Yesterday I was on a group ride and was watching the bikes while the others were going to the bathroom. One of the bikes was not in the bike rack and fell down when a gust of wind hit it. I went over and pick it up and put it in the rack front wheel first. The owner comes back and is pissed who moved my bike and who put it the rack with the front wheel. She further explains that putting it in the rack with the front wheel can bend the wheel. I think she is a nut and nothing happened to her bike and other riders with nicer bikes had no problem using the rack with the front wheel.

So my question is should you put a bike in the rack by the front or back wheel? Does using a rack potential bend the wheel? Do you use bike racks?

I think that you should not move someone's bike unless it is in harm's way. Maybe she was just pissed at you for messing with her bike.

The bike was laying in the street, it was in harms way!

If you read the post he said that she placed it in a careless manor the caused the bike to blow over. I don't know about you but if I told someone to watch my bike and it fell to the ground (which could cause much more damage than a stupid bike rack) I would expect them to pick it up and place it somewhere more secure. If they just left it there on the ground I would have been pissed. Plus it's just a bike, they're made to get abused.

That being said I don't think it matters, I feel that my bike is more stable with the back wheel but I don't see how it could harm the bike if the front wheel was in there. I know that I put my wheels through way more stress than that racing and they're still true.

Back wheel.

You put the front wheel in, the bike can tilt via the headset. Back wheel, it can't tilt.

Better would be to lean the bike against the building using just the back tire. If you do so, the bike can't roll, can't turn, etc. It's how many experienced riders prop up their bikes.

In really gusty winds you prop the bike up at more of an angle.

Don't prop against the bars, front wheel, frame, etc. All allow the bike to roll/slide.

In the realm of possibility, I could see the front wheel getting torqued enough to get damaged. Although, I think it would need some pressure on it, i.e.: I don't think it could do it by itself, it would need some outside pressure. In the end, I think the back wheel would help it balance better anyway.

Sacrilege!!

So "experienced riders" are to good to use bike racks? Your bike is so much better that it deserves a special place?

so when my 215 lbs rides a bike & leans into turns, accelerates, decelerates & deals with road imperfections it won't hurt the wheel, but a bike under its own weight in a rack is at risk for a bent wheel?

your real question should've been(to her): "Wait, what're you doin outta the kitchen???"



lol jk. i woulda been perturbed at first if someone moved my bike, but then thankful, once informed, that they got it off the ground. i have heavy, non-racing wheels so it wouldn't have bothered me front or back.

Back wheel, always. She is correct that the front wheel can be bent in a rack. Not the act of putting it in the rack but if the bike is knocked over - by wind, other cyclists, gravity, etc. - it can twist a wheel in to a taco.

Now going ballistic on you for moving her bike is a bit much. Her own carelessness could have damaged the bike just as well as you parking it by the front wheel...maybe worse. Just remember that no good deed goes unpunished

The real issue is that she was a woman if it was a guy I would told him to F off that his bike was left in a bad place and I was helping him. Next time I will let her bike lie on the street.

Yes. The bike rack puts a very different force on the wheel than riding it does. My daughter bent a front touring wheel...made to support me and a touring load which is over 300 lbs...in a bike rack because she parked it with the front wheel. The wheel was toast afterward. A low spoke count, lightweight wheel would be even more vulnerable to that kind of twisting force.

Next time I will place my bike in the rack with the rear wheel, thanks for the information.

PS What I did not say was that her bike was at the first slot in the rack and was leaning against the rack in such a way that it would not twist. i still think she was way out of line and as a girl (woman) I let her get away with it.

Next time let the bike lay there. I wouldn't touch someone else's stuff for exactly the reason you encountered. No matter how careful and correct you are, just touching someone else's stuff can send them into spasms.

I didn't say that experienced riders eschew a rack. I said that they lean their bikes up against the rear tire. I was trying to point out a habit that would help those that didn't know about it.

In many places there are no commercial racks available. For example, if you are trying to register for a ride/event/race and you want to keep your bike off the ground, you can lean it up against a tree/etc by the back tire. If you're at your car getting ready for a ride, you can lean the rear tire against your car tire or rubber trim etc.

I don't own a commercial rack for my home, but I regularly lean my bike up against stuff - the walls in the basement for example.

hope this helps
cdr

It was in harms way and I would probably do it again (except for her). I try to help people a leaving a bike in the street on its side is not a good idea. I still think that I was to nice to her and if I responded in a stronger fashion like "what is your problem your bike was laying in the middle of the street" she might of realized she was wrong. Next time I will treat everyone the same and not take **** from the person, he or she.

Yes it helps thanks.

I have seen more than one bike fall when using the pedal on the curb method, like she did.

I also don't understand the need to stand a bike up, the group had lunch in a grassing park I laid my bike on the left but everyone else had to lean it against a tree. At least one bike fell do to the wind but my bike was safe on its side.

The reason I wouldn't touch the bike doesn't have anything to do with getting yelled at, and everything to do with potentially being accused of bike theft. Unless it's someone I know, I don't touch other people's stuff.


And relative to bikes falling over: Kickstands ftw!

It was a group ride, I knew the person.

Ah.... totally different situation. Sorry.

Yes, the front rim is more likely to bend than the rear if the bike tips or is knocked because the fork can steer there. For as strong as a wheel is in the plane of the spokes, it is much weaker if you attempt to bend it out of that plane (i.e., like a potato chip). Still, you shouldn't get yelled at for getting it out of the road.