Thule Bike Rack Problem - Burnt Tyre!

[WrightJnr]

Cut an old house for sale sign (the metal ones), 4 pop rivets onto the bike rack. Spray paint black. Sorted.

[Kranswurm]

Hi All,

 

I've just started riding again, and ended up burning my bike's tyres as they are directly in line with the exhausts on my car! 

On my old car the exhausts pointed down onto the tarmac, so it wasn't ever a problem.

 

It's an older model Thule 3-bike rack with built-in taillights and I can't really see a way of raising it above the exhausts. I don't want to have to replace it as it's still in great condition and does the job perfectly otherwise.

 

Has anyone else experienced this and found a work-around?

Redirect the exhaust

[boxerulez]

popped a tyre on a brand new bike last week, damn trail bikes sit just wrong on my bike rack.

50cm between the exhaust and where the tyre sits, i guess turbo cars are hotter and faster on the exhaust.

[Eddy Gordo]

Those thule exahust shields are a bit small. I bigger deflector will work better. I had the same issue a few years back, I had an angled tail piece fitted to the exhaust.

[Jbr]

it used to do that when I was puting the front wheel left side, now front wheel right side it never does it again, the rear wheel on the exhaust side ends up way higher than the exhaust so it doesn't burn.

[DJR]

Cut an old house for sale sign (the metal ones), 4 pop rivets onto the bike rack. Spray paint black. Sorted.

Use heat resistant silver or white. Comes in rattle spray cans and used for things like engines. Will last better than black. But if black is your aesthetic choice, it is OK too.

 

Edit: I know you know all this WJnr

Edited September 5, 2020 by DJR

[SL7]

Adjust the height of the tow bar using an off the shelf plate. Can't be done on some tow bars, those where the ball slides in and locks with a pin.

[Robbie Stewart]

A couple years back a chap arrived at registration for Karoo to Coast on the Saturday afternoon straight from Cape Town with his bike on the rack and the tyre melted to the carbon rim. I don't think he rode the event. Uniondale is not known for having a LBS.

[LazyTrailRider]

Even with my GTI’s fairly large twin exhausts, I’ve somehow never experienced this...

[JBK]

Guys, with many cars today, you can't fit an exhaust deflector because the exhaust pipe/s are often built into the bumper or a feature just below it... This is the case with my X5...

 

I happened to be at Thule today for another matter and asked to see their deflector plates... Very neat and they fit into the bike rack frame in a very professional / sturdy way... Much better than trying to pop rivet a 'for sale' sign...

 

They're a bit pricey at R800 and maybe a bit small but certainly a very good base onto which you could easily pop rivet another piece of steel / aluminium...

[LongDonkey]

Silly question, does it do the same whichever way the bike id facing? Some top tubes are slightly off angle so it can raise the wheel quite a bit.
Alternatively, take the wheel off for transport. Not a biggie on the front usually.

[JBK]

Silly question, does it do the same whichever way the bike id facing? Some top tubes are slightly off angle so it can raise the wheel quite a bit.

Alternatively, take the wheel off for transport. Not a biggie on the front usually.

Depends on bike carrier - I think the bigger problem is the "carry on" type as opposed to the "hanger" type...

[TheBikemechanic]

Visit a Thule store . For heat shield ???? they can fit that on the bike rack directly to it .

[RiverInTheRoad]

I have the same problem. Melted my Thule plastic wheel holder thing on my Euroride G2.

 

2 options. Deflector plate or weld exhaust. They just bend it down basically. It looks neat. R250 job.

[WrightJnr]

Use heat resistant silver or white. Comes in rattle spray cans and used for things like engines. Will last better than black. But if black is your aesthetic choice, it is OK too.

 

Edit: I know you know all this WJnr

Yeah. I went with exhaust manifold black spray. Had a Fortuner and reckoned that diesel exhaust fumes was going to make any color I chose black pretty quickly... :-)

[TЯΞB]

Do they do heat treating on rims like they do on frames? Just thinking that if they do then the rims structure could now be compromised as some of that treating would have been undone.

 

Hi Mr. Jacques,

 

I doubt it, the process of annealing only takes place at over 300°C, and judging by the state of the rim tape I don't think that the temperature got anywhere near that.

 

Thanks for the heads-up though, I'll keep an eye on it!