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#31
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Front bike rack on buses, heavy bikes
On Monday, September 18, 2017 at 8:19:19 AM UTC-7, sms wrote:
On 9/17/2017 7:54 AM, Joerg wrote: Thinking about doing rides farther away without carting the bike there in my car. Or riding out farther and using a bus for some of the way back. Buses out here have racks for two bikes up front, like this: http://www.sacbike.dreamhosters.com/...us_No_2395.jpg Unfortunately the top-holding bar goes over the front wheel where the emergency dynamo is on my road bike instead of over the seat. Ok, I can remove that dynamo. However, both my road bike and my MTB are "rear-heavy" with panniers that contain lots of water, tools and such. Are they still safe in those racks? The other question is, El Dorado Transit and others state to "remove panniers and other baggage to allow safe operation of the bus". My panniers look detachable but they are not, there is a lot of stuff underneath that bolts and cinches them in place. While panniers that attach with stretch cord or springs will routinely bounce off on rough roads or trails, there are panniers that don't have that problem. I use the defunct Kangaroo Baggs which have never fallen off on rough terrain. They're more of a pain to put on and take off but not terribly difficult. Arkel has a camlock system that is secure, and they sell a retrofit kit for other panniers, see https://www.arkel-od.com/en/cam-lock-hook-kit-pair.html. But if you want panniers that thieves can't easily steal, bolt-on is a good idea I guess. Thieves would cut the lock and take the whole bike, assuming they were in the market for a bike appropriate to the Mad Max post-apocalypse world of Cameron Park -- something with toasted pivots, swing-arms and shocks -- destroyed by the relentless pounding and mountain lion pounces. My commute bike is much more simple and durable: https://cnet1.cbsistatic.com/img/PuI...-skeletron.jpg -- Jay Beattie. |
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#32
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Front bike rack on buses, heavy bikes
On Mon, 18 Sep 2017 08:19:12 -0700, sms
wrote: But if you want panniers that thieves can't easily steal, bolt-on is a good idea I guess. I had a similar problem. When I went on service calls on my bicycle, I was forced to lock the bicycle to something, remove everything that can be easily removed, and drag everything into my customers office to prevent theft. While shopping for suitable panniers, I noticed that they look very much like laptop bags. I had a fair collection of those, so instead of panniers, I tried various laptop bags. I had to sew D rings in various places and add cardboard and wire stiffeners. In general, they work just fine. I usually take a laptop or Chromebook with me, which I wrap in bubble pack for extra shock resistance. Also tried brief cases, but they were too big, bulky and heavy. I have no idea how they will survive on a bus and I no longer do service calls on my bicycle. -- Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558 |
#33
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Front bike rack on buses, heavy bikes
On 9/18/2017 11:25 AM, Joerg wrote:
On 2017-09-18 08:19, sms wrote: On 9/17/2017 7:54 AM, Joerg wrote: Thinking about doing rides farther away without carting the bike there in my car. Or riding out farther and using a bus for some of the way back. Buses out here have racks for two bikes up front, like this: http://www.sacbike.dreamhosters.com/...us_No_2395.jpg Unfortunately the top-holding bar goes over the front wheel where the emergency dynamo is on my road bike instead of over the seat. Ok, I can remove that dynamo. However, both my road bike and my MTB are "rear-heavy" with panniers that contain lots of water, tools and such. Are they still safe in those racks? The other question is, El Dorado Transit and others state to "remove panniers and other baggage to allow safe operation of the bus". My panniers look detachable but they are not, there is a lot of stuff underneath that bolts and cinches them in place. While panniers that attach with stretch cord or springs will routinely bounce off on rough roads or trails, there are panniers that don't have that problem. I use the defunct Kangaroo Baggs which have never fallen off on rough terrain. They're more of a pain to put on and take off but not terribly difficult. Arkel has a camlock system that is secure, and they sell a retrofit kit for other panniers, see https://www.arkel-od.com/en/cam-lock-hook-kit-pair.html. That