

Vehicle Make & Model 2015 VW Passat Sedan Thule Purchases Thule 710500 Roof Racks, Evo Clamp in Black Thule Evo Clamp Fit Kit #145185 Thule Wingbar Evo 135 (53”) in Black Thule UpRide Roof Bike Rack (Bought Two) Installation Hell for me, but not for my more patient, younger, less bitter and jilted brother. He made quick work of it and all I needed to do was walk out of the room before I threw the entire system through a window. The ease with which these Thule systems are assembled depends upon your disposition, not your IQ. I understood the videos on YouTube, for instance, far better than I did deciphering the cryptic diagrams in Thule's accompanying documentation. Matter of fact, Thule - an organization that clearly comprises brilliant engineers - are either utterly ignoring the ocean of steady criticism their instructions get, or they are just completely disinterested in hearing it. As mentioned, once this whiny visual learner took to YouTube, I understood the design, function and assembly instructions. I still had a calmer (never-married) person assemble it all however and it made the difference. He tells me that it was effortless assembling the fit kit to the feet and the feet to the car and the load bars to the feet and the bike and my kayak systems to the load bars. I strong recommend you watch a few videos and pause as you assemble. Using such visual aids made it easy(er). Durability Incredibly strong. I drove with my two bikes on the roof on a highway, but mind you, remained sensitive to the sub 80 MPH recommendations by Thule. Fact is, if you're barreling down an interstate at 90 or more MPH, with your precious outdoor recreation equipment on your roof, you deserve what happens to your stuff. I've heard some rather predictable critiques of the ratchet strap portion of the UpRide system, but my experience is that these criticisms are without merit if you follow the instructions of experts. For instance, I drove my two bikes on my roof to my bike expert for tune-ups. While there, I asked about how tight to make the ratchet assembly and they warned against overtightening. Said them, "it's for vertical stability upon stopping and going, not for holding the weight of the bike in place." They went on to explain that the front holding assemblies are what keeps the bike secure, stable and safe. The ratchet strap is meant to prevent the bike's rear from going up and/or down as the vehicle comes to a stop or accelerates. Fit I have two bikes: one's a mountain, one's a cross or hybrid. Each fits perfectly and is impossible to free from the car once properly arranged in the system. Cautionary note however: tires must be fully inflated, lest vertical or lateral movement occur because there is play between the assemblies designed to press down on your front wheel and the inflation of the tires. Said more plainly, if the tires don't have air in them, you're introducing variability to the height of the bike's wheels, thus the slack you'll be introducing to the assembly. Summary Buy it. Yes, you'll need to sell your least cooperative child to afford it, but then, aren't they not eating all their broccoli anyhow? Kidding aside, I love that the ONLY THING I'll need to buy again is the fit kit and feet, because the bars, the bike and kayak systems will go on any car providing the load bar length isn't too short for the width of your next roof.

Easy to install/setup, keeps bike secure, and works well on different vehicles.

Easy to load and unload bicycle Main part of rack is good quality and built solid Dissapionted in the clamping components that attach the rack to the cross bars. clamps and not attached to the main bike frame which makes them prone to being lost when rack is not mounted to a vehicle. Also clamping components are bare steel, not coated or painted in anyway so the will rust. A small point but not quiet the attention to detail I would expect from Tule

I enjoy this bike rack more than any other I’ve used. It looks neat and stylish on top of the car, and it's incredibly easy to put on and take off.

This bike rack is TOTAL THULE FAILURE. This August I needed to replace 10 years old Big Mouth Thule roof rack and I got this new front wheel holder rack. I’ve never had a problem with Big Mouth design and still have 2 more racks working absolutely reliable. Not with this FAILED DESIGN. This time some unusually harsh road bump opened front wheel holding contraption. That lead to disaster, as my bike fell off the roof of the minivan on the Interstate 87. That is crazy busy road and the only thing that was holding my mounting bike was rear security cable. Bike was dangling on the side of the car at full speed. Flapping bike damaged my car, smashed rear lights and got all banged up. Just by lucky chance and ability to quickly pulled to the curb I’ve avoided a huge disaster. I am absolutely sure that this rack has major design flaw. All previous designs had a LOCK and the key that prevented opening of the main holding mechanism. In this design, thin cord and twisting knob control front wheel holding contraption. NO LOCK prevents opening of the interlocking front whee holder. Road bump caused everything to become undone at full speed. Rear wheel rubber holder was broken immediately and nothing but antitheft cable held the bike dangling. After the emergency stop I had to secure front wheel lock release with painter tape! Pictures are attached. The same tape was used to secure rear wheel in addition to two ratchet straps through both wheels. Made it home with frequent stops and double checks. The adjacent Big Mouth design racks functioned absolutely perfect with no problems. DO NOT BUY THIS EXPENSIVE JUNK. IT WILL FAIL. Bike racks with no lock on the frame or wheel release mechanism should not be sold at all! I am surprised that this design was produced by Thule. I am extremely disappointed.

Update: You have to make sure the ratchet arm clicks and locks in place before tightening the ratchet. If it does not lock in place the arm will drop when the car is moving. READ the directions and make sure you’re using the product properly before you give it a negative review. I own 2 of these and have had different kinds of bikes on them with zero issues. Even with aggressive backroad driving. Again, this is an awesome product if you use it properly. Fantastic piece of gear. I recently switched to a 650+ mountain bike and quickly realized that my Thule Big Mouth rack can't accommodate the 3' tire. There aren't too many racks on the market to accommodate the plus size bikes. I ordered the Thule UpRide after doing some research. The unit arrived the next day (thumbs up to Rack Attack). It took me about 10 minutes to set it up. Once the wheel size is set, loading the bike is a effortless. There is absolutely no contact with the frame and the bike feels very secure. The UpRide has a built in cable lock that that wraps around the rear wheel, it requires a separately purchased Thule lock to really serve its intended purpose. Another lock is required to lock the UpRide to the roof rack. The only "downside" to this rack is the size.....its massive, not really a deal breaker. Overall I'm happy with the purchase and will be ordering a second one.