benda18

the problem i see with this is that the support arm (at least on any of my bikes) rests ahead of the apex of the wheel. the further forward, the more likely the support arm is to slide down off the wheel while bus is in transit.

nashvillwill

i always u-lock mine to the rack. This keeps it from being stolen, and i can relax and enjoy the ride. However, i ride my route from start-to-end, so i have plenty of time on each end to get the bike on/off. But i can load and lock pretty quickly, so it's not a big issue at a middle of the line bus stop, which i sometimes do. Just have the lock in your hand and unlocked, ready to go as the bus approaches. Same goes for any gear you are taking off the bike, have it off and packed away so that you are not fumbling with things.

I've never had a driver give me any lip about how long it takes. Just be quick.

Rob_E

Except you don't actually know the whole story. If they have better, safer bike parking at the office then is available at the bus stop, that would be a good reason to take their bikes, too. For my part, a couple of days a week I am likely to take the bus in the morning, so I can get to work on time and not too sweaty, and then ride my bike home when I'm not pressed for time, and I know there's a shower at the other end if I need it. I also sometimes have use for my bike during the work day. I don't see any reason to avoid taking the bus just because someone else might need the bike rack. I expect they are as capable of riding the distance as I am if need be. But then in several years of doing a bike and bus combo to get to work, I have only seldom seen the rack full, and have only once not been able to put my bike on the bus because both rack slots were full before I got there. I wouldn't caution people against using the racks for any reason. The more they are used, the more incentive there is to expand bike capacity. And if people really don't need to take their bikes with them, and the racks are used to capacity a lot, then I expect those people will learn not to depend on open rack space, and will stop biking or lock their bikes up at the bus stop.

This works on the busses I ride, too. At least it does on my 700c wheel. I've only had the hook fall off once, and that's because the hook spring was bad, although if my fenders covered more of the top portion of my wheel, it might be an issue more often, but as it is it's not a problem, and that's on 2 separate 700c wheeled bikes and two separate types of fenders. But on my 20 inch wheeled bike, that doesn't work. The hook might pull tight against the wheel if it was pulling straight down, but if I actually tried to place the hook in front of the fender, the spring would not even be engaged, and the hook would slide right off. That bike not only has fenders, but also an open, "rat trap," top rack. That means that I can't get the hook directly over the tire, so instead I pull it up over the rack and hook it into the rack. That holds it pretty good. Then yesterday a bus driver suggested I try and hook it between the rack and the steering tube, which took some fiddling to get it in place, around the brake cable, but once it was there, it seemed a lot more secure than just hooking it though the rack, although it has never seemed insecure.

I have had one incident where the hook had a very weak spring which fell off the wheel (of my 700c bike) and left the bike just held in place by the pressure of the wheels against the trough they sit in. I was worried that the rims would be bent as a result, but, thankfully, they were not. I also had one badly attached rack that seemed to wobble and pivot a little around the center. That one made me nervous, but it still worked.

I don't worry too much about theft, but I do try and sit where I can keep an eye on the bike. I also have a frame-mounted O-lock, so if I was really worried, I could engage the O-lock when I put it on the rack. It wouldn't prevent someone from removing it, but they would not be able to ride off. If you're worried about theft, that might be something to consider, especially because I believe that many places do not allow you to lock your bike to the rack.

nice_marmot

Hasn't happened yet, and I've had it on the bus every weekday since the beginning of June. Fingers crossed?

Robert C

I do that too, I just say, "bicycle," as I am getting off the bus. The drivers seem to appreciate it (the father of a friend of mine was killed by a city bus, I pay attention).

I also use Wald folding baskets and have them unloaded and folded up before the bus arrives. For whatever reason those baskets fascinate people as I am folding them. As far as a folding bike, it is no use, the rules say that no bicycles, including folding bicycles are permitted in the bus. This is the main reason I am trying to find some precedent of a bicycle being declared a mobility device.

Due to some medical conditions I can not walk far, I can ride a bicycle just fine though. So yes, I am one of those people that annoys one of the previous posters who doesn't like people to use the racks to ride a short distance.

no1mad 

You realize how big of a safety issue that potentially creates?

nashvillwill

No, i don't. How exactly is that a safety issue?

no1mad 

To be honest, I'm not really sure. It's just (to me, anyway) that those racks were probably designed to behave a certain way in case of a catastrophic failure/accident/collision, either in use or not. By locking a bike to the rack, it might (couldn't it?) affect the parameters of the design should such an event happen.

