Thule Easy Fold XT2 Bike Rack- Will all these bikes fit?

I review the Thule easy fold XT2 bike rack. I test out what bikes can fit on the rack including e bikes.

[@smoothboothe]

Brilliant review. We have just switched from a estate to SUV car and the bike racks on top of the car is hard work! Especially with the mountain Bikes. However we have 4 bikes...2 adults and 2 kids. Your review has swayed my mind that the way forward is this type of rack, just need to find one that can carry 4 bikes now!

[@bestdayevermtb2]

To be honest if I was getting a rack for 4 bikes I would get one that the bikes hang vertically. You do need a square hitch on the tow bar but they are so much easier to use.

[@thomascaley1170]

Love your video so much when I see you posted it makes my day

[@bestdayevermtb2]

Thanks for that. Might be a challenge to keep them coming. Haven't been for a ride for 4 weeks.

[@bradatkin938]

Recently picked up a Yakima Holdup 2 from 99bikes. Very simple system that mounts to the 2in receiver and holds our two ebikes with ease. Very impressed for a $700 rack.

[@bestdayevermtb2]

Sounds good.

[@ocbyn]

Nice and informative video Lance. I have the 3 version of this rack. It is great as it is easy to remove the rack and pop it inside the car if you park somewhere with limited space. You are right though, like many racks - it takes a little time to find the best fit solution, but I have had 2 eebs and a std bike on mine. I have found it plenty wide enough-I line up the axles of my Trek Rail (Factory Edition!!) with the outside edges and all is great.

[@bestdayevermtb2]

I do wish I had got the three rack for more space. I mostly carry one bike. I didn't want the bike to rest on the battery which is why I got this rack.

[@derekharper6031]

Great and as usual real review.. the LBS have no idea as most of the employees have never used most of the racks let alone fitted ebikes on them I had the yakima hold up two and was great as someone else said below re the clamping onto tyres. I had to change this for a yakima fold click 2 that looks almost identical to that Thule... same issues as you describe with that frame just not being high enough. I have a merida e160 900e and partner a merida e espresso in female frame now that is a challenge to fit. For the female step thru frame you have nowhere to lock the clamp on effectively. So you need one of those clamps that goes around the front and rear of the seat tube to create a horizontal frame attachment type point. BUT the that makes it a high mounting point that those clamps struggle to reach. Only other advice I would give is never ever just rely on those clamps to hold your expensive ebike even if you just have one bike on the rack. Yes the straps on the rims would hold it but if the main frame clamp let's go or cracks and releases the bike would pivot backwards and get dragged behind the car. I always use a secondary strap to hold the bike(s). And also agree that a bike beyond a large frame would not have a lot for the wheels to sit on. I would recommend before any bike rack purchase you actually fit it on your car at the store and put your bike(s) on it... for anyone interested I have a current model Mazda MX5 ND retractable fastback model with this rack on it and works amazingly well. No real option to roof mount :)

[@bestdayevermtb2]

I agree the rack has flaws and I think I could improve the design. To be honest I had to order a rack and had been waiting awhile for it so didn't have the option of trying it first. It works well with one bike especially as the bike leans back towards the ute. More hassle with two. On the 2 prong rack I once had one bounce off but was still attached by the wheels. It got dragged down the road. Thanks for the advice.

[@marksouthall1217]

Lance, I'm enjoying your videos . Especially the Riverhead forest ones. I'm a recent e-mountain biker (57yrs) and Riverhead is where I head most weekends. I have two Giant emtbs (Trance and Stance). I use the same bike rack. Bought solid aluminium extenders off Cycle Science in Lower Hutt. These raise the height of rear bar allowing the long arm to reach across the bike closest to the car to the outside bike and it's top cross tube. No extra securing required. Just the arms and the wheel straps. We travel all over the upper North island no probs. Mark

[@bestdayevermtb2]

Was that a Thule accessory or custom made?

