On Friday, August 24, 2018 at 12:01:26 PM UTC-7, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Friday, August 24, 2018 at 2:17:27 PM UTC-4, Joerg wrote:
On 2018-08-24 10:11, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 8/24/2018 10:35 AM, Joerg wrote:
Couldn't believe it. Those great agency folks obviously didn't test
the bike racks for our local buses before signing the contract. Long
story short my 29er bike didn't fit in and neither did my friend's.
Luckily the driver was patient and helpful. We had to load the bikes
reversed so the hook goes over the rear wheel. Not easy because of my
panniers but worked, somehow. The front wheels now rode up on the
other side of the rack slot. We both had bungee cords with which we
strapped them down as hard as we could. Oh, and the slot width barely
fit my 2.25" wide MTB tires barely squeezed in and I had to push down
hard. The rack looks like this:

https://ixquick-proxy.com/do/spg/sho...8df2678ec2064b


When we arrived another rider put his 26" MTB on there on even that
barely fit in (rear wheel rode up half an inch).

Does anyone know a better "strap down" method that is faster than
wrapping a bungee around rim and rack numerous times?

I wouldn't fault the rack designer too much. Bikes come in such
incredible variety it's tricky to design even stationary bike racks. And
transit companies are seldom flush with funds. They can spend only so
much to accommodate the one percent with unusual bikes.


In this day and age 27-1/2" and 29" bikes hardly represent 1%. And yes,
the designers are at fault. They should have tested or at least hold a
design review with actual cyclists attending. In med-tech we are
obligated to hold those and for good reasons.

Also, as I wrote even a simple 26" MTB didn't fit completely, the rear
wheel remained an inch above the rail floor. In my book that constitutes
a thoroughly botched design.


As to your question: I wonder if a velcro strap with rectangular ring
might work. They're fast to install and surprisingly strong. See, for
example:

https://www.amazon.com/Reusable-Cabl...g=UTF8&s=a ht


Thanks, but I do not trust plastic for this stuff. The Arno straps that
Sir mentioned seem to be the ticket here. Of course, there remains the
risk that a picky bus driver refuses to accept that mounting method and
we'd be stranded.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/

Around here the bus drivers don't mind the few seconds it takes to use a long Arno strap to secure the bike to the rack. I just loop the strap around the top tube of the bike and then around the bus rack and cinch the Arno strap tight. It takes just seconds and I usually have it done whilst other passengers are getting on or off the bus.

Arno straps are really tough as are their buckles. I've never had an Arno strap fail nor its buckle even when being used in the dead of winter. I've had many a plastic buckle snap when being cinched in winter's cold.

Cheers

I have more concern for the other bus or BART passengers if you're holding things up.