Bike rack failure..word to the wise..
 

Was just on my way home on the xpressway and had my bike on a hitch-mounted carrier. As I was rounding a corner I look into the rear view mirror only to see my bike flop backwards and disappear.

..wtf..

..at least I didn't see it under the car behind me, so there's a plus I guess. I was in the left lane on a right-turning interchange. Only about a 3/4-sized shoulder...perfect. I pulled off the road tight to the wall and sort of climbed out of the car. Around back I see my bike hanging off the rack by the rear wheel tray-strap. It looked like it was sliding down the road on the right shifter.

Cars are blowing by me about 3-4 feet away at 70ish mph and they are all a bit surprised to see me as they come around the bend. As I released the rear tire from the rack-tray strap I'm noticing the multiple layers of rubber and paint the concrete wall next to my car...perfect. I'm in place where human beings don't usually stand. Scotty..beam me up..

I put the bike on the second tray of the bike carrier, climbed back into my car, and headed for an off-ramp.

Looks like the bolt that held the fork-mount to the aluminum rail on the bike carrier failed. The fork-mount remained connected to the bike/fork. Fortunately the rear tray-mount held onto the carrier frame as did the strap holding the rear wheel to the tray. The entire tray with my bike attached was hanging (upside-down) in space held to the car-carrier by the rear tray mount...my nice, perfectly functioning Ultegra shifter supported the front of the bike as it dragged on the pavement behind me at 65-70mph..perfect.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a73b09b901.jpg

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...063ee00c25.jpg

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https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...21ac83dccd.jpg

The bike frame & fork seem to be fine. The shifter also seems to work perfectly. The bars..also look ok. No idea if I can source-replace just the shifter hood...never faced that question before.

Word to the wise...check your bike carrier hardware and replace any fasteners that are old...even bad ones may look good. Nuts and bolts are cheap..even SS ones. Bikes cost the real money. I got lucky.

Now to put humpty-dumpty back together. I may or may not replace the bike carrier. Depends if I can find the right parts. As for the shifter(s). This is my favorite bike and it and the shifters work(worked) perfectly. If I can find a set of shifter-boots I may put up with the remaining shifter appearance..though in reality, probably not. The bike is scheduled for a repaint soon and I'll look around for some new(to me) (3x9) shifters ...$ouch.

Given what could have happened..I got off light.

I’m glad you are OK. I used to keep my bike inside the car or trunk BITD. Removed front wheel if necessary. Now I just ride from my front door.

JB..thanks. The bike does fit inside my car, but I had the dog with me..so on the rack it went...(the bike..not the dog)


I am seeing replacement hoods..my shifters are Ultegra 6510's. Looking for any cross-ref chart to see if other models fit my shifters..

are there any hoods that you can swap to in order to maintain "like hoods" ? Usually, you can buy replacement hoods though.

Been looking on the web for an hour. Apparently the 105 5500 series hoods and Ultegra 6500 series hoods were the same..and both went extinct about 10 years back. One aftermarket hood maker Hudz started making replacement hoods for 6600 series and up.

This is depressing. Great shifters..no hoods. I'm bummed.

Look into these, might be an option.
https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Repos.../dp/B007R4NV7Q

I never liked the idea of carrying my bike on a rack. I just throw my bike in the bed of my pick up truck.

Thanks for checking..I've seen a number of references that indicate 6600 won't fit 6500.

Glad you are OK. Always keep an eye on bike racks and don't leave them permanently on the car which I have seen a lot. Also replace old racks that have seen heavy usage or at least like a bike go through it completely and overhaul it as needed and reach out to the manufacturer to see if they have any tips or can send new hardware.

Trunk racks are ones you need to be especially careful with and check and double check and triple check those straps often. Same with roof racks which you may not take off as often (if at all). Maintain your bikes and all equipment related to your bikes and safety. And hey if you don't want to do it maybe see if your local shop is interested or auto mechanic for car racks. You are support local business keeping yourself and others safe and getting a bit more free time to ride or do other tasks : )

FYI, I have Tiagra 4400 9 speed. The hoods look just like the 6500 hoods. I took a right 4400 and put it on a right 6500 and it is a perfect match. I have 3300 8 speed Sora also, the hoods are not identical, and I did not try them on the 6500, but If I was to look at them both with hands mounted on them, I really do not think I could tell the difference. 6600 hoods are much different, and they match up with 4500 9 and 4600 10 speed hoods. I have all of those models and I never noticed that until looking for this thread. 6700, of course, with all cables under the tape, is different. I do not have spare hoods.

Part # is shown as either Y6BS98090 or Y6BZ98090

https://si.shimano.com/pdfs/ev/EV-ST-6500-B-2047.pdf

Just clean it up, add some super glue and some red paint. Tell your riding buddies that you sprinted away from a Grizzly attack.

