Anyone who has used a car boot mounted bike rack in the past will be familiar with the irritation caused by the abundance of pesky straps. Firstly before you even go near the car, there is the de-tangle process, which is in itself a serious burden for someone as impatient as me.
So you can imagine how eager I was to try a bike rack that claimed to address that very problem, providing a simple and efficient way of getting the bikes on the car. Enter the Thule RaceWay 992.
On first impression, I was a little intimidated by the rack. Compared to my Hollywood rack it looked a little more technical and definitely a lot fancier. A quick read of the instructions however was all I needed to get on my merry way.
The Thule RaceWay has two contact points with the car- both of which are safe guarded with soft rubber to ensure your car’s paintwork is left intact. There is then four ratcheted cables that keep the bike rack in place – two at the top and two that slip under your car boot. These cables are tightened with a dial and loosened with a release button to ensure it is super secure before take-off.
The RaceWay is suitable for three bikes (up to 15kg each) which are secured into cradles with what Thule call RDT (Road Dampening Technology) which helps to not only secure the bike but also absorbs road shock while driving. The top tube is then secured in the cradle with two straps, there is a further strap for the seat tube which ensures the bikes really do not move an inch while driving making you feel very secure about the safety of both your car and bike. I also loved the integrated lock on the rack for additional bike security.
Verdict:
All in all this is a really fantastic rack, very secure, easy to store thanks to drop down arms and most importantly quick and easy to pop on the car.
Price: £234.95
Available from: Halfords