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Hitch rack wheel straps and fairing wheels (HEDs, Flos, Giants, etc.)
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I really swapped up the herd of wheels recently on the roadie and TT bike.

In the past, I'd be transporting a bike of one kind or another on the Kuat transfer hitch rack with the old Giant fairing aero wheels. The fairings on those were pretty heavy duty, felt no issue in strapping down the wheel on the fairing.

I've now got both Flos and HEDs and the fairing seems much much softer than the Giants were. Fine, you're not riding on the fairing.

But, I want to be damn sure before ever transporting my bike with them not to crunch something.

What's the consensus on this?

I have an alloy wheelset I could use to transport stuff if it's an issue, but had thoughts on selling that wheelset.

I came across this topic, but it wasn't super helpful:
https://www.bikeforums.net/...n-carbon-wheels.html
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Re: Hitch rack wheel straps and fairing wheels (HEDs, Flos, Giants, etc.) [burnthesheep] [ In reply to ]
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I would never strap down a wheel with a fairing.
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Re: Hitch rack wheel straps and fairing wheels (HEDs, Flos, Giants, etc.) [jimatbeyond] [ In reply to ]
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jimatbeyond wrote:
I would never strap down a wheel with a fairing.

Thanks.

Keeping the spare alloys then.
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Re: Hitch rack wheel straps and fairing wheels (HEDs, Flos, Giants, etc.) [burnthesheep] [ In reply to ]
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The main down force on the bike is from the arm on the front wheel. The second strongest is probably gravity. So I say go for it. Unless you know you are going on extended stretches of really bumpy road, I think the hassle of switching the rear wheel isn’t worth it. In my case, the wheel on the inside of the car is probably more likely to get stepped on by a child and therefore is safer in the Kuat.
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Re: Hitch rack wheel straps and fairing wheels (HEDs, Flos, Giants, etc.) [burnthesheep] [ In reply to ]
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S,
When I do this on a Yakima rack (looks the same as the Transfer) I use the wheel strap like a seatbelt. Engage it, but don't ratchet down. The skin on a Jet is thin, but carbon is very strong. Squeezing it is easy but actually breaking it will take a lot of determination or trauma.

Andy Tetmeyer (I work at HED)

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Re: Hitch rack wheel straps and fairing wheels (HEDs, Flos, Giants, etc.) [andy tetmeyer] [ In reply to ]
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got any tips while using the Hed Jet Disc? (no hole for the strap to go though) i usually try to bungee down using the skewer.
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Re: Hitch rack wheel straps and fairing wheels (HEDs, Flos, Giants, etc.) [Blainyboy8] [ In reply to ]
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bungee is all I can think of. I would loop it around the frame or run it over the hub axle stub between the frame and wheel. I would NOT run it through the valve hole, just an case anyone had considered that.

Andy Tetmeyer (I work at HED)

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Re: Hitch rack wheel straps and fairing wheels (HEDs, Flos, Giants, etc.) [andy tetmeyer] [ In reply to ]
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I have an ace bandage type deal that has a loop in one end. I use that like a choker around the wheel tray, then wrap it over the wheel and use the Velcro closure.

Never damaged my jets, and because of the stretch it works great on fat bike wheels too! Plus it is soft so it doesn't scratch either.

ETA: something like this

Pactimo brand ambassador, ask me about promo codes
Last edited by: Sulliesbrew: Dec 2, 19 9:54
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Re: Hitch rack wheel straps and fairing wheels (HEDs, Flos, Giants, etc.) [andy tetmeyer] [ In reply to ]
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andy tetmeyer wrote:
S,
When I do this on a Yakima rack (looks the same as the Transfer) I use the wheel strap like a seatbelt. Engage it, but don't ratchet down. The skin on a Jet is thin, but carbon is very strong. Squeezing it is easy but actually breaking it will take a lot of determination or trauma.

x2. This is what I've done for like a decade. If you're super anal and don't want even the slightest risk of cosmetic scuffing then don't do it. But if I showed anyone my Jets I seriously doubt they'd be able to tell if I used the wheel straps or not. Ratchet down the arms really well, and leave an air gap on the wheel straps, and they never make contact. The wheel straps are just a fail safe in case like a tire goes flat while you're driving and that causes the arm to slip off.
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Re: Hitch rack wheel straps and fairing wheels (HEDs, Flos, Giants, etc.) [burnthesheep] [ In reply to ]
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I've been using a Kuat rear wheel strap on Flo 60s since 2013. No issues. If I had 90s I would probably need to order the strap extensions.
The current one barely connects. Lots of miles driven on various types of road surfaces.
This is an old picture with my former bike. Same wheel set.


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Re: Hitch rack wheel straps and fairing wheels (HEDs, Flos, Giants, etc.) [Felt_Rider] [ In reply to ]
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Ok, I don't know the kuat rack. It doesn't have a tray for the wheel? If not, you should have a tray/cup/thing for the unclamped wheel. my yakima has 2 wheel cups.