Mind I'm no engineer, nor am I a lawyer, but the transit companies wouldn't have bothered installing those racks if they couldn't have somehow limited their liability.

KD5NRH

Most likely, they help to dissipate energy by impaling the driver and/or a few of the passengers as they come through the front end. Never overestimate engineers' forethought.

nashvillwill

Well, as most others on here seem to agree, it would take a catastrophic jolt to knock a bike off one of these racks, or a collision. In the case of a collision, nothing will save my bike from damage, barring some miracle of the bike flying off just right and landing softly on the other side of said collision. In the event the bike falls off due to an elephant sized pothole while moving, i guess an unlocked bike would just be crushed and down the road. If if was locked, and fell off, i suppose it could do a little more cosmetic damage to the bus if it were dragged for a while, but as stated, that is highly unlikely. Then again, it could prevent it from striking an innocent bystander.

I am an engineer, but certainly not a physicist. I just think that any freak accident that might happen would probably lead to very similar results whether the bike is locked or not.

As far as the design of the racks go, to my knowledge there are no designed "crush zones" or "failure welds" to minimize impact forces. If there are, i still cant imagine a locked vs. unlocked bike would really change the outcome very much. Either way, there will be a bike in this crushing metal to provide many variables.

I see your concern about lawsuits, but i think until a bus is in a collision, and a front mounted bike crashes through the windshield, pokes the driver in the eye, and the cause can be directly attributed to the lock, it will not be an issue. Even then, i don't think they would change the design (although they might stop using them). Kinda like high-rise building design pre/post 9/11. Buildings were never designed for that kind of impact and fire because no one had ever conceived of it. Now that we have, most buildings are still not designed for it, because the odds are very minimal and even the best structures are vulnerable to an infinite number of strange variables.

nashvillwill

As far as lawsuits go, i think the much more likely scenario would be the bike owner suing the transit company for a damaged bike.

Either way, i love these things and would encourage anyone to use them!

benda18

bus drivers are trained to use their discretion in most circumstances. we have some real hard-a$$ drivers at the transit agency where i work and even they wouldn't call someone out for attempting to bring a folded bike on board. to put it in perspective, at my agency anyone is allowed to bring an unfolded stroller on board the bus. i'd say, give it a try sometime and see what happens.

also, it's definitely not unprecedented for transit agencies to explicitly allow closed folding bikes on-board trains or buses.
* https://httqa.mta.info/bike/#buses
* https://www.wmata.com/getting_around/...guidelines.cfm

rnorris

Our Seattle area buses now have a diagram on the front of the bus that tells people not to place the rack arm too far toward the front of the bike's front wheel.

I don't see any accident-mitigating design in either of the rack models used by my local transit agencies, they'd probably just crumple and make a bicycle/rack sandwich. It's not something I worry about as my commuter bikes aren't all that expensive.

My local transit agencies limit their liability by placing all risk of use on the cyclists. The drivers aren't even supposed to help you mount your bicycle on the rack, although some thumb their noses at this and help out anyway.

Keithmj

As a bus driver..You will have no problems using the bike rack, the bike will not fall off. Put in on the inside rack because if there is a minor accident the front bike will get the most damage. Most hooks will go over fenders. Keep the bike lite as possible as you can damage the wheels due to stress on the part of the wheels down in the groove, wheels can be bent from to much side weight. Bikes have been stolen off our buses but you can stop that by doing this..before the bus gets there put some type of lock on the front wheel, just around the front tire and wheel, on the bike only, do not lock the bike to the rack, that way if someone tries to steal the bike, they'll see the lock when they remove the spring hook. By the time you get off the bus to catch someone stealing your bike they can ride away and be gone, they can't do that with a lock on the wheel. Exit the front door only and tell the driver you're getting your bike. Put the bike rack up if there is no other bike on it.

It was said and I quote.."As one told me one night, they aren't used to driving with the rack down, and having a bike on the end helps them know how close they should stop behind other vehicles". To me only a stupid bus driver would use those words because they shouldn't be that close in the first place. They should leave enough room so if they have to pull around the vehicle in front of them they can get out. If they use that as a gauge then they are to close and they will never get out if they need to. what would happen it the car in front of them broke down or caught on fire?

