Cautionary Tale

[Catrin]

This is about as ironic as it gets, and a lesson for the future. As many on this forum know, I've been learning mountain biking this summer and have been having a blast. I've also fallen/crashed over, and over, and over...lost count of the times but bike and I have escaped unscathed :)

So yesterday I left home to head south for the day to hit my current favorite training trail. It was drizzling rain but had heard the trails were fine - they have been so dry for so long that they are like concrete. The park is also far enough away that quite often when it is raining here it isn't there. I could have put it in my hitch-rack as usual...but NO, I couldn't do THAT. Nope, I decided to save some time with probably chain maintenance before riding by just putting it inside my Kia Soul. So I did that and took off. About 30 minutes later, an mtb friend camping this weekend sent me a text to tell me it had been raining pretty steadily for several hours...so I chose to turn around and head home and just road ride yesterday. Got home...unloaded the car leaving my Mountain Goat until last.

I have no idea what happened. I had the handlebars in my hands and was trying to get it out of the car - it didn't want to come out, it had apparently gone in at a bad angle. Then I heard a "snap" :eek: :eek: :eek: The "snap" was the bar clamp on one of my shifters breaking clean in half :eek: I've no idea how this happened and wonder if there was already a crack in the clamp from all of those falls and something about the bike position put just enough stress on that.

So off to the LBS, and thankfully it is a cheap fix. I was also told if it goes as it should I won't have to pay labor as it will take about 2 minutes to switch out the clamp. They are going to try and get me one clamp from SRAM rather than both to save me a few bucks - always appreciated. Lesson learned - my bike will NEVER go back in my car. She can handle the weather, and a little cleaning time is much better than having to put her in the shop and leave her there :(

FWIW, they told me at my LBS that they do see a lot of bike repairs from the same cause - putting the bike in the vehicle to protect it from the rain... The irony is after all of those falls and crashes that I finally break my bike by putting it in the car.

[lph]

Oh dear! But unless you're as strong as a horse, or were using a crowbar to get your bike out, the clamp was already broken and just needed the extra leverage to fall off.

So you were lucky! It happened in a safe place and not on the trail causing you to endo :)

Derailleurs however do not like being caught in car doors or stuck under luggage, and can bend fairly easily.

[Catrin]

:eek: I did suspect that it had to at least be cracked already as it was the only thing that made sense... The rare times I've put any of my bikes in the car I am careful to not put the drive-train on the bottom.

I am just thankful that I didn't drive all the way to the park and then have this happen when I tried to unload the bike there...at least I didn't burn as much gas as I normally do. The bike was in at an odd angle, and my LBS guy had to take the wheel off to get it out of the car. I was afraid the entire shifter would have to be replaced and thankfully it didn't :)

[OakLeaf]

+1 that it was already broken.

I don't even own a rack, and I drive to ride more often than I ride from home. The only thing that has EVER happened to my bike from riding in the car, is once one of the wheel quick-releases got pulled partially open. Luckily for me the wheel didn't come off and I noticed it when the brakes started rubbing.

Lots of people show up at the club rides with their bikes in their cars ... sometimes with both wheels off and the frame stuck in the trunk. Basically the only thing on a bike that's meant to move with no more force than it takes to slide on and off carpet is the quick-releases, so as long as you check those (and as lph said, keep the drivetrain up, for the sake of your carpet as well as your bikes) you're fine.

[Crankin]

I quit putting my hitch rack on the car every season when the local car wash banned me from going through because my rack broke their equipment!
My seat folds down and my small bike fits in the back. But, I have to be careful not to smoosh the shifters. I've gotten it stuck at odd angles more than a few times, where I had to pray and work to unstick the bar.
My next car is going to be different.

[WindingRoad]

Catrin that is just too bizarre, it HAD to be already cracked or something. You aren't Wonder Woman.... I don't think? ;) It sounds like a pretty easy fix, I'm sure they will take good care of you at Nebo... don't worry about it, it was a total fluke. :)

[Catrin]

It is an easy fix, and as my hitch mounted rack is quite heavy (around 50 pounds) and locked to my hitch, I am simply going to use it :cool: That does mean I won't go through an automatic car wash but that never hurt anyone. If I can get help and figure out how/where to store it I will take it off for the winter.

Yes, it was a fluke, and the more I think about it the more I am inclined to believe it was already cracked. Thankfully it didn't happen on the trail :D :eek:

[hebe]

I'm glad that it's a cheap and easy fix, and that it didn't fail while you were riding

[Catrin]

I'm glad that it's a cheap and easy fix, and that it didn't fail while you were riding


Yep :) Did I mention that I LOVE my bike rack?

[Desert Tortoise]

I know what you mean about the rack being heavy to put onto the hitch, mine is like that. My bike is small (49cm) and the cargo area is plenty big and clear.

I'm not terribly clumsy but no matter how careful I am about putting the bike in the back, I always manage to do something to the bike. Once the rear brakes moved and ended up rubbing, another time the bike got a little stuck and another time I broke off the computer part on the fork. After that I haven't tried again.

Bummer too because I like the security of it locked up and can make other stops to make use of my drive.

[Catrin]

Thankfully I am able to lock my bike(s) to the rack, so that isn't a problem for me. Have been considering a secondary locking system, but since my rack uses a non-cable locking system what is there is more difficult for someone to tamper with than cutting a cable or two. I got the hitch rack so I wouldn't HAVE to beat my bikes and car up getting it in and out...

[jlnc]

Glad it is not an expensive repair. When I first got my bike, I tried to find a rack for my car, but had trouble. I considered putting a hitch on, but it was going to be costly, so I just kept putting the bike in the back of the car. I am always very carelful, and don't lay it on the drivetrain. I'm sure I look pretty funny loading it, because I try to make sure nothing on the bike gets caught (pedals, shifters, etc). It's a delicate process! But your story is a reminder for me to be extra careful!

[jessmarimba]

Yep, my bike always goes in the trunk/folded down back seat. I don't like how the trunk racks scratch the car (and with my heavier bikes, I can feel them in how the car handles) and I never bought a roof rack because I couldn't commit that much money. Bike goes in drivetrain up, rear wheel toward the front, front wheel off. Never had a problem. Though the bar end shifters on the Fargo always get shifted and smushed, they're pretty much indestructible anyway.

[Catrin]

Yep, my bike always goes in the trunk/folded down back seat. I don't like how the trunk racks scratch the car (and with my heavier bikes, I can feel them in how the car handles)...

Yep, that is why I went for the more expensive hitch rack for my Kia Soul, well worth the investment. Next time my Jamis will just need to get wet and I will deal with it, she DOES need a bath from time to time anyway :)