bike rack safety

new2bikes said:

I have a trunk mounted bike rack that I used to use with my old inexpensive hybrid. Now that I have a more expensive road bike ($2000 - carbon), I'm wondering just how safe it would be for my new bike. Would you trust your bike to a trunk rack? Why/why not? Any danger of damaging a carbon frame? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I would say the only Concern is getting rear ended. Although I have heard some people say that because the way the bike is mounted, having the clamps around the frame, sometimes the frame will shift in the clamps causing the finish on you bike to get mildly damaged.

I have a THULE roof mounted rack that I love, but i also dont have a house with a garage, so I dont have to worry about forgetting that my bike is on the roof.

kvl1027 said:

I would say the only Concern is getting rear ended. Although I have heard some people say that because the way the bike is mounted, having the clamps around the frame, sometimes the frame will shift in the clamps causing the finish on you bike to get mildly damaged.

I have a THULE roof mounted rack that I love, but i also dont have a house with a garage, so I dont have to worry about forgetting that my bike is on the roof.

Maybe it's because I've always driven a pickemup truck, but I could never think about strapping a 5k bike on top of a 1k car. After you take off the wheels, they pretty much fit inside even the smaller cars. My .02, no flames please.

new2bikes said:

I have a trunk mounted bike rack that I used to use with my old inexpensive hybrid. Now that I have a more expensive road bike ($2000 - carbon), I'm wondering just how safe it would be for my new bike. Would you trust your bike to a trunk rack? Why/why not? Any danger of damaging a carbon frame? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Suggest you try to get the bike inside your vehicle if possible. Most small car trunks will hold a bike with both wheels removed. Or, if your car is wider, the frame will fit across the rear floor, standing up. My New Beetle, like most small hatchbacks, holds the bike with just the front wheel off.

Thanks. I can fit the bike into the back seat area if I take off the front wheel and turn the handlebars to the side. Do I need to worry about damage to the fork if the bike shifts while I'm driving?

capwater said:

Maybe it's because I've always driven a pickemup truck, but I could never think about strapping a 5k bike on top of a 1k car. After you take off the wheels, they pretty much fit inside even the smaller cars. My .02, no flames please.

It is true I could fit my bike in my car, but is is so much easier to put it on the top, than it is to put my back in the back, in that perfect postion so that it fits. You know "If I rest the back tire on the right hand corner of the passenger seatand then twist the bars at approx. a90 degree angle to the frame, while standing on one foot, and dancing a jig.....its fit with no problem!"

After a few times tring to fit my bike in the back, and knocking the rear derailure out of wack a few times, i just bought the rack.