In Wisconsin? Now there are some badgers there you don't want to deal with.

A couple suggestions:

Look for a LBS near you that is listed as a Shimano Service Center - There should be one in the Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha area, maybe even in the northern Chicago suburbs. They may have an assortment of NOS replacement parts. I remember Racine had an old-time bike shop, but can't recall the name.

Or - See if there is a local bike Co-Op and rummage through their bins of miscellaneous parts.

Whoa, that was a close call in several ways. I am glad it wasn't any worse.

Wow!

wow that sucks. I hope you will be able to find your parts....

I'm curious: how old was the rack, has it been exposed to the weather a lot, etc...?

That sort of info might be of use to some of us in assessing when to replace our own racks.

Great info..thanks. More options that fit increases the odds I'll find something that will work. It sounds like the 4400 hoods are the same as 5500 & 6500. Are you saying the 3300 actually fits the 6500, but just looks a little different? At this point..if I found a pair of 3300 hoods and they fit..looking a bit different won't matter.

Parts numbers help..thanks. Yet another option for searching. From my searches on forums in general..it seems many have searched for these hoods and they just don't exist (although there is one NOS pair on ebay for $140). I think my best option will be to find a (preferably) non-working pair of 3300(?), 5500, or 6500 shifters and use the hoods. Not seeing any "parts-only" shifters anywhere thus far.

Good thoughts..I'll look into these today. There is a co-op in Milwaukee. I donated a bike there last year..Specialized Crossroads I think. Found it in a recycle yard..perfectly functional, just needed a cleanup. I need a few parts for a friend's bike..if I found a complete bike with the parts she needs and the right shifters I need for hoods..I'd buy it (and give what's left back to the co-op for another rebuild). South Shore Cyclery in Cudahy is an old-time like shop...they know me. They may have something laying around..

Actual age of the rack..not sure as I bought it used. As a guess..10-15 years? Has been working fine. No visible corrosion. I have replacement straps for the rear tire-tray, but haven't needed them yet. Fork mounts are solid and function well. It's outside most of the summer being used. Inside in the winter. A heads-up for people to evaluate their own racks is why I made this post initially. Had I updated the fastening hardware(as I'll be doing now) before this happened, it wouldn't have happened. I have seen replacement tray/fork mounts on the web that have a more substantial bolt in place of the one that sheared on my rack. Thule may have been aware the original bolt was "light". I haven't decided yet whether this rack will continue (for me) as I've been focusing on the shifter-hood. In the grand scheme, the damage is minor. That said..I value keeping older bikes/equipment maintained and in good use. Looking at the shifter now..I'm bummed. I rode the bike the day before this happened and was thinking as I rode..the bike and shifters really couldn't run more smooth. On the stand, the shifter seems to function normally. I'll tape things up today and take it for a ride..we'll see

The 3300 hoods do fit the 6500. I do have the Tiagra hood that I test fit to the 6500 that you are welcome to for the cost of shipping. Should be able to put it in a plastic bag and a regular envelope. If I can do that, it will be no cost. It is not in the best of shape, but still functional. I am pretty sure you could clean it up and with a bit of magic marker and something to fill the small hole at the top of the cover, it would even look decent. PM me your address if you want the hood. I can get it in the mail tomorrow.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ad399afcd7.jpg
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PM me if you want this.

Thank you very much for the info and the offer. Much appreciated. I checked on ebay and found a pair of ''parts-only" 3300 shifters for about the same money as modern replacement hoods are selling for today. If the 3300 hoods have a slightly different appearance, then both shifters will look the same at least.

Just had the bike out for a ride. Shifter works fine. I'm noticing a slight chatter in the fork only with very low speed(3-5mph) front braking. I cleaned the rims and brake pads and tried it again..still there. At higher speed(20mph) the bike brakes smoothly using front and back brakes. It's possible it was always like this(I never brake only with the front at low or higher speed so not a great evaluation). The bike tracks straight with no hands. I have thousands of miles on this bike(..had it up to 40mph the day before this happened..smooth as silk). I may take it into the shop hand have them do a close check in alignment anyway.

Just leave it and ride it... tell your riding buddies you went down hard, but rode it out!.
Ha.
If that's a Poprad... 54cm... I'll take it!

A Poprad, it's a 55cm... 853 tubing and handles larger tires before larger tires were a "thing". If I were limited to one bike, this would be it.

55cm is even better.... Send in mail! That's a nice bike, and I'm happy you didn't lose it.... or get smacked on the highway.

Your experience with the rack is certainly a misfortune. The bolt you show in the picture seems to be ok. It looks somewhat corroded but the threads do not appear to be stripped? Was there a failure on the part that the bolt screwed into?