3.10.2016

I just used this yesterday for the first time having purchased it the other week.Im going to try and keep this simple, and then discuss my main points.Pros- it's solid, considering it just clamps on with no tools this thing locks on your Tow bar tight.- folds up small, you could leave this in your boot once all folded up but great if your house has little storage space.- no assembly like the more expensive platform racks Thule sell.- holds 2 bikes, which considering how small this rack is, is quite some achievement.Cons- putting a bike on does require a bit of time to make sure it's secure, it's mostly about getting the frame seated it a position that works on this rack, which is quite cumbersome for some bikes.Would require adapters which is a negative.- you need to buy a light board. I actually paid more for the light board then I did the rack, and it really is nothing special, that said your numberplate is obscured no matter what and i will discuss this further in a moment.- wheel strap is too short even for one adult bike, so buy another strap.- while it is cheaper than the other racks, it's inconvenient how it's sold. I had to buy the rack, the light board and an adaptor for the light board to fit the light board to the rack. (Which after buying became clear you didn't have to but it was more convenient to attach to the rack.)- which leads me onto Thules misinformation and poor instruction manuals. Their website says the 9761 adaptor is required to fit the 976 towbar, this is not the case, the board includes straps, the adaptor just makes it more stable and quicker.Also a lack of a UK contact number for Thule makes things a lot more hassle.I just want to explain in more depth a few specific points that I've clocked onto that others may not have.First of all if you only carry your bike once in a blue moon than this is ideal. It doesn't take up much space and all folds down neat and compact, it's the lightboard which takes up room.If however your the kind of guy that likes to take their bike out for an adventure every weekend then this isn't really for you. It's too cumbersome to set up and take down each time.If the lightboard wasn't a requirement this would be simple and quick to set up each time. But legally I would say you need to, it does block your numberplate if even only slightly so im sure you have to.My issue is, you have to load the bikes, then click the light board in and then once you arrive you have to take the light board off each time,I know that sounds like I'm being lazy, but after a ride I just want to stick my bike on the rack and head home. This also requires me to unplug it and put it in the car so it doesn't get nicked.I mainly got this model because I currently do not have the money for any better, the platform racks start at £300 and go for even more.This will do for now but I imagine at some point I'll hope to upgrade.It still gets a goood rating because it does hold my bike nice and stable and securely, but in the future I'll look to get something like the Euro ride.Hope this was helpful for those struggling.

8.5.2012

Like many others on here, I bought this bike carrier with some trepidation as I wasn't entirely convinced that a carrier that grips onto a towbar would be stable and strong enough to securely carry my new £800 two-wheeled-torture-contraption.So when it (very quickly) arrived in the post, I immediately unpacked it and set about attaching it to my car's towbar. The carrier works in a sort of scissor-action and quite simply clamps to the towbar's ball. The first time I attached it I was astonished at how strong it's grip on the bar is; I was pulling at it as hard as I could and it simply wouldn't budge! Very impressive and amazingly quick - the process of attaching my removable towbar to the car,getting the Thule carrier out of the boot and clamping it on could probably be done in under 60 seconds - it's seriously that quick.Attaching a bike to the carrier is also a simple process, although it took a few attempts to get it right. My bike (A Revolution Triad 1.0, bought from Edinburgh Bicycle, plug, plug!) has a bit of non-standard frame when it comes to where the downtube meets the fork/top tube, so the rubber strap has to stretch diagonally around the downtube, which was a little tricky at first but I've got it down to a fine art now. It should be capable of fitting bikes with chunky frames too, although I'm unsure if full-suspension bikes with outlandish frames would fit. Bear in mind that an adapter is required for women's bike frames too, and that it's not suited to kid's bikes.If you've got any concerns about your car's paintwork being damaged by this carrier, stop worrying now - it holds the carrier far enough away from the back of my Audi A4 saloon so that even the end of the closest handlebar (and sharp pedals) comes nowhere near. The carrier's grip on the towbar is such that there's no chance of it moving while in transit either.If I were to make any negative points about the carrier, I'd probably mention that the strap that's probably intended to wrap around the wheels to stop them spinning is ridiculously short - it doesn't even wrap around both the wheels on my bike alone, let alone a second one! Another is that the carrier comes with no means of locking it, despite it having a hole in the frame to do just that.However, these are very minor quibbles - if you've got a decent Krypton lock with a cable loop, you'll be able to lock the lot of it to the carrier. Remember to remove any QR bits though!Summing up...+ Folds up nice and small so it takes up barely any boot space+ Simple & seriously quick to fit+ Very secure and stable - even at 70+ MPH on the motorway+ Holds bike nice and clearly away from the boot+ No chance of it damaging either your car's or your bike's paintwork+ Rubber straps are easily replaced if broken- Supplied tethering strap far too short- Doesn't come with a lockThumbs up all round!

