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Driving out of the (not so) LBS and heading back toward the motorway I came up behind a car with a bike on the back (probably been to the same shop) on one of those strap-on bike racks (a bit like the one I have).
So the GF questioned why he had that rubish strappy bike rack when his car was fitted with a tow-hitch and he could have a nice Thule rack mounted on the back.
"Because it's cheep" was my answer as we both sped down the sliproad and joined the motorway.
"Wont be cheap if it......" she starts to reply...
WTF?!?!?! 😮
At that moment the f*cking bike fell off and started boucing around the motorway 😯
All sorts of chaos as cars sweve and break hard 🙁
It came to rest in the middle lane after bouncing across all 3 and getting some serious height! The guy pulled over and was looking almost as shaken as me who'd just managed to avoid it.
He hadn't done any of the straps up to secure the bike to the rack by the look and it had just slipped off.
Schoolboy error.
I hope every behind me was alright because a bike in the middle lane of a motorway is not good.
Bike that costs kerzillions attached to a car on one of those daft carriers with webbing straps. Durrrr....
Do you mean the Saris Bones ones?
Hmmm
Remember the hoo ha about wheels 'just' coming undone. How many where 'school boy error' I know a few blokes that were prepared to admit that they probaby hadn't done up the front wheel after removing it from the car rack!
Eagerness to get going, gassing in the car park? Mymate rode around the Peak all day before realising.
Sorry for the hijack
I remember my first carrier that came loose on the journey.
At the other end of the spectrum though, how many Tesco Special kids bikes do you see on £300+ Thule racks? I'd never trust anything other than a towbar rack, I like my car and my bikes too much.
shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!!!
just put it in the car for gods sake
defo not good. Pretty tricky to retrieve a bike from the middle lane of a motorway... phone the police ?
I had a ladder come of the roof of a van once on a dual carriageway, that was pretty scary... very strange noise as it began to slide backwards along the roof rack.
nonk... I always put my bike in the car but I'm always paranoid about someone driving into the back of me. I don't really want to know what it feels like to have a titanium frame pushed through the drivers seat into my spine and a set of reba forks shoved into the back of my head at 70mph...
Kev
Driving to Dover last year along the M4 we were behind a car when their rack, carrying two bikes fell off at approx 70- 80 mph. They hit the road, bounced, separated and all hell broke loose. I was dead impressed with my reactions as we just missed colliding with appollos a go go. The guy didn't even realise what had happenned, so we sped after him and flashed him to stop, which he eventually did. In the meantime MrsAmbrose was on the phone calling the police, who in turn set the big illuminated signs to say 'Obstructio' or similar. And the traffic radio too.
Mr Appollo stops, we exchange pleasantries- 'Your bikes fell off and almost 'kin killed me and my family etc' and then Mr White Van arrived, looking as pale as his vehicle. And not a happy bunny either. Nor his even bigger mate. They had retrieved one of the bikes, possibly after hitting it at speed.
We left at that point.
And four hours later I drove the wrong way out of the ferry and ripped my son's bike off the roofbars What a T1t :0
That is funny.
Lobby your MP? I dunno but it could have ended up as an episode of casulty when it used to be good yrs ago...
Good thing nobody got hurt.
A few years ago we were going up the lakes on the M6. The guy who's driving is a complete joker so you could not believe a word he said. All of a sudden, "oh poo one of the bikes has come off the roof"....yeah yeah we thought...Oh no. My mates bike in the fast lane of the M6! Hit by a flying Mercedes, driver just carried on! Police had to recover the bike, shut the motorway for 10 mins. 3pts and £60 fine...Ouch!
Strangely ive got a brand new Thule, tow bar mounted rack for sale, still in box,email in profile.
Ive also got a van and no tow bar.
"daft carriers with webbing straps"
The metal "hooks" unhitch from the top of the hatchback door when you go over a bump. You can get ones with large "boules" that go inside the car with the straps threading through the seals. These can;t unhitch.
A guy I know had the same thing happen. But he had a motorbike on the back of his car 😆
buzz, the problem with the guy today wasn't anything to do with the rack as such, that was still attached rock solid, he'd just hung the bike on the back and not secured it to the rack with the ties.