only works if the cam has good spring action and holds with a lot of force. Else it'll jump and rattle, and eventually fail. A whole lot of force. The other problem is the bungee which will allow a loaded pannier to flop and bang sideways during rough rides. On my MTB 80-90% of miles are rough. My panniers have four hooks and I slid in a thick Perspex plate above. It is nicely rounded so won't chafe. Has two big M6 bolts to a home-made rack "undercarriage". That way it cannot jump or rattle up an down. The hooks have thick bicycle tubing over them for nice cushioning. The bungees are not used but the panniers are solidly affixed to the vertical struts of the racks. On the MTB it would take tools and half an hour to assemble and re-assemble. Not gonna happen, then I keep using my car instead of changing to public transit. But if you want panniers that thieves can't easily steal, bolt-on is a good idea I guess. They can still easily open them or slit them with a knife. This is why I never leave the bike unattended. If a store doesn't allow me to carry the bike inside I will shop elsewhere. This is one reason why I only buy online at Walmart, not in stores. And only when they free-ship to the house, no ship-to-store because they made me park the bike outside even there. On the road bike the battery for lights and stuff rides in the right pannier so I'd also have to disconnect that. I was also thinking about carrying a large drinking water container in the left pannier when I find one with a fitting shape, with the hose tied to the top tube. That way I wouldn't have to stop for transfers into the bottle. Panniers with a bunji which fall off after a bump are so last century. Since the first Kirtland positive-lock pannier (c.1987?) almost all quality panniers have a locking feature of some sort (Lone Peak, Jandd, Ortleib etc). You have to get down to chinese crapinabox level to find lift-n-drop panniers nowadays. -- Andrew Muzi www.yellowjersey.org/ Open every day since 1 April, 1971 |
#34
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Front bike rack on buses, heavy bikes
DIG HOLE COVER WITH STICKS
Canadins are inedible once again we have a glith the prosed goal is not whining abt design features and your idea of fun ..this is not fun this is discipline as in loading n unloading a sea kayak. the goal is bus trip to a distant area n ride trail route a recommended by California's experts. not whining abt design features that will not get you there the IDEA IS TO GET THERE like build boats invading England. NRS has in remote Moscow morhed into kayak/raft/bike we recommend a Bills Bag for short term protection of a large haul you can get a weekend in there no prob. https://www.outdoorplay.com/gear/bac...king-backpacks |
#35
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Front bike rack on buses, heavy bikes
On 2017-09-18 10:51, AMuzi wrote:
On 9/18/2017 11:25 AM, Joerg wrote: On 2017-09-18 08:19, sms wrote: On 9/17/2017 7:54 AM, Joerg wrote: Thinking about doing rides farther away without carting the bike there in my car. Or riding out farther and using a bus for some of the way back. Buses out here have racks for two bikes up front, like this: http://www.sacbike.dreamhosters.com/...us_No_2395.jpg Unfortunately the top-holding bar goes over the front wheel where the emergency dynamo is on my road bike instead of over the seat. Ok, I can remove that dynamo. However, both my road bike and my MTB are "rear-heavy" with panniers that contain lots of water, tools and such. Are they still safe in those racks? The other question is, El Dorado Transit and others state to "remove panniers and other baggage to allow safe operation of the bus". My panniers look detachable but they are not, there is a lot of stuff underneath that bolts and cinches them in place. While panniers that attach with stretch cord or springs will routinely bounce off on rough roads or trails, there are panniers that don't have that problem. I use the defunct Kangaroo Baggs which have never fallen off on rough terrain. They're more of a pain to put on and take off but not terribly difficult. Arkel has a camlock system that is secure, and they sell a retrofit kit for other panniers, see https://www.arkel-od.com/en/cam-lock-hook-kit-pair.html. That only works if the cam has good spring action and holds with a lot of force. Else it'll jump and rattle, and eventually fail. A whole lot of force. The other problem is the bungee which will allow a loaded pannier to flop and bang sideways during rough rides. On my MTB 80-90% of miles are rough. My