Commuting - Experience with racks on public busses

Our local bus system is finally installing bike racks on their busses. Has anyone had an experience with these racks? Are they hard to use? Are they convenient? How well do they hold the bike on? What kind of damage can it cause to the bike? Any helpful hints or comments would be greatly appreciated. I may use these racks if it seems to be feasible.

Thanks!

well, i don't know which racks Cincinnati will be using. I've seen 2 different kinds and the ones they chose in Portland (after examining models in other cities) were very good: the rack folds down from the front of the bus and then it's easy to load and very secure with a spring loaded arm that goes over the bike to keep it in place. i think the ones used in Portland were also used in quite a few other cities (i want to say Denver but i don't really remember)

the only problem i found with the bike racks on the busses: there are usually only 2 racks and when they're full... you're out of luck. the first few times i watched my bike anxiously as the bus made corners and all --- later i only watched when the bus stopped (that no one took my bike off)

Our local busses have racks that hold 2 bikes. You have to pull a lever to fold down the rack for use. Then you pop your bike in and lift a locking bar over the front wheel. It has worked fine for my MTN bike but I don't know if I would trust it with
my big bucks road bike due to the bus accelerating and then braking for stops( there is a little slop in the rack). I plan on trying my swb recumbent in the rack soon.:)

Assuming they are fold-down 2-bike type mounted on the front bumper, use them with confidence. My experience, such as the time I snapped a crank 12mi / 20km from home, has been uniformly positive. Be sure to alert the driver as you approach your stop, so that he/she knows to wait for you to remove your bike. Also, note that many bus routes have specific stops which are designated for bike pickup and drop off, so plan accordingly.

The biggest problem on my local bus route, which follows the old Coast Highway ("Surf Route") 101 from Oceanside to La Jolla, is that both bike spaces are often occupied.

Thanks guys. On Monday they are supposed to have a big unveiling downtown. I plan on attending to see what the deal is. Hopefully they put a rack on a bus route that I use.

There was so much demand in Sonoma County for the bike racks that all the buses have them and are being converted from two to three bike racks. The only problem has been with my large touring bike. I am 5'11" and the long wheelbase touring frame is a little long for me. The rack slots are a bit too close together for the wheels to fit neatly in the bottoms of the slots. Also, the swing over locking arm has to be twisted a bit to fit onto the top tube. Of course the engineers designed it to fit 99% of the bikes, so what about us 100%ers? Not to mention recumbents, tandems, trikes . . .

They are great to have, although I don't see them in use too much here. I use them occassionally. They provide more options for getting around.

I use them twice a day five days a week.
They work wonderfully. It takes about 2 seconds to drop the rack down and a few more to load the bike.

I use them twice a day five days a week.
They work wonderfully. It takes about 2 seconds to drop the rack down and a few more to load the bike.

The only problem I have with the Denver RTD ones is that they don't work well with a front rack (low riders on a touring bike) and I've found them little dicey with fenders. On the bike with low riders I almost lost my bike off the front of the bus. The bar hits at just the right point that it can't clear the low rider. Otherwise they work well although I only use them for emergencies, like broken bikes or sudden downpours.

Our local bus system is finally installing bike racks on their busses. Has anyone had an experience with these racks? Are they hard to use? Are they convenient? How well do they hold the bike on? What kind of damage can it cause to the bike? Any helpful hints or comments would be greatly appreciated. I may use these racks if it seems to be feasible.

The racks take a short time to learn to use, and once you know how to use them they're quick and easy, and hold your bike securely and safely by the tires, so the bike is safe from damage.

If the front of the bus hits anything, your bike is a lost cause. :) Nothing I would worry about, though there's always insurance if that idea bothers you.

I've never done it, but my wife has and found it painless.

Here are tips for the type of racks that my city uses:
http://www.tempe.gov/tim/BikeOnBus.htm

I also know that there are pamphlets on the bus that have a graphic/cartoon showing how to use the racks. This pdf has a cartoon of using the rack on the far rigt side (when upside down). http://www.tempe.gov/bikeprogram/COT%20BikeMapCover2005.pdf

Al

The only problem I have with the Denver RTD ones is that they don't work well with a front rack (low riders on a touring bike) and I've found them little dicey with fenders. On the bike with low riders I almost lost my bike off the front of the bus. The bar hits at just the right point that it can't clear the low rider. Otherwise they work well although I only use them for emergencies, like broken bikes or sudden downpours.


Interesting comment about the fenders since I will be adding a set sometime in the future. Is there anything I could do to alleviate this potential issue? As in removable fenders (if these exist) or mounting them differently? Maybe I should only install the rear fender?

It's good to have a backup plan in case of bike failure, and rack equipped transit buses are mine. Only had to use it once, a dark wet windy night with no prior experience and even then it was easy.

How do they treat your wheels? I'm afraid that all the side-to-side motion will bend the rims of my 700c wheels...am I being too paranoid?

The side to side motion is very minimal. I've not had an issue with my front wheel. My rear wheel on the other hand.....
However, that is caused by potholes and accidentaly going off a curb with fully loaded panniers.
So to answer your question, my wheels have not been affected.

I used to use them on the Marin busses. Overall they worked fine. I agree with the comment thatsometimes they are full. I would find my self making a short ride to an ealrier stop to ensure I had a slot on the rack.