[@marksouthall1217]

@@bestdayevermtb2 Thule accessory

[@thaiduong7315]

I have a Thule 2 bike rack and replaced the standard arms with Fiamma Bike-block arms which are compatible and widely avaliable in NZ. The size 1 and 3 are about the right spacing for Thule. They use a ratchet loop to fix the bike which is lower profile and more secure, the bike can't slip out of the arm and grind the handlebars on the road. The arms also have a bend which makes it easier to fit multiple bikes.

[@bestdayevermtb2]

Sounds interesting. I must have a look at that. The thule arms are a bit fiddly.

[@threadzz]

Great tip about the Fiamma arms. No locks on these arms?

[@thaiduong7315]

@@threadzz no locks with the fiamma arms. Bit of a trade off but I didn't trust the Thule clamps were that secure anyway so try to park in view of the bikes with a few beefy locks if unattended for a short while.

[@CarkeekW]

Good having a rack behind the vehicle , less drag and you don't wipe out the bikes after a long day pulling into the garage .

[@bestdayevermtb2]

I would also never get my e bike on the roof..

[@tedwensing1842]

As you said the top bar of the rack should be higher, i added a extra hoop above the top stand I also got a three bike clamp for the second bike and shorted it to make it half way between a two and a three clamp to give the bikes good clearance.

[@bestdayevermtb2]

Thanks for that. May look into that more. Saying that I mostly just have one bike on it so works really well for that.

[@emtbisrael]

Interesting video ...been thinking of investing in a bike carrier like that ..thanks for posting

[@bestdayevermtb2]

Hope it was helpful. I am certainly happier carrying my bike this way. Not perfect but does the job.

[@wayneo6931]

we used roof rack mounts for x3 mountain bike but became to hard for my short height (And very time consuming). Ended up with a "shredder" bike rack (hang vertically). Awesome bit of kit, NZ made. So fast and easy to load. heavy built so they do weigh a bit. No touching (I am super fussy about my gear and scratches).

[@bestdayevermtb2]

I do like the North shore style racks that hang vertically. Good for lots of bikes. 99% of the time I only have 1 bike. This is easy as the bike is heavy and don't need lift much.

[@GeoffwithaGeee]

I'd like to see a video of dad's army doing some jumps on that 16" bike 😆

[@bestdayevermtb2]

We had a race on the 440 pump track. That was hard enough.

[@alistairstewart9080]

Got the ezi bike rack, has the bar in the middle, much better configuration & really easy loading & very easy to get 2 ebikes on it. No faffing around like you're doing.

[@bestdayevermtb2]

One reason I got the Thule was I didn't have to change the tow ball over. Must admit not easy with multiple bikes but much better for one ebike than resting the bikes weight on the plastic battery cover.

[@alistairstewart9080]

@@bestdayevermtb2 I get that, but for me my main use of towbar is bike rack. Changing the towball Once in a blue moon for towing trailer is bearable for me. Great videos though Lance!

[@ToddNZMTB]

Anyone seen a mountain bike on the side of the North Western recently? Ha ha 😄

[@smbmxable]

I had one of the Thule racks until I got a carbon bike and then I swapped to a Yakima 2 up rack because they hold the bike from the front wheel and not the frame and I didn't have to stuff around with those arms that can be a pain in the ass with multiple bikes on it.

[@bestdayevermtb2]

Yes I must admit it is not perfect. Almost thought about taking it back but not much about at the moment. It is great for one bike which is me 99% of the time.

[@charlesslwilson]

Always put the biggest and heaviest bike nearest the back of the vehicle as helps limit the stress on the bike rack. Good stuff

[@bestdayevermtb2]

That is what I should do I know but when I put the KTM on the inside the handle bar touches the window. I also have to use the seat tube which is more awkward than the top tube. It is by no means a perfect system.

