Bike racks

[texaskdog]

I bought a Schwinn bike rack for my car. If I put 2 bikes on it, like it's designed for, they often come off.  Usually I don't have a problem with just one.  My car has no hitch.  Does anyone have a type of bike rack they effectively use without incident?

[DaBigE]

I bought a Schwinn bike rack for my car. If I put 2 bikes on it, like it's designed for, they often come off.  Usually I don't have a problem with just one.  My car has no hitch.  Does anyone have a type of bike rack they effectively use without incident?

My previous neighbor had one that mounted to his trunk that seemed to work pretty slick. I don't remember if it was for one or two bikes, but it was completely removable.

[Special K]

Saris Bones comes in either 2 or 3 bike capacity.  I used it on a trip from central Iowa to Black Hills.  Solid.

http://www.saris.com/

[Zmapper]

Random thought of mine: Why couldn't the bike racks that you see on the front of transit buses be adapted for personal use? I've found the racks that transit agencies use seem fairly intuitive and stable. The rack couldn't be installed on the front of the vehicle, because it would block the sight-lines of the driver. However, the rack might be able to be installed on the back of the vehicle, especially if it is a truck or SUV.

Somebody, make it work!

[kphoger]

Some friends and I once rented a car, bought a bike rack, and drove from Chicagoland to Ouray, Colorado.  We left at midnight, had lunch at a childhood friend's farm in northwestern Kansas, and arrived just before midnight.  I was taking a nap while my Bolivian friend was at the wheel on I-70 in far eastern Colorado, and I awoke to him slowing down on the shoulder.  "One of the bikes is falling off", he said.

It turns out that one of the rubber/plastic straps holding the bikes onto the rack had snapped, and here we were in the middle of nowhere.  Duct tape time!  It worked perfectly the whole rest of the trip.

At least once, my dad has made his own roof-mounted bike rack.  If you're mechanically inclined, you might consider that.

[Takumi]

My car has no room for a bike rack. If I want to carry my bike somewhere not within reasonable riding distance, I just drive my dad's truck.

[roadman]

This thread reminds me of what I observed one time on Interstate 95 in Rhode Island.  A VW Rabbit with an older roof-mounted bike rack - the type where the bikes stand straight up in the mounts - with two bikes on it passed me going between 80 and 85.  About ten miles later, I passed this same VW, which was now stopped.  It was sitting in the right shoulder, with both bikes still on the roof, only minus their front wheels.

[agentsteel53]

This thread reminds me of what I observed one time on Interstate 95 in Rhode Island.  A VW Rabbit with an older roof-mounted bike rack - the type where the bikes stand straight up in the mounts - with two bikes on it passed me going between 80 and 85.  About ten miles later, I passed this same VW, which was now stopped.  It was sitting in the right shoulder, with both bikes still on the roof, only minus their front wheels.

okay how did THAT happen?  aerodynamic stress??

[realjd]

If you're looking for a trunk mounted rack, avoid any of the cheap brands. Yakima and Thule are both good. Expect to pay around $100. I have the Yakima Super Joe and it's rock solid once you get it adjusted.

If you want to go even more secure, fit your car for a roof rack from either of those two companies. I have a Yakima rack I use to carry kayaks on top of my car. Once you get the right clips for your car, it will take you about an hour to get it fit and adjusted. After that first time it takes only a few minutes to take on and off of your roof. They make bike attachments for the roof racks that are supposed to be excellent. You'll have to take off your front tire to transport them that way since the bike mounts are designed to grip onto the front fork.

[texaskdog]

Replying to all:  I spent about $45 but know I will have to pay more, it was a Schwinn rack and yeah the strap loosened.  I had the most trouble on speed bumps & driving on the "183 deck" with all the expansion joints that you dont notice on a regular drive.  I don't have a hitch and can't buy an old truck just yet.  Will check out Yakima & Thule.  Thanks for all the feedback!

[Alps]

Easy solution: Get a length of rope. My dad mounts 3 bikes on the bike rack, and he just uses a whole bunch of rope to tie them (with several knots) onto the rack. This provides enough security in addition to the provided straps that they barely move. Now, this is a rear-mount, but I would imagine sufficient rope would work for a top-mount as well.

[Brandon]

Similar idea, but slightly different to Steve's.  I usually use the bike chain and lock to tie the bicycle to the rack.  Had a cheap rack since college, and never had a problem with it going back and forth between Bolingbrook and Houghton.

