Bike rack disasters?

camerone
camerone Posts: 1,232
edited January 2009 in Commuting chat
Anyone had any? Here's mine:
LBS car park has height restriction bar across it, so trick is to pop bike at entrance, pelt out in the car leaving it in the road and put bike on roof rack outside barrier. Simple - but always need to remind myself to do it. Anyhow - had just collected a new Gios Carbon framed bike, remembered the aforementioned routine and got in car feeling smug at how great my memory was. Realized car facing wrong direction on road, no problem -just reverse into car park entrance to go other way - doh! snapped frame before a pedal turned, sheepish return to LBS.......
interesting phone call to insurer......

Comments

  • Jamey
    Jamey Posts: 2,152
    I thought you meant rack as in panniers-carrying device and was all set to talk about how a bolt fell out of mine on the way home once, but your problem is slightly worse :)
    My photography // My helmet cam videos // My bike
  • gtvlusso
    gtvlusso Posts: 5,112
    Thats is awful....I would be blindly livid and probably go and find someone smaller than me to beat up!

    There is a lesson there though....

    My bike rack is one of those ones where you have to take to fron wheel out and put it in a sperate carrier - bought it for TT bike as it is a more stable carrying platform for an expensive bike. Also means that, should I, make the height mistake it may only take off my seat and seat post!!

    Bad luck fella.
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    Doh! You complete muppet! :lol:

    Hope insurance will payout, you must be gutted. I flatly refuse to transport my baby externally, just have visions of shattered carbon strewn over the motorway.
  • simple_salmon
    simple_salmon Posts: 457
    I once forgot I had two bikes on the top as I entered a motorway services with a barrier. Cue one very broken expensive rack and one broken front wheel.

    Car was absolutely full of stuff as we were going on holiday so had to take the bike apart and secrete bits in small places all around the car. Actually Mrs Simple_Salmon did that cos I was so cross I was prepared to leave it in bits in the car park.

    :oops: :oops: :oops:
  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,064
    Oh that sucks

    If I transport the bike I whip the wheels off and put it in the boot with lots of padding, failing that I strap the kids & wife to the roof and put the bike on the back seat.
    Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
    Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
    Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
    Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.
  • Rich158
    Rich158 Posts: 2,348
    The worst I've had was with a boot lid rack. I loaded both mine and my sons rack on, and realised we had lost a couple of straps. No problem I thought I can use the two straps I do have to secure both bikes. Doing about 80 on the M25 I checked my wing mirror to see the strap securing the rear of the outer bike had come loose and the bike was now at 90 degrees to the boot lid :oops: and was only held on by a single strap on the handle bars :shock:

    Even now I thank god that I spotted it in time, god only knows what carnage would have ensued on the M25 if both straps had come off.
    pain is temporary, the glory of beating your mates to the top of the hill lasts forever.....................

    Revised FCN - 2
  • girv73
    girv73 Posts: 842
    I haven't had any myself, but many beards ago, hurtling down the motorway to get to a MTB race one of my mates bikes made a bid for freedom at 80mph. I was in the car behind and it was pretty darn scary having an obstacle appear in front of you at that speed. The bike slid down the carriageway with sparks flying (steel frame) for a bit before coming to rest. We managed to recover it - this was early Boxing Day morning so the road was dead - and he went on to race on it! Just some paint and saddle damage and one slightly mangled pedal.
    Today is a good day to ride
  • camerone
    camerone Posts: 1,232
    every cloud and all that - insurance company after much hilarity have agreed to pay up - i have the halfwit policy......
    LBS had a 2007 litespeed frame that falls in payout budget and is currently in the garage...
    i now park in the Lidl opposite!
  • The Chingford Skinhead
    The Chingford Skinhead Posts: 718
    camerone wrote:
    every cloud and all that - insurance company after much hilarity have agreed to pay up - i have the halfwit policy......
    LBS had a 2007 litespeed frame that falls in payout budget and is currently in the garage...
    i now park in the Lidl opposite!

