rideintexas
04-23-04, 10:58 PM
I just had a thought as I was taking my bike off of my roof rack. Can, over time, having your fork mounted onto a car roof rack be harmful to the fork by putting stress on it from the skewer?
Bicycle Mechanics - Car Roof Racks
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ExMachina
04-24-04, 07:12 AM
What skewer? You're talking about the clamp on the roof rack, correct?
Racks that secure a bike by the fork are securing the bike in an area that was *designed* to take stress--a lot of stress--in all sorts of directions (imagine how much greater the shear and torsion forces are when you're riding and take a 90 degree turn at 25 mph!) If you really want to worry about damage to your bike in a bike rack, think about the racks that secure/clamp onto the top tube, an area of the frame that was never designed for *any* kind of radial compression.
Racks that secure a bike by the fork are securing the bike in an area that was *designed* to take stress--a lot of stress--in all sorts of directions (imagine how much greater the shear and torsion forces are when you're riding and take a 90 degree turn at 25 mph!) If you really want to worry about damage to your bike in a bike rack, think about the racks that secure/clamp onto the top tube, an area of the frame that was never designed for *any* kind of radial compression.
upbiker
04-24-04, 09:02 AM
I agree. It's no worse than using your wheel.
Grendel
04-24-04, 09:25 PM
I wouldn't worry about stressing the fork with the roof rack, but pay attention to overhead clearance and don't forget you have a bike up there. :D
Retro Grouch
04-25-04, 11:54 AM
I just had a thought as I was taking my bike off of my roof rack. Can, over time, having your fork mounted onto a car roof rack be harmful to the fork by putting stress on it from the skewer?
NOT getting the skewer tight can sure cause damage to your frame. An acquaintance had a department store tandem insufficiently mounted to his roof rack and managed to lay the whole thing over and bend his right fork tip at a right angle.
NOT getting the skewer tight can sure cause damage to your frame. An acquaintance had a department store tandem insufficiently mounted to his roof rack and managed to lay the whole thing over and bend his right fork tip at a right angle.