Thule Express Bike Rack How to prevent bike damage.

[Ryan]

I have a Thule Bike Express and noticed that when I transport my bikes the rack seems to be rubbing the frame and damaging the paint work. Anyone have any ideas and how to prevent this or any suggestions?

Edited November 12, 2012 by Ryanie

[fanievb]

i put a pool noodle between the rack and the bike. and if transport more than one bike another one between the bikes.

 

With the bike on the rack, check where it makes contact with the frame and place your noodle there. (hope it makes sense)

 

Tie the noodle to the bike frame with a strechy/tie down strap to make sure it stays in place.

[RockCoach]

You can also wrap old tubes around the rack where it rubs.

[GLuvsMtb]

You can also wrap old tubes around the rack where it rubs.

What he said:

Also:

- Make sure your car's exhaust does not blow hot air straight onto your tyre (my Honda Civic did that and burned a nice hole right through a brand new tyre a few years ago on my way to Plett for holiday). You may have to take off the front wheel if it hangs directly on the exhaust outlet.

- Make sure that your bike is securely strapped to the back of the bike rack so that it does not knock against the frame. The 1 strap provided is not sufficient for this, so buy a "bungy cord" to tie the bike to the rack with. Lace the cord through the front wheel so that the wheel does not flap araound behind the car and knock against the bumper.

- Be careful with the position of the pedals when you hang the bike. It may knock against the car bumper and leave a nice dent in the bumper with constant knocking and vibrations. I used to have the crank closest to the bumper at about 2 o clock to ensure that the frame does not knock against the bike rack and then the pedal didn't touch the bumper either. Play around with this to see what works best for your bike.

[Ryan]

Thanks for the Head Up guys, the main issue I have is where the frame sits inside the rubberised bracket. Lately I have made a habit of tying the nylon strap extra tight and using a quality rubberised luggage strap to secure the wheels. The pool noodle is a good idea! I will also give the old tube idea a bash but what I will try is placing a section of old tube around the frame where it fits into the rack and attach to the frame with cable ties.

[brianj]

I cut a piece of pipe down the length and wrap around the uprights to prevent the crank arms from rubbing. Only need a pool noodle if there is more than 1 bike

[Cippo]

When I had one i actually cut the pool noodle down the length and then wrapped it around the bars of Xpress and secured with cable ties. Between two bikes the noodle itself would be perfect. Awhile back someone in Jhb was manufacturing a padded cover that fit on the top tube to go between bikes.