If your bike is to long to fit the rack and it doesn't have fenders that will stop it then just turn the front wheel around so the handle bars are turned backwards, thus shortening the wheelbase. When you put the hook on the tire put it all the way over the tire and as close to the frame as you can get it. Those spring are strong and if you put it toward the tip of the tire, hitting a big bump can cause the bike to bounce and the spring can cause the bike to shoot off the rack backwards or bounce off the front of the rack.

Unclaimed bikes go to Goodwill in our city.

One last thing..If you have wide handle bars try to get a slot further away from the buses windshield. I turned on my wipers one day and they grabbed the handle bars of the inside bike, a beach cruiser, and it pulled the bike from the rack and bounced the bike back and forth a few times before I could shut the wipers off. Darn those wiper are strong....Cheers.

LesterOfPuppets

I always use the inside rack if I'm the first bike on it. It's just easier to wheel the bike, on my right side, out into the street, drop the rack with my left hand then lift the bike and 180 it into the inside rack. That's the way most racks 'round here are oriented anyways.

I've only had one Portland transit driver complain about having a single on the inside. Dunno how he'd manage when the rack's full then the outside bike passenger disembarks first. Probably cries the whole way.

One tip. Find the balance point on your top tube. Get used to grabbing it there with one hand and using your other hand on the handlebar to guide the front wheel in. My road bike's balance point is right above the BB. A bit farther forward on the rigid-forked MTBs. Even farther forward than that when I have a suspension fork on 'em.

wild animals

It would add another level of inconvenience, but if they really won't let you bring a folder on the bus, put it in a bag! Purpose-made bags start at about $30. A folder in a bag is cargo. It isn't going to grease or dirty anyone up and it isn't going to land on anyone. If it looks like an overnight bag and it acts like an overnight bag...

Big_e

I found helpful instructions and video for using the bike racks. Hopefully the buses in other cities use a similar rack?
Ernest

nice_marmot

Excellent, excellent idea. Hadn't thought of it. Thanks for the tips, Mister Bus Driver!

nashvillwill

^^^yeah, i think we have found the winning idea. Thanks Keithmj, i will start doing this.

nelson249

This is one of the reasons I am very leary of bike racks on buses.

https://news.therecord.com/article/726307

westlafadeaway

My work and home are seperated by a 1,200 foot foothill that jsut isn't a pleasant ride here in Los Angeles (Sepulveda Pass) and for a while I'd bike to, and then tak the bus home, but the stress of the traffic was too mcuh so I take the bus. The problem is that at nights the racks are full and I have to wait for a few busses to go buy (and after 7 p.m. the busses are at 45 minutes apart). so this is a drag.

I'm at war with Metro. They replied that teh bus operator manual says that bikes are allowed aboard at the last run of the night. So I thought that it meant no bikes aboard except for the last run, but a bike advocate mentioned that the rule doesn't say "no bikes" (restrictive rule)- it just indicates we are guaranteed a spot on the last bus regardless. So I replied that I want to know where the regulation stems from... no response.

also- please everyone remember that you don't step in front of the bus until it stops completely. Some bozo tried to jump in front of the other three bikes in line (for a 2 bike rack) so he jumped in front of the bus before it had stopped, and started to load the bike- the driver had totally freaked, but the guy was a little crazy... total look of hostility... what are you going to do? not worth getting stabbed or clocked in the head...

benda18

i often worry about this but it's not enough to keep me from riding. my bikes are in the $1500 range. the racks always say "use at your own risk" but the truth is that if the bus driver is at fault it's likely that you could settle with the transit agency - especially if you're on the bus when the accident occurred and you're not injured. the transit agency i work at would be happy to settle some of it's suits for $1500. worst case scenario i could probably pull components off the old bike and re-use them for a significant savings.

we typically have one accident per 1,000,000 miles operated, and most of those accidents are mirror strikes. i can think of 3 accidents we've had in the past 3 years that would've damaged a bike on a bus rack. not a huge risk.

nelson249

The bus drivers here in our region make me very nervous even if my old Mongoose was on board. They swoop up behind stopped traffic at the last second and the express buses in particular go way too fast on surface streets where there is cross traffic. In this particular instance, the bus driver was not at fault as the other driver ran the red light.

That being said, I am much more paranoid about theft than anything else.

benda18

i got a rack yesterday that was seriously mangled. the support arm was bent so that my bike was leaning 20° forward from vertical. the spring in the control arm was defective also. i was certain that my wheels would be bent upon arrival at my destination if the bike didn't fall off completely (30 mile highway trip). amazingly the rack worked and i had no wheel problems. these things simply amaze me.