General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Tall bikes in transition rack Rss Feed  
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2013-07-16 7:08 AM

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Veteran
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New Hampshire
Subject: Tall bikes in transition rack
At my race on Saturday I was racking my bike at transition and I always have an issue with the seat being too high to hook on the rack, but maybe this rack was lower or had sunk into the grass or something but the bottom of the seat was nowhere near hooking on the top. I had a couple inches below the seat to the top of the rack. I have a Trek 1.5 (64cm). Luckily I was next to a support section so I could slightly lean it but it was still a balancing act and when I came back from the swim it was knocked over. Anyone else ever deal with this? I tried to stick my towel under the seat and between the rack but it wasn't holding. I was thinking maybe a foam pool noodle cut down and kind of molded so it would stick under the seat. The joys of height.


2013-07-16 7:21 AM
in reply to: jonD81

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Master
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Washington, DC Metro
Subject: RE: Tall bikes in transition rack
I have the exact opposite problem! I have a Felt B12 size 50 with 650 wheels.  When I rack my bike it is nearly vertical for the front wheel to touch the ground.  The joys of being vertically challenged.Wink
2013-07-16 7:34 AM
in reply to: jonD81

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Davenport, IA
Subject: RE: Tall bikes in transition rack
I almost always have to rack by my base bar as my seat will be several inches over the bar and I'm not cool with my bike falling over. Racking by my base bar/brake levers works pretty well.
2013-07-16 7:40 AM
in reply to: Sprint_DA

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Cleveland OH
Subject: RE: Tall bikes in transition rack
What about rigging up a big rubber band around the rack then over the nose of the seat? Then when in T1 just pull on the bike and it should come off. You could possibly use a old tube too.
2013-07-16 8:12 AM
in reply to: smithat05

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Veteran
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New Hampshire
Subject: RE: Tall bikes in transition rack
I'll try with the base bar and also bring something to hold it down to the rack. When I do hook it under the nose of the seat I have bring it nearly vertical (front wheel straight up) to slide it out from under the rack too. I'm thinking if I can hook it behind my seat it might be easier? Right now I have my bag (tube, CO2, levers) under the back of the seat.
2013-07-16 9:35 AM
in reply to: jonD81

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Champion
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Williamston, Michigan
Subject: RE: Tall bikes in transition rack
I have the opposite problem as well. Mine often doesn't touch the ground and if its windy it is litterally swinging in the breeze.  I would suggest racking by the handle bars as well.


2013-07-16 9:43 AM
in reply to: Sprint_DA

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Subject: RE: Tall bikes in transition rack
Originally posted by Sprint_DA

I almost always have to rack by my base bar as my seat will be several inches over the bar and I'm not cool with my bike falling over. Racking by my base bar/brake levers works pretty well.


Same here. Bike racks are always two low for my seat so as this poster said I hook the brake levers over the bar and go that way.
2013-07-16 11:26 AM
in reply to: jonD81

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Is this Heaven? No, it's Iowa.
Subject: RE: Tall bikes in transition rack

I've been having similar problems too.  When I hook the tip of my seat on the transition rack it does stay put, but my challenge is getting the bike off and back on because my seat is too high.  I have to angle the bike in under the rack.  This works okay if there is not any bikes right next to mine in transition which is not likely.  Luckily I usually get out of the water towards the front of the group and I can get to the racks right away to jostle things around a bit. 

It's even worse when I have my bottle cages off the back of my seat, even if angled as horizontal as I can. 

2013-07-16 4:20 PM
in reply to: siouxcityhawk

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Arcadia
Subject: RE: Tall bikes in transition rack
What's the best way to rack a tri bike? I used to rack my road bike on the brake levers, is that still the way to go with the tri bike? 
2013-07-16 5:04 PM
in reply to: The Sloth

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Subject: RE: Tall bikes in transition rack
I too have the opposite problem. Front wheel does not touch the ground. 650 wheels. Maybe so day there will be racks for taller and smaller bikes. Down side of not being average.
2013-07-16 5:51 PM
in reply to: jonD81

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Regular
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Pueblo, Colorado
Subject: RE: Tall bikes in transition rack
My brother has the same problem from time to time. Maybe they could have a "big and tall" section where the racks were a tad bit higher!


2013-07-16 6:25 PM
in reply to: jonD81

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Subject: RE: Tall bikes in transition rack
I have the same problem. Even though I have an ISM seat with a perfect seat hook on the back, the racks are never high enough. I end up balancing the front aerobats on the support bar, with the whole bike facing towards the bar. This can still be tricky since, most races I use an aero bottle in between the bars, so there is limited space in which to balance it. This works for me as long as the support racks are sturdy enough. The races that have wooden cutouts for your back tire to rest in are the best. Yet, I have only come back once to find my bike tipped over, but I think this was mainly because the racks were so poorly made (it was a local, small town race organizer,limited budget). In this case, every time someone moved their bike, or even sneezed....the whole rack would sway and jostle.
2013-07-16 6:25 PM
in reply to: jonD81

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Extreme Veteran
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Subject: RE: Tall bikes in transition rack
I have the same problem. Even though I have an ISM seat with a perfect seat hook on the back, the racks are never high enough. I end up balancing the front aerobats on the support bar, with the whole bike facing towards the bar. This can still be tricky since, most races I use an aero bottle in between the bars, so there is limited space in which to balance it. This works for me as long as the support racks are sturdy enough. The races that have wooden cutouts for your back tire to rest in are the best. Yet, I have only come back once to find my bike tipped over, but I think this was mainly because the racks were so poorly made (it was a local, small town race organizer,limited budget). In this case, every time someone moved their bike, or even sneezed....the whole rack would sway and jostle.
2013-07-17 6:39 AM
in reply to: tigers75

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Subject: RE: Tall bikes in transition rack
my bike just barely will clear the rack (not terribly tall, but I think they use shorter racks in the girls section at the races I do - I'm tall for a girl - 5'9"). While I can rack my bike okay, getting it out is a pain since I have to tilt my bike. I'm a good swimmer, so I'm always afraid of knocking down the bikes around mine when leaving T1 (and actually have once or twice )
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