Bike Racks - Helpful Videos and How To Articles

Swagman Aero Gripper Roof Rack Load Bars Installation - Video

Today we are going to show you part number S65150 from Swagman. This is their Aero Gripper. What this part does is it adds to your existing roof rack. The roof rack has to have the rails that go from front to rear, and this provides a crossbar for them. There is minimal install time on this. Basically, you set the Aero Gripper on top of your roof rack, adjust the feet to match your rack, and then adjust the bar that goes across so it is even on both sides. And then install some simple, plastic stops to keep them from moving after that. more

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Posted: 10/3/2008 4:50:18 PM

Thule XTR Big Mouth Single Bike Rack Review - Video

Today we are going to show you part number TH599, the XTR Big Mouth Upright Carrier from Thule. What this bicycle carrier is designed to do is carry bikes in an upright position with both wheels attached to the bike. And this bicycle carrier will attach to all Thule roof rack models and to Yakima models also. First, I will show you some of the features of this bicycle rack, starting with how it attaches to a typical roof rack. Following, on the rear of the vehicle, you will see that the roof rack has a clamp-like system right here. And basically it has two bolts coming down and a plate and the threaded knobs that actually clamp it to your roof rack bar right here. And this is also fully adjustable on the track of the carrier itself. more

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Posted: 9/10/2008 3:47:20 PM

Swagman Camper Roof Mount Bike Rack Review - Video

Today we are going to be showing you part number S80550 from Swagman. This is their pop-up camper, roof mount, four-bike rack. A couple of features about this rack are that it does carry up to four bikes as we stated before, it fits on the roof of most pop-up trailers, it is really light duty, so there is not much weight up on the roof, it is constructed entirely out of aluminum, which is nice so you do not have to worry about rust or corrosion on it. Also it has foam bumpers on the legs to help prevent wear and tear on the camper"s roof. Also the adjustable tire rails can accommodate three bike styles, including the touring bikes, standard bikes and mountain bikes. It also comes complete with a set of tie-down straps, some bungee cords and hardware to secure the rack to the roof of the trailer itself. What comes with the roof rack is the tie-down mount here. What this does is it gets bolted into place on top of one of the roof supports. And it does come complete with a set of screws to do that. more

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Posted: 8/29/2008 12:22:01 PM

Swagman Upright Roof Mounted Bike Rack Review - Video

Today we are going to show you part number S64720 from Swagman. This is the Swagman upright roof rack. This will fit a variety of different types of roof racks that are on the market. We have one installed on a Thule roof rack and we will show you how it works. The bicycle rack will attach to the roof rack, like so, with basically a U bolt and a clamp and a couple of tension knobs. Then also on the front of the rack, with the pivot point it also clamps into place around the roof rack. It has 2 knobs on top and there is a set of 4 upfront here. Next we will show you the clamp that actually does the work on the bike itself. This clamp right here has nice rubber padding on both sides of the knob. And basically you just use this knob to screw them together and that clamps into place on your bicycle. And also, there is a built in lock here. So when you tighten it down to leave your bike on the roof rack you can simply lock it and then the handle free wheels so it will not go anywhere and you can not take it off. more

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Posted: 8/20/2008 1:14:11 PM

Thule Echelon Roof Mounted Bike Rack Review - Video

Today we are going to show you part number TH518 from Thule. This is their Echelon bicycle carrier. This bicycle carrier does fit on top of all Thule roof top racks and also some Yakim racks also. We will go ahead and show you a quick overview of how the unit installs to your existing roof rack. First you have to just lay it up there. These 2 bolts clamp down to this bar in the back and you can move it back and forth as needed. There is a clip that goes on the front bar right here. This clip here slides over the bar and you can take the bike rack and it slides onto there like so. Then you drop 2 bolts from the top down into this bracket that has threaded nuts on the bottom edge of it. It does come complete with a tool to tightens it down. The back also clamps down into place similar to the front except it uses a plate and a couple of knobs. Before you tighten these down you want to take a moment to make sure you have this going in a straight line with the vehicle so it is not going side ways. These fit and then you go ahead and tighten them down. more

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Posted: 8/12/2008 2:55:50 PM

Thule Roof Mounted Bike Rack Review - Video

Today we are going to show you part number TH517 from Thule, this is the Peloton. This is their bicycle rack that fits on top of most of the Thule roof racks assemblies out there. This is a bicycle rack that requires you to remove the front wheel to install it on the rack. We will go ahead and show you how it is done. The Peloton bike rack actually clamps onto these bars right here. There are 2 bolts that can come down from the rack itself and then there is a plate right here that tightens it on. Then up front of the vehicle there is a u-bolt that goes to the front cross bar. That is attached by 2 screws underneath the hood right here. more

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Posted: 8/10/2008 9:58:43 PM

Thule Roof Mounted Wheel Mount Review - Video

Today we are going to show you part number TH593 from Thule. This is their wheel on accessory. This mounts to any Thule roof rack system and also a few different Yakima systems also. When this type of rack requires you take off the front wheel of the bicycle, you use this part number here, the TH593, to store the wheel so you do not have to keep it inside the vehicle and take up any extra room when you do not have to. As you can see here, the device is pretty easy to install. Basically there are 4 screws and it clamps on over the bar so you just use thumb knobs to tighten them down on all 4 corners. It is basically ready to go. Also these arms right here that hold the wheel are fully adjustable. You just loosen this thumb knob here and you can move it up or down as needed. We will go ahead and install a wheel. Basically it just slides on just like on to your bike. There is a nice long groove here so you can set the wheel all the way at the bottom and so it does not rotate while you are going down the road. Then simply tighten it up like it is a fork on your bike. There you have it, stored away and ready to go down the road. There you have it for part number TH593 from Thule, the wheel on bike rack accessory. more

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Posted: 8/11/2008 7:57:38 AM

Thule Complete Roof System for Volkswagen Installation - Video

The roof of your vehicle is a great place for extra cargo, bikes, kayaks and more. Many vehicles come with factory installed racks but if yours did not it does not mean you have to miss out on the fun. Thule believes this as well and has designed after market racks for many different vehicles. Our video here shows how to install the rack on a VW Jetta and provides a better idea on what is required no matter what type of vehicle you have. It is time to get your car, van, SUV, truck decked out and start getting yourself out there! more

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Posted: 7/23/2008 3:23:26 AM