No rider bike crash at 100km/hr

[winona_rider]

So at the Ipswich 100 bike ride on sunday - see QLD BNA pages - me and some forum buddies were chillin at the start line zone just behind where the announcers were speaking... and suddenly the MC's started telling us that someone had handed in a bike that had been just "lost" on the Ipswich motorway and if anyone knew the owner they should come forward.

We scratched our heads for a second but then realised that someone had lost a bike off a car's bike rack and hadn't realised it - at least not straight away.

While we were there mesmerised we saw someone come up and say he was a friend of the guy who had lost the bike and was wondering if the bike was still in one piece cause the owner was at that moment out trying to buy a new bike! (the bike in question was in fact a carbon fibre 4.5 trek)

So that was the last we heard until Sunday nigh when a BNA forum member owned up (on these pages) to being the guy that had picked up the bike on the highway - our very own user beanspropulsion! KUDOS!

So the bike was un-ridable but only slightly damaged (comparatively to its worth).

A crazy story I just thought I'd share with you.

[casual_cyclist]

[im_no_pro]

What sort of bike rack 'was' it attached to??

[wombatK]

Just another reason to hate CF bikes - so damned light that gravity can't keep them in a bike rack.

But I do admire beansies honesty - hopefully he didn't have to risk life and limb to recover the bike, or do we need to give him extra points for this too ?

[RobRollin]

Yeah, I wonder what sort of rack it was on, most Thule racks are covered upto 100kmh according to their warranty. But I dont think I would risk it at 100kmh with a CF bike.

[Andrew69]

Yeah, I wonder what sort of rack it was on, most Thule racks are covered upto 100kmh according to their warranty. But I dont think I would risk it at 100kmh with a CF bike.

Heading back yesterday from the Port Macquarie Ironman, saw a P3C flapping around in the wind on one of those thule racks. The guy pulled over for fuel and I pulled in behind him for a kids pit stop.
Told him about his bike and he said it wasnt surprised because a few days earlier as he was heading up, he heard a loud bang on the side of his car only to look over and see his bike hanging over the side of the car at 110 km/h!
He said the bike was fine and he raced it, but he does have a nice dent in the drivers door as proof...

[Tom Marius]

Yeah, I wonder what sort of rack it was on, most Thule racks are covered upto 100kmh according to their warranty. But I dont think I would risk it at 100kmh with a CF bike.

Heading back yesterday from the Port Macquarie Ironman, saw a P3C flapping around in the wind on one of those thule racks. The guy pulled over for fuel and I pulled in behind him for a kids pit stop.
Told him about his bike and he said it wasnt surprised because a few days earlier as he was heading up, he heard a loud bang on the side of his car only to look over and see his bike hanging over the side of the car at 110 km/h!
He said the bike was fine and he raced it, but he does have a nice dent in the drivers door as proof...

hey, as long as the bike's ok...

[grosry]

you should never bike racks

[beanspropulsion]

Just another reason to hate CF bikes - so damned light that gravity can't keep them in a bike rack.

But I do admire beansies honesty - hopefully he didn't have to risk life and limb to recover the bike, or do we need to give him extra points for this too ?

Can't take all the credit, it was my mate Ian who risked life and limb to recover said treadly (traffic wasn't that heavy at 6am). It was a definate hazard though, we swerved round the object and Ian said "That was a bike!".

When we got to Ipswich and got the MC to announce that a bike had been found and the lost bike's owner's (I shall call him Matthew, cause that was his name) mate told us he was off to buy a bike we told him that if he was that cashed up maybe he could claim it on insurance. I was excited cause I thought I had scored (due for a new bike) but the bike was too big for me and i'm 6 foot and definately too big for Ian who is a shortarse.

Anyway glad we did the right thing, Matthew was only a young guy and was worth the effort to see him reunited with his bike.

At these events I usually wear my favourite Barcelona FC cycling shirt so if you see me introduce yourself.

Cheers
Beanspropulsion

[winona_rider]

i think i saw you at the end!
that's like a red/maroon colour and dark blue? stripey...
i remember seeing a barcelona FC jersey and thinking - "i've just been there" (to barcelona i mean)!

[beanspropulsion]

i think i saw you at the end!
that's like a red/maroon colour and dark blue? stripey...
i remember seeing a barcelona FC jersey and thinking - "i've just been there" (to barcelona i mean)!

You got it Winona. Have a long association with Barcelona, that's why the shirt.

[elantra]

Can't take all the credit, it was my mate Ian who risked life and limb to recover said treadly (traffic wasn't that heavy at 6am). It was a definate hazard though, we swerved round the object and Ian said "That was a bike!".

You guys are lucky you didn't hit the bike - would not have been a good start to the day, it was still a bit dark at 6 am, you did well to miss it.
Somebody should do an engineering PhD on problems associated with the transport of bicycles behind motorcars.....

[wombatK]

You guys are lucky you didn't hit the bike - would not have been a good start to the day, it was still a bit dark at 6 am, you did well to miss it.

+1. Could have done some serious damage to their car.

Somebody should do an engineering PhD on problems associated with the transport of bicycles behind motorcars.....

There's been no indication of what kind of rack - might have been a roof rack on top of rather than behind.

Regardless of what type, shouldn't we expect the product manufacturers to be doing the research and stand behind the product ? It's up to them to make a product fit for the purpose you intend to use it.

most Thule racks are covered upto 100kmh according to their warranty

Unfortunately, Thule's website is evasive about how fast you can drive with their products:

How fast can I drive with Thule products mounted to my car?

There is no general rule. Transporting items of various weights, shapes and sizes alter the way your car behaves in certain situations. Speed should be adjusted to suit the load being carried, other parameters such as road conditions, wind, traffic intensity and so on, and of course, traffic regulations as well. With a load on the roof, the vehicle´s driving characteristics, its braking performance and its sensitivity to side-winds may change.

http://www.thule.com/Thule/FAQListningP ... ageid=2216

Thule also give this interesting advice...

How much can I load? Are there any weight or dimension limitations?

The maximum load given in the mounting instruction is not to be exceeded. The car manufacturer´s instruction for maximum roof load shall also be observed and followed. It is always the lower limit that applies. Maximum roof load = load carrier weight + any accessory + the weight of the load itself.

http://www.thule.com/Thule/FAQListningPage____2509.aspx

This appears to be a reference to the weight bearing capability of the roof. It's not clear how you are meant to assess the roof's ability to take uplift or horizontally applied wind loads - I don't think I've had a car where the manufacturer gave a rating for this.

It looks a bit like Thule are just trying to make sure you can't pin it on them if your bike comes adrift while using their products.

Their website seems to be offering no guarantees that the product is fit for driving at any particular speed. If someone has a link or copy of warranty etc.,. with something more concrete, it would be worth posting it !

In the absence of anything clearer, it would be very sensible to ask the retailer if the bike rack or towbar is fit for the purpose you intend to use it on (e.g. driving at 110 kph on motorways amidst B-doubles etc.,. on windy days) - before you buy.