Cars with bike racks

condorman
condorman Posts: 811
edited June 2017 in Commuting chat
There now seem to be so many more cars with bike racks although not many bikes in evidence. I optimistically and foolishly thought that drivers of vehicles with bike racks might be more considerate but my experience has been an emphatic NO! And that goes for cars with some very nice road bikes on their roof. It almost seems that they are involved in more punishment passes and I wondered if that was because they believe that a bicycle is something you transport on a car to a safe place to ride away from all dangerous things and that anyone who cycles anywhere else gets what they deserve.
Or are cars manufacturers throwing them in for free and then claiming to be green or reducing their carbon footprint?
Condor Pista
50x16

Comments

  • thistle_
    thistle_ Posts: 7,217
    condorman wrote:
    There now seem to be so many more cars with bike racks although not many bikes in evidence. I optimistically and foolishly thought that drivers of vehicles with bike racks might be more considerate but my experience has been an emphatic NO! And that goes for cars with some very nice road bikes on their roof. It almost seems that they are involved in more punishment passes and I wondered if that was because they believe that a bicycle is something you transport on a car to a safe place to ride away from all dangerous things and that anyone who cycles anywhere else gets what they deserve.
    Or are cars manufacturers throwing them in for free and then claiming to be green or reducing their carbon footprint?
    --> viewtopic.php?f=40012&t=12573143

    If there's no bike on the rack it could be another family member driving the car, who doesn't ride.
  • condorman
    condorman Posts: 811
    condorman wrote:
    There now seem to be so many more cars with bike racks although not many bikes in evidence. I optimistically and foolishly thought that drivers of vehicles with bike racks might be more considerate but my experience has been an emphatic NO! And that goes for cars with some very nice road bikes on their roof. It almost seems that they are involved in more punishment passes and I wondered if that was because they believe that a bicycle is something you transport on a car to a safe place to ride away from all dangerous things and that anyone who cycles anywhere else gets what they deserve.
    Or are cars manufacturers throwing them in for free and then claiming to be green or reducing their carbon footprint?
    --> viewtopic.php?f=40012&t=12573143

    If there's no bike on the rack it could be another family member driving the car, who doesn't ride.

    Who doesn't mind wiping out cyclists as it's not their nearest and dearest.
    Condor Pista
    50x16
  • Everyone knows that the only people who have cars fitted with bike racks are mountain bikers. They hate road cyclists because we are fitter and more handsome than they are.

    This is why they are trying to kill you.

    Obvs.
  • TonyJams
    TonyJams Posts: 214
    Everyone knows that the only people who have cars fitted with bike racks are mountain bikers. They hate road cyclists because we are fitter and more handsome than they are.

    This is why they are trying to kill you.

    Obvs.
    I know you're joking but there's an element of truth in that
    I'm a member of various MTB pages on Facebook and the vitriol towards road riders is shocking, even saying they would knock road riders off if they rode in the middle of the road in the primary position etc. Not cool.
  • figbat
    figbat Posts: 680
    My car sports a bike rack almost permanently*, used for MTB and road bikes 2-3 times a week, hence barely worth removing. I tend to be VERY cautious around cyclists on the basis that, y'know, brethren and that. One very, very noticeable thing though when carrying a bike up-top... if it's the road bike, every road cyclist I drive past going the other way takes a look up at the bike. If it's the MTB, they don't. 100% correlation. So confident was I in this that earlier this week I was driving with the wife and as a cyclist approached I said "watch him look up at the bike" and bingo. This morning, MTB on board, wife says "why aren't they looking up today?".

    I don't get all this us and them stuff, I just wanna get on with everyone.

    *Skoda Yeti, so looks all rufty tufty cool with the rack on, and Skoda is cycling and all that.
    Cube Reaction GTC Pro 29 for the lumpy stuff
    Cannondale Synapse alloy with 'guards for the winter roads
    Fuji Altamira 2.7 for the summer roads
    Trek 830 Mountain Track frame turned into a gravel bike - for anywhere & everywhere
  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,064
    MTB because the road is too hard ....ouch!

    Before you start this IS tongue in cheek, says me recovering from yet another MTB crash
    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.
  • MrSweary
    MrSweary Posts: 1,699
    Used to get some appalling passes from the Cadence car... You'd think they'd know better too.
    Kinesis Racelite 4s disc
    Kona Paddy Wagon
    Canyon Roadlite Al 7.0 - reborn as single speed!
    Felt Z85 - mangled by taxi.