Bike rack on cars - Be on your guard against theft

L

Leper

Registered User
Messages
2,092
We were buying a bike for our youngest grandchild some weeks ago and Mrs Lep got a brainwave that we should buy a Bike Rack for our car. The rack supported 3 bikes, fitted easily after being shown by the helpful Halfords sales staff. It cost €120.00.

Last week (with the weather being good) the bike rack was launched onto the car for its maiden voyage to ferry us to leafy Blackrock (Cork). We parked near Blackrock Castle, withdrew the 3 bikes and grandad, granny and granchild headed off on the nearby "greenway" towards Rochestown and onto Passage West. A level cycle, you would not need to be trained by Sean Kelly to do the journey.

On our return to the car park we found that the bike rack had been removed from the car and we haven't seen it since. I was naive enough to ask people nearby if they saw anything, but of course, nobody saw anything. They did give me advice that at this time of year bike racks for cars are at a premium and are on demand.

When I think about it, it would take only seconds for anybody to remove a bike rack from a car. Of course, what I should have done is placed the rack inside the car before we set off on our cycle and put it back on the car on our return.

So, if you are going to shell out €120.00 for a bike rack, take more care than I and lock it away when not in use.

I didn't report the matter to the gardaí as I was the one who was most stupid. I just hope whoever stole the rack needs the money more than I did.
 
Sorry to hear that. But i would consider notifying the guards, if only so they've more accurate stats...& i'm not being sarcastic :) i like to think that when the gardai say that theft dropped/rose x% in previous year, that it's a fairly accurate figure
 
Thanks Leper. I know that track well and one would think how busy the car park at the castle end is would give somewhat more security than others ex. Harry's Quay to Passage. Fidel
 
Some sound advice there from AlbacoreA. After instruction and demonstration from Halford's I was able to install the bike rack on the back of the car securely within seven minutes. On parking in the Blackrock carpark I should have locked the rack inside the car and re-erected it on return from the cycle.

I didn't report the matter to the local gardaí as I would be wasting their time and mine. I would be another stat but no real difference would occur. Nordkapp's option above is good but I would have had to have a tow-bar fitted to the car. The tow-bar probably would help Mrs Lep with her parking but the additional expense (I reckon) is not worth it.

I will buy an identical car rack in Halford's when we return from holidays in Spain and will be more careful next time we bring our grandchildren cycling.

Next Cycling Projects:- Greenways Newport - Achill, Dungarvan-Waterford and of course Blackrock - Rochestown - Passage West. I'll be keeping Mrs Lep and all the young grand-leps in cycling safety away from public roads.

Thanks all for the advice.
 
Mines a towbar one which probably makes it faster to install and remove.

Perhaps there are some which are faster to install that aren't towbar versions. Some digging around cycling forums might tell you that.

Anyway real shame that happened to you. How did you get the bikes home?
 
Leper, I'm a little disappointed that you would go to Halfords for your biking needs rather than a local bike shop :oops:
 
Last edited:
To add to that, do not trust integrated locks on bike racks to keep bikes safe when on the car. Even the expensive Thule roof-mount racks can be snapped in seconds by an opportunist thief.

Also, I haven't heard of it here yet, but there have been cases in the UK of bikes being stolen off the back of cars while in heavy traffic!
 
Cervelo said:
Leper, I'm a little disappointed that you would go to Halfords for your biking needs rather than a local bike shop :oops:
Click to expand...

An untentional Loaded Question there Cervalo. But, true to my form I'll give you the answer.

In a previous life I was involved in Sales and in another guise my local Bike Shop owner had other interests too and he used to do business with my employer. We used to do a fair amount of business with him too. You scratch my back . . . . sort of thing. However, (in brief) he discontinued to do business with us and we discontinued our business relationship with him. We could suffer the loss more than he and he even called to my house trying to win his business back from us. He had no intention of renewing his business with us and was horrified why we would not buy from him. He was a bit of a smart ass too, perhaps too smart.

I moved away from the company I used to work for and this guy continued to shun me and even our daughters. So when Mrs Lep got one of her notions and decided to buy a bike for her favourite grandchild we bought in Halfords. Their salesmanship was good, after sales good too and overall were very helpful. The price was right for the bike. Grandson-Lep loved the bike too. The bike carrier purchase was a spur of the moment decision, but it was better than what was around. I could have bought cheaper but I wanted a bike rack that would transfer from one car to the next. Halfords bike rack was excellent, pricey, but it was what we wanted. Unfortunately, it lasted only its maiden voyage on the public road before it became a nice little earner for somebody.

