The Thule TopRide is a roof-mounted bike rack for cars, with a clever fast-mounting system for bikes with thru-axles or quick-release skewers.
At £249.99 / €289.95, it’s a premium option, but its ease of use and secure hold on my bikes have already impressed me.
Unlike with the Thule ProRide, the TopRide – sometimes referred to as the TopRide 568 online – sees you remove the front wheel and bolt the bike to the rack via the fork axle.
This keeps your bike a little lower and makes for a reassuringly firm hold on your pride and joy, but means you’ll need to find space for the front wheel inside your car (or purchase Thule’s Front Wheel Holder for an additional £84.99 / €99.95).
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Nothing but the best for my babies
Although I’ve always carried my bikes inside the car, the imminent arrival of a second child means I’ve needed to look for alternative solutions (and, unfortunately, no one seems to make child seats for car roofs).
Although mounting bikes on a car roof is a staple of pro road cycling, I’ve always been apprehensive about putting my own bike out in the elements.
Aside from being exposed to the weather, the idea of driving down the motorway at 70mph with my precious Giant TCR or Kinesis GX Race strapped to the roof seemed too nightmarish to countenance.
As explained in our in-depth guide to bike racks for cars, though, roof-mounted bike racks have a few distinct advantages over other types.
Primarily, they’re easy to install, yet can be very secure.
They add height to your vehicle – which is critical to remember, should you come across any low car park ceilings or access points – but not additional length, and don't hinder access to your boot or trunk while in place.
The roof bars they mount on can also be used for other accessories, such as roof boxes or other sport-specific equipment.
With the TopRide specifically, removing the front wheel offers the advantage of a secure fitment via the fork axle, a lower front-end height and a more stable hold because the front wheel and bars can’t twist in the wind.
As noted, this means you’ll need to find room in your vehicle for the front wheel, or shell out for a specific roof mount for it.
Another advantage of mounting via the fork axle is it negates the need for a down tube clamp – something that isn’t ideal for thin-walled carbon frames, which aren’t designed for this kind of force, and can therefore be crushed easily.
The TopRide commands a £90 / €90 premium over the ProRide for this privilege, but that gap narrows slightly once you account for Thule’s Carbon Frame Protector liners, which are designed for the ProRide and cost an additional £21.99 / €29.95.
Your mileage may vary, of course, but that could be money well spent to avoid needing to stress about crushing the down tube every time you mount a carbon bike in the rack.
The TopRIde has capacity for bikes weighing up to 18kg, which is plenty for most unassisted road, gravel and mountain bikes, and comes with adaptors to fit 12x100, 12x110, 15x100 and 15x110mm thru-axles, plus 100mm quick-release skewers.
Quick to install and remove
With my car already equipped with a set of Thule WingBar Evo roof bars (available separately), installing the TopRide is a cinch – even with my four-year old ‘helping’.
It weighs only 3.5kg, so lifting it up onto my car – a subcompact crossover SUV (don’t ask me what that means) – presents no trouble, and it can be secured quickly via the clamps at either end.
Helpfully, the front clamp is also lockable to prevent the rack being stolen.
From there, you remove the front wheel from your bike, secure the fork adaptor and lift the frame up onto the rack.
Pushing the fork forward into the mount elicits a reassuringly audible click into place.
At the rear, there’s a rubber strap for your rear wheel, and a cable lock extends from within the rack to secure your bike – although this is a deterrent rather than one of the best bike locks, so I won’t be leaving my bike unattended unless absolutely necessary.
And that’s it. After checking if the bike is secure, you’re good to go, and your bike can be removed by following the above steps in reverse, then opening the large release lever to free the fork.
So far, I’ve only been on short trips with my bike on the TopRide to check everything, but with a family holiday to the north of England coming up, it will get a sterner test soon.
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