Thule FreeRide 29er Extension Kit

I still use several older Thule FreeRide roof bike carriers.

While they work perfectly, they were originally designed in an era when 26-inch bikes were the norm.

Modern 29-inch mountain bikes, especially in L and XL frame sizes, are significantly longer and loading them into the carrier can be frustrating. The front wheel often ends up very close to the end stop, leaving little room for comfortable positioning.

This extension kit moves the original end stop slightly forward and makes loading modern bikes much easier.

The design reuses the original Thule end piece and therefore keeps the original appearance of the carrier.

The modification is fully reversible.

Printing instruction:

The spacer was designed to be printed without supports.

I printed each tube as two separate halves and glued them together afterward.

Material:

- PETG

Print settings:

- 8 perimeters

- 40% infill

I personally recommend splitting each spacer into two halves and gluing them together afterwards. In my experience, this is the easiest way to achieve support-free printing, accurate dimensions and a clean surface finish.

For maximum strength, print the parts horizontally (lying flat on the print bed), not vertically.

The resulting part is extremely rigid and more than strong enough for this application.

Note:

This part is intended only to extend the wheel end stop.

It is not designed to replace any load-bearing or safety-critical part of the carrier.

The original wheel strap, frame clamp and carrier mounting system remain unchanged.

Disassembly tip:

The original end cap is press-fitted onto the aluminium tubes.

Before attempting removal, apply a small amount of silicone oil/silicone spray into the gap between the plastic cap and aluminium tubes and let it soak for several minutes then pull-out the cap.

DISCLAIMER

This is an unofficial user-designed modification.

The model is provided as-is without any warranty.

Use entirely at your own risk.

The author assumes no responsibility for damage, injury, loss of property, vehicle damage or bicycle damage resulting from the use of this modification.

Inspect the carrier and printed parts before every use.