Thule vs Yakima

[saab2000]

Alrighty then. So I have made my first trip with the bike in my GTI. It works, but when carrying a lot of stuff the bike really does hog the space. I will be moving soon and will need that space. So a rack is very likely in my future. And probably two bike mounts and wheel forks too.

I will probably get either a Thule or Yakima, but am open to other suggestions too.

A friend has said that in his eyes, Thule wins, hands down.

Does anyone have any other opinions. And with that in mind, I will say that if anyone has anything they may wish to sell me, contact me privately and we can talk.

On a side note, when I lived in Europe, my Opels had a nifty system of sliding, closable mounting spaces on the roof. There was no need to mount the rack to the rain gutters or the door frame. It was very cool and I am shocked that VW does not have this. In the car world, Opels are seen as dorky and stodgy. In real life they are every bit the equal of VW in that class of car. Wish GM would sell Opel here, and not some watered down wierd version either.

Any rack tips would be appreciated. I will search too.

[saab2000]

Searched and found my own previous post on this topic. Still, if any new opinions are out there, I'd love to hear them. Definitely leaning towards a roof rack, not a back rack.

[huey]

I have used Yakima for over 10 years and have never had an issue at all. I love their products and I think that the company is a good.
With that said I would buy a Thule now, based on current products. Thule is a better company overall. Thule is sold world wide, while Yakima is limited to the U.S. and Canadian market. Thule uses metal in all of its contact points, as well as the hardware. I think that their products have a much cleaner, sleeker profile than Yakima. Also, as a former employee of REI, I can tell you that I saw far more issues with Yak than Thule.

[Ginger]

I really like my Hollywood fork mount tray rack on the back of my little car. Folds up, or removes easily when not in use. Doesn't clutter the top of the car with all that "noise." And I'm not going to accidently drop the bike on my car getting it down. You probably don't have that issue.

[csm]

I have yakima. mainly because I've always had it. I think the mount for my element is slick and clean. goes on and off easily.

[72gmc]

i use yakima. my carriers (bikes, skis) are all older and very well built. i got my system for free years ago because i was the dept manager and i sold a lot of racks. that said, if i was buying now and wanted a lot of options for carrying a lot of different things--from baskets to boxes to kayaks to windsurfers to who knows what else--i'd probably go thule. thule was then and probably still is more versatile in their offerings.

[toaster]

I like Thule but with one warning which I think needs more validation before you count it as a strike against an otherwise fine product.

That warning is, in my experience, that the metal used for the skewer ends (the nut-like part) is of a low pot-metal type of alloy that after time is prone to cracking.

I once closed the clamp that the Thule fork mount uses to tighten up the skewer part only to see it crack in two. This worries me since I know if were regular machined steel instead of cheaper cast type pieces this wouldn't happen.

I'd hate to have my Serotta come out at freeway speeds because of this type of failure.

[rwsaunders]

Yakima baby....we use four Steelhead bike carriers and a Rocketbox.

We purchased the original system in 1987 for our Civic wagon. Still going strong on our Odyssey van and Audi wagon, as the system is very versatile with the roof rack mounts. No problem with parts such as wheel clamps and core locks.

Ebay and Craigslist.org usually have some deals on used equipment.

[tuco]

the vw bars and racks ... have you looked at these?

apparently, there are some "base bars" that integrate well on to the GTI. these will take a yakima or thule or rocky mounts tray. i suppose the bars are from jac and any mont blanc accessory would fit on to the bars.
http://www.jacproducts.com/
http://www.montblanc.se/

there is a hatch-rack -- EasyGrip S3 ( i think) -- that is worth pondering. a hatch-rack that retails for more $450? it must have a higher purpose that is not apparent to me.

vw sells the mont blanc gear with their own (vw) part nos.
http://www.vw.com/gti/accessories.html

[oracle]

Alrighty then. So I have made my first trip with the bike in my GTI. It works, but when carrying a lot of stuff the bike really does hog the space. I will be moving soon and will need that space. So a rack is very likely in my future. And probably two bike mounts and wheel forks too.

I will probably get either a Thule or Yakima, but am open to other suggestions too.

A friend has said that in his eyes, Thule wins, hands down.

