Details
- This easy-to-use mount holds bikes with oversized downtubes securely in an upright position, with no need for wheel removal
- Rack/roof-level bike clamping feature--no more reaching way over your head or balancing on other gear just to secure your bike
- Worry-free automatic self-adjusting jaws provide perfect bike clamping every time
- Arm with rubber-coated jaws to protect bike paint grasps and holds bike, fits bike frames up to 3 3/8 in. in diameter and up to 2.6 in. wide
- Dual locking design locks bike to carrier and carrier to rack with optional locks (sold separately)
- Black anodized aluminum wheel tray is built to last and fits mountain bike or road bike tires of any size
- Fits square and round load bars, sold separately
Made in USA.
Specs
| Best Use | Cycling |
|---|---|
| Number of Bikes | 1 |
| Weight | 9.3 pounds |
Rated 3 out of
5
by
ouroboros from
Needs the right accessories....
To buy the full rack system and one of these bike carriers is about $500 - $600 or so. What Thule seems unable to mention are a few glaring issues:
-it seems very easy to steal a bike from this unit. They offer a lock option that attaches to the 'big mouth' portion of the unit, but as other have said, it seems really easy for a thief to just take the wheels off first and then they've got your bike. Also, it really doesn't look too hard to just unscrew most of the unit from the crossbars, and then take the whole thing away and worry about separating your bike from the big mouth later....
-if you buy Thule Aeroblades, you'll need the Thule XADAPT2 kit to connect the Big Mouth to it. Nowhere in the instructions, on the box, or on their website is this mentioned. I found this out from a third party website which had information on this. Worse still, the instructions for the XADAPT2 seems to think users only have VW cars or a truck bed rack. Not once is the word 'Aeroblade' mentioned. Also, the instructions are also poor because they don't show how to install half of the Big Mouth to the cross bars. Does Thule try to build these things themselves? The REI staff spent almost 30 minutes trying to figure this out on Thule's site before someone who had previous knowledge of this helped out....
Date published: 2012-09-29
Rated 4 out of
5
by
Outdoors Jeff from
Good for road and mountain bikes
This is my 3rd Big Mouth. It is easy to put on the car and easy to load the bike. I would highly recommend getting a lock for it so the mouth doesn't come open. With the lock engaged I have never had problems with a bike coming loose whether on dirt roads or highways. I like putting my bikes on the roof to keep the dirt off the gears and wheels. I use it on an Expedition and Rav 4.
Date published: 2013-12-06
Rated 1 out of
5
by
kloudkckr from
Bad Security
Easy to use and great for quickly mounting and dismounting your bike. Unfortunately, it is just as quick and easy to steal your bike from it. After unclamping wheels, a would be thief would only have to turn your frame until it slips from the claws grips. I lost my bike this way. If you get this and intend on leaving you bike unattended, use a cable or chain lock through the frame and around your rack support bars. It will at least keep honest people, honest.
Date published: 2009-04-21
Rated 1 out of
5
by
Becaris from
Rack doesn't work with Mountain Bikes.
I bought two of these racks for mountain bikes. On getting them home I tried both my Trek and my Spark Mountain bikes, both use a standard tire size. The straps on the racks are so short then cannot go around a standard mountain bike tire!
I contacted Thule, and this was their response, and I quote:
"Thank you for contacting Thule Customer Service. The only suggestion we can recommend is to let air out of the tires. Unfortunately Thule does not offer longer replacement straps for the Big Mouth."
So, basically, they said, "Our rack does not work with mountain bike tires, so our only suggestion for you is to LET YOUR AIR OUT OF YOUR TIRES EVERY TIME!
What a terrible design, what a terrible company. If you have a mountain bike, use another company, Thule doesn't care about you.
Date published: 2016-06-16
Rated 3 out of
5
by
Mountain Temby from
Makes loading easier
This is a great rack for anyone that doesn't want to bother with taking wheels off or any other racks for said wheels. I do have a few issues with this though. The support clamp does take up a fare amount of space which causes problems if you have two of them, a kayak and a roof box (Thule Force L) because even the two bikes and a kayak wont fit. I also don't like that the mount itself doesn't lock to the rack. All in all it suits my needs and like it but it could have used a few modifications.
Date published: 2015-06-24
Rated 4 out of
5
by
JumboCookies from
Sorta works for fat bikes
I have used this for about 100 miles / 3 trips including highway speed to carry my 37 pound fat bike. The stock wheel straps do not fit the giant tires, and the tires sit a bit awkwardly on top of the tray, but I use 2 sturdy velcro straps ON EACH WHEEL to secure the wheels to the tray and the bike seems solidly attached while driving. The arms of the downtube clamp seem a little under-built even for a normal mountain bike's weight where they attach to the frame of the tray, but so far so good.
