Thule, the Swedish brand of premium vehicle accessories now offers a wide variety of accessories for the transportation of all kinds of leisure equipment, an extensive range of luggage and even baby seats, but it is their bicycle carrying solutions that were where it all started.
Thule’s bicycle carrying solutions, whether roof or towbar mounted, are well known for facilitating easy and safe transportation of bicycles and in that way limiting any chance of damage to bicycles or vehicles.
Thule remains committed to continuously improving their product range based on real world use and feedback from customers. Thule also understand that the bicycles that are being ridden today are vastly different to what riders were using a few years ago. In order to accommodate these requirements Thule have refined their range of bicycle racks, making them perfect for modern cyclists.
Last year Thule launched the revolutionary Epos, which introduces a new way of attaching bicycles to the carrier with the utilisation of an innovative telescopic bicycle attachment system.
Now Thule are launching two new towbar mounted bicycle carriers that prioritise ease of use, both when loading and unloading bicycles and when it is time to put all the toys away.
All-new Thule Outpace
The Thule Outpace is a lightweight and compact platform style towbar mounted bicycle carrier that can transport up to three bicycles.
The Thule Outpace uses the same independent, articulating arms along with an adjustable pivoting head and strap as the award-winning Epos. This system is designed to accommodate a wide range of bicycle frames and designs up to a maximum weight of 50kg. The design also allows for bicycles to be loaded or unloaded in any order.
What makes the Outpace unique is that its foldable nature ensures that it fits snugly into your garage or the boot of your vehicle, which makes it an ideal choice for cyclists with limited storage space. A carrying handle and lightweight design ensure easy handling and installation, making it ideal for casual use.
When the vehicle is parked the rack can be tilted vertically to save space, such as when you want to close the garage door with the rack fitted to your car. As with Thule’s other racks, a tilt function facilitates access to the boot even when fully loaded.
The Thule Outpace 2-bike and 3-bike will be available online and in stores from August and September respectively.
Completely refreshed EasyFold 3
The all-new Thule EasyFold 3 takes over from the highly successful EasyFold XT and offers greater flexibility that facilitates the transport of a variety of bicycle styles including e-bikes.
The Thule EasyFold 3 builds on the brands tried and tested bicycle carrying design with a number of new features. A new platform offers enhanced flexibility in order to accommodate a wider range of bicycle styles, including e-bikes.
An innovative new bike arm with a strap and pivoting head incorporating soft padding ensures a secure fit on frames ranging in size from 22mm to 90mm, making it suitable for everything from children’s bicycles to chunky mountain bikes. Each arm is individually lockable, ensuring bicycle safety once loaded. The securing arm now attaches to the platform via an intuitive click-in/click out attachment that allows for one handed loading and unloading of bicycles.
Generous spacing of 250mm and the ability to accept long wheelbases allows the EasyFold 3 to also accommodate larger bicycles and e-bikes, ensuring that you can load bicycles for the whole family or your cycling crew without breaking a sweat. The EasyFold 3 also incorporates enhanced capacity for family adventures as it is capable of transforming from a two-bike to a three-bike or from a three-bike to a four-bike using an additional bike adaptor.
A fully foldable design ensures that the EasyFold 3 is simple to store and transport when not in use.
The Thule EasyFold 3 can be enhanced with a number of accessories including the aforementioned bike add on, a folding loading ramp, longer wheel straps and a storage bag.
A sleek modern design along with integrated lighting will ensure that the EasyFold 3 compliments any modern vehicle.
The new Thule EasyFold 3 is available online and in stores from June.
The advantages of a towbar mounted bicycle carrier
A towbar mounted bicycle carrier is a great option if you already have a towbar on your vehicle or plan on installing one. These racks are easy to mount and limit heavy and high lifting, which is especially important to e-bike owners.
Towbar mounted racks will have the smallest effect on the fuel consumption of your vehicle, as the bicycles travel in the slipstream of the vehicle, which is an important consideration given the ever-increasing fuel price. With a towbar mounted bicycle carrier it is also easy to keep an eye on your precious cargo via your rear-view mirrors.
Integrated lights that are powered by a trailer style power connector and a number plate recess ensure easy compliance with road traffic laws.
Prioritising ease of use
Thule’s range of high-quality bicycle transportation solutions prioritise ease of use and safe transportation. These new models uphold Thule’s reputation of manufacturing equipment of an extremely high quality, which is backed up by a five-year warranty.
Shop online or in store today
Thule’s wide range of rooftop cargo carriers, bicycle racks, accessories, luggage and car seats are available from Thule Concept stores located throughout South Africa. For more information please visit www.thulestore.co.za
