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Thule has been manufacturing bike carriers since 1978 and one the company’s current roof top carriers is the 594XT Sidearm.

The Thule 594XT Sidearm looks like a lot of the other rooftop bike carriers. Your bike is secured to an aluminum tray by a strap for the back wheel and a hook-shaped support arm with a locking mechanism for the front tire.

The 594XT Sidearm installs to your roof rack in 15 to 20 minutes. A little longer is needed to adjust it for smaller sized cars. The most time consuming part of the install (which is typically a snap) is adjusting the 594XT Sidearm to install it on the driver side of the car instead of the passenger side.

The hook-shaped support arm tightly secures the front wheel and adjusts to wheel sizes from 20 to 29 inches in diameter and 2.6 inches in width. The bike rack does not interfere with a disc braking system since the 594XT Sidearm attaches only to your bike’s tires.

The Thule 594XT Sidearm fits on Thule load bars and Yakima’s round crossbars. An adapter is needed to fit the 594XT Sidearm to the Thule’s aluminum aero load bars.

The Thule 594XT Sidearm is a secure way to courier your bike. It installs quickly and offers dual security options to deter theft. Thule lists the Thule 594XT Sidearm at $169.95. The Yakima HighRoller is comparable to the Thule 594XT Sidearm but lists at $179.95.