3.10.2011

Like many others I was a little scepticle as to how secure this rack would be - but having seen much bigger towbar mounted contraptions out there i was reasured this should work.I was a bit surprised at the size of the package i received - I thought it must be packet 1 of 2 or something but no - it really does fold up to a tiny size, so storage is not an issue.5 seconds after unwrapping that was it mounted on the car - as simple as that and SOLID - really solid - just make sure it is square across the back of the car. It can not tilt fwd/back or sideways but it can be put on squint/rotated.300 miles with bikes on and no problem - still rock solid,

14.11.2010

We've had a cycle carrier for a number of years but it was the kind that fitted on the back of a hatchback with straps and hooks that fastened around the edge of the door. It used to be really time-consuming and laborious to tighten them all and then it would take additional time to put the bikes on which could be made more difficult depending on how high they had to be lifted. With this Thule Xpress, it really is Xpress! It literally takes two seconds to fix the carrier over the towbar and the bikes just hook over the two arms.Initially, I was a bit uncertain how it would work as looking at the picture in isolation,

19.10.2016

Like many others my husband was very dubious that this scissor style bike carrier would be up to the job but having tested it on the car with our bikes, he is now full of praise for the design.The scissor frame has a good weight to it but not too heavy. It clamps over the tow bar and the horizontal tensioner is very firm to push down. I like that there is a pre-drilled hole in the frame here so that you can put a padlock on it. No one will be stealing the frame off the car! However it is also small enough that you could just take it off and pop it in the boot as it takes about 30 seconds to put on the tow bar.The mechanism for the 90 degree arms that you sit your bike on are intuitive as to how you move them.

21.1.2013

I bought this after making do with a Halfords strap type. Although it did the job it was a faff to attach it to the boot and then strap on the bikes taking about 10 minutes.However the main reason I got it was when we used this type somehow my bike came away with quite a few nasty scratches that I was not best pleased with!Also the Halfords one we have doesn't really fold up small so is not suitable to put in the boot. This one has a very simple "scissor" action and looks incredibly easy to fit - haven't actually used it yet, but will easily fit in the boot.I bought it for what I thought was a very good price of £44 from a 3rd Party seller & fulfilled by Amazon. Had no problems with their service or delivery.

13.6.2012

I was a rather disappointed in the packaging, it seemed a bit "thrown together" - but it did arrive via courier and undamaged.The following are my observations on packaging and fitting.Fitting the carrier was a bit nerve racking, as initially the fitting would not go over the towbar!! The instructions (yes, I did read them!!) do show that the locking bar could be adjusted; mine was delivered set at the third highest position out of four positions. So with an Allen Key and a spanner I moved the locking bar to the top position. because everything is tight, I needed to just move (slightly adjust) the locking bar to get the ball clamp to fit,

17.11.2010

When I first heard that this item clamped onto the ball of your towing hitch I called Thule to question how effective this could be. I envisaged it would slip once any load was applied. Having been reassured that it works very well I proceeded to buy the item (not through Amazon I might add).I've had many different bike racks and this is by far the best. It now lives in the boot of my car and can be fitted in seconds! You literally place the bottom onto the tow hitch, open the arms in a scissor action and it clamps into place. Simple but very effective.My experience with previous bike racks is that they have clamps that fit around the boot lid or straps that hold everything in place.

