Thule Pack 'n Pedal Tour Rack

So when I was looking around for a rear rack for a bikepacking rig I was building up, the options were limited. Especially since I'm running a single speed set up (if you have quick releases, there are a few options). I stumbled across this rack and after reading the reviews, I nervously ordered it. It seems some folks had good success but then others did not. I had a big, 330-mile, cross-state bikepacking trip that was 70% off-road and single track and I couldn't afford to have issues on the trail.I installed the rack (and by the way, everyone is correct that this is perhaps one of the biggest frustrations to install on a bike -- I can't believe a company like Thule has not invested in better instructions and online videos -- shame on you Thule!). The rack seemed pretty solid. I have other bikepacking specific bags on my bike, so I never planned to load these down anywhere near half of the advertised limit. I probably had around 12-15 lbs. between the two bags. After doing a couple shake down commutes and day mountain biking with the setup, it still was solid, hadn't moved an inch. But would it survive my bikepacking trip?HACK: I ended up buying 4 stainless steel hose clamps, wrapping my frame with electrical tape and installing these below and up against the rack mounting points. See pictures. Result: after my 330-mile bikepacking trip, it didn't move at all. The trip included over 220 miles of off-road riding including gravel, roots, rocks, some mild drop-offs and just general trail riding. Recommendation: spend an extra $5 on hose clamps and electrical tape and you'll make this rack as solid as just about any other (as long as you don't mind the look of hose clamps...for me, it didn't matter because there's not much pretty in bikepacking :-)Summary: buy this with confidence as long as your expectations are reasonable, you don't mind this extra "hack," and of course, a couple hours for trying to figure out the mounting (again, shame on you Thule!).

This rack system employes a clever solution to the problem of mounting paniers on a full-suspension mountain bike. I purchased the rack for a 7 day bike trip from Telluride CO to Moab UT. While this rack may be well suited for commuting and light overnight camping...it did not hold up to the rigors of an extended trip with heavy loads. By the end of the trip, half of the main mounting bolts had been replaced by zip ties (so glad I brought those) as screws kept working loose during the day despite the morning ritual of checking tightness of every bolt. Also, with heavy loads in wet conditions on rough roads, the rack tends to creep down the frame.Although a separate product, the Side Frames are also better suited to commuting and light travel over smoother surfaces. The rails were too flimsy for substantial loads. The screws worked themselves loose and caused a bag ejection at one point.Until I can find a better solution for extended travel...this rack will suffice.

This rack will likely fit your bike and look good on it. Whether it is solid once on will depend on how much effort you put into mounting it and making sure it is properly positioned *for your bike*. It can get a little tricky.One issue I had was that I failed to treat the installation as if I were installing a bicycle part. If I had only done that and greased the threads ahead of assembly (manual doesn't point this out) or simply taken my time more when tightening the bolts, I wouldn't have ended up with one bolt friction-welded into the threads of a stainless-steel strut. The interaction with Thule customer service was to the point and very pleasant. They wasted no time in sending out the parts that had gotten mangled in my first mounting attempt.I have so far only used the rack without its deck, for mounting a Thule Pack 'n Pedal basket on top. Check my customer image if you're wondering how well that might work for you. Also in the image is the Powertye 50152 cargo net. The assembly is solid, silent and problem-free other than having to fling my leg a little higher to clear my bike's brand new "trunk".

Guaranteed to turn heads and have people looking at your your rack instead of your eyes in conversation!This is an extremely stable mounting solution that can support higher load than most other types of bike racks on the market. It even fit my very non-standard electric bike which has extra thick bars and extra wide axle thickness. My only complaint is that the ratcheting system can be a bit nerve wracking. The mounting instructions indicate that you should use a torque wrench, which most people don't have. To make matters even more difficult for those of us who are sticklers for rules, this rack calls for two different tension ratings for the different parts that need to be tightened. I ended up hand tightening since my torque wrench took a few days to arrive from amazon. I ended up returning the torque wrench after I was confident that i didn't over or undertighten.For those of you who have carbon fiber frames however, I would recommend that you follow the manufacturer's instructions and use a torque wrench. The tension system from the attachments are probably capable of generating enough force to crush carbon tubes.

I ordered this for my mountain bike (Intense 6.6) to use for yucky weather commutes -- it's a clever idea and could in principle work really well ... BUT as the packaging says, it works for nearly all bikes. The rack is designed to rest on top of the rear triangle, and the size allows a fair bit of fitting flexibility, but unfortunately on the Intense the hydraulic brake line runs along the top of the LH side of the rear triangle (not impossible to finesse) and the rear derailleur cable runs along the top of the RH side. There didn't seem to be any way to give that cable free movement under/above or to the side of the strap clamps -- I confirmed this by phoning Thule support.So, this would be a good rack IF you don't have critical cables running along the top of the rear triangle.

The picture at present date (July 2016) is currently showing an older version of this product, but we received the modern version, which was rather what I hoped.For me this was a solution for front rack for a bicycle I couldn't find any other front rack to fit. We loaded it pretty heavily, by front rack standards, using the side frames, which was necessary to attach Ortlieb panniers. We did not find it coming loose or slipping down as another reviewer experienced. Most riding has been on road. It advises an 18kg load limit, so I can understand it might be a bit limited as a rear rack for a full touring load. Allow plenty of time to fit the rack, as it is not like other racks, and takes a bit of getting used to the fitting method. It is held on by straps tightened by ratchets. A device is provided to release the ratchets if you need to refit. I had to release them ratchets and try again a few times before I was happy with the fit.

Good quality and light weight perfect for full suspension bikes and comes with 3 types of bar sizes to fit to different size and shape bikes for a perfect fit. It can have other attachments fitted to it for different applications and has a 25kg weight limit easy to fit and can be removed easily with the key you get with it. I use mine to hold my E Bike Battery and it works perfect. I would highly recommend this product 10/10

excellent - pricey but easily worth it

Excellent for carrying panniers on a mountain bike. Did slip down the frame a touch but perhaps I overloaded it. Expensive but then all Thule stuff is, and it's always well designed and thought out.

Excellent product! Does its job well.