HI,

We've just placed a deposit down on a Skoda Yeti, im just looking for advise on bike carriers and roof rail compatibility.

 

im looking at getting the OEM skoda roof rails are these compatible with Thule bike carriers such as

https://www.thule.com/en-gb/gb/bike-rack/roof-bike-racks/thule-proride-_-598002

 

or do i need the full thule system ?

 

Thanks

 

Adrian

I have found these guys to be extremely helpful for all things roof bar & bike carrier related www.roofbox.co.uk

 

Personally, I like the fit of Thule roof bars.

I have the Thule wing bars on my Octavia with a couple of Thule 591 bike carriers & a Inno 389 tyre hold bike carrier. All are very well made & up to the job.

Any bike carrier which uses T-track bolts (like this) will be fine on the Skoda roof bars.  I don't know whether the Thule carrier you linked to uses T-track bolts* but my Thule carrier does, and it fits just dandy.  You may find that you need to move the large mounting plate (the one with the locking flip catch and the pivot for the supporting arm for the bike) along the rail a bit in order to (i) get the two mounting plates the right distance apart to fit the fixed spacing of ther Yeti roof bars, and (ii) in order to make sure that the tail end of the carrier doesn't foul the tailgate when you open it fully (not an obvious gotcha, but one with the potential to result in a bit of an "oops" moment if you get it wrong).  On my Thule carrier you have to loosen two or three hex bolts on the large mounting plate to adjust its position on the carrier rail.  (You can also flip the supporting arm over so it's easy to remove the bike from your preferred side of the car - the nearside in my case.  I see a fair few folks driving around with bikes on top of their cars with the supporting arm the 'wrong' way round, so that they have to drop the supporting arm completely in order to get the bike off, rather than just releasing the downtube clamp and letting the bike topple gently into their hands.)

 

* I would be surprised, and very disappointed. if the Thule carrier you linked to doesn't use an industry standard attachment like T-track bolts.  Adopting a non-standard fitment would be another insidious way for a manufacturer to try to tie customers into their complete 'system', rather than enabling choice.

Thanks for the great responses, i will check the carrier mountings but im sure it uses the standard attachments.

I've got the Thule square bars and the 775 footpack, which is the only Thule option that fits around the Yeti's fat roofbars.  My bike rack is the Thule 598 with the square bar fitting.  I use the square bars simply because my last car had them and I couldn't be bothered changing the fittings on the bike racks. 

That Thule bike rack does include a T-track option - I used one on my Yeti for years (in fact it was a semi-permanent attachment).  Mine was on Thule wing bars, but as said above, so long as your bars have the T-track slot along the top, the rack will go on (along with other stuff like roofboxes etc).

 

It's a bit of a reach to get a bike up there, so I hope it isn't heavy (our new XC60 is even taller, luckily my MTB is carbon fibre!).

The Thule 598 come with T-Track bolt kit that should work with other T-Track bars. If you have no other reason for getting the Skoda bars for your Yeti then get the Thule Wingbar  Edge. If you buy them altogether from a place like Roofrack you can request them all to keyed alike, so you only need the key, at minimal cost and some places will do it free. 

48 minutes ago, weasley said:

It's a bit of a reach to get a bike up there, so I hope it isn't heavy (our new XC60 is even taller, luckily my MTB is carbon fibre!).

 

I keep one of these in my boot (tucks neatly between the back of one of the rear seats and the spare wheel boot floor).  Handy for lifting the bike down, and for getting the roof clean when washing the car (eg after carrying a muddy bike up top!)

There are different size t bolts (the square end). The Thule one might fit but not be strictly correct. 

I’d strongly suggest getting a tow bar mounted one if you can. Getting filthy bikes on top of a car when tired can be difficult. I have also seen too many bikes that have been damaged by things overhanging the road. Also there is a temptation to leave roof racks on when not in use which affects fuel economy. 

All good thoughts, but on the flip side, you have to have somewhere to store a towbar-mounted one, it significantly increases the length of the car making parking more awkward and you have to have a towbar.  I have used a roof-mount since around 2007, moving the rack from car-to-car having been used on a BMW 1-series, Volvo V50, Yeti and now our XC60.  I have never had a moment's issue.  That said, I am planning to get a towbar rack soon to carry the whole family's fleet of bikes (four on the roof would be a bit of a pain, not to mention draggy).

Thanks for the reply

 

Think im going to go for the 

 

Thule Wingbar edge 9583, but does any one know which length i will need to fit a Yeti ?

 

Thanks

If you go on the roof rack website it will tell you the roofbars available by make and model. Don’t forget to request them be keyed alike. 

8 hours ago, Bazzon said:

Thanks for the reply

 

Think im going to go for the 

 

Thule Wingbar edge 9583, but does any one know which length i will need to fit a Yeti ?

 

Thanks

 

According to the Thule website, you need size L

 

(I've just advertised my Yeti roof bars in the classifieds though) <innocent whistle>

I use Thule Wingbars and 598 carrier, they stay on the car permanently so I can quickly pop my bike on and head off for a ride, and they don't make any noise at all.

I like the Thule bars as you can move them forwards/backwards on the rails to wherever you need them.

 

I'd echo the comment about checking you can lift bikes up though. Lifting my full-sus MTB on can be a challenge, especially if it's quite windy!

I have to hold it by the bottom end of the front forks and the bottom end of the rear seat stays, which is below the centre of gravity; once in the air at arm's length it's a bit of a wobble.

 

Whenever I have bikes on the roof I stick a post-it note on the inside of the windscreen just above my eyeline saying "bike" in big letters. I have this fear that one day I'll forget what's on the roof and drive into a height barrier. At least when I look up towards a barrier as I approach it, I should notice the post-it first

 

We do use a towbar-mounted carrier on my wife's Superb estate. IMHO:

Pros:

 - does keep the bikes off the roof so no lifting to height

 - less mud/chain oil dropping on the roof

 - it's a sliding one so you can still access the boot

 - no worries about height barriers, overhanging trees, etc

Cons:

 - the faff it takes to fit on the car and then fit several bikes to it in the right order and orientation, remembering to push the restraining arms through each frame as you go, making sure they don't rub, etc.

 - makes a Superb Estate ridiculously long, finding parking spaces big enough is difficult and reversing up to things is more tricky as the sensors get disabled and all you can see in the rear view camera is bikes