[@charlesslwilson]

@@bestdayevermtb2 ah fair enough

[@ITSAMN88]

For the bike with carbon frane there is an carbon frame accessory from thule that you need to buy and use it to keep your carbone frame secure and safe

[@graemelindup7959]

We have that rack and can fit 2 Turbo Levos on it but with some extenders for the Thule vertical tubes - we bought the solid extenders with the rack from Thule via our LBS - I got an machine shop to cut off 40mm from each tube with a mechanical hacksaw so it was a neat finish and then fitted the extenders myself. The clamps can then come off the horizontal piece and clamp onto the top tube. My wife then modified a pool noodle and attached that to the tubes and made some velcro straps to pull the first bike on back against the noodle. The second bike is then clamped using the long clamp to the top tube. I dont trust the clamps and use a stretchy around the top tube back to the rack tube to act as backup. I also use another stretchy to tie the inner bikes pedal to the vertical Thule tube to stop the pedals rotating while driving and so avoiding a pedal striking the outer bikes frame and scratching it. Can send photos if you want.

[@bestdayevermtb2]

It always sounds complicated but once you have a system that works it is not that much trouble. Saying that you really should not have to modify a very expensive bike rack to use it as it was intended. I typically only travel with one bike and it works great for that but with two is a bit fiddly.

[@km4089]

Nice informative video thanks, thinking about getting one of these. Would it fit on a 4x4 with a spare wheel on the rear door. The ball hitch sticks out parallel with the back of the spare wheel.

[@kielerkiwiman4989]

Check out plummet industries. Made in Taranaki. I got the three bike one. Never looked back.

[@bestdayevermtb2]

Will have a look at that.

[@justinsandstad5399]

I bought a Thule Easy Fold when getting back into MTB with a large Specialized Fuse 29 Comp hard tail. Worked well, but when upgraded to an Orbea Rise M10 large I found the hoop was too small in width and height to be able to comfortably locate clamping positions on the carbon frame. I ended using a Yakima top tube bar and clamping to that.... downside being it peeled back the ride wrap I had painstakingly installed on the head tube and worn some paint. Trying to load two full suspension bikes of the same size and geo is problematic.

[@bestdayevermtb2]

I feel your pain. I have struggled with two E bikes myself at times. The design needs a rethink.

[@doctorpc4x4]

Next week you can enter the bike tetris competition

[@miketodd2036]

Hi mate. We have a Thule bike rack a bit different to yours. After a couple of times fitting the bikes on it is great. The bar at the back seems big than yours. We can get two e bikes on just great

[@bestdayevermtb2]

Hi Mike Thanks for the feedback. I think once you have found a way that works it is pretty quick and easy to put them on.

[@martyromeyn1812]

Hi lance you can buy a riser kit for this bike rack.also got a longer arm which holds 2nd bike very up right.riser kit makes back higher so clamps down as you mentioned.

[@bestdayevermtb2]

Thanks for that Marty. May have to check that out.

[@maazarati]

This kind of rack is so much better an easier to deal with for multiple bikes. I had the fork ones and on a long drive it was so difficult to keep the bikes apart and secure. I went with the Yakima JustClick model which has that back bar much higher so its easier to get the arms through the bikes. It has also has deeper tyre wells so it stops the bike wheels moving without having to do up the straps tight however the new 2.8in tyres are about the limit. Are you going to get rid of the Taniwha?

[@bestdayevermtb2]

I once had a bike slide off the 2 prong rack. Dragged it down the road at 100km/hr. Always something rubbing. I will keep the Taniwha. It is a very special bike to me.

[@alandragicevich2421]

Hey Lance, how far do your 29er wheels extend on the sides of the Ute? Been thinking about getting a platform rack myself, but my wheels will be extending almost 200mm on each side of my car.

[@bestdayevermtb2]

I don't think the wheels extend out beyond the ute. Not that I have noticed anyway.

[@mycoolcar]

The black Avanti road bike looks pro, when are we going to see you doing a TT on it?

[@bestdayevermtb2]

It is my wife's bike. It is tiny, way too small for me. My wife is the athlete in the family.

