Follow-up: New bike panic

[KSH]

Hey, it sounds like you are working on getting the hang of it! Keep working at it. It will get easier and better.

Nice bike! So pretty!

Oh, and the bike on the back of the car... the Cervelo... that's my tri bike too! HA! I call her Buttercup.

[RoadBunner]

KSH, the Cervelo is DBF's bike. He'd be happy to hear someone else has one but I think I'd better not tell him you named yours "Buttercup!"

We used our rack for the first time yesterday. Of course we were both paranoid whether we did it right, the whole thing may fall off the back of the car, etc. As we were driving DBF said, "You know, if my bike fell off right now, I'd have to be honest...I'd cry." And I said, "You!? What about ME?! I haven't even gotten to ride mine yet!" (He's had his bike at least 5 years now!)

[VeloVT]

btw, is that a hitch-mounted rack? how do you like it? we had a trunk-mount rack briefly (decent quality, I don't remember whether it was Thule or Yakima) and didn't like it too much because a) it was hard to load two bikes and be sure they wouldn't scratch each other and b) the straps fastened over the top tube and the cradles for the top tube didn't really accomodate bf's shaped carbon top tube very well.

Yours looks like it would avoid those problems, while perhaps being a bit easier to load than a roof rack...

I'm actually quite happy with my roof rack -- but it is interesting to see all of the options and how they work.

edit: and duh, how could I forget -- what a gorgeous bike! Congratulations!

[RoadBunner]

It is a hitch-mount type.

We've only used it once but so far so good! We opted not to get a roof rack because 1) I'm an upper-body weenie strength-wise and challenged height-wise so would have had difficulties getting the bike up there and 2) We've got a garage and with my luck I'd decapitate the bikes on the way home.

DBF didn't want a trunk-mount rack because he heard it scratches the paint and then you can't open the trunk.

This one supports the bikes by the wheels and that arm thing ratchets over the front wheel. A guy at the LBS said carbon frames shouldn't be suspended by their top-tubes. The bikes don't touch each other at all.

Hope that helps!

[KSH]

KSH, the Cervelo is DBF's bike. He'd be happy to hear someone else has one but I think I'd better not tell him you named yours "Buttercup!"

HA! Well, for what it's worth... I came up with the name because all the guys on my tri message board tell people who whine, "Suck it up buttercup".

Yea, I got mine because Inside Out Sports was getting rid of some vintage (2002! HA!) Cervelo's. I bought mine, brand new... never ridden... for $500. He might not want to hear that either.