Product Review – Thule ProRide
Half the fun of having a car like the allroad is using it for adventures. One of our favorite activities is mountain biking, and of course, getting the bikes to the trailhead is easy for the car, thanks to our Thule rack system.
When we mounted up our AeroBlades on our allroad we discovered we needed a few spare parts, and while we were chatting with our friends at Thule, it was suggested that we might want to try out the new ProRide bike carriers. We had lots of experience with the Sidearm racks, which we love, and still use on other cars, but we were more than willing to try something new.
Out of the box the first thing we noticed about the ProRide is they use the top channel of the AeroBlade for mounting, instead of wraparound bolts and thumb nuts. Normally that shouldn’t matter, but remember the allroad has that magical sunroof that comes up and out of the roof, instead of down and in. That makes for a few tense moments the first time you check to see if it will clear the low hanging fasteners that you forgot were there before you hit the sunroof knob.
Setting up the racks is easy enough, with everything you need included in the box. There are even comprehensive instructions for setup, which is needed mostly when it comes time to make one fit on the other side of the car.
Unlike the Sidearm racks, the ProRide actually contacts the bike’s frame. We’re not super huge on that, but we decided to try them anyway. The claw that wraps around the downtube is padded with soft rubber, which conforms to the tube, holding it tightly without crushing it. We did have a bit of time developing the technique to get the frame mount to grab the frame correctly. Things like water bottle cages, high bottom bracket heights and long full suspension bikes make it even more challenging. The easiest part is just needing to turn a knob to clamp the jaw closed. It also has a torque limiter, so no risk in over-tightening. Releasing is as easy as pushing the button.
Eventually we found the correct method and location to attach the arm to the frame, which left only securing the front and rear rim straps. We had to get creative with one of our bikes, which happens to be an XL size Rocky Mountain Altitude. This is a long bike, and its rear tire ended up in exactly the wrong place (directly over the cross bar), resulting in having to run the tire strap backwards to avoid interference with the AeroBlade.
Once we got used to the process for mounting bikes, we found it to be easy enough. If we had to gripe about these racks, they do leave tiny scratches on the pain where they grip the frame. This really only matters for the most anal retentive of cyclists (such as ourselves) but we ended up putting some clearbra on those areas to protect the paint.
The only negative issue we have with the ProRide is that the tire rails really aren’t very deep, which allows the front tire to wobble side to side at highway speeds. We didn’t have any problems with bikes falling off, but it’s a bit disconcerting the first time you glance up through the sunroof and see the tires wiggling around. It’s not a huge thing, but it’s there.
The biggest positives we have about the ProRide racks are how flat they lay when idle, and how clean they look, thanks mostly to the slim design and top channel mounts.
Overall we found them to be perhaps not quite as rock solid as the sidearms, but much less bulky, and effectively no wind noise.