Date published: 2017-01-30
Rated 4 out of
5
by
Bass Harbor Digby from
Strong Performer
I bought a pair of Big Mouths about five years ago and have driven several thousand miles with them. Initial installation is easy, but takes a few minutes. Thereafter, getting them on and off the car is easy, but it is essential to make sure one mounts them on the cross rails exactly as intended, making sure the hooks are securely seated in the brackets - otherwise, they can jar loose on extremely bumpy roads (or off-road). One person can mount or dismount a bike fairly easily, keeping in mind that it is a rooftop rack and the bike must be lifted over one's head. Bikes are held quite securely. Unfortunately, a couple of weeks ago, I made the ultimate mistake of forgetting a bike was on the car and drove into my garage. So, how did it turn out? Fortunately,I was going dead slow. The mount's wheel straps snapped and the Big mouth clamp twisted but released the bike, which fell to the pavement. End result: $15 damage to the bike and $95 damage to the garage. The rack was pretty well chowdered up. All-in-all, a much better result than I dared hope for. Without hesitation, I am buying a new Big Mouth rack as a replacement.
Date published: 2008-07-11
Rated 2 out of
5
by
czech biker from
can not lock
Can not lock to the roof rack itself. Can lock only the arm of the bike rack. Not fully thief protected.
Date published: 2011-06-21
How many Thule locks are necessary?
This bike rack requires two Thule lock cylinders;
https://www.rei.com/product/494305/thule-keyed-alike-locks-2-pack
Date published: 2017-07-07
I have a Jeep Compass with Mopar Sport Utility Cross bars #82212072AD. Will this work on my roof cross bars? They are squared shape with rounded edges.
This bike rack is not compatible with the factory crossbars on your Jeep Compass.
Date published: 2017-06-12
Will this accommodate a fat tire bike? Do any of the roof mount racks you guys carry
The Big Mouth Upright is not recommended for use with fat bike tires. The fat tires will not fit in the tray and the wheel straps are not long enough to wrap around the tires and secure to the mount.
Date published: 2016-05-09
I have a Subaru Impreza with cross bars. It is stated this mounts to square or round cross bars. My cross bars are shaped like an airplane wing, will this work on my roof cross bars?
This bike mount is not compatible with factory crossbars. It only fits Thule square and Yakima round bars.
Date published: 2017-07-07
When not in use (no bike installed), what is the height of the Big Mouth Upright above the cross bars?
How did GTGTGT mount this rack on the back of the car? Very useful good job.
Reviews
Rated 3 out of
5
by
ouroboros from
Needs the right accessories....
To buy the full rack system and one of these bike carriers is about $500 - $600 or so. What Thule seems unable to mention are a few glaring issues:
-it seems very easy to steal a bike from this unit. They offer a lock option that attaches to the 'big mouth' portion of the unit, but as other have said, it seems really easy for a thief to just take the wheels off first and then they've got your bike. Also, it really doesn't look too hard to just unscrew most of the unit from the crossbars, and then take the whole thing away and worry about separating your bike from the big mouth later....
-if you buy Thule Aeroblades, you'll need the Thule XADAPT2 kit to connect the Big Mouth to it. Nowhere in the instructions, on the box, or on their website is this mentioned. I found this out from a third party website which had information on this. Worse still, the instructions for the XADAPT2 seems to think users only have VW cars or a truck bed rack. Not once is the word 'Aeroblade' mentioned. Also, the instructions are also poor because they don't show how to install half of the Big Mouth to the cross bars. Does Thule try to build these things themselves? The REI staff spent almost 30 minutes trying to figure this out on Thule's site before someone who had previous knowledge of this helped out....
Date published: 2012-09-29
Rated 4 out of
5
by
Outdoors Jeff from
Good for road and mountain bikes
This is my 3rd Big Mouth. It is easy to put on the car and easy to load the bike. I would highly recommend getting a lock for it so the mouth doesn't come open. With the lock engaged I have never had problems with a bike coming loose whether on dirt roads or highways. I like putting my bikes on the roof to keep the dirt off the gears and wheels. I use it on an Expedition and Rav 4.
