There is a 90/90 21 MT 21 between the two bikes. They don't touch each other. I don't like to take my front wheels off to load. I also don't like wiggling the weight of my bike via the fork dropouts. That's abuse. The only thing getting abused is the bed of the truck.
If you're going to carry your bike in the back of your truck, this is an excellent solution: Thule Insta-Gater The hold-downs fit between the floor and the gate. Put your wheel in the slot, raise the arm, then pull it down tight. Works for road, MTB, Lefty, 29er, recumbent. I have a cable in a tiedown loop in the corner next to this in case I want to lock things - since you'd need a locking tailgate and the lock for the arm and a locking skewer otherwise.
uh, better not ride it, then, as THAT would be abuse, putting 100+ lbs on the fork tips, OMG. re: truckbed carriers, these always hve seemed the most practical to me, or
Most practical would simply be laying a bicycle in the truck bed without installing anything onto the truck, without taking anything off the biccyle.
Have a nephew who is really in to riding. Both road and MTB. My son drew his name in the family gift exchange. We asked his mom for suggestions, she said he wanted a manual/book on bicycle maintenance and repair. Suggestions? What are the odds my local shop will have something, or should I just get it online?
I never win these engineering arguments, but here goes. When the wheel is in the fork dropouts, axle and fork move together. Stress goes straight up the fork, the way the fork was intended to bear its load. When the bike carrier is in fork dropouts, the axle doesn't move, but the fork does, albeit slightly. The stress is side to side, not the way the fork was intended to bear its load. I look at it like breaking a piece of wire by bending it back and forth. I'm probably underestimating the side to side load imposed by turning.
I read some of the replies to this and while I truly believe they have the best intentions, some of the advice isn't great. (disclaimer - I build custom bikes for a living but I usually refer out my fit work and ALWAYS refer it to a specialist when there's a bio-mechanical problem.) First off, most bikes shops aren't going to be able to adequately help you. I'll skip all the stuff about why asking your average local shop guy to set you up on a ride that's not going to goof up your knee. Find a specialist, preferably a fit studio that has a PT on board. Or just as good, find a PT who knows bikes and can recommend a good fitter. Be prepared to spend a few hundred $$ on the consultation and fit and then get a recommendation to find a shop that can sell you a bike to perform the way you need it to perform. A hypothetical example...a hybrid may not be such a bad idea. Typically, they have a shorter saddle to bar reach and a higher bar than most MTB's of an equivalent size. This forces you to sit more upright and opens up your hip angle. Opening up your hip angle may relieve some tension in your hamstring which may in turn be easier for your knee. I'm not saying that's what you need specifically, but a good studio can help you sort out your needs. Best of luck in your recovery.
One of the best sources for bicycle maintenance is Sheldon Brown. He is no longer among the living, but his website/shop lives on. Just do a google search, and voila! A veritable cornucopia of knowledge. Even comes with pictures. I know it's tough to give that as a gift, but depending on the budget, a Park workstand can be had for less than a Benjamin. I certainly couldn't do with out mine, now that I have one.
think of your forks as a spring. a spring can take a very large number of deflections as long as its within its limits such that it doesn't permanently deform. anyways, people have been putting bikes on fork mount carriers for a very long time, including serious graphite race bikes, etc etc.
I remember a good book on 10 Speed Press (Berkeley) many years ago, but it was from the age of Steel and when 10 speed meant 2 x 5 with friction shifters.
...but he isn't infallible... Read with a skeptical mind and see if it makes sense for you. AFA books: yer LBS prolly ain't gonna have nuthin, but Barnes and Noble or Borders will. Amazon too. If he's a racer, get him Joe Friel's book, or Time Crunched Cyclist. Zinn's books are pretty good for the maintenance thing. The Bicycle Wheel by Jobst Brandt is excellent. If you really wanna go all-out, get him a ticket to UBI or the other institute that teaches mechanicing. M
Hell, I drove across the country with my 3 bikes on the roof. 2 of em have carbon forks. Nary a worry on my part. Cornering in a crit puts more forces on em than bopping on down the freeway. ...and I'll say it again: its yer shit, do with it whatcha want. (I don't particularly like to hang bikes by their wheels for storage for example. I'll build something that supports em horizontally first) M
On other news: its colder'n a witch's well you know... so I'm indoors. Rode 1.15 on the trainer tonite. Watched 2 episodes of Farscape and sorta-kinda read some of the BG fit manual. Mebbe I needta get a music stand. M
Similar here, though in that relative way. I braved the hotel version of food, and a couple of glasses of not completely awful red wine-type stuff. Crunches come later. Taking aim on three sets of a hundred. Might not make that, but what's life without unattainable goals?
It's a great site for most questions. I used it a lot when I was rebuilding my bike. I think a stand would also be a great idea. I had to suspend my bike frame from the rafters in the garage and while it worked, it was a bit of a pain too. A stand would have made life a lot easier. Oh yeah, I finally opened up the boxes Senior Cabasa sent me a while back. They look great. They're a lot more beefy then the stock wheels. They should do nicely. Now I need to get a chain whip and swap the cassette. Although, it's been cold and wet here. It will probably continue till next month so no biking for a while. I don't have the proper clothes either... I'll eventually fix that as well though.
heh, I've been using the hitch rack on my van as a work rack in my driveway. kinda lame, but better than nothing. supports the bike by the top tube (or, for those bikes without a real top tube, I have that fake top tube that goes around the seat post and the gooseneck). of course, this means fair weather wrenching only :-/
If you can find the Barnett Bicycle Repair Manual - available as a free download from time to time - that will be the one to have.
