YT Decoy Elite (Large) EBike With/Without Battery Weight?

[MattsterCraft]

The YT Site states that a Small Decoy Elite is 50.48 pound. Anybody with a large weigh theirs yet?

Reason being is that i want to see if my Thule Proride XT can accomodate my Large Elite on my roof without the Battery installed. The Prorides weight accomodation is up to 44 pounds.

Thule Carbon Frame Protector | Thule | United States

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www.thule.com

 

[Jeffsy29]

The YT Site states that a Small Decoy Elite is 50.48 pound. Anybody with a large weigh theirs yet?

Reason being is that i want to see if my Thule Proride XT can accomodate my Large Elite on my roof without the Battery installed. The Prorides weight accomodation is up to 44 pounds.

Thule Carbon Frame Protector | Thule | United States

-

www.thule.com

I've got a Large 29 Decoy but haven't weighed it yet and no real mechanism to do so (luggage scale or similar). YT told me estimate about +1 lb per size.

But, having owned Thule Criterium racks before (the Thule Proride XT predecessor), I'd STRONGLY advise against it for a number of reasons:

1. e-bikes are HEAVY - you just don't want to have to lift that much bike up over your head. Rotator cuff injury anyone? Think about what would happen if you lost your grip for whatever reason. Major roof and or glass damage. More than just paint, I mean dents.
2. The locking 'jaw' clamp mech. needs to securely grab onto the downtube to keep the bike in place. That's the only thing keeping it from toppling over. As I recall, it does expand quite a bit vertically, but the "V" cutout is designed for non-E-bike downtube sizing. Not the 3+ inch wide downtube on the Decoy. It might be a stretch. You do not want to be pushing Thule's weight ratings.
3. I think the less you can remove your battery the better. It's heavy itself. YT has very specific instructions about removal/replacement and I'd just imagine it's the last thing you'd want to deal with after a nice long ride. Think of all the mud/gunk caked onto the battery casing. Gonna have to wipe that all off just so you don't get it all messed up inside of the batt compartment. Personally, I try to leave the battery alone unless it's going to sit for weeks unattended.
4. My recommendation - get an e-bike rated tow-hitch mounted rack with a tray design (Kuat, 1-up, Thule, whatever). Your Decoy is expensive, but so is paint damage....and you will NEVER ever regret the ease of use of a proper tray rack once you try one. You'll never go back to roof-mounted. I installed my own 1-1/4" hitch onto my GTI in about 45 mins with no modifications and very little investment required for the hitch. Your expensive bike will be MUCH more secure than on the Proride XL since most of the locking arm mechanisms on the tray racks have ratcheting arms that securely clamp down between the front fork and tire "V". Lastly, you'll have lower( better) center of gravity for any highway ramps if you're in a hurry to get to your riding trail and happen to drive in a spirited manner.

 

[MattsterCraft]

I've got a Large 29 Decoy but haven't weighed it yet and no real mechanism to do so (luggage scale or similar). YT told me estimate about +1 lb per size.

But, having owned Thule Criterium racks before (the Thule Proride XT predecessor), I'd STRONGLY advise against it for a number of reasons:

1. e-bikes are HEAVY - you just don't want to have to lift that much bike up over your head. Rotator cuff injury anyone? Think about what would happen if you lost your grip for whatever reason. Major roof and or glass damage. More than just paint, I mean dents.
2. The locking 'jaw' clamp mech. needs to securely grab onto the downtube to keep the bike in place. That's the only thing keeping it from toppling over. As I recall, it does expand quite a bit vertically, but the "V" cutout is designed for non-E-bike downtube sizing. Not the 3+ inch wide downtube on the Decoy. It might be a stretch. You do not want to be pushing Thule's weight ratings.
3. I think the less you can remove your battery the better. It's heavy itself. YT has very specific instructions about removal/replacement and I'd just imagine it's the last thing you'd want to deal with after a nice long ride. Think of all the mud/gunk caked onto the battery casing. Gonna have to wipe that all off just so you don't get it all messed up inside of the batt compartment. Personally, I try to leave the battery alone unless it's going to sit for weeks unattended.
4. My recommendation - get an e-bike rated tow-hitch mounted rack with a tray design (Kuat, 1-up, Thule, whatever). Your Decoy is expensive, but so is paint damage....and you will NEVER ever regret the ease of use of a proper tray rack once you try one. You'll never go back to roof-mounted. I installed my own 1-1/4" hitch onto my GTI in about 45 mins with no modifications and very little investment required for the hitch. Your expensive bike will be MUCH more secure than on the Proride XL since most of the locking arm mechanisms on the tray racks have ratcheting arms that securely clamp down between the front fork and tire "V". Lastly, you'll have lower( better) center of gravity for any highway ramps if you're in a hurry to get to your riding trail and happen to drive in a spirited manner.

Thanks for the awesome info Jeffsy29. I actually just installed my 2" Receiver Invisihitch on my 2019 WRX. With that i also bought the Thule T2 Pro XT Tray Rack. Unfortunately this Rack has a Spring loaded Pin Hook. When i inserted the rack into the receiver, since my hitch is embedded into the Bumper (Small Cut out in the center of bumper) i only have about 1 1/8 inch from the side pin hole to the edge of the bumper cut out. Therefore, the rack wouldnt fit. I am thinking of the Kuat NV 2.0 with a locking pin however, if i can somehow safely secure it on my roof. Id love that. Thanks again!