panniers have four hooks and I slid in a thick Perspex plate above. It is nicely rounded so won't chafe. Has two big M6 bolts to a home-made rack "undercarriage". That way it cannot jump or rattle up an down. The hooks have thick bicycle tubing over them for nice cushioning. The bungees are not used but the panniers are solidly affixed to the vertical struts of the racks. On the MTB it would take tools and half an hour to assemble and re-assemble. Not gonna happen, then I keep using my car instead of changing to public transit. But if you want panniers that thieves can't easily steal, bolt-on is a good idea I guess. They can still easily open them or slit them with a knife. This is why I never leave the bike unattended. If a store doesn't allow me to carry the bike inside I will shop elsewhere. This is one reason why I only buy online at Walmart, not in stores. And only when they free-ship to the house, no ship-to-store because they made me park the bike outside even there. On the road bike the battery for lights and stuff rides in the right pannier so I'd also have to disconnect that. I was also thinking about carrying a large drinking water container in the left pannier when I find one with a fitting shape, with the hose tied to the top tube. That way I wouldn't have to stop for transfers into the bottle. Panniers with a bunji which fall off after a bump are so last century. Since the first Kirtland positive-lock pannier (c.1987?) almost all quality panniers have a locking feature of some sort (Lone Peak, Jandd, Ortleib etc). You have to get down to chinese crapinabox level to find lift-n-drop panniers nowadays. Look at the high-end Arkel mount above that Steven posted. That is not a cheapo vendor but ... bungees. The "modern" click-and-lock plastic mounts do not provide true clamping. They lock but have some play and that rattles and wears. Anything that moves on bikes used off-road a lot wears surprisingly fast. Yesterday I noticed that my plastic (!) water bottle has managed to abrade a third of the aluminum off of the inward bottle holder tip. -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ |
#36
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Front bike rack on buses, heavy bikes
On Sunday, September 17, 2017 at 10:54:10 AM UTC-4, Joerg wrote:
Thinking about doing rides farther away without carting the bike there in my car. Or riding out farther and using a bus for some of the way back. Buses out here have racks for two bikes up front, like this: http://www.sacbike.dreamhosters.com/...us_No_2395.jpg Unfortunately the top-holding bar goes over the front wheel where the emergency dynamo is on my road bike instead of over the seat. Ok, I can remove that dynamo. However, both my road bike and my MTB are "rear-heavy" with panniers that contain lots of water, tools and such. Are they still safe in those racks? The other question is, El Dorado Transit and others state to "remove panniers and other baggage to allow safe operation of the bus". My panniers look detachable but they are not, there is a lot of stuff underneath that bolts and cinches them in place. What's your experience? I use OC TRanspo's Rack and Roll occasionally. It works well for me, but our bicycles are not complicated by panniers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGfz0II6_L8 -- Andrew Chaplin SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO |
#37
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Front bike rack on buses, heavy bikes
On 9/18/2017 12:25 PM, Joerg wrote:
My panniers have four hooks and I slid in a thick Perspex plate above. It is nicely rounded so won't chafe. Has two big M6 bolts to a home-made rack "undercarriage". That way it cannot jump or rattle up an down. The hooks have thick bicycle tubing over them for nice cushioning. The bungees are not used but the panniers are solidly affixed to the vertical struts of the racks. On the MTB it would take tools and half an hour to assemble and re-assemble. Not gonna happen, then I keep using my car instead of changing to public transit. But if you want panniers that thieves can't easily steal, bolt-on is a good idea I guess. They can still easily open them or slit them with a knife. This is why I never leave the bike unattended. If a store doesn't allow me to carry the bike inside I will shop elsewhere. This is one reason why I only buy online at Walmart, not in stores. And only when they free-ship to the house, no ship-to-store because they made me park the bike outside even there. On the road bike the battery for lights and stuff rides in the right pannier