Submitted by
Mike
a Racer
from Salt Lake City Date Reviewed: August 24, 2009
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$150.00
Purchased At:
Luggage Warehouse
Strengths:
Good rear wheel strap.
Weaknesses:
The fork clamp mechanism is horrible, just like other reviews have mentioned. I almost lost my bike at 70 mph on the freeway because it is impossible to set the clamp tension correctly. Only the rear strap saved my bike from becoming shards of carbon and aluminum scattered across the road. The dropout on my fork broke, and the fork needed replacement. The clam shell clamp pressure is at its highest when it is not completely engaged, and the pressure actually releases slightly as it reaches the fully closed position. I still haven't figured out a way to make it tight enough, without making it impossible to close or open.
Similar Products Used:
Older Thule fork mount carriers (worked great).
Bottom Line:
This is a really bad design, that I do not trust putting my bike on. I am looking at replacement options.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Ben
a Racer
from SF, CA, USA Date Reviewed: September 27, 2008
Favorite Trail:
roads
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$150.00
Purchased At:
REI
Strengths:
None to speak of.
Weaknesses:
This fork mount is one of the worst on the market. It caused 2 expensive problems and it nearly ruined a bike.
The fork pins do not close with even pressure on both sides. Unlike the Yakima design, which is essentially a self-centering QR lever, the Thule Peleton can clamp down with slightly unbalanced pressure. Thule has tried to fix this with their pricier Echelon. This is a HUGE freaking problem. I have been using fork-mounts for years and I know how to set the tension properly. In a crosswind, the drop-outs on one side of my fork became dislodged, causing the other side to literally break off of my carbon fork. Later, with a different bike, I went over a speedbump at less than 5mph. The rocking motion of the car caused the same exact problem...destroying another carbon fork.
Finally, I was driving at 60 mph on a freeway when the bolt that secures the front of the mount to the crossbars simply snapped! I was so lucky that I heard it and pulled over before the rear bolt snapped as well. There is only one bolt securing the front of this mount...It's just a bad design.
Avoid this product if you care about your bikes at all. Yakima has a better design and better service.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
mtbnachos
a Cross Country Rider
from San Diego Date Reviewed: July 6, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Noble Canyon, CA
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$3.00
Purchased At:
Performance
Strengths:
Sleek, secure, only one lock required, wide tray
Weaknesses:
None so far
Similar Products Used:
Velo Vise, Big Mouth
Bike Setup:
Vassago Jabberwocky
Bottom Line:
This is THE best fork mount carrier and above/beyond the Velo Vise. I got this as a warranty replacement from my Velo Vise because of a broken fork mount adjust knob. Performance happily accepted the bad mount and replaced it! Once my bike was secured it was very stable even on bumpy dirt roads. Setup is a breeze. The wide tray can fit my Rampage 29ers, nice! The bike was very stable when I even made agressive turns on the road although I dont recommend you do that.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brandy
a Weekend Warrior
from Owings Mills, Maryland Date Reviewed: May 20, 2008
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$100.00
Purchased At:
REI
Strengths:
Easy to install. Solid fork mount. Bike is secure.
Weaknesses:
None.
Bike Setup:
Specialized WSD Stumpjumper
Bottom Line:
I initially wanting a roof top rack where I didn't have to remove the front tire. However, after doing a lot of research, I began to get skeptical about products such as the Thule Criterium, Thule Big Mouth, and Thule Sidearm. Each had its strengths/weaknesses, but several reviews had me concerned about the stability of the bike atop the car. In one review, I read that someone actually lost his bike from atop the car with the Criterium (user error, maybe?). The bottom line is that I didn't want to take the chance. All reviews of the Peloton were great, so I went with that. I'm a 5'5" small framed woman and had no trouble getting the bike atop the car and in the fork mounts. Once in the fork mounts, that bike wasn't going anywhere. Extremely easy to install and extremely easy to use. I highly recommend this product.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brando
a Racer
from Richmond VA Date Reviewed: October 2, 2007
Favorite Trail:
singletrack
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$97.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
price, lock cover, seems strong
Weaknesses:
none so far.
Similar Products Used:
Thule 590 V2 (which is being replaced under warranty
Bike Setup:
07 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR
Bottom Line:
I took the bike for a weekend getaway to the mountains of West Virginia. Route 33 all the way through to the destination, and the roads were windy and snakey enough that I felt like I needed to constantly look out the window at the bike to make sure it was still there. It didn't budge. 5 hours of those roads and not a peep nor a problem. Thule is replacing my V2 with a Peleton fork block and I'm much happier now. Claudia at Thule is very nice and helpful. Customer service is A+!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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