Thule Tour 510 Reviews - Product Reviews

1 to 6 of 6 reviews, to post a review you need to be a member - Join now.

Posted: 27/02/01

'Confidence inspiring method of bike transportation'

Strengths:
Lightweight and easy to fit to roof bars.

Secure mechanism to lock bike onto carrier

No movement of bikes during transit.

Weaknesses:
Expensive.

May not be secure if left on roof bars unattended.

Can be difficult to fit bikes if you have a car with a high roof.

Overall:
I found that this carrier was very easy to fit to the roof rack, once set up for the first time. (However I was also using Thule roof bars.) The carrier also secured the bikes very well and they showed no signs of movement during transit. The bikes transported included a Marin dual suspension and even this was readily fitted onto the carrier. Most medium size cars should be able to accomodate three bikes on the roof, if you're willing to pay for the carriers.

The biggest problem with this system is locking the bikes on when the car has a high roof, such as an MPV. It's best to have someone to help you in this circumstance, as otherwise you'll be worrying about the bike falling onto the roof of the car. However, having heaved the bikes up onto the roof, you'll feel confident about transporting them around - unless of course low bridges are involved somewhere along your route.

In conclusion, the Thule 510 seems a safer way of transporting bikes around, compared to the experiences I have had of boot mounted cycle carriers. The main `downers' that I can think of are getting the bikes loaded onto high roofed cars, loss of fuel economy and the additional purchase costs that you will incur compared to rear mounting carriers.

Performance		80%
Reliability		80%
Value		60%

Overall Rating

73%

Peter Bryan

Posted: 20/03/01

'real quality, expensive but gives you peace of mind'

Strengths:
Excellent quality, well built, inspires confidence and you don't worry about the bike falling off! Easily adjustable to frame diameters.

Weaknesses:
YOu must lock them in transit - I didn't really need to at first but now one of my more used ones occasionally opens if not locked.
For roof carriers generally, takes a bit of technique to get bikes easily onto roof - hold it low on the fork and chainstay and lift in one movement.

Overall:
Worth the extra money for peace of mind

Performance		80%
Reliability		80%
Value		60%

Overall Rating

73%

Andy Melia

Posted: 14/10/01

'EXCELLENT AND SAFE WAY TO TRANSPORT BIKES'

Strengths:
Easy to set up, secure, easy to put bikes onto.

Weaknesses:
Price.

Overall:
Worth the initial outlay as it is the most convenient way to transport bikes, don't have to worry about cleaning/dismantling them before putting them in the car or messing about with a boot mounted rack.

Performance		100%
Reliability		100%
Value		60%

Overall Rating

87%

Russ Brown

Posted: 03/02/02

'EXPENSIVE BUT WORTH IT....HOW MUCH WAS YOUR BIKE?'

Strengths:
Light, easy to fit, quality construction, self adjusting frame clamp

Weaknesses:
With the bike on it, it seems to flex a little, but very solid in transit, could lock to the bars

Overall:
It does cost a bit more than the budget end stuff but it is very well designed. I have one of these and two old Halfords alloy racks which have lasted well, but the Halfords ones are a little corroded now, and the Thule looks spanking new, oh and my FSR sits on the latter!

Performance		100%
Reliability		100%
Value		80%

Overall Rating

93%

Steve Hatton

Posted: 21/12/03

'SOUND INVESTMENT'

Strengths:
Sturdy. Low cost moves between vehicles

Weaknesses:
Initial outlay.

Overall:
Excellent value once you have gone past the initial outlay for the kit. I know we are only interested in the bike side of things here, but it is worth remembering that the system is an interchangable one, and the bike racks can be swapped for a miriad of other items also (ski-carriers, top-boxes, canoe carrier, etc)

Performance		80%
Reliability		80%
Value		80%

Overall Rating

80%

Matthew Page

Posted: 05/07/04

'SAFE AND EASY WAY OF CARRYING BIKES'

Strengths:
Easy to fit,
Easy to put bikes on and take off.
Very safe
Adaptable to lots of different size bikes
Got mine for £50 each. Bargain!!

Weaknesses:
Not really weaknesses with the rack, more with roof racks in general:
Loss of fuel ecconomy
Initial cost can be high
Bikes are exposed (lots of nats in spring!!)

The plastic clamps that hold the wheels in place are starting to wear.
Also not sure what size tyres would fit. Anything over 2.3 might be a bit too wide.

Overall:
Easy and safe way to transport bikes. Road bikes with thin wheels tend to wobble a bit more then MTB's but still very stable. Saves spoiling the inside of the car or messing about with straps for boot mounted carriers.

Performance		100%
Reliability		100%
Value		80%

Overall Rating

93%

Joining prize

Join BIKEmagic now

Members Logon

Premium Shopping Partners

Are you a retailer?

Travel Partners

Shopping Partners

Latest Reviews

17827 Total Reviews

Get your RSS now

Newsletter

Support our Partners

VOTE

Second hand

Article search