It was only gravity holding it on!
:picard
who in turn set the big illuminated signs to say 'Obstructio'
If there's a vehicle on fire ahead, do they put 'scorchio'?
I'd never trust anything other than a towbar rack, I like my car and my bikes too much.
Indeed, and far worse it could so easily injure or kill someone 😐
Towbar carriers for the win!!! I am not a fan of those there strappy booty type carriers.
I've seen it happen with kayaks.
My bikes always go inside my own car but if they go on someone elses rack I make damn sure they're on securely and not coming off.
Just imagine a bike coming through your windscreen, 3 points and £60 is the least of your worries.
I got one of those halfords 4 bike rack carriers for a trip earlier this year. Got to Scotland nervously constantly checking the mirror and taking it easy on corners. The top hooks are just not secure at all.
On the return trip while loading the tensioner handle washer thingies snapped, had to jerry-rigg with a plastic milk bottle and various cables.
Have used it once since for a 5 mile trip and had to pull over when the kids started screaming as it was hanging on by just one side.
Compete waste of money that would have paid for a towbar at least, not to mention dangerous. It's restricting but stick to 3 inside the car now.
i've got a mitsubishi rvr thats fits my bike INSIDE so that it dont fall off and injure/kill some poor bar steward! bike racks is crap!
[i]"daft carriers with webbing straps"
The metal "hooks" unhitch from the top of the hatchback door when you go over a bump[/i]
Never had a problem - driven to the French alps twice with a cheapy Halfrauds strappy thing, with 2 bikes and 2 bikes and a kid's bike. You'd have to be a moron not to secure the rack and the bikes properly.
i hooked my bike up on the rack one evening ages ago. drove off and got a few 100 yrds down the road when i suddenly heard an almighty crashbangwallop as i was going round a bend. looked back to see a heap of metal poles sitting on the pavement.
the bike was still very securely attached to the rack. the rack wasn't attached to the car. luckily no-one was behind me and the handle bars took the full impact; everything else was fine.
wasn't the racks fault, it was mine. took a bit more care after that though.
Just imagine a bike coming through your windscreen
Some years ago, maybe 15 i guess. I was going down to Devon on the M5, just past the turn off to Bridgewater when a heavily laden car in the middle lane dropped the bikes off the back of the car, rack and all. I was in my old mini, it was like star wars, you know the bit with the death star only it wasn't really much like when I used to bull's-eye womp rats in my T-sixteen back home - more like aaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhg.
one bounced to my left, i swerved a bit to the right and missed it, don't know were the other bike went, one bounced into the fast lane, then back into my lane, i just shut my eyes (I find this the best thing to do in such a situation, just pretend your somewhere else, like not in a rusty tin box travelling in heavy traffic at 80mph with cheap bikes flying at you. The keeping my eyes shut worked a treat, although to this day I don't know how, i'm guessing the bike bounced again and over the top of my car and into the path of the lorry that was behind me. I pulled over a bit shaken.
The upshot of this was that i had a pretty clear run all the way to my mums on a bank holiday weekend, as everything that was behind me ground to a hault whilst they picked up all the bits. I don't think i was passed by a car all the way to Exeter, it was eerie indeed.
I spent rather too long working for Halfords when I was younger and saw way too many badly fitted racks. There's nothing wrong with most racks, although a couple of the really cheap ones are shocking, the problem is that a lot of modern cars can't take them safely. The bottom straps are the important ones, they stop the rack bouncing up and off the car, and should be fitted as low as possible ideally to the bottom of the bumper. This is difficult if not impossible on most plastic ones so the straps get put round the bottom of the tailgate which makes them at the wrong angle, then they aren't tightened again after the bikes are on.
We used to see 3 or 4 a year that fell off.
keefus - Member
i've got a mitsubishi rvr thats fits my bike INSIDE so that it dont fall off and injure/kill some poor bar steward! bike racks is crap!
The only trouble is that some times there is no room insdie the car sue to family and luggage so it has to go on the outside.
oliverd1981 - Member
I'd never trust anything other than a towbar rack, I like my car and my bikes too much.
