I was under the inmpression that one could chop & change parts between Thule and Yakima.

No. They are totally incompatible. The Thule uses square-section cross-bars, the Yakima uses round.

I have had limited experience with Thule, extensive experience with Yakima. In my opinion, the Yakima is better.

At the last national championship bicycle races I attended, where the typical bicycle was in the $2000+ category, Yakima racks outnumbered Thule racks by about ten to one.

tanstaafl.