Bicycle carrier

A bicycle carrier, also commonly called a bike rack,^[1][2][3] is a device attached to an automobile or bus^[4] for transporting bicycles.

By vehicle type

Bus mounted bike carriers are usually attached to the front of the bus.^[5] They may flip up against the bus, out of the way, when not carrying any bikes.^[6]

Automobile mounted bike carriers can be attached to the roof, rear trunk, or rear tow hitch, depending on the vehicle.

Bikes may be mounted in the carriers by clamping both wheels and providing some additional vertical support, by clamping the rear wheel and the front dropouts (necessitating the removal of the front wheel, which may be mounted separately on blades), or by clamping the top tube (usually in the case of rear hitch mounted carriers). There is a device available that connects from the stem to the seat post, to provide a top tube equivalent suitable for mounting in these carriers for step-through frame bicycles that do not have a top tube. Carriers that clamp on the front dropouts may also provide a built-in locking mechanism. Carriers have been developed especially for the rear of pickup trucks that attach either to the bed or its sides.

Special long carriers have been developed to support long-wheelbase recumbents and tandems.

At least one manufacturer offers bicycle carriers for use on motorcycles.^[7]

Children's bikes with wheels smaller than 16"^[8] may be too small for the racks on buses.^[9]

Transit authorities with bicycle carriers on buses

Transit authorities with bicycle carriers on buses:

Europe

• Madrid, Spain, in urban buses (line 33).

North America

United States

• Cache Valley Transit District in Logan, Utah.^[10]
• Chicago Transit Authority.^[11]
• King County Metro in King County, Washington.^[12]
• Community Transit in Snohomish County, Washington.
• Metro Transit (Minnesota).^[13][14]
• Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority
• Portland Maine, in Maine.^[15]
• Pioneer Valley Transit Authority of Western Massachusetts.^[16]
• Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (some routes) ^[17]
• Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority ^[18]
• Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District ^[19]
• AC Transit ^[20]
• San Francisco Municipal Railway ^[21]
• SamTrans ^[22]
• Golden Gate Transit ^[23]

Canada

• Victoria Regional Transit System^[6][24]
• TransLink (British Columbia), Canada.^[25]
• STL, Laval, Quebec^[26]
• CIT Laurentides^[27]

New Zealand

• Metro, in Christchurch, New Zealand (all routes)^[28]
• Dunedin^[29]
• Feilding^[30]
• Gisborne,^[31]
• Hawkes Bay,^[32]
• Invercargill^[33]
• Invercargill-Te Anau-Queenstown^[34]
• New Plymouth^[8]
• Nelson.^[35]
• Taupo^[36]
• Waiheke Island^[37]

Gallery

Bicycle carrier at rear tow hitch  Bicycle rack on top of car  Bicycle racing team support car  Bus with patented[38] bicycle carrier[39] in use Gallery

See also

• Bicycle and public transport
• Flexfix (a bike carrier integrated into the car's design)
• Sportworks^[39]

References

1. Brown, Sheldon. "Sheldon Brown Glossary: Rack". Sheldon Brown. Archived from the original on 18 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
2. "TreeHugger: GM Tries Integrated Bike Racks on Euro Models". Archived from the original on 4 January 2008. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
3. "Yakima Rack Basics". Archived from the original on 2007-12-21. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
4. "CATA Bike Racks". Archived from the original on 2007-11-30. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
5. "TCAT Bikes on Buses: Rack&Ride". Archived from the original on 16 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-27.
6. "Victoria Regional Transit System: Bike & Ride". Retrieved 2007-12-27.
7. "BICYCLE RACKS FOR MOTORCYCLES". Retrieved 2008-02-12.
8. "Bikes on buses » Taranaki Regional Council". www.trc.govt.nz. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
9. "Boy with bike not allowed on empty bus". New Zealand Herald. 2015-07-28. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
11. Bike & Ride: On the bus
12. Bus Bike Racks…Party of Three Please
13. Bicycle racks on buses and trains.
14. Bike-n-Ride by bus
15. Using the Bike Rack on a Public Bus
17. "Bringing your bike". SBMTD. SBMTD. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
18. Bicycles & VTA
19. Bikes & Buses
20. Bikes On Buses
21. Bikes On Muni
22. Bikes on SamTrans
23. Bikes & Buses
24. BC Transit, Victoria
25. Bikes on Buses
26. STL
27. CITL
28. "Bikes on buses - Metro". Environment Canterbury. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
29. "Dunedin bus network changes effective from 1 July 2015 | Otago Regional Council". www.orc.govt.nz. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
30. "Bike racks, additional routes and services for Feilding | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
31. "Bus Tender (Contract EW12/11) Tender Evaluation Report" (PDF). Gisborne District Council.
32. "Bikes join ride on local buses". Hawke's Bay Today. 11 September 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
33. "Buses - Invercargill City Council". Invercargill City Council. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
34. "FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions - Fiordland Walking Tracks". www.tracknet.net. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
35. "Bus service a winner". Nelson Mail. 8 March 2012. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
36. "Taupo Connector". Waikato Regional Council. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
37. "Bikes & public transport". at.govt.nz. Retrieved 2015-11-18.
38. U.S. Patented carrier
39. Sportworks

External links

• Consumer Reports buying guide
• World map of buses with bike racks
• U.S. Patent No. 5,692,659