I can go one better than that my rack bolts to the tailgate and isn't going anywhere.
I'm pretty confident in my Saris Bones RS rack but I still prefer to take the bikes in the car most of the time. A good thing about it is the ratchet straps that hold the bike on, kind of removes the potential for user error when you're tired and cold etc
Have had a few near misses with other racks in the past though. My mate had his brand new Meta 5.5 flapping off to one side of a car by its back wheel on it's first trip out somehow 😛
That sounds nasty.
Remember people - always double if not triple check everything when carrying bikes on a car. We thoroughly test our racks but the last link in the chain is making sure that you fit it properly.
Just another reason to put my bike in the boot!!
I can remember (may years ago) losing my windsurfing board off the top of my car. I had a series of belt and braces measures to prevent anything bad happening but I just hadn't factored in the whole roofrack breaking apart. It just self destructed and the clamps sheared off. All the nuts and bolts were in place when I retrieved it, the metal had just given up the ghost. The rack was only three months old.... I got a replacement foc but it went straight in the classifieds of the local rag. Lucky no one was hurt although the artic behind me went bumpity, bumpity bump over my kit, my board, masts, sails etc were trashed but the insurance paid up for that. Scared me silly... so much so that I bought a 740 volvo estate for board carrying duties.
Well I bought me a fancy three bike carrier from thule(towbar mount),and it is a funky bit of kit - oh,until the stupid cheepo straps give up the ghost after 6 months,and let yer bike flap around on the back.The roofrack ones look a better deal due to the securing/lock arm.I have to use bungees now - WTF!!!
Didn't the MBR guys have a pre production Orange5 fall off a rack on the M6 once iirc?
I've got a Thule Clip-on High, rear carrier. It's absolutely rock solid on the car. It must be getting on for 10 years old now and I've never had a complaint with it. Very solidly built and because of the way the bikes are fitted onto the rack, pretty fool proof as well.
B.
I have a strap on rack I inherited from my dad, I have to admit I only use it at the minute because if we go for a family trip and I take my bike, with the assorted baby related equipment and my Missus penchant for packing everything under the sun there is simply no space for the bike left in the car (Golf Estate).
It’s not been a problem so far, but I take at least 20 minutes to fit it each time, strap it on to the tailgate, making sure it’s secure, then I put the bike on (Minus wheels) and re-tension the straps, I also use a few zip ties to make sure there are no flapping straps once it’s all good and tight, I use 5 Bungees to strap the bike on and make sure the bars cannot swing at all, and then I use a cable lock to secure the frame to the rack both for anti theft security and just in case the bungees fail…
I make sure the wheels go in the car, I would be worried that they would obscure the rear light clusters as I don’t have a lighting board and I’d like it if people didn’t shunt me because they couldn’t see my brake lights…
If it’s just me, or me and another bike rider then the bike(s) go in the boot, on a tarp’….
I have to admit I’d prefer a tow bar rack and proper lighting board, but the difference in price is pretty huge, £50 for a strap on jobbie Vs what £300-ish? by the time you’ve bought a decent rack and had the tow bar and lighting board fitted (Assuming you don’t do it yourself), I can understand why people don’t go for tow bars every time, but it’s on my wish list, I just need to convince the missus…
You do see some scary “installations” strangely often on bigger cars, 4x4’s etc, I think it tends to be family outings where Dad’s not bothered reading the instructions after getting home from Halfrauds and decided he knows best and can shove 5 bikes plus a roof box on the outside of his car and nothing bad could possibly happen….
Phew, read the thread title and thought for a moment you must of seen me dressed up(down) for halloween on Sat night..
*phew*
I have an Atera Strada towbar mounted rack, purchased on advice from this very forum.
Very pricey bit of his, almost as pricey as the towbar that I had to have fitted to the car in order to use the rack.
However, I would say that the it has been worth every penny.
I used to use the type of carrier described by the OP, fortunately without disaster. New car is not compatible this type hence the outlay. Bikes wont go inside either as family and luggage takes up the space.
I would get a Strada again.