Between Thule and Yakima… Which is the better of the two? and why?
It’ll be mounted to a Toyota 4Runner if that makes a difference…
Whichever one your friends have, so you can borrow extra bike racks, etc.
Other than that, they are pretty comparable.
I bought the Yakima because I prefer the look of the round bars.
Really!
Plus I like the Northwest.
I’ve heard that if a part breaks on the Yakimas’, you need to buy a whole new rack. (i.e. you can’t buy any parts seperately). Anyone every heard this?
Well, the bars are purchased in pairs if I recall correctly.
The bases, I don’t recall, whether in pairs or fours.
And each attachment is a separate item.
I just had a tornado drop a 50 foot maple tree on my roof last week. One of my two forkmounted bike attachments is toast, as are the OEM roofrack rails, but the Yakima bars and bases are fine.
I have a Yakima and have been happy with it. No experience with Thule. That said, I’d get a rear hitch rack, rather than a roof rack, if I was starting over. Easier loading/unloading, less road dirt/noise, less impact on MPG, no fear of driving into the gararge or a low overhang.
I’ve had the Thule system on a Jeep Cherokee for the past 3 years. It works great - front wheel off - mount fork and secure the rear wheel. My only complaint is that some of the components have rusted as a result of the harsh Buffalo winters here.
I have the Thule that stands the bike upright on the roof without removing the front tire. I don’t think it is as stable as the others and I wouldn’t recommend it. The tires on my MTB are too fat for the wheel straps w/o letting out all the air which is really annoying.
I saw Robin Williams the other day driving on the Golden Gate Bridge with a sweet rack on a Mercedes SUV that hung the bikes down the back of the car intact (seats facing directly backwards). First I saw the rack and sped up. Then I saw two really sweet custom looking road bikes and realized it was Robin Williams still in his cycling gear. Cool bikes.
Is it just me or are these rack systems (both Yakima and Thule) one of the biggest rip-offs out there?
I’ve got Yakima and its a bunch of plastic crap, you have to buy different towers every time you change cars and every accessory is at least $60 and you usually need two of them!
I’ve got a canoe, kayaks, skis, and bikes and its always the rack expense I don’t budget for. But then this is chump change compared to what a lot of people here spend on bicycle equipment. 
I’m leary of the whole rear-mounted bike rack design after what happened to me a couple months ago… I was driving with 3 bikes on my Jetta trunk (My Roo, My Trek mtn bike, and my buddy’s BRAND NEW mtn bike) and after driving 60 miles, we realized his bike came out of the rubber securing straps and was long gone! We had visions of massive pile-ups down the turnpike… Anyone ever had that happen to them?
look into RockyMounts, they are half the cost, do the same job, come in freaky colors and its a kickass grassroots company. Also, they are comaptible with any other roof pieces from other brands.
Wow, that’s scary! Did you find out what happened/find the bike?
I have the Thule that stands the bike upright on the roof without removing the front tire. I don’t think it is as stable as the others and I wouldn’t recommend it. The tires on my MTB are too fat for the wheel straps w/o letting out all the air which is really annoying.
I saw Robin Williams the other day driving on the Golden Gate Bridge with a sweet rack on a Mercedes SUV that hung the bikes down the back of the car intact (seats facing directly backwards). First I saw the rack and sped up. Then I saw two really sweet custom looking road bikes and realized it was Robin Williams still in his cycling gear. Cool bikes.
That was probably the draftmaster racks. Very solid racks if you have a hitch.
We called the turnpike authority and PA state police and there were no reported crashes (it was at night so even more dangerous)! The bike never turned up… I gave my buddy the money he paid for the mtn bike and I’m pushing him to get a tri bike!
Now everytime I have my Roo on my trunk rack, I’m a freaking nervous reck! My eyes are more glued to my rear view mirror than the road ahead of me!
Go with the trays that have a fork mount. They are a bit more stable than the ones where you mount the bike w/o taking off the front wheel. I prefer Thule b/c I like their trays better. The entire mechanism is contained w/in the head itself and stays out of the elements. Both work well, though.
If it matters, Thule offers a 5 year warranty while the Yakima warranty is 3 years.