Originally Posted by
Erick L
Bungee cords have too many disadvantages. You can be careful and still have problems. Straps are safer. They're useful on ferries and I've a tied a few together to put my food up.
I wrap the strap one time around the rack tubing (see photo) and the extra length around the seat post with enough give to strap my tent down. I never have to remove it and it won't fall in the wheel. At worse, it will rub on the tire if I forget to close the clip and ride without a load, but it won't catch in the spokes.
I can see no disadvantage with bungee cords that aren't shared by straps. Straps can come loose and get caught in a wheel just as easily as any bungee cord. Your wrapping technique could still result in the strap falling off enough to get caught in the spokes.
Straps have a couple of disadvantages that aren't shared with bungees. It's easy to release tension on a strap by lifting the buckle. You so it when you want to adjust the length of the strap. And, as I've pointed out above, straps don't have any elasticity. A strap caught in a wheel will stop the wheel quickly. A bungee is elastic and takes more time to reach the point where it would stop a wheel. dwmckee's example would have ended with him launched over the bars if it were a strap caught in the spokes. He could do the same with a bungee but it takes a bit more time. There's a reason that you can go bungee jumping but not 'strap' jumping.