6.6.2011

The frame of the rack appears robust and well made. The rubber straps which clamp the bike frame to the carrier could be the weakest part. Rubber will stretch and the "hook" for the strap to go onto could soften. Time will tell.Very easy to mount onto my detachable swan neck tow bar fitted to my Skoda.Takes about ten seconds to fit though care has to be taken to correctly align it onto the tow ball otherwise the rack will not be parallel to the vehicle.The nylon straps could be longer as it is a struggle to fit them round two bikes.A few extra bungees will cure that problem.The most difficult action is mounting bikes onto the rack. You have to try several options to get the most suitable positions for both.

28.6.2012

It is really quick to put onto your tow bar. I bought another one that moved about even when adjusted, thought I was doing something wrong, but sent it back because I wasn't too sure about the safety of it! Got the Thule one and it is FAB!!! I took it out and thought, here we go again, but no, it fitted on very securely indeed. Had to loosen it a bit to be honest. Went to my first triathlon and was the quickest at getting my bike off the car and the rack safely stored inside the car, it took seconds, wish the same had been for my race!We have had two bikes on it, no problem at all. The straps fit snug and secure. I have shown it off to my neighbours who can't believe how quick and easy it is to use plus how secure it all is with bikes on.

27.6.2014

This is simplicity itself to fit. It could not be easier and is by far the most convenient bike rack I am aware of. You need a tow ball on your vehicle to which it clamps on directly that in the majority of cases will also have electrics. This means you can use your trailer board if the bikes obscure your lights. One of the great features of this design is that the rack does not touch the cars body work at all so paint finish is not affected as with some other racks I've seen. For a little extra security a small padlock fits through holes which line up when the rack is fixed and hopefully this acts as an extra deterrent to opportunist thieves because other wise the rack can be removed quite easily.

10.4.2021

I wasn’t sure how this was going to work but I read the reviews and decided to buy it.It fits easily and securely to a tow bar. And holds two bikes no problem. I can actually hold myself up on the frame and it doesn’t move. I was even able to do some tricep dips. So it gave me the confidence the frame was strong enough to drive with bikes on the back.You just need to find the right angles to put the bikes on. Different bikes will have to be adjusted to suit. I put the bikes facing opposite ways so the handle bars don’t hit off each other. I need to remove the seat on one of the bikes. The tyres are high enough off the ground and the exhaust doesn’t seem to cause any problems on the tyres.It takes seconds to install the rack to the tow bar.

20.1.2012

This is the best value Thule tow bar bike rack I could find. Thule is a highly respected & wellknown manufacturer of quality products so I had absolutely no hesitation in buying the Thule Express, especially as it is considerably cheaper than comparable tow bar models.It is in a different league to the cheaper models offered for a few pounds on ebay and it looks, weighs and feels so much better. The real test though is the way it performs...brilliantly! It clamps onto the towbar securely and feels rock solid once in place. I very quickly learnt to have faith in the carrier with our two bikes strapped on and, after a short while, virtually forgot about them.My only quibble is with the need for extra strapping to secure the bikes to the frame.

2.10.2010

I can't fault this carrier; I wanted something that was extremely quick and easy to use, to make it practical to drive part of the way to work and cycle the remainder, on a daily basis. Wrestling the bike into the back of the car wasn't doing it for me, nor was using my unwieldy older rack. I bought this today and it's perfect; I'm able to easily fit the carrier, my bike and my lightboard to the car in around 1 minute, likewise take it all off in the same time. It's surprisingly sturdy and personally I find the price incredibly cheap.Regarding the negative comment about needing a towball (which it does - it is after all a towball mounted rack), I think the poor product description is possibly down to amazon,

14.7.2011

Like other reviewers I couldn't believe that this would work. It just clips on to the towball in a few seconds, with no other connection to the car. You must put your fingers in the correct places or they might be nipped. The other important point is that the towball must be completely free from grease. If like me you use your towbar for towing it will be greasy and this must be cleaned off with petrol or some other solvent. It works perfectly. So far I have only had lightweight road bikes on it, but, heaving on it, I have no doubt that it could carry heavier bikes. It makes the strap-on racks look like something out of the stone age. Make sure you buy a light-bar and a number plate,

Thule Xpress 970 - Reviews

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