so I'd also have to disconnect that. ... Wow. I've toured and/or traveled with up to four panniers plus handlbar bag, in something like 12 countries so far. I shop almost daily using one bike or another. I've done this for about 45 years now. So far, my total losses from parked bikes totals three cyclometers - once from my daughter's bike and my bike parked in front of a restaurant in Ireland, and once from my bike parked at the local grocery store. Without the Avocet sensor rings and mounts, they're useless, so I suspect it was 12-year-old boys in both cases. In our village, I no longer bother to even lock the bike. I just jam something into the front brake lever to keep that brake applied. In less familiar areas, I use a homemade cable that's 1/4" diameter, with a tiny padlock. I do think carefully about where I park the bike, though. (Of course, my lights are permanently bolted on.) -- - Frank Krygowski |
#38
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Front bike rack on buses, heavy bikes
On Sunday, September 17, 2017 at 7:54:10 AM UTC-7, Joerg wrote:
Thinking about doing rides farther away without carting the bike there in my car. Or riding out farther and using a bus for some of the way back. Buses out here have racks for two bikes up front, like this: Dude. Are you not married. Stop turning around and start calling your wife. |
#39
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Front bike rack on buses, heavy bikes
On 2017-09-18 13:55, Frank Krygowski wrote:
On 9/18/2017 12:25 PM, Joerg wrote: My panniers have four hooks and I slid in a thick Perspex plate above. It is nicely rounded so won't chafe. Has two big M6 bolts to a home-made rack "undercarriage". That way it cannot jump or rattle up an down. The hooks have thick bicycle tubing over them for nice cushioning. The bungees are not used but the panniers are solidly affixed to the vertical struts of the racks. On the MTB it would take tools and half an hour to assemble and re-assemble. Not gonna happen, then I keep using my car instead of changing to public transit. But if you want panniers that thieves can't easily steal, bolt-on is a good idea I guess. They can still easily open them or slit them with a knife. This is why I never leave the bike unattended. If a store doesn't allow me to carry the bike inside I will shop elsewhere. This is one reason why I only buy online at Walmart, not in stores. And only when they free-ship to the house, no ship-to-store because they made me park the bike outside even there. On the road bike the battery for lights and stuff rides in the right pannier so I'd also have to disconnect that. ... Wow. I've toured and/or traveled with up to four panniers plus handlbar bag, in something like 12 countries so far. I shop almost daily using one bike or another. I've done this for about 45 years now. So far, my total losses from parked bikes totals three cyclometers - once from my daughter's bike and my bike parked in front of a restaurant in Ireland, and once from my bike parked at the local grocery store. Without the Avocet sensor rings and mounts, they're useless, so I suspect it was 12-year-old boys in both cases. In our village, I no longer bother to even lock the bike. I just jam something into the front brake lever to keep that brake applied. You probably life in a secluded Amish village :-) I've had a lot of stuff stolen, including a complete road bike which was tied to a thick wrought iron fence with a massive chain and a professioanal-grade ABUS pad lock. I have a hunch who it was but couldn't prove it plus the bike was nowhere to be found. The topper in the next street was a guy with a fairly old BMW motorcycle. One morning he came down ... both Bing carburetors gone. The guy who stole them must have been a BMW lover because he draped something over the intakes so rain would not enter the cylinders. In less familiar areas, I use a homemade cable that's 1/4" diameter, with a tiny padlock. I do think carefully about where I park the bike, though. At our larger stores there are often some shady folks milling about, with nothing to do all day long. Leaving a nice bike or one with enticing accessories unattended is calling for trouble. I just don't want to have my tool set or other stuff pilfered. (Of course, my lights are permanently bolted on.) That makes no difference to a serial thief. They will instantly know whetehr the light is a ritzy-glitzy one or a $10 light and then decide. No matter how it is mounted. -- Regards, Joerg http://www.analogconsultants.com/ |
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