My one complaint was that the spring loaded arms that wrapped over the front tire often had sharp edges on their ends. They had a soft foam on them, but it quickly wore through at the end. I ended up with a pretty significant gouge on the right side of my fork (mtb suspension fork). After noticing this, I added some duct tape in the area to take the chafe, and replaced regularly as needed.

How do they treat your wheels? I'm afraid that all the side-to-side motion will bend the rims of my 700c wheels...am I being too paranoid?

Yes, you are. If your rims are that weak, you should worry about riding on them!

Yes, you are. If your rims are that weak, you should worry about riding on them!


Hmm, this has always been a question of mine. Just how strong are wheels laterally? I know radially, they're strong (being able to hold up to pot holes, carrying around a 300 pound rider), but I've heard of many wheels being taco-ed by a 15mph crash.

There was so much demand in Sonoma County for the bike racks that all the buses have them and are being converted from two to three bike racks. The only problem has been with my large touring bike. I am 5'11" and the long wheelbase touring frame is a little long for me. The rack slots are a bit too close together for the wheels to fit neatly in the bottoms of the slots. Also, the swing over locking arm has to be twisted a bit to fit onto the top tube. Of course the engineers designed it to fit 99% of the bikes, so what about us 100%ers? Not to mention recumbents, tandems, trikes . . .

Must be a different type they use here in boone but my touring bike (58cm frame) with front and rear racks and fenders fit fine. The swing arm for the front tire even worked with my front rack on. I guess some bus racks are better than others.

WARNING.

If the city does not maintain the bike racks, your bike may be in danger. I almost lost my bike from a rack on a rainy day. The spring on the retaining arm was weak (needed replaced), combined with slick bike tire and our pot holed roads, the bouncing of the bus caused the retaining arm to walk down the tire until it had moved completely off the tire. Bike started flopping back and forth with the slightest motion of the bus. I saw the bike flopping and got off at the next stop before my bike became road kill. If I have to ride the bus now, I attach a toe clip strap around the retaining arm and one side of the bikes fork, so the arm cannot move off the tire - the drawback is that it causes the arm to rub a small area of paint off the fork.

Another problem is that the weld joints to the retaining arm have started to fail or the area has been bent, allowing the arm/bike to rock bad enough that it can bump a second bike in the rack. A repair weld will easily fix the problem, but it requires the driver report the problem or the maintenance guys to inspect the racks - which may not happen.

I use them, but only becasue it's the only way to get a across the water here - interstate and no bikes allowed, or else I bicycle 80 miles out of my way - one way to get to work. They are nice, but I have to catch the first one across the water to get a rack, have had to wait though - can't wait to work on my side of the water though.

I have used the Bus System between Boulder and Longmont (RTD)

The arm on the Front Tire seems to hold the bike very secure.

Every Bus in this area has a Bike Rack, holds 2 bikes. The "regional" buses will put bikes UNDERNEATH in a storage compartment. I am NOT crazy about the underneath compartments, had small stuff break off due to other riders throwing thier bikes ON TOP of mine.

There is a Bus that heads up in the Mountains, Nederland RTD. I think the record is 32 bikes on that bus. 2 on the front rack and 30 underneath. Course they had to take the front and rear wheels off!

The buses in my area have racks, too, and I LOVE them. I'm always a teeny bit nervous, but that has more to do with blasting my bike with road grime at motor vehicle speeds than any real fear of it getting damaged.

RE fenders and front racks: I've found fenders not to be a problem, as long as the arm can hook onto the tire past or at least near the apex of the curve. My lowrider front rack was definitely more of an issue, but it held securely enough whenever I used it. I would wedge the hook into the space between the rack and the tire just a bit, to be sure, but I think it would have worked fine even if I hadn't.

A lot of busses use the same rack that i use on my car (http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Bike_Rack/product_78550.shtml). It is the best there is, in my opinion.

can you still place bikes in undercarrage area (below where people sit) ? this worked for me and touring bikes/gear/greyhound. what is that area under the bus being used for? i don't think a trike would fit, but tandem or recumbent may! just a question...doesn't hurt to ask!

The 2-bike fold-down models work well in Columbus. The only weird thing that happened once is that when I set my water bottle down as I put the bike on, someone actually stole it.

Tomg, at least in Columbus, there is no area beneath where people sit to put a bike.

Eeeek.

I have to put my panniers down on the ground when loading my bike. That would be quite annoying. Good luck running with my heavy panniers.

Interesting comment about the fenders since I will be adding a set sometime in the future. Is there anything I could do to alleviate this potential issue? As in removable fenders (if these exist) or mounting them differently? Maybe I should only install the rear fender?

The hook is meant to go over the tire. The fenders aren't a big problem but it does push down on them and may cause rubbing issues when you take it off the bus. The slickness of the fender may also allow the hook to slide a little. You might want to try the rack and see if it interfers after you mount the fenders and then trim them accordingly. More of an annoyance than a real problem.

With the low-rider, it just wouldn't clear the hoop over the front wheel. There it was a real problem. The driver actually stopped in the middle of the route to have me fix it. Now that's embarassment!

Gotcha. Thanks :)