Tested: Thule ProRide 598 rack

Words: Justin Morris

Thule have been in the bike carrying game for a long time now, the ProRide 598 being their latest offering in the car roof top mounting department. Established in the 1940s in Malmo, Sweden, Thule began plying their trade producing racks for fishing rods.

But, at some stage, it must have become clear that a discerning fisherman might want to take a bicycle (as well as his rod) to the local fishing hole, perhaps to reach more desirable and remote locations for a decent catch. Anyway, fishing aside, by the 1990s Thule was an industry leader in bike carriers for cars. Since then they have branched out into most ways of carrying things – from bike bags to backpacks and even phone cases.

I was lucky enough to test the ProRide 598 roof rack for a good three months of varied use. I used it to transport bikes across town to my workshop and back, I took the mountain bike on a few varied missions to races and trails involving some more gnarly off road driving and also utilised it in an elite road race situation on a team car in the national road race championship. It was a fairly varied workload designed to put the rack through its paces.

Installation was the first step, and I needed to combine the ProRide 598 with some roof bars first. The Thule WingBar has been designed for minimal wind noise, and designed around a 'T slot' which makes fitting the Thule racks like the ProRide 598 really solid. Thule provides all required tools and hardware with the rack to get it on top of your chosen vehicle.

It seems no vehicle is an obstacle for this rack with an extensive range of mounting adapters. You can do a search on their website to see what works for your car. Mine was going atop a Subaru Outback. Mounting the rack was rather time consuming, compared to some other roof rack systems I have used. 

However once mounted it was as solid as a rock. I feel the biggest appeal of this rack lies in the installing and removing of your chosen bike into the rack. I was using a traditional road bike and a carbon fibre dual suspension mountain bike. Both got into the rack with absolute ease.

Place the wheels in the wheel tray and then it is just the one fully adjustable frame holder bar that clamps onto your down tube. Crank that up with the torque limiter dial and then strap the rims down with simple diagonally installed straps and your bike is safe and secure on your roof.

RRP: $299

From: Thule Australia

The torque limiter dial may be of interest to those running rather precious lightweight carbon fibre road bikes as this prevents you from cranking the frame holder up too much that you may damage the frame material. There is also a key locking system included on this dial. If you need to leave your car in a parking lot whilst you go shoe shopping, or take the kids to the park, or buy some milk or whatever – you can lock your pride and joy to your rack and rest assured the unconscionable does not happen. 

Once you have rocked up at your favourite trail, road ride, road race or bike shop it only takes a total of about five seconds to remove the bike. Push the button at the base of the fame holder and boom – your bike is free! Be sure to undo the wheel tie down straps first, then lower your bike down to its natural habitat – dirt or tar!

This whole process I found a breeze. It’s easily done solo – in fact on one occasion I was in the midst of an engaging telephone conversation and was able to get my bike off the roof with one arm whilst my other hand was preoccupied holding my mobile.

Driving over precarious terrain is one situation where I have seen my fair share of roof racks come unstuck. While using the ProRide 598, I took my car on some severely corrugated roads en route to a mountain bike event. About 25km of constant vibration was not enough to shake my trusty mountain bike loose from the roof rack.

The frame holder is made up of quite large, soft claw-like pads that disperse pressure over a large portion of the down tube. Also the diagonal tie down straps on the wheels is a good idea, a pioneering thought there from Thule. Pressure is well spread on this rack meaning the bike is stable over most terrain. 

I also used the rack to mount a spare bike for a road cycling team I manage in a few races. Those who have witnessed a road race convoy will know that the driving can get rather testing – high speeds, fast cornering and sometimes quick braking is all part of the juggernaut of a race convoy. The ProRide worked a treat. 

The ‘sparey’ stayed atop the roof with no problems after many laps of Mt Bunniyong at race pace. The rack was appealing for this role as apart from some very expensive euro style racks, the ProRide was one of the easiest and quickest to remove a bike from which is crucial in a race situation. 

If driving in and out of restricted height parking areas is something you frequently do – and your memory gets the better of you – then any roof mounted rack may not be the best option. Thule also make a fabulous tow bar mounted rack that I have also used. The ProRide is a two wheel mounted roof rack, which means it does sit high above your car and that’s something to consider if you have a very tall vehicle or are vertically challenged yourself.

The main benefit of this rack for me was the ease of installation and removal of the bike. Also, the added security and stability factors of the ProRide makes this the roof rack of choice for pretty much any bike and any situation. 

With a generous weight limit of 20kg, nearly any bike can get on this rack and the very adjustable frame holder means anything from kids’ bikes to 29er mountain bikes can be accommodated no worries. Pack your bike up and get going on that road trip or adventure with all your boot space ready to be filled with other fun tools.

Pros

– Secure bike storage outside your car

– Lockable

– Easy to store and remove your bike

Cons

– Not great for underground carparks

RRP: ProRide 598 – $299 for silver, $329 for black. WingBar from $354

From: thule.com.au