I should point out that I bought my own bike from another bike dealer in Cork. The bike has served me well and I take good care of it. That dealer does not sell bike racks and even advised me to go to Halfords and pay good money for a good rack.

Somebody asked earlier how did we get home from the Blackrock car park. We don't live too far away and the reason for driving there was because Mrs Lep does not want to risk cycling on public roads with cyclist road deaths running at two per month at present.

Sorry for a Gone With the Wind length saga. Next question please . . .
 
Which model was it? I got a cheaper one in Halfords recently and someone would have to cut the supports (cloth) to remove it. Had never even thought someone would knick it.
Oh definitely do the Waterford Greenway, it's gorgeous. If you're looking to make it a bit shorter, i'd start in Kilmacthomas and go to Dungarvan, downhill too!
 
Cervelo said:
Leper, I'm a little disappointed that you would go to Halfords for your biking needs rather than a local bike shop :oops:
Click to expand...

Whats wrong with Halfords. Why is a "local" bike shop more worthy of support that Halfords.

My local Halfords has a very intense Corkman as mechanic. Whenever I go in with an issue, I love to ask him bike questions just to listen to how intensely he can explain different gear ratios, lube types etc. Im not really all that interested in the topic myself I just admire how passionate he is about all things bike.

Should I really go elsewhere just because his employers are an English chain rather than "local". Seems a bit unreasonable.
 
cremeegg said:
Whats wrong with Halfords. Why is a "local" bike shop more worthy of support that Halfords.

My local Halfords has a very intense Corkman as mechanic. Whenever I go in with an issue, I love to ask him bike questions just to listen to how intensely he can explain different gear ratios, lube types etc. Im not really all that interested in the topic myself I just admire how passionate he is about all things bike.

Should I really go elsewhere just because his employers are an English chain rather than "local". Seems a bit unreasonable.
Click to expand...

Well I'm delighted that you and Leper have had a positive experience with Halfords and their passionate and knowledgeable staff but I can't say the same for my experiences with my local Halfords staff and the stories that I hear from dissatisified customers that I come across. The 3 main issues I have are high turnover of staff, staff not been trained properly in the products they sell or assemble and the general feeling I get from the staff and what I've heard, that they just aren't been treated properly by their English" employers which leads them not really been interested in your experience or service in the store.
I'm not saying that a "local" bike shop can't have the same issues but my experience over the last 25 years is that the "Local" bike shops that I have dealt with are generaly run by cycling enthusiasts that normaly take the time to train their staff and will where possible will go above and beyond the level of service that I have witnessed in Halfords in order to keep your business.

And yes I do think where possible people should support local Irish owned and run businesses, it's something that was drummed into me during the 70s when we had the "Guaranteed Irish" campagin.
 
Last edited:
I posted my experience of having the bike rack stolen because of the interest in cycling on this forum. I hadn't intended bringing the rights and wrongs of Halfords into the matter. Bike racks can easily be resold within minutes and likely in the same car park from which they were stolen. It takes only seconds to steal a rack and all you need is a sharp knife to cut through a couple of nylon support belts and hey presto! you have a bike rack for instant resale. Not a fortune to be made by the thief but an easy €50.00. Next time I will "hide" the rack in the boot of the car as assembling takes only a few minutes. Hence, my warning against theft.

Like Cervalo I think we should support Irish owned businesses. (But, you fell down on the job Lep!!!!!!; just thought I'd say it before I am reminded again). Mrs Lep and I buy nearly all Irish products on our weekly shop. But, choice and price plus proximity in Cork brought me to Halfords. Like Cervalo I am a cycling enthusiast between April and October and even my cycling time will be extended after my retirement which is not too far away.

Currently, I am restoring a couple of Raleigh mountain bikes which rusted in our shed for years. I don't know whether I'll sell them on DoneDeal or keep them for our grandchildren. But the bike restoration work is going better than I thought with the help of You-Tube so I think I won't resell them. Mrs Lep is currently trying to talk me out of buying two old high-nellies, each that has rusted to within an inch of its life. But, all the original parts are there (lever brakes, saddle, tyres, tubes, etc) and I think I'll be buying another can of 3-In-One Oil Spray.
 
A simple solution if the conditions are suitable is to reverse the car tightly to a wall or trees . The potential thief will then not have easy access.
 
I was in Holland last week. Similar bikes to the fishmonger bike mentioned above and adapted for carrying children were selling for up to €5k.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top