[texaskdog]

Similar idea, but slightly different to Steve's.  I usually use the bike chain and lock to tie the bicycle to the rack.  Had a cheap rack since college, and never had a problem with it going back and forth between Bolingbrook and Houghton.

I do lock it to the rack but the strap pulls loose.  Although I have thought about roping one of the bikes to the top before, just haven't done it.  I think I'll try that for now, THANKS!!!!!!!!!!

[roadman]

This thread reminds me of what I observed one time on Interstate 95 in Rhode Island.  A VW Rabbit with an older roof-mounted bike rack - the type where the bikes stand straight up in the mounts - with two bikes on it passed me going between 80 and 85.  About ten miles later, I passed this same VW, which was now stopped.  It was sitting in the right shoulder, with both bikes still on the roof, only minus their front wheels.

okay how did THAT happen?  aerodynamic stress??

Loose front wheels and high speed, I guess.   Although the bikes stood up straight, I recall they were on a cheap mount that only secured the bike frames to the car roof, and not the wheels as well.  Not sure if it's still the case, but when I was a recreational cyclist 30 years ago (about the same time I witnessed this event), one of the popular 'anti-theft" measures at the time was having front wheels that could be easily detached.  The premise was that, when you parked your bike, you'd remove the front wheel, align it with your rear wheel, and chain and lock the two wheels together through the frame to whatever fixed object was handy.

[agentsteel53]

Loose front wheels and high speed, I guess.   Although the bikes stood up straight, I recall they were on a cheap mount that only secured the bike frames to the car roof, and not the wheels as well.  Not sure if it's still the case, but when I was a recreational cyclist 30 years ago (about the same time I witnessed this event), one of the popular 'anti-theft" measures at the time was having front wheels that could be easily detached.  The premise was that, when you parked your bike, you'd remove the front wheel, align it with your rear wheel, and chain and lock the two wheels together through the frame to whatever fixed object was handy.

wait, do you mean that the bikes were oriented so that the front wheel was directly above the rear one?  namely, if they hit an overpass, the front wheel was the element making the impact?

[kphoger]

Loose front wheels and high speed, I guess.   Although the bikes stood up straight, I recall they were on a cheap mount that only secured the bike frames to the car roof, and not the wheels as well.  Not sure if it's still the case, but when I was a recreational cyclist 30 years ago (about the same time I witnessed this event), one of the popular 'anti-theft" measures at the time was having front wheels that could be easily detached.  The premise was that, when you parked your bike, you'd remove the front wheel, align it with your rear wheel, and chain and lock the two wheels together through the frame to whatever fixed object was handy.

wait, do you mean that the bikes were oriented so that the front wheel was directly above the rear one?  namely, if they hit an overpass, the front wheel was the element making the impact?

I believe he was referring to parking a bike on the sidewalk.
Also, i believe he didn't mean directly above the rear wheel, but immediately next to the rear wheel.

Edit:  the "standing straight up" comment simply meant that the bikes weren't "hobbled" by taking the front wheels off.

[agentsteel53]

we've got two different situations confused

1) theft-resistant bike parking (lock front wheel to rear wheel to post)

2) the bike carrier where two bikes lost their front wheels.  I'm imagining that the easiest way to do this is to have them scrape against a low overpass, which implies that the highest point on the bike is the front wheel, ergo it is mounted in the "rearing bronco" position - rear wheel directly underneath front wheel.

[realjd]

2) the bike carrier where two bikes lost their front wheels.  I'm imagining that the easiest way to do this is to have them scrape against a low overpass, which implies that the highest point on the bike is the front wheel, ergo it is mounted in the "rearing bronco" position - rear wheel directly underneath front wheel.

Many rooftop bike racks are designed to be used with the front wheels removed. It's far more likely that the bikes were in that type of mount than it is that they both independently lost their front wheels at the same time without damaging the rest of the bike in a very noticeable manner.

[roadman]

Many rooftop bike racks are designed to be used with the front wheels removed. It's far more likely that the bikes were in that type of mount than it is that they both independently lost their front wheels at the same time without damaging the rest of the bike in a very noticeable manner.

When the VW passed me at 85, both bikes were in the racks with the front wheels on them.  When I later passed that same VW, which was then stopped on the right shoulder of I-95 several miles later, the bikes were in still their racks - minus both front wheels.