    Thanks for sharing an amusing but "therre for the grace of god go I" type story. I'm with Simple Salmon on the angry sulk scenario too :oops:
    Pain is only weakness leaving the body
  • counterculture
    counterculture Posts: 507
    sorry to hear that. i did laugh though
    i spent all me money on whisky and beer!!!
  • fossyant
    fossyant Posts: 2,549
    Oh no.....

    A mate did write off a bike that way - his dad was driving at the time though.....
  • daintonj
    daintonj Posts: 18
    camerone wrote:
    every cloud and all that - insurance company after much hilarity have agreed to pay up - i have the halfwit policy......
    LBS had a 2007 litespeed frame that falls in payout budget and is currently in the garage...
    i now park in the Lidl opposite!

    You got the bike from Two Wheels in Amblecote?
    Genesis Vapour w/mudguards - FCN 6
  • iain_j
    iain_j Posts: 1,941
    Rich158 wrote:
    The worst I've had was with a boot lid rack. I loaded both mine and my sons rack on, and realised we had lost a couple of straps. No problem I thought I can use the two straps I do have to secure both bikes. Doing about 80 on the M25 I checked my wing mirror to see the strap securing the rear of the outer bike had come loose and the bike was now at 90 degrees to the boot lid :oops: and was only held on by a single strap on the handle bars :shock:

    Even now I thank god that I spotted it in time, god only knows what carnage would have ensued on the M25 if both straps had come off.

    Driving down the motorway a few years ago, that happened to a car/bike in front of me - only attached at one end, the bike was flailing and bouncing about on the road with sparks flying everywhere like a grindstone. I don't think the driver had even noticed - i think it was a big people-carrier thingy - and it took a lot of headlight flashing and beeping to get him to pull over. Luckily it was late at night and there was hardly any traffic.
  • camerone
    camerone Posts: 1,232
    You got the bike from Two Wheels in Amblecote?

    I sure did. you know the car park or did you hear the staff laughing???
  • woodyonthebeach
    woodyonthebeach Posts: 583
    Lost the bike when on the motor way. Went under a truck There wasnt anything that didnt have a scratch on and was bent in some way. All in all it was F***ed.

    Phone to insurance company, funny thing was that I had to put it on the contents insurance not the cr insurance.

    What I have learned for that was, there is always time for a few more straps and hitches when strapping down
    The doctor said I needed to start drinking more whiskey. Also, I’m calling myself ‘the doctor’ now
  • daintonj
    daintonj Posts: 18
    camerone wrote:
    You got the bike from Two Wheels in Amblecote?

    I sure did. you know the car park or did you hear the staff laughing???

    I know the car park and I've seen a near miss there. Also I've got a funny feeling I've seen you about as there aren't that many litespeeds around.

    Were you on last Thursday's evening ride that started at Lidl?
    Genesis Vapour w/mudguards - FCN 6
  • Feltup
    Feltup Posts: 1,340
    Great you are getting sorted with a new bike.

    My mate looked in his rear view mirror whilst doing about 70mph (cough) down the motorway to see five yes five canoes chasing him. Luckily they all headed towards the hard shoulder and were mostly unscathed. Glad I wasn't following him.
    Short hairy legged roadie FCN 4 or 5 in my baggies.

    Felt F55 - 2007
    Specialized Singlecross - 2008
    Marin Rift Zone - 1998
    Peugeot Tourmalet - 1983 - taken more hits than Mohammed Ali
  • chaley
    chaley Posts: 100
    I used rack a few years ago to go on holiday,I load the car up, put the rack on, put the bikes on and fit the number plate and away we go. I'm doing 70 ish on the A3 and BANG there was this really loud and I mean loud BANG, I look in the mirror and all looks fine, but I still pull over to have a look, only to find that I haven't put any straps on the bikes and the only thing holding them on are the two rubber bands that are holding the number plate :oops: and the bang? the back wheel had moved down and was touching the exhaust pipe the tyre had got a bit hot and over pressurized and blown it self to bits, the only thing holding the tyre on was the bead. Never mind hey :lol:
    Chaley
    2009 langster

    Blasphemy is the only victimless crime

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