OK, I’ve heard the stories, seen the damage, even chuckled a bit when listening to some of the accounts of people running their roof mounted bicycles into the garage door. But Karma is a powerful force not to be reckoned with….I too have finally felt the wrath of the low overhang. In my defense, I was not driving but I was playing an active role as back seat driver along with others in the vehicle.
After a day of riding,
some might say racing in Winter Park, what could be better than to top it off with some live Blues music at
Smokin Moe’s?
“Nothing.” So off we go, anxious to hear some
Tab Benoit and Category 5.
Just as we approach Moe’s the “Parking Garage” sign seems to pull us in like a magnet. “How about the parking garage?” the back seat drivers shout and without hesitation (and too fast to heed the warning at the entrance “NO ROOF MOUNTED BICYCLES”), we whip in. Two milliseconds later…. oh that sickening noise of
metal being ripped off metal – what the @#$&! All heads look to the center of the car……THE BIKE!!!
Rut roh Spanky, this may not be pretty… Sure enough, the bike and
rack were lying on the ground behind the car. The bike was fine but the rack had seen better days and the aerodynamics of the car
have changed slightly.
Judging by the sign at the front of the garage, we were not the first to figure out too late that they should be parking on the street!
What are owners of small vehicles to do?
Hitch mount?
It’s not that much safer….I have been on the wrong end of an uninsured motorist rear ending me and then spending some quality time at the bike shop buying wheels
and a crank. That’s no fun. So what are roof rack owners to do
to prevent ruining their rides? First, if your bike is worth more than your vehicle, which is all too common these days, ride your bike more and save the gas money for better homeowner’s insurance
(under which the bike is covered). There are numerous other tricks out there to force you to think about your bike on the top of your vehicle.
1. Take the remote out of your car the second you put your bike on the roof.
2. Put the remote in the glove box when bike is on the roof.
3. Place a note on the rear view mirror when the bike is on top.
4. Run a fluorescent string from the bike to front of the car.
5. There are sensors but I have not heard of any that really work.
6. Coachlevi.com suggests a sign saying “stop” mounted in the garage, if you carry a bike on top of the car.
7. Buy a bigger vehicle and put your bike inside or in the bed to be truly safe.
Bottom line is this: if you transport your bike on the roof of your vehicle, do not ever laugh, snicker or even grin, at someone’s misfortune with a garage mishap because not all low overhangs are garages.
Now for this week’s tip from Nigel at Lee’s Cyclery south. When trying to mount tubeless tires and seat the bead, first mount the tire with a tube and seat the tire on the rim. Then break the bead on one side, remove the tube and insert the stem. If using sealant (highly recommended), mount all but a small section and pour the sealant in, then mount the rest of the tire. Now at least one side of the tire is seated and if you use a compressor, makes easy work of seating the other side.
I hope my tale of misfortune reminds you to always think about your roof mounted bike and if you thought it was funny…..beware — the joke may be on you next time!
Steve Lacey
Share your comments, experiences below!
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: bike carrier, bike crash, bike rack, bike rack mount, colorado, cycling, hitch mountain, insurance, Lee's Cyclery, parking garage, road tubeless, shimano tubeless, thule, tubeless tire, winter park, Winter Park Race Series, yakima
Are you as fit or conditioned mentally as you are physically for your next ride or race? Whether you are going on a road ride or mountain bike ride your mental attitude plays a big, more like the majority, role in your success. Notice I said success and not failure…..we might as well get on the “right” foot here. There is no place for negative thoughts before a ride or obstacle and positive ones can always be found.
Just as the laws of motion define the way things move, the way we think defines how we move. For every negative thought, there is an equal and opposite, positive thought. Think of every obstacle you encounter on your mountain bike as a chance to excel; not a chance to put a scratch on your shiny bike. Think of every piece of road as purposeful; the ones less traveled are builders of character and strength. Think of the wind as always blowing in your direction; at your back,it’s helping you along; in your face, it’s giving you a taste of what’s ahead; to the side, it’s keeping you from traffic or from the shoulder. Your bike never breaks by itself and would last years if you didn’t touch it; never blame your bike. Hills are great; if we didn’t have hills, Shimano wouldn’t be in business!
One of my favorite quotes and words I try to live by came from JFK, which I have written on my top tube by the way, “Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly”. A bit more profound than “Yes we can” because let’s face it, at times there are things that happen beyond our control and we can’t. If you have the chance to race against Lance, take it! Not because “you think you can” beat him, but because if you dare and he has a bad, albeit very bad, day you may succeed. If you go to a race and don’t win it’s not because you lost, it’s because someone else rode better than you and you had no control over that person. Likewise, pushing yourself to complete your first century or conquer an obstacle on your mountain bike takes a willingness to succeed.
I hope some of these thoughts help you get through your next ride; if they don’t, I’m positive you didn’t need them in the first place.
This week’s tip was inspired by a thorn in my tire which I was happy to remove from the street. When patching your tube, stretch the tube around your pump or other cylindrical object when scuffing it up. This allows the sandpaper to work better and provides a good base to support your tube. Don’t forget to remove the thorn from your tire before replacing your tube!
By the way…..Did you happen to see Lance lose the Giro or Team Astana win the Giro?
Have a good ride!
Brain picture by dierk schaefer
Steve Lacey
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: bicycle riding, bike shop fort collins, bontrager, burley, cervelo, competitive, electra, gary fisher, giro, jfk, Lee's Cyclery, mirraco, mountain biking, niner, orbea, patching a tube, pearl izumi, positive thinking, purposeful, road riding, shebeest, shimano, shimano bike, sidi, succeed, thorn, those who dare, thoughts, trek, tube
Will write for socks and fame! May 31st deadline.
The community voice is here. Last year we had an excellent community writing contest. This year, since we started our new blog, we thought we would involve YOU as part of the blogging community. You don’t need to know how to blog, just write your story in an email. Every month we’ll have a different theme, so if at first you don’t succeed….. well, you know what to do….. Here’s the deal:
1- Write a 300 word paragraph about “Getting back in the saddle”.
2- Send an email with your writing to Jason@leescyclery.com
3- We’ll pick the best one before May 31st and feature it on the http://blog.leescyclery.com with YOUR name of course!
4- The best blog post receives a free pair of socks or $15 purchase equivalent.
The community voice is here. Last year we had an excellent community writing contest. This year, since we started our new blog, we thought we would involve YOU as part of the blogging community. You don’t need to know how to blog, just write your story in an email. Every month we’ll have a different theme, so if at first you don’t succeed….. well, you know what to do….. Here’s the deal:
1- Write a 300 word paragraph about “Spring is here”.
2- Send an email with your writing to Jason @ leescyclery dot com
3- We’ll pick the best one before May 31st and feature it on the http://blog.leescyclery.com with YOUR name of course!
4- The best blog post receives a free pair of socks or $15 purchase equivalent and free fame 
Look forward to it! Spread the word…
The Lee’s Cyclery Team.
Categories: Uncategorized
Tagged: blogging, contest, fort collins, Lee's Cyclery, northern colorado, writing
