Using a bicycle carrier rack
For a beginner, bicycling in Hyderabad is a sub par experience in my locality. There are no dedicated bicycle lanes. The connecting roads are bumpy or unfinished. The occasional rash and or the snobby drivers instill a healthy dose of fear.
Due to all this, we need to start early and find a remote stretch of a well-paved road. Even with a hybrid bicycle, it is unpleasant to reach a good road. One of my cycling buddies suggested using a bicycle carrier rack to fix this.
Below is an example of a rear mounted bicycle carrier rack.
I found one Bikerz Rear Mounted Rack on Amazon to be good enough to transport at most two bicycles. It is rear mounted, but is a foldable frame that holds the bicycles by the top tube.
Purchase and delivery
I bought it last week from Amazon. They delivered it within few days. The outer packaging was intact. The actual product cardboard box had a cut in the middle. There was no visible damage. The product box contained everything except the Allen key. That could be why the box had that cut in the middle.
I will refer to the bicycle carrier rack as the bike rack or rack from now on.
First impressions
First things first. The bike rack is a strong and a sturdy foldable aluminium frame. The product details term it to be lightweight, but, in person it was not. It was not heavy, but holding it in place while installing was strenuous. If you had weight training at some point in your life, you can feel the relevant muscle groups getting a workout.
The black paint gives a nice and shiny look to the frame. Any other color would have felt out of place.
The metal hooks have a plastic coating to prevent scratching on the points of contact on the car. It is something I have to watch out for after regular usage.
The mounting points are well attached to the frame. They come with adjustable plastic straps to hold the bike in place.
The black straps felt strong after a cursory pull-and-stretch strength test.
Installation
The product box came with an easy-to-follow instruction manual. The steps to follow, approximately, were to:
- mount and position the bike rack on the vehicle
- place the metal hooks in the right places
- tighten the screws
- mount the bicycle
- test the installation.
The mounting and positioning the rack was challenge. I held the rack with one hand and leaned it against the rear windshield. It did not become clear what to do next and the frame got heavier by the minute. I placed the top two hooks in the groove between the hatch door and the top of the car. This was a relief as I one of my hands is now free.
Next, I unfolded the frame and attempted to put the moving part into the final shape. I realized I got the wrong side and switched to the other side. This time the hooks fit into the groove better. I again put the moving part into the final shape to confirm the correctness. It was good.
Next, the I positioned moving part in such way that it rests on the rear windshield above the Hyundai logo. Once I got this far, I put the bottom hooks in the groove, which is the gap beneath where the hatch door closes.
Next, I adjusted the frame by the moving part a few times. This is so I could put the side hooks into the side grooves. This proved to be a bigger challenge as the side hooks would not remain in place. They kept slipping down. After a few adjustments, I got to a less than ideal fit with the side hooks.
Finally, I tightened all the screws that held the straps in place. I realized that I could first tighten the top and bottom straps. Then make some adjustments to the placement of the side hooks. This would allow for a better and tighter placement of the side hooks.
There it is, finally done:
It took me approximately 45 minutes to install the rack on the car.
Post installation
I mounted the bicycle at once.
Firstly I checked was whether the rack would fold or move about when I closed one of the cars doors. The rack did flinch a little due to the tension in the belts. I realized that this is better than having a rigid installation.
The bicycle protrudes a bit to the right. So one would need to be careful of the cars dimensions. The mount was almost as tall as me.
Testing
I took a ride both with the bike mounted and without. The rack held my bicycle in place through bumps, uneven surfaces and even the obnoxious rumble strips. Rubber protectors felt strong and secure without much lateral movement. Removing the frame was easier than putting it up. It was easier and faster to install the second time. Once folded, it fit well in the boot.
When the bicycle is mounted, the rear parking sensors went crazy as if I was about to hit an object behind. Due to this, I couldn't back my car into our parking space with confidence. This was unexpected, but I don't think much could be done about it. The rear parking sensors didn't object when the bicycle was not mounted.
Happy bike racking to me. ^_^
Credits: stock picture is from https://www.publicdomainpictures.net.