to accept it. Help design a better transition bike rack. Some things to consider are
material (weighing pros and cons for each)
durability
workability
design (this is a biggie)
transportability
use on uneven surfaces
Other than design (which affect the last criteria as well I suppose) my take is this:
aluminum…straight guage run of the mill Al…possibly alloyed to improve durability…might affect workability though (what say you). My reasoning is many fold. Al is lighter to work with in terms of set up/take down for race crews…also a plus as far as tranporting it goes. Less weight makes things easier on the truck as far as wear and tear goes and likely a lot easier on fuel economy depending on length of drive to a race site.
If you were to design a new set of racks for TZ what would you do (or not do) to the designs you’ve currently seen/used? Keeping in mind that not all TZs are going to be created equal as far as terrain goes. Figure each rack to be at least 8ft long and supporting legs need to be modular so that the racks could be on very long one if you wanted it to be so. Is there any way you could make them adjustable to make them lower or higher depending on the people using them (obviously if you had a kids race you would want something smaller than those used in the M25-29AG.
Throw anything and everything at me here people. You’re tired of the same old racks falling over on you when you go out for a warmup and every Tom (sorry Mr D), Dick, and Harry has loaded it up while you were gone. There has got to be a better way to build this mouse trap. Try and think of as many good things…or bad things…as you can about your design. This is a think tank…so if your design gets picked apart by others this is my disclaimer that it aint my fault.
Have at it people…
See the problem is, I tell you my idea, someone makes it, and I get nothing. So, if anyone makes this, it was posted here first, it’s my idea.
My rack would look like a swingset frame. Two “A” frames at either end, and a pole along the top connecting the two. On the pole, you’d have hooks, just hang your bike by either the front or rear wheel. That’s it. No bikes rubbing or dealing with different frame sizes or people taking to much room or bikes leaning on each other.
sounds viable…but if you had to transport your idea around…do you think your idea would still be a good one? Large end frames would be heavier and likely harder to store/transport. Good idea though…then you could place all your gear right below your bike and not have to worry that someone would take your spot when you were out warming up (hard not to notice someones gear taking up an empty spot…or is it??)
Anyone else? I know you’re all thinking about this…throw something into the ring.
the best racks i’ve enjoyed using are the ones owned by the Niles Optimist Club and used at the Niles Triathlon and several other races in SW Michigan.
two triangle shaped end pieces for bracing. at each “outside” corner, a 1x1 lays flat, running down to the other triangle brace as a wheel stop.
down the middle between the triangle braces runs an approx 12 foot section, kind of like the old school bike racks. top and bottom tube, with vertical wheel spacers.
you simply slip the front or rear wheel in between the spacers. the 1x1 keeps it from rolling out and away.
you then get 5 bikes per side of each rack…evenly spaced.
there are no issues that traditional racks present in terms of stability, height of the top bar to either hang the seat, or by the bars. no overlapping bars. and you can fit ten and only ten per rack. that’s it. just clean, efficient, and very well thought out.
I did a tri put on by Set-up inc in VA. Their racks were frickin’ bullet proof. Big pipes probably 3 or 4 inches in diameter. Wouldn’t move at all. Talk to whoever is the RD there.
Maybe I’m misunderstanding the design, but bikes, at least mine, fall over if I try lifting them by the tire from the top. All the weight is in the frame, above the tires, no?
Those are great racks. I like that. The problem I have with the existing style of rack is that I have a small frame. If I hang it from my seat it often dangles off the ground. On a windy day that really sucks.
How easy are those racks to transport, put together, then take apart, and store?
Huh, interesting problem. The problem I have is that I have a large frame and when the bar is too low, my bike doesn’t hang (ie doesn’t stand). I never thought of the wind being that much of an issue.
Sure you could transport my racks around. You could make them out of pvc pipes. Use the large 6 inch drain pipes. The “A” frame on the ends, then at each ten foot section, put in a “T”. The “T” would connect to pipes and have one come down to the ground as a support.
You wouldn’t have to glue the pipes either, just put a drywall screw through them to secure them.
The biggest pain would be attaching the hooks, but that would be a one time job.
I guess I’m not very good at describing my idea. Picture the way you would hang your bike by either the front wheel, or rear, by a hook mounted on the ceiling of your garage.
They wouldn’t have to be that high in the air. What’s the longest wheelbase a bicycle can have? Just add a half foot for added clearance and allow for the hook and that’s it.
I think he’s saying the hook would be on the bottom of the pipe, and the wheel would hang from that. I think the wheel would be lower to the ground then it is in the current configuration. I’m just not sure how steady it would be.
Yep, the bike is off the ground, vertical. I’m already planning my exit from T1. I’d hang the bike by the rear wheel, so I just lift it up and out, the front tire hits the ground, then the back as I’m running towards the exit.
I just never liked the curent style with my bike and gear trying to fit in a small space.
The problem I see with vertical is that people have aero bottles loaded with water or drink that would all spill out. Plus when the front tire hits the ground, the front end will turn, and jacknife, so you’d have to be careful how fast you make that happen. Plus I usually set up my helmet, glasses, etc on the aero bars, which you couldn’t do vertical.
I think the old style frame that basically holds the back wheel upright as shown in those pictures before is probably the best idea because you don’t have to unhook anything, you can just pull the bike forward and off the rack. Plus you can set it up to allow as much space as you want between bikes. If you made the frame out of aluminum, you could build the slats that secure the tires out of pvc to avoid splintering from the wood. It would be easy to make a rack that folded up lengthwise so it was just three long pieces, the end legs, and the pvc slats.
That’s pretty much the kind I’ve seen. I had an attachment on the back of my seat that let me hook it on that way so I could pull the bike right off instead of back and under the bar.
they are quite easy to set up and tear down and relatively light. pretty durable also. these have been in use for pretty close to 15 years now with relatively few busted pieces. hands down sweetest racks around.
