Carbon bikes and roof carriers

[RhythMick]

I recently bought my first "proper" Road bike, a carbon Planet X RT-58. Loving it by the way!

My roof carriers are Thurs and the part which clamps onto the down tube is a bit, well, viscious. I decided it needed some padding, so I got some squishy polystyrene and gaffer tape - see attached. Seems to work quite well - am I being over cautious?

 

[fossyant]

Just pad it well. It will also protect the paint. Don't clamp too tight.

 

[screenman]

I would tape the frame at that point, any road grit that gets in the padding is going to mark the paint quickly.

 

[sir adrian dangerous]

I'm glad you brought it up, I've got the thule 591 and was thinking of doing the same.When I get my canyon in July, I'm going to be obsessed with keeping it perfect, to the points of being a bit of a d:!k.

 

[RhythMick]

Thule yes, darn spell checker. I think mine are the 591 too ?

I actually have a roll of Neoprene vibration damping material, self-adhesive on one side. Quite a large roll. Don't ask. I used it to damp vibrations in some of the hifi valve amps I built. I told you not to ask.

Anyway, that roll is with my brother at the mo, on it's way back to me. I was going to stick some of that to the clamp arms, but actually I think the polystyrene/gaffa-tape solution works really well. Gives a nice soft but firm grip, no hint of force but the bike doesn't move around. Think I should patent it ?

 

[jack smith]

Gete some foam pipe insulating stuff, works well on my bike stand

 

[Rooster1]

Watch out for height restrictions - like I didn't one time.

 

[sir adrian dangerous]

Watch out for height restrictions - like I didn't one time.

Oh dear sounds nasty and expensive

 

[Rooster1]

Oh dear sounds nasty and expensive

I took my familys bikes x 4 on a short break.
I removed 3 of the bikes on day one, and left one on as my wife said she was unlikely to ride it that day.
It was a steel hybrid thing.
We took a quick ride out to get some supplies, I was conscious the whole time that I had a bike on the roof.
On the way back from the shops I spotted a castle that looked cool, so I turned into a car park area and proceeded - CRASH!!!!!

The alloy bike racks x 4, and the roof bars x 2 peeled back like a banana, the steel bike in-tact.

Nearly broke the windscreen. A few dents in the roof.

Very very embarrassing. Took me an hour to untangle the mess.

D*ckhead.

 

[mattobrien]

I believe that Thule do carriers that are specific for carbon bikes, where it is held by the rear wheel and the front wheel is removed and then the bike also held by the fork. No clamping on the down tube to work about cracking the carbon here

 

[Citius]

I believe that Thule do carriers that are specific for carbon bikes, where it is held by the rear wheel and the front wheel is removed and then the bike also held by the fork. No clamping on the down tube to work about cracking the carbon here

A few more fork-mount racks here. http://www.roofbox.co.uk/bike-carriers/bike-carriers-racks-range.php?flt3=128&#filterform

 

[Chrisz]

I believe that Thule do carriers that are specific for carbon bikes, where it is held by the rear wheel and the front wheel is removed and then the bike also held by the fork. No clamping on the down tube to work about cracking the carbon here

I use the Elite San Remo system - two separate parts (rear wheel clamp + front fork clamp) which I have had for years. The Thule (and Halfords) versions are a one-piece unit that take up a fair bit of space when stored (the Elite is tiny by comparison!).

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/...gclid=CIGXrdf7ncUCFUTJtAodGW8AIA&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[jiberjaber]

I have the 591 Proride, advise I was given is to not pad the clamp but let it do its own thing of gripping, just don't tighten it up past the last click of contact. I do always give the frame a quick clean in the area it clamps though just to be sure there isn't any grit there.

 

[Citius]

The biggest worry (on carriers designed to clamp carbon frames on the downtube) is not that they might crush the frame, it is that they might mark the paint if used regularly. Just wrap an old piece of cloth, towel, or whatever around the clamping area and you're away.

 

[sir adrian dangerous]

if you can crush a carbon frame with a bike carrier clamp, I'd sign up for the next worlds strongest man