Bicycle Rack Mishaps?

Does anybody know of any statistics regarding bicycles (on or off trunk/hood
racks) falling off automobiles while in transit?

I was always very paranoid about carrying my bikes on a rear rack, and have
since moved them inside the car for all trips. But I still see people
carrying them around on unsteady looking racks that swing back and forth,
jump up and down, etc. I've even seen a lot of makeshift carrying methods,
like bikes stacked on their sides on the roof and tied down with bungies.

I've always thought there should be laws regarding proper ways to carry
bikes on an automobile, but I wonder if there are any statistics to back
this up.

NYRides wrote:
Does anybody know of any statistics regarding bicycles (on or off trunk/hood
racks) falling off automobiles while in transit?

No hard numbers, but I've had TWO narrow escapes just this year.
First one was on my own car, carrying three bikes (claimed capacity) on a
Byke Ryder brand rack, Model 9640. A flimsy little pin meant to hold one
of the supports in position gave way and the arms that hold the bikes
sagged. Straps held the bikes on, but it was scary anyway. Three bikes
dumped all over I-215 at rush hour would have been way nasty.
Second incident involved a homemade rack mounted to the receiver hitch
of a large van. We had eight bikes on this contraption (owner claimed it
could take ten) going out to a Scout campout. We had just turned off the
paved highway and were starting up a bumpy dirt road when the rack snapped
at the first weld and dumped all eight bikes on the ground. Again we were
very fortunate, the only damage being a bent chain guard on one younger
boy's bike. The rack owner plans to get it welded back together, this
time with diagonal bracing. I'm lobbying him to drop by REI and get some
Kevlar cord to string over the van to the front bumper as a reinforcement.
The plan for that camp, incidentally, was to ride twenty-five miles as
the penultimate requirement for the Cycling Merit Badge. Instead, we
"got" to do thirty-plus--all the way home. Good preparation for the
Fifty.

Bill
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"NYRides" wrote in message
t...
Does anybody know of any statistics regarding bicycles (on or off
trunk/hood
racks) falling off automobiles while in transit?


I worked in a shop for 10 seasons and the only good case I remember was a
guy with a Porsche 911 and a BIC bike rack. He had two bikes on and they
escaped custody at about 90mph somewhere in Michigan. His bikes hit about 4
cars and he had to pay up for damages. Fortunately no secondary accidents
occurred, but he was plenty ****ed. I think we mentioned that the BIC rack
is a POS and he should upgrade to a Thule but that didn't happen. He bought
a Thule after that little episode though. Other than that, though, I don't
really recall bikes falling off at a regular pace. I agree, some look
pretty lame, but I think they do keep in the bike on the car, but sometimes
damage the car or other bikes by flopping around back there.

Cheers,

Scott..

My brother's girlfriend was driving his car after a race. He was asleep in
the passenger seat. She had forgotten the fact that his Cannondale R600 was
in the bike rack on the roof. Her attempt to park the car in the garage was
his wake up call.

He no longer has the bike nor the girlfriend.

Matt
McKinney, TX
"NYRides" wrote in message
t...
Does anybody know of any statistics regarding bicycles (on or off
trunk/hood
racks) falling off automobiles while in transit?

I was always very paranoid about carrying my bikes on a rear rack, and
have
since moved them inside the car for all trips. But I still see people
carrying them around on unsteady looking racks that swing back and forth,
jump up and down, etc. I've even seen a lot of makeshift carrying
methods,
like bikes stacked on their sides on the roof and tied down with bungies.

I've always thought there should be laws regarding proper ways to carry
bikes on an automobile, but I wonder if there are any statistics to back
this up.

On Sun, 23 Nov 2003 10:46:07 -0600, "Matthew Plummer"
wrote:

My brother's girlfriend was driving his car after a race. He was asleep in
the passenger seat. She had forgotten the fact that his Cannondale R600 was
in the bike rack on the roof. Her attempt to park the car in the garage was
his wake up call.

If you have a roof rack and a garage door opener, here's a tip. Put
the activator for the garage door opener in the seat bag of the bike
on top of the car.

NYRides wrote:

Does anybody know of any statistics regarding bicycles (on or off trunk/hood
racks) falling off automobiles while in transit?

I was always very paranoid about carrying my bikes on a rear rack, and have
since moved them inside the car for all trips. But I still see people
carrying them around on unsteady looking racks that swing back and forth,
jump up and down, etc. I've even seen a lot of makeshift carrying methods,
like bikes stacked on their sides on the roof and tied down with bungies.

