Thule is a leader in making products that help outdoor enthusiasts and active families get their things from here to there. The Swedish company recognized a shift in bike carrier preference from receiver hitch racks toward trunk racks. The typical product in the highly fragmented trunk rack market was a tangled mess of bent metal tubes and gangly webbing straps. Thule asked Tool Inc. to help them reimagine the traditional trunk mount bike carrier and create a truly premium product.

​

Compelling styling, intuitive and easy installation, bike security and elimination of loose strap ends were all paramount criteria for this project to be a success. The Thule Raceway, designed and engineered by Tool, is certainly revolutionary in its approach. Instead of loose webbing straps, four easy-to-adjust ratcheting cables hold the Raceway’s plastic body securely to the vehicle’s trunk. No-sway cages prevent bike-to-bike and bike-to-car contact, and molded rubber pads on the cables and the legs ensure that the vehicle is perfectly protected from scratches.

​

Released to the public in 2009, it's still available for purchase and might be one of the most enduring commercial runs for a product in which we contributed.