Thule is a highly popular company that produces quality products for your outdoor adventures. In fact, Thule has created a line of bicycle racks that are used all over North America and beyond. These bike racks can be mounted to your vehicle. Once they are mounted, you will not be needing any tools in order to mount your bicycles.
We have created this Thule T2 Classic vs T2 Pro XT comparison in order to show you how Thule has upgraded its T2 Classic model. We are going to go over some of the specific differences between them, but we will first be covering with the Thule line has to offer in terms of bicycle racks.
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Thule T2 Classic vs T2 Pro XT
Thule Bike Racks And Why They Are Great
The Thule T2 bicycle rack line can hold two bicycles out of the box. But they can be expanded to hold up to four bicycles with extra integrations. Below, we have listed some of the great features of the Thule T2 Classic models so that you can see just how great they really are.
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Auto attachment: The T2 Classic models allow you to attach your bicycles to them without the use of any special tools. Their auto attachment system works wonders. Put on your bike and simply click them on. - Hitch switch lever: To make it easier for you to take off the bicycles from the racks, Thule has introduced their special tilt design. When the bike rack is not in use and you would like to travel with it in the vehicle, simply use the switch lever to tilt the rack up. This will make your bicycles stand up right next to each other while you’re travelling. Once you need to use one of the bicycles, tilt the hitch down and remove them.
- Bicycle size compatibility: Both the T2 Pro and the T2 Pro XT can hold bicycles that have 20 to 29 inch wheels. They can also hold fat bikes with tires up to 5 inches and hub spacing up to 142 mm.
- Locking your bicycles in place: You can lock your bicycles in place using the integrated cable lock. Locking them onto the rack is important in order to help prevent from any slippage or dangerous situations on the highway.
What Is New With The Thule T2 Pro XT
With the new T2 Pro XT, the points of adjustability is different. It has a more efficient mechanism which allows you to separate the bikes in a very clean Way.
The main difference between these two models is the fact that there is more of a separation between the two bicycles with the Pro XT rack. With the Pro XT, there is about a 12.5 inch separation. This means that the handlebars of one bicycle will not touch the seat of the other bicycle.
So that you can understand this better, imagine that you have rack mounted to bicycles standing upright parallel to each other. The way that you mount these bicycles is that you put one of the bicycle seats next to the other bike bicycles handlebars. This is an obvious necessity because if you put both bicycles facing the same way, the handlebars of both bicycles will get in the wave each other and you will not be able to mount them properly.
What happens with the Thule T2 Classic model is the fact that the handlebars get in the way of the other bicycle seat. You could lower the seat of these bicycles in order to make way for the handlebars. However, this is far from being efficient.
In addition, even if the seat lays lower the handlebar, there is still a good chance that the handlebar will be touching the seat from above. In other words, Thule has updated their design so that your bicycles can fit more comfortably next to each other.
Price Comparison
Since Thule’s T2 Pro XT model is the newest bike mount, there is a slightly higher price point. In order to view the cheapest prices for these bicycle mounts on Amazon, please see below.
Thule T2 Classic vs T2 Pro XT: The Verdict
It is easy to see that the T2 Pro XT has been upgraded based on customer demand. It is simply the better choice if you want to mount bikes on your rack and not have the issue of them touching each other. This can be cumbersome if you’re trying to fit them side-by-side and one bicycles handlebars are just too long. The great news is that the T2 Pro XT is not significantly more expensive than the regular T2 Classic model. We are a big fan of the Thule T2 Pro XT, and would be willing to spend the extra money on this better design.