Bicycle Rack Mishaps?

In article ,
says...
The most common bike rack mishap seems to be driving into the garage with bikes
on the rack. Almost every rider I know has a story of someone they know who has
done this.


I had a friend who did this. He was upset because the insurance company
found him 100% at fault. He though that was unfair because "it was dark
at the time"

:-)

On Mon, 24 Nov 2003 15:09:30 GMT, "Buck" s c h w i n n _ f o r _ s
a l e @ h o t m a i l . c o m wrote:
"Rick Onanian" wrote in message
.. .

What bothers me is people with empty pickup trucks, vans, and full
size SUVs, using trunk racks or hitch racks. If they're not going
to put stuff in there, they'd probably be better served by a smaller
vehicle.

Now that's a silly thing to be bothered by. I'm looking forward to getting a
hitch rack for my truck. Partly so I can keep the pedals and barends from
rubbing on the truck bed, causing paint loss on both the bed and the bike

Paint loss on the bed? It's a truck!! If you're worried about the
bed's finish, you ought to have a bedliner, anyway. Paint loss on
the bike is easy -- just as I do with my road bike, stand it up and
strap it. Only takes 20 seconds once you've figured out the best
way to do it.

parts. Partly so I can load up the bed of the truck with camping gear and
not have to strap the bikes on top. In an SUV, it's even harder to carry all
of your gear and the bikes if you have to load the bikes inside. Outside

You must have missed the key word I wrote: empty. I rarely see a
stuffed truck/van/suv with bikes on a rack. I commonly see empty
ones; I just wonder why somebody would take the time and effort for
racking the bike when they can just throw it in or stand it and
strap it.

You want to see a good use of racks for bikes? Take a gander at how
I packed my truck for vacation:
Note: Between 350k and 400k each, high res, I'm too lazy to reduce
them...
Neatly packed before leaving:
http://members.cox.net/thc/P8240001.JPG
Mess after a week of vacation and too much spent on souvenirs:
http://members.cox.net/thc/P8310081.JPG
http://members.cox.net/thc/P8310083.JPG
http://members.cox.net/thc/P8310086.JPG

If I had to use a trunk rack, I may have seriously reconsidered
bringing bikes at all. I put the bikes on the ladder racks figuring
I'd want to throw stuff in the bed during the vacation (I was
right).

racks also keep the inside of the SUV from being mucked up by the dirt from
the trail. There are lots of reasons to not put a bike into a truck or SUV.

I doubt it. Those that I've observed are never dirty. Further,
when I go to the trail and see others with their bikes that actually
get dirty, they rarely have a rack, even if they have a compact car.

If you ride rough off-road (enough to get so dirty), you certainly
aren't worried about the aforementioned paint damage to the bike
from laying it down in the pickup bed, either.

-Buck
--
Rick Onanian

On Mon, 24 Nov 2003 11:10:46 -0500, "David L. Johnson"
wrote:
I've puzzled about this, too. I've seen a number of big 'ol SUVs pulling
a trailer, in which was a small load of stuff -- which would easily have
fit inside. I presume they don't want to scuff the leather interior with
their shingles or whatever. But then, why buy a truck if you aren't going
to use it?

Well, the point of an SUV was supposed to be off-road prowess with
passenger capacity, and on-road trailering (again with passenger
capacity) -- for big trailers. However, there's not much excuse
about scuffing the interior; the seats fold down leaving a
scuff-proof surface on almost all SUVs, usually carpet or rubber.
--
Rick Onanian

Mon, 24 Nov 2003 14:38:03 -0500,
,
Rick Onanian wrote:

http://members.cox.net/thc/P8310086.JPG

"Catapult", is not a reassuring name for bike.
--
zk

On Mon, 24 Nov 2003 14:59:33 +0000, Rick Onanian wrote:

Well, the point of an SUV was supposed to be off-road prowess with
passenger capacity, and on-road trailering (again with passenger capacity)
-- for big trailers.

Nah. an SUV was the evolution of the pick-up, on which everyone would put
a cap over the bed. On the other side, it's a station wagon. In either
view, that big area behind the seats was meant to carry stuff.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | "Business!" cried the Ghost. "Mankind was my business. The
_`\(,_ | common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance,
(_)/ (_) | and benevolence, were, all, my business. The dealings of my
trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my
business!" --Dickens, "A Christmas Carol"

Zoot Katz wrote:
: "Catapult", is not a reassuring name for bike.

lol. i prefer onager, trebuchet or ballista.
--
david reuteler

On Mon, 24 Nov 2003 12:30:34 -0800, Zoot Katz
wrote:
Mon, 24 Nov 2003 14:38:03 -0500,
,
Rick Onanian wrote:
http://members.cox.net/thc/P8310086.JPG

"Catapult", is not a reassuring name for bike.

I can't even begin to guess where it came from. It makes every
Huffy and Kent seem like a great bike -- in fact, that silly green
Huffy next to it is actually a tolerable ride (since I've fixed it
up). What, you don't think I'd bring _nice_ bikes that I _paid_ for
on a vacation on the exterior of a pickup, do you?

Anyway, the catapult is:
-- Heaviest bike I've ever touched
-- Mechanically unsound and quite dangerous
-- Unable to be adjusted to normal dimensions. I had to change
out the seatpost to get it to a reasonably ridable condition
-- Operates terribly
-- I can't seem to do such things as ride uphill with it

The Huffy was a rescue from the trash. Nearly mint condition except
a tacoed wheel, cheaply replaced ($10, IIRC) with a similar wheel
from Benny's (local variety store chain that sells such bikes).
--
Rick Onanian

On Mon, 24 Nov 2003 16:17:00 -0500, "David L. Johnson"
wrote:
On Mon, 24 Nov 2003 14:59:33 +0000, Rick Onanian wrote:
Well, the point of an SUV was supposed to be off-road prowess with
passenger capacity, and on-road trailering (again with passenger capacity)
-- for big trailers.

Nah. an SUV was the evolution of the pick-up, on which everyone would put
a cap over the bed. On the other side, it's a station wagon. In either
view, that big area behind the seats was meant to carry stuff.

I suppose, but the difference between a pickup with a cap and a SUV
was the seating. A station wagon seats as many as an SUV and has
the same square footage for cargo (taller, though, for more cubic
feet). This is all, of course, in the context of when these
covered-pickup SUVs first came out and station wagons were made from
full size, RWD cars.

But again, somebody who was looking to carry stuff bought a wagon or
pickup; somebody who wanted to take his buddies into the woods for a
deer hunt bought those first SUVs.
--
Rick Onanian

Mon, 24 Nov 2003 17:15:36 -0500,
,
Rick Onanian wrote:

Anyway, the catapult is:
-- Heaviest bike I've ever touched

Ah hah, the name must then refer to its role as ammunition.
Lace the spokes with rabid squirrels and assail the bastion walls.
--
zk

24 Nov 2003 21:27:05 GMT,
, David Reuteler
wrote:

Zoot Katz wrote:
: "Catapult", is not a reassuring name for bike.

lol. i prefer onager, trebuchet or ballista.

Scratch off the decals until it's 'caput'.
--
zk