I've always thought there should be laws regarding proper ways to carry
bikes on an automobile, but I wonder if there are any statistics to back
this up.

You have to think about how statistics get collected.

Briefly, it costs money. Someone (probably a police officer or
insurance company serf) has to record the incident in the first place.
The incident has to get stored in some sort of accessible database -
which, of course, will be different state by state, if not city by city.

Someone else has to propose this as a problem worth studying - either a
government paperpusher trying to get an "attaboy" for a calling
attention to the Next Big Thing That Might Kill You, or perhaps a
college researcher hoping for a "publication" to allow staying in a
low-paying teaching job.

Someone else with bucks available has to buy into the idea of the study;
they have to fund it. Alternately, grad-student slave labor could be
used, but then the researcher has to find a publication that thinks this
is worthy of attention, and has to hope a handful of reviewers and an
editor agree.

Basically, it's a lot of work, time and trouble, and some expense. If
there's no public perception that bike racks kill people, there's not
going to be any collection of data. None of it happens. And I think
that's were we are now.

I've always thought there should be laws regarding proper ways to
carry bikes on an automobile...

There are. Without looking into the various state codes, I'm positive
there are laws that state that you're responsible for damage done by
objects falling off your vehicle.

These are sufficient, IMO.

--
Frank Krygowski

If you have a roof rack and a garage door opener, here's
a tip. Put the activator for the garage door opener in
the seat bag of the bike on top of the car.

=v= Even better: mount the garage door opener on your
handlebars and get rid of the car entirely. Works for me!
_Jym_

On 23 Nov 2003 09:35:08 -0800, Jym Dyer wrote:

If you have a roof rack and a garage door opener, here's
a tip. Put the activator for the garage door opener in
the seat bag of the bike on top of the car.

=v= Even better: mount the garage door opener on your
handlebars and get rid of the car entirely. Works for me!

Go turn on The Weather Channel.

We can't all live where what works for you is practical. Before you
tell me about snow tires for bikes, recall that most drivers are worse
in the winter, especially during the first major snowfall, clearing a
9-inch circle from the snow and ice on their windshield. Me and my
bent would be a slurpee within a couple of miles. This, however,
http://mnhpva.org/ice/Ice2003.html is GREAT fun. Not enough ice yet.

Just got off the Air-Dyne after a "fast" 2 hour ride. It's sometimes
the thought that counts.

No stats. Just an anecdote. Yes, this is technically OT.

I was once carrying my road bike on a rear rack on my car. I was
rear-ended at about 35 mph by a guy in a pickup. About $4000 worth of
damage to the car, the bike was a total loss. No injuries to me or
the guy in the truck.

Had to argue with his insurance company to get reasonable compensation
for the bike. Their initial reaction was " A bicycle? Would $100
cover it?". In a tone of voice that suggested they thought this was
generous.

But the rack itself was good quality. I always took the time to
convince myself that it was securely fastened to the trunk, and that
the bike was well fastened to the rack. I can't say that it ever
seemed likely to fall off.

On Sun, 23 Nov 2003 14:47:41 GMT, "NYRides"
wrote:

Does anybody know of any statistics regarding bicycles (on or off trunk/hood
racks) falling off automobiles while in transit?

I was always very paranoid about carrying my bikes on a rear rack, and have
since moved them inside the car for all trips. But I still see people
carrying them around on unsteady looking racks that swing back and forth,
jump up and down, etc. I've even seen a lot of makeshift carrying methods,
like bikes stacked on their sides on the roof and tied down with bungies.

I've always thought there should be laws regarding proper ways to carry
bikes on an automobile, but I wonder if there are any statistics to back
this up.

I have never had a problem. I currently use a Saris bones 3 bike rack. I
love it and highly recommend it. It is solid as a rock.

"NYRides" wrote in message
t...
Does anybody know of any statistics regarding bicycles (on or off
trunk/hood
racks) falling off automobiles while in transit?

I was always very paranoid about carrying my bikes on a rear rack, and
have
since moved them inside the car for all trips. But I still see people
carrying them around on unsteady looking racks that swing back and forth,
jump up and down, etc. I've even seen a lot of makeshift carrying
methods,
like bikes stacked on their sides on the roof and tied down with bungies.

I've always thought there should be laws regarding proper ways to carry
bikes on an automobile, but I wonder if there are any statistics to back
this up.