Andy Tetmeyer (I work at HED)

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Re: Hitch rack wheel straps and fairing wheels (HEDs, Flos, Giants, etc.) [andy tetmeyer] [ In reply to ]
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The Kuat NV like mine does not have a rear cup. The Kuat Transfer mentioned by the OP has a very small rear cup with a strap. You can notice on their website demonstration the guy barely pulls the strap tight. As others mentions you could probably leave an air gap. For the Flo 60s on the NV I have to pull it tight because the strap is almost too short, but I have never had an issue and there are no wear signs on the wheels.

https://www.kuatracks.com/product/transfer/
Last edited by: Felt_Rider: Dec 2, 19 11:13
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Re: Hitch rack wheel straps and fairing wheels (HEDs, Flos, Giants, etc.) [Blainyboy8] [ In reply to ]
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If you’re talking about the same Kuat rack with your disc, you can turn the bike around, use the normal front clamp to push down on the rear wheel, and then run the strap through the front. I’ve never done it for a long trip, but I’ve hauled disc bikes around for local races like that for years.
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Re: Hitch rack wheel straps and fairing wheels (HEDs, Flos, Giants, etc.) [triflorida] [ In reply to ]
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triflorida wrote:
If you’re talking about the same Kuat rack with your disc, you can turn the bike around, use the normal front clamp to push down on the rear wheel, and then run the strap through the front. I’ve never done it for a long trip, but I’ve hauled disc bikes around for local races like that for years.


Yup. Thought the same thing.

My Kuat is the one meant for a large range of tire sizes. Pretty sure it'll hold large MTB or small fat-bike tires, but has a roadie specific tire slot in them. It has front wheel and rear wheel giant plastic "cups" that hold it in place really well. All it's doing really is keeping the rear from sliding I think.

In the meantime, it's not a big deal swapping just the one wheel on/off. The front clamps the tire anyway, so no stress on the wheel. I've also always cut a hole in the toe of an old sock and ran it over both the front shepherd's crook and the rear strap.

Either way.....am excited to ride em. Rained here two days straight. Hammerfest ride is Tue night.

All the road going bikes now are on GP5000's and latex versus the GP4000's on the old narrow wheels. Ahhhhh.

This rack, in a 3-up config. Also, totally a vanity thing.......but I always put the bike on the middle rack spot. Big ring facing out yo. Lol.


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Re: Hitch rack wheel straps and fairing wheels (HEDs, Flos, Giants, etc.) [burnthesheep] [ In reply to ]
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I have a different, hitch-based rack that requires the rear wheel to sit in a tray and held in place with a strap. I have a moderately (65?) deep all carbon FarSports (Chinese) rear wheel. The original strap is too short for this wheel, but I've substituted a length of velcro strap. If you get a piece long enough to go through the rack and around the wheel twice, you would be surprised at how strong the hold can be. And there is no need to tighten the strap down more than snug as the holding power is not generated by the tension of the velcro. I've used this rig for many multi-hour drives to races - no issues (so far!).
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Re: Hitch rack wheel straps and fairing wheels (HEDs, Flos, Giants, etc.) [giorgitd] [ In reply to ]
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Does your rim have a carbon fairing?
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Re: Hitch rack wheel straps and fairing wheels (HEDs, Flos, Giants, etc.) [jimatbeyond] [ In reply to ]
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Yes, essentially these. I must have either the 55 or the 68...
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Re: Hitch rack wheel straps and fairing wheels (HEDs, Flos, Giants, etc.) [giorgitd] [ In reply to ]
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The link that you provided is to a full carbon rim that does not have a fairing.
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Re: Hitch rack wheel straps and fairing wheels (HEDs, Flos, Giants, etc.) [andy tetmeyer] [ In reply to ]
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andy tetmeyer wrote:
S,
When I do this on a Yakima rack (looks the same as the Transfer) I use the wheel strap like a seatbelt. Engage it, but don't ratchet down. The skin on a Jet is thin, but carbon is very strong. Squeezing it is easy but actually breaking it will take a lot of determination or trauma.


This is exactly what I have been doing on two different Yakima racks for years with two different sets of HEDs and a set of Swiss Side Hadrons (extremely similar carbon fairing construction). Never a problem. Snug it down enough to keep it in place. Sometimes the straps leave some scratches if the wheels aren't clean or the strap isn't tight.
Last edited by: dangle: Dec 3, 19 8:13
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Re: Hitch rack wheel straps and fairing wheels (HEDs, Flos, Giants, etc.) [jimatbeyond] [ In reply to ]
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Ah, sorry, I thought that you were asking about the section depth vs a box section. Yes, my wheel is a moderately deep section of structural carbon, no load-free fairing.
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Re: Hitch rack wheel straps and fairing wheels (HEDs, Flos, Giants, etc.) [burnthesheep] [ In reply to ]
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burnthesheep wrote:
jimatbeyond wrote:
I would never strap down a wheel with a fairing.


Thanks.

Keeping the spare alloys then.

Yes, keep the alloys wheels. We don't recommend strapping the wheel down by the fairing. It's simply not built for load.


Chris Thornham
Co-Founder And Previous Owner Of FLO Cycling
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Re: Hitch rack wheel straps and fairing wheels (HEDs, Flos, Giants, etc.) [andy tetmeyer] [ In reply to ]
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andy tetmeyer wrote:
bungee is all I can think of. I would loop it around the frame or run it over the hub axle stub between the frame and wheel.

This. Instead of a strap that goes over the wheel fairing, just loop a long enough bungee so that it goes over the chain stays and doesn't touch your wheels at all.
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Re: Hitch rack wheel straps and fairing wheels (HEDs, Flos, Giants, etc.) [burnthesheep] [ In reply to ]
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I've used a bungee over the top of the wheel (tire) itself. That does leave the issue of the wheel possibly bouncing off the rear platform but I always loosely put the strap over the rim too.

Now I have a 1UP rack, completely eliminates the problem even with a disk wheel.
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Re: Hitch rack wheel straps and fairing wheels (HEDs, Flos, Giants, etc.) [Thom] [ In reply to ]
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Thom wrote:
Now I have a 1UP rack, completely eliminates the problem even with a disk wheel.

Yes, one advantage of racks like the 1UP and Saris MTR with arms for both wheels.
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