So... I went and got a hitch for my 09 Sport in anticipation of putting a Thule 917 hitch-mounted bike carrier on. Today I called the local Rack-n-Road and they advised me against putting one on any car with only a Class 1 setup and that they have seen frame damage to similar cars (Civic mentioned by name) when equipped in this way. The only carrier they recommended is the Saris Thelma, which looks nice but lacks some features I would like. The Thule weighs about 56 lbs. while the Saris is about 26 lbs. In either case I'd be carrying 1-2 road bikes of the under 20 lb. (one is under 15 even) variety. In any case Thule says the 917 is fine on Class 1 for no more then two bikes up to 60 lbs. so someone (hitch designers?) has really screwed up if they are correct.

Any experience out there regarding this?

 

i have a cheap bike rack that i put three heavy bikes around 100 lbs on my 07 no problems at all on 260 mile round trips all summer long.

 

ive stood on my towhitch and my car isnt broken.

also, it isnt the design of the hitch, its the design of the car. unibody cars do not have the strength like a full framed truck or suv or even car, has

 

Well... I stood on it too and it is clearly strong enough for that static load (about 165 lbs.), but the issue here is dynamic. Over a bump, you can have loads corresponding to much greater than 1g of acceleration and that can translate into transients much greater than 200 lbs. with only modest loads on the rack. Granted, I think I'd be fine in my use, especially with some care over the bumps, but when I've got an installer saying they have seen this kind of damage, I hate to ignore what I'm being told.

The design issue is more than just the car, it is how the hitch is connected to the car. For instance, the hitches for the 09 load four relatively small spots on the bottom of the frame rail, and the rear ones are doing all the work under tongue loads: probably two pounds of pull (total) for every pound you put on the tongue. I can imagine damage to small areas around each rear attachment point from tongue loads even though the frame rail itself would be plenty strong if the mount were welded to the frame rail over a larger area.

Also... I noticed when installing the hitch that it would be easy to have one of the plates that gets inserted into the frame rotated by 90 degrees before tightening it down if you weren't paying close attention. Torquing to spec in that configuration would really damage and weaken the steel around that hole. In other words, I also considered the possibility that hitch installation error might have been responsible for what this guy has seen.

 

BTW... I wish this were available now. Really nice setup and only 35 lbs.

Kuat - The NV

Interbike 2008 - Kuat Bike Racks Bike Rumor

I wrote them to ask what Summer 2009 means. I can only wait until June.

 

it doesnt matter about how you mount it. its still a unibody car, not a full frame truck.

 

Hitch Carrier and a Mini-Van - ThumperTalk

someone on this forum asked a very similar question, and got some great answers

 

I just got the Curt hitch installed. Purchased the Saris Thelma 3 bike rack. 31 lbs I think. The kuat is nice but.....400+ dollars. Can't see spending that kind of dinero.
Got the Saris Thelma 3 bike rack for 260 inc. shipping!!

 

Thanks... yes, very similar to my line of thinking. However, here I think the limiting factor will be the tensile strength of the rear mounting points for the hitch. Those already have a lot of leverage on them at the tongue, and a hitch carrier really extends this. I'll take some measurements and calc it out with some rough guess at the CG of the carrier and post back what I conclude.

 

Yeah... I know, I know. However, some reviews of the Thelma have pointed out some significant shortcomings that actually matter to me. A couple hundred bucks is not much in the grand scheme for something I'm going to get a lot of use from. If only the kuat were available... then I would actually have something to compare to.

Meanwhile, I suspect I'm going to conclude that the Thule is too much rack for this hitch.

 

I was worried with the same thing...too much weight on the Thule. I know others have used it but I am not willing to try. Also.....I don't like the idea of taking the heavy rack on and off.
I understand your concern on problem with the thelma. These racks have sold like crazy and I have only heard of one maybe 2 problems. Most people I either talked to or read about really love the Thelma. If you are interested in the online site that has the thelma 3 at a killer price PM me.

 

Thanks. Here are my concerns with the Thelma... maybe you can shed some light on them before I commit.

1) I don't see that it tilts down to access the hatch with a bike loaded. This is a major problem for me. A primary use is transporting the bike to/from work at the beginning and ends of my week, and that means I have intermediate drop-off of kids and/or wife (and their stuff from the back) with the bike loaded on the car.

2) I have a Scott Addict.... an online review by someone with a CR1 that has a similarly-shaped fork showed that I will need to trim the wheel cradle on the Thelma so that it doesn't contact the fork on my bike.

3) My commute is twisty mountain roads... something like 140 turns in less than 10 miles. Some reviews have called the solidity of the Thelma under those conditions into question.

Any thoughts on these?

 

You are right about Thelma not tilting down. This could pose a huge problem if you need to get in the back with bikes on. For me it would not be an issue. This is why I chose this rack. I actually ordered on Sunday and am anxiously awaiting it!

I have noticed a few people needing to trim the tray. Did not seem too big of an issue. I know it does not fit 29's or bikes with fenders.

The main issue I have heard came with there was a storm with 50 mph or so winds. The tire tray bent. Only time I have heard this problem.

I know racks can wobble. I believe this rack has the ability to tighten at the hitch to prevent this.

I am by no means an expert at bike racks. I just know what works for me and my needs!

 

Thanks... have to think carefully about the tilt limitation. I wasn't aware that the Thelma tightened at the hitch... so maybe that is a non-issue.

FWIW, I contacted the Kuat guys and they advised me that if I need it by June (I'm moving to Europe with the Fit for a year) then the Thelma was my best bet.

 

works fine for what i want it to do.

 

Fine if you can clamp the frame. I have a bike that I simply won't do that to.

 

DrPhyzx
Just wondered if you got your Saris Thelma? Which model did you go with and how do you like it?

I love mine.

 

Well... I've been waiting to post until I had something good to say. Unfortunately, I'm about to give up. I ordered a Thelma 3 from Outside Outfitters on April 5.

First... they charged me at time of order but didn't ship for over two weeks. Not cool.

Second, the first one arrived with some plastic tabs broken. I emailed and called them for a week before my messages were acknowledged. By the time they bothered to contact me they had already arranged for pickup and the box was taken from my garage by UPS when I wasn't even home (there were contractors working on the house and the garage was sitting open.) The box was packed, but not taped shut. Not my fault, but I hope it got back OK.

Finally the replacement they sent me has a broken wheel holder. The yellow lever had come apart (one of the yellow handles had come off the spindle) and the spring that enables it to latch positively had popped free and was nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, it was obviously returned previously because nothing was packed inside of the inner boxes as was supposed to be the case, including the tongue for the hitch. That thing is HEAVY and had been banging around the box beating the whole rest of it up. Finally, all the tabs that hold the tilt housing together were broken. So... overall I'm not that impressed with the durability of the Thelma, alarmed at the lack of thought that went into the packaging, and downright sorry I ever ordered from Outside Outfitters.

That about sums it up.

When I look at the Kuat NV, I wonder why it either has to weigh a ton (Thule and Yakaima) or be a piece of plastic junk (the Saris). Has nobody else heard of aluminum?