Author's product rating: 
| Advantages: |
Very quick and easy to use, keeps rear lights visible, very robust |
| Disadvantages: |
Increases fuel consumption |
| Recommend to potential buyers: |
yes |
This is a fantastic cycle rack made by the market leader in car racks so you know it's well built and will be very robust.
The unique selling point of this rack for me was that it fits on the rear of the car but does not obstruct the lights or number plate like many other rear mounted racks. This means you stay legal (and safe) with your rear lights and number plate still visible to traffic behind you. It also means you do not have to buy extra lights or number plate to hang off the back.
FITTING
I found the instructions quite easy to follow and even putting it together was fairly straight forward. You need to first make sure your car is compatible with this rack before you buy it - the list of cars is on the thule website and should be advertised at the point of sale. Once fitting it to your car, the first time is the hardest as you have to get the hooks to the right length. But after the first time, it is then very easy to put on and off.
It is attached to the boot of the car by 4 rubber coated hooked bars - 2 at the top and 2 at the bottom. You hook the top 2 under the rim of the boot then let the rack hang on its own weight. You then adjust the bottom 2 hooks which screw in or out until you find the right length. There is a spring loaded locking mechanism on each arm which is pushed down to lock each arm in place. The locking mechanism works by pulling the lower hooks tight, thus securing the rack very firmly to the car.
And that is all there is to it, no extra straps are needed. To take it off again you simply lift the arms on the locking mechanism and the lower arms will loosen so the hooks can come off the rim of the boot. Trust me, it is really easy and you can do it on your own after the first time in about 2 minutes.
THE RACK
As for carrying bikes, it does the job very well. It can carry up to 2 full sized mountain bikes which are securely held in place with rigid clamps that attach to the frame of each bike. The clamps can also be locked with a key to prevent anyone from taking the bikes off the rack. There are also plastic fasteners which secure each wheel to the bottom of the rack.
You can still open the boot of the car with the bikes attached, although I must admit it does make it quite difficult under the weight. You can pretty much drive around as normal with the rack on the back. It does not affect the handling of the car in any way and is completely secure, even over bumpy ground and motorways. The only down side is that it does affect the aerodynamics of the car and fuel consumption will increase slightly. I found this only to be by about 5-10 miles per gallon but it probably depends on the car. Your rear view will obviously be slightly obstructed but you can see through the bikes quite well.
Overall, if you're looking for a bike rack, this should certainly be considered as it is quick to use and very convenient to store as it folds up flat. These may cost slightly more than other racks but thats because you're paying for the quality of a Thule and the convenience of being able to put it on and off so quickly without fiddling around with straps.
If I had to buy another rack, Id' buy Thule but I'd go for a roof mounted rack, purely because roof bars can be used to transport more than just bikes. This bike rack can only be used for bikes!
This product has not yet been reviewed. 
