Thule proride 591 vs freeride 532?

[heed0]

I'm looking at buying a Thule bike carrier for the roof but I'm not sure which one of the two. I've read up on both but cannot decide.

 

Is it worth it to pay an extra R700 for the proride?

Also does anyone have the Thule sidearm 594XT?

 

I will be using it to transport a 29er

 

Please share your experience on the above bike carriers

Thanks

Edited June 10, 2012 by heed0

[Woolf]

I've got two Prorides with the whisper bars and they are very easy to use. Bicycles on and off and prorides off and on the bars is done in less than 5 minutes. I've only used them with MTB's and they are kept very stable. A pleasure to use especially after a long and tiring ride.

 

Must say that I had some issues with the installation as one of the Thule supplied bolts which connect them to the footpack snapped. My fault however as I didn't clean out the threads before mounting them. If your car has fixed mounting spots for roofracks make sure that you first clean out the bolting areas by using Q20 and screwing a bolt in and out in increments to get all the dirt out of the threaded areas. I replaced the Thule bolts with same length galvanised bolts which are much stronger. Also don't forget to grease the bolts to make removal easier.

[Thug]

I have 2 Prorides on my roof. HT, FS, TT and road bike all fit with ease and have never had a problem.

 

A word of caution though, if you have a FS similar to a Whyte 120 or 146, the Proride won't be able to clamp on the frame. If that's the case, rather get the sidearm

Edited June 10, 2012 by Thug

[heed0]

Anybody use or buy the Thule Sidearm bike carrier?