Thule 973 BackPac - Our very first impressions

The most common variable in choosing a bike carrier is almost always the position; either the roof, the rear door, or the towball if available. Each position has its own advantages and disadvantages - roof mounted carriers are cheaper by themselves, but end up being more expensive than they appear once you have added on the cost of roof bars and a foot pack, and it can be a little tricky for some people to actually place the bikes on them. Towball mounted carriers are extremely sturdy and reliable, but are rather expensive, especially if your car is lacking a towball to begin with. The third option of mounting the carrier on the rear door is often chosen as a middle ground between the two – they are very strong and safe carriers, but do not have the difficulty of reaching the roof that is presented to some by a roof mounted cycle carrier.
Their prices fall between the roof mounted carriers and the more pricey towball mounted carriers.



The Thule 973 is the top tier of Thule’s rear-mounted cycle carriers, able to carry two bike carriers as it comes and up to 4 with separately sold adapters, and is quoted as having a load capacity of 60kg, which equals that of the Thule 929, their flagship model of the towball mounted carrier range. When it arrived, we were presented with a large, relatively flat rectangular box, and upon opening it up we were not surprised to see the classic livery of Thule carriers – strong lengths of tubular metal with strategically placed pieces of rubber to avoid any unnecessary marking or damage to the car’s paintwork. We had also requested the two extra bike adapters to see how the carrier fared at its maximum load capacity, and they came in the form of two extra claw arms that looked exactly like those already attached to the carrier. Finally, a 973-15 fitting kit was required for our particular vehicle.



Once we had built up the carrier, which was a lot easier than it first appeared, we simply screwed on the two extra bike holders and then mounted it on the back of our test vehicle, a 5 Door 2009 Ford Focus Estate. The tolerances were tight but not overtly so, and once we’d completed the easy task of all 4 bikes there were no signs of any structural difficulty. Once we began to drive, our good first impressions were only compounded by a strong performance at any common road speed; there was no irritating rattle or juddering as we sped up and slowed down, and although our speed and handling was a little more ponderous, this is to be expected of any extra load placed on a car. The takedown was as simple as the fitting, it was only a matter of removing the bikes and then proceeding in reverse order from when we attached it to the car.



All in all, the 973 offers excellent value, retailing at £179.99 by itself, with the extra bike adapters retailing at £45.99 each or £89.99 as a pair, and if you need a fitting kit, they retail at £27.99. Check one out on ThuleOnline today…