[@jiriteach]

Great video - thanks for the review. Considering a x3 version of this rack but not sure if my Rail 7 will fit it. What were the sizes of that Orbea Rise or your KTM? Large? - Just trying to gain an idea of the wheelbase. L's are ~ 1240 ~ ish and based on the video it would fit. Thanks

[@bestdayevermtb2]

I think both bikes were larges. I have had the rack awhile and it is awesome with one bike on but have had lots of frustrations with two bikes. I recently wanted to put my E road bike on and a small mountain bike. I gave up and took the wheels off and put the mtb in the back of my ute. I would definitely go for the three and plan to put two bikes on it. I did put an extra large Marin on it and the straps only just did up. The same for a large Giant Reign E bike. The main benefit of this rack is it folds up for storage. If this is not an issue then I would possibly consider other options. Saying that if you only have two bikes and they fit on easily it is a good rack. Ideally take both bikes to shop and try it out.

[@jiriteach]

@@bestdayevermtb2 - Awesome. Thanks mate!

[@PlateauproductionsCoNz]

do you ever put your bike in the back of the ute, with the front wheel off?

[@bestdayevermtb2]

I do sometimes but even with the front wheel off it is awkward. The space is not large. A station wagon has much more room.

[@PlateauproductionsCoNz]

@@bestdayevermtb2 cheers for that

[@jeremyharris4415]

Nothing wrong with the video mate we can not do much else we us Auckland is in lockdown and we can not go mountain biking at the moment

[@bestdayevermtb2]

I haven't been for a ride not even a road ride for 4 weeks. Feeling very sad. Dad's Army message each other but I really miss their company.

[@jamesbailey5083]

I was just wondering what the weight limit would be on on this

[@bestdayevermtb2]

It states load capacity as 60kg. 2 Ebikes are no issue.

[@larrymoens20]

Will the extra length of a Townie fit the rack

[@bestdayevermtb2]

What is a townie?

[@larrymoens20]

A Electra Townie is a bike that has the pedals built more forward of the seat which allows the rider to sit lower thereby making it easier to reach their feet to the ground. The bikes are longer than the average bike. The Townie is a subsidiary of Trek.

[@bestdayevermtb2]

@@larrymoens20 I learn something every day. I don't think the rack would cope well with long bikes. I did put a Giant Reign e bike on it and could only just get the wheel straps to work. Definitely worth trying before buying.

[@MrSupermugen]

i absolutely hate these kinda racks, they are a pain, literly. ive been putting mine on the roof of the suv, but would buy that nz made one that hangs but i've heard bad storys about hot much stress in the headtube area/headset, some guys overseas with similar ones reckon it causes more of the dreaded csu creaking.

[@bestdayevermtb2]

I would ultimately like to get a Van and just wheel the bike in. Getting an e bike on the roof is beyond me.

[@MrSupermugen]

@@bestdayevermtb2 yeah 100%, a small van is ideal, very common in the UK those small VW's. when i travel long distance now i will remove front wheel and put inside the truck, then dont have to worry when we stop for maccas on the way lol

[@kielerkiwiman4989]

Is that number plate for sale 😂🔥

[@carolinaphilp9690]

They don't work with the s5 kenevo as its too long..

[@bestdayevermtb2]

I could definitely imagine it not working on some bikes. I thought when I started the video that I may not be able to get some bikes on but with time I made my bikes fit.

[@neiljitsu]

Could put 2 adult bikes and a kids bike it?

[@bestdayevermtb2]

If you got the three bike one that would work.

[@michalmalanowicz7595]

Thule is overpriced and their gear at the moment is not designed to carry out e-Bikes. Hope this will change soon. So, this particular solution is nice, but if you put 2 or more e-Bikes to the back of your not-so-big car, then it can even lift the car under acceleration. Mounting e-Bike on a roof is a disaster. Despite the bike is very heavy - racks are way too short for modern e-Bikes with slack geometry. Go back to design table Thule!

[@bestdayevermtb2]

Luckily the weight is not an issue for my ute but I know what you are saying. I do think improvements are possible but it certainly is significantly better than the 2 prong rack I used for all those years.

[@michalmalanowicz7595]

@@bestdayevermtb2 Thats for sure, you made a whole video about it. But let me tell you, there is a company from Slovakia - Aguri, which sells those things at literally half the price of Thule. And yes, overall quality is a bit worse (but still very good) but it accommodates e-Bikes much better... I'm sure you'll find something similar in NZ.