Date published: 2013-12-06
Rated 1 out of
5
by
kloudkckr from
Bad Security
Easy to use and great for quickly mounting and dismounting your bike. Unfortunately, it is just as quick and easy to steal your bike from it. After unclamping wheels, a would be thief would only have to turn your frame until it slips from the claws grips. I lost my bike this way. If you get this and intend on leaving you bike unattended, use a cable or chain lock through the frame and around your rack support bars. It will at least keep honest people, honest.
Date published: 2009-04-21
Rated 1 out of
5
by
Becaris from
Rack doesn't work with Mountain Bikes.
I bought two of these racks for mountain bikes. On getting them home I tried both my Trek and my Spark Mountain bikes, both use a standard tire size. The straps on the racks are so short then cannot go around a standard mountain bike tire!
I contacted Thule, and this was their response, and I quote:
"Thank you for contacting Thule Customer Service. The only suggestion we can recommend is to let air out of the tires. Unfortunately Thule does not offer longer replacement straps for the Big Mouth."
So, basically, they said, "Our rack does not work with mountain bike tires, so our only suggestion for you is to LET YOUR AIR OUT OF YOUR TIRES EVERY TIME!
What a terrible design, what a terrible company. If you have a mountain bike, use another company, Thule doesn't care about you.
Date published: 2016-06-16
Rated 3 out of
5
by
Mountain Temby from
Makes loading easier
This is a great rack for anyone that doesn't want to bother with taking wheels off or any other racks for said wheels. I do have a few issues with this though. The support clamp does take up a fare amount of space which causes problems if you have two of them, a kayak and a roof box (Thule Force L) because even the two bikes and a kayak wont fit. I also don't like that the mount itself doesn't lock to the rack. All in all it suits my needs and like it but it could have used a few modifications.
Date published: 2015-06-24
Rated 4 out of
5
by
JumboCookies from
Sorta works for fat bikes
I have used this for about 100 miles / 3 trips including highway speed to carry my 37 pound fat bike. The stock wheel straps do not fit the giant tires, and the tires sit a bit awkwardly on top of the tray, but I use 2 sturdy velcro straps ON EACH WHEEL to secure the wheels to the tray and the bike seems solidly attached while driving. The arms of the downtube clamp seem a little under-built even for a normal mountain bike's weight where they attach to the frame of the tray, but so far so good.
Date published: 2017-01-30
Rated 4 out of
5
by
Bass Harbor Digby from
Strong Performer
I bought a pair of Big Mouths about five years ago and have driven several thousand miles with them. Initial installation is easy, but takes a few minutes. Thereafter, getting them on and off the car is easy, but it is essential to make sure one mounts them on the cross rails exactly as intended, making sure the hooks are securely seated in the brackets - otherwise, they can jar loose on extremely bumpy roads (or off-road). One person can mount or dismount a bike fairly easily, keeping in mind that it is a rooftop rack and the bike must be lifted over one's head. Bikes are held quite securely. Unfortunately, a couple of weeks ago, I made the ultimate mistake of forgetting a bike was on the car and drove into my garage. So, how did it turn out? Fortunately,I was going dead slow. The mount's wheel straps snapped and the Big mouth clamp twisted but released the bike, which fell to the pavement. End result: $15 damage to the bike and $95 damage to the garage. The rack was pretty well chowdered up. All-in-all, a much better result than I dared hope for. Without hesitation, I am buying a new Big Mouth rack as a replacement.
Date published: 2008-07-11
Rated 2 out of
5
by
czech biker from
can not lock
Can not lock to the roof rack itself. Can lock only the arm of the bike rack. Not fully thief protected.
Date published: 2011-06-21
Questions & Answers
How many Thule locks are necessary?
This bike rack requires two Thule lock cylinders;
https://www.rei.com/product/494305/thule-keyed-alike-locks-2-pack
Date published: 2017-07-07
I have a Jeep Compass with Mopar Sport Utility Cross bars #82212072AD. Will this work on my roof cross bars? They are squared shape with rounded edges.
This bike rack is not compatible with the factory crossbars on your Jeep Compass.
Date published: 2017-06-12
Will this accommodate a fat tire bike? Do any of the roof mount racks you guys carry
The Big Mouth Upright is not recommended for use with fat bike tires. The fat tires will not fit in the tray and the wheel straps are not long enough to wrap around the tires and secure to the mount.
Date published: 2016-05-09
I have a Subaru Impreza with cross bars. It is stated this mounts to square or round cross bars. My cross bars are shaped like an airplane wing, will this work on my roof cross bars?
This bike mount is not compatible with factory crossbars. It only fits Thule square and Yakima round bars.
Date published: 2017-07-07