Does anyone have any other opinions. And with that in mind, I will say that if anyone has anything they may wish to sell me, contact me privately and we can talk.

On a side note, when I lived in Europe, my Opels had a nifty system of sliding, closable mounting spaces on the roof. There was no need to mount the rack to the rain gutters or the door frame. It was very cool and I am shocked that VW does not have this. In the car world, Opels are seen as dorky and stodgy. In real life they are every bit the equal of VW in that class of car. Wish GM would sell Opel here, and not some watered down wierd version either.

Any rack tips would be appreciated. I will search too.



vikings versus 'indians'

[ERDR]

i've had half a dozen yakimas and currently use a thule. i am sold on the thule. the yakimas seemed to really wear more from the foul mid-western winters and the road salt.
my bmw has little trap doors built into the roof that you flip up and screw the mounting bracket right into. 2 minutes on and off. a friend has the same thing on his volvo. i wish more cars were made with this same concept. makes me want to get another bimmer just for that reason.
s.

[Ray]

I had good luck with Yakima before I moved my bikes inside the Odyssey. But it sounds a lot like a Campy/Shimano debate to me. Both work well. Each probably has a few minor pluses and minuses. But there's barely even an ergonomic preference issue here like with Campy/Shimano - not like you're holding the rack all day. I'd go with whichever one is more available when you're looking and the best price.

-Ray

[Serotta PETE]

Have used Thule for the last 20 years on numerous cars...no problems.


I think Yakima, Saris, and THule are all good racks.

Pete

[ChrisK]

I was in the sea kayak business for many years and had racks (usually with two boats on them) on both my personal and shop vehicle and saw the racks on all our customer's cars. Based on that, I have to say that Yakima racks hold up better than Thule when exposed to salt water and heavy loads. But for bikes I don't think it makes much difference.

[SpaceOdyssey]

I am sold on Thule all the way.

I have used the same bars over 2 VW's and now a 3rd Volvo and they are still going strong. Obviously I used different feet.

I have 5 "original" Velo Vices for carrying the bikes and they all still work great. They may not be as pretty as they were when they were new, and some were modified for MTB's with Disc brakes before Thule came up with the new version, but they all still work just fine.

Bruce

[Roy E. Munson]

Are the Yakima carriers as easily removed and attached as the Thule? I know for me, when going to races and stuff, it's convenient to be able to pop a carrier off and move it from my car to someone elses, and vice versa.

[kgrooney]

Alrighty then. So I have made my first trip with the bike in my GTI. It works, but when carrying a lot of stuff the bike really does hog the space. I will be moving soon and will need that space. So a rack is very likely in my future. And probably two bike mounts and wheel forks too.

I will probably get either a Thule or Yakima, but am open to other suggestions too.

A friend has said that in his eyes, Thule wins, hands down.

Does anyone have any other opinions. And with that in mind, I will say that if anyone has anything they may wish to sell me, contact me privately and we can talk.

On a side note, when I lived in Europe, my Opels had a nifty system of sliding, closable mounting spaces on the roof. There was no need to mount the rack to the rain gutters or the door frame. It was very cool and I am shocked that VW does not have this. In the car world, Opels are seen as dorky and stodgy. In real life they are every bit the equal of VW in that class of car. Wish GM would sell Opel here, and not some watered down wierd version either.

Any rack tips would be appreciated. I will search too.



Issues with rust on the Yaks.

[Roy E. Munson]

rusty yak

[Endless Goods]

I just bought 4 new 'Q clips' for my Yakima system to transfer to a different car. These four, small pieces of brake metal cost $60!!! I honestly was shocked, even expecting them to be expensive from past experience, but honestly- the price was ludicrous. I guess it was Yakima's 'convenience cost.'

I've used Yakima since '94 and can second the lack of durability. Unless taken care of very well- washed regularly, keeping skewers inside, etc.- it will corrode. I have two steelheads than completely seized up.

On a side note, back in the day, 85% of all the racks at the NORBA races I attended were THULE. Didn't seem to be much love for Yakima.

Finally...THULE and VW make a perfect combination...putting a Yakima rack on a veedub is like putting shimano on a Colnago...but we won't go there!