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Bike cover for bikes on Kuat Sherpa 2.0

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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

Bike cover for bikes on Kuat Sherpa 2.0

Old 08-13-19, 11:36 AM
  #1  
NoWhammies
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Bike cover for bikes on Kuat Sherpa 2.0

We have the Kuat Sherpa 2.0 bike rack. Great rack. No complaints about the rack.

I am though concerned with the bike a) getting stone chips and/or b) getting dirty. Especially if it start raining while we are in transit. I'd like to put a bike cover of the bike when the bike is on the rack.

I've come across velosock which seems to do the job. But man. Pricey as all get out. Does anyone have any experience with Velosock? Or can you recommend something a little more (or a lot more) affordable?

Thank you.
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Old 08-13-19, 01:46 PM
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Originally Posted by NoWhammies
I've come across velosock which seems to do the job. But man. Pricey as all get out.
Wow, no kidding! Looks kewl but at that price, you'd expect it to also wash your bike and lube the chain...
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Old 08-13-19, 02:14 PM
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Keep in mind that a cover might block the automobile's tail lights.
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Old 08-13-19, 02:40 PM
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Interesting.

The rack they show in the clip has auxiliary taillights.

Tarps like to flop in the wind, and I'd worry about damage to the bike. I don't know if the "sock" is immune to the problem.
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Old 08-13-19, 03:09 PM
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Originally Posted by CliffordK
The rack they show in the clip has auxiliary taillights.
Thanks for pointing that out. It is an interesting but elegant solution.

I assume the plate or tag would be remounted as well, which brings up the question of having the rack stolen and the tag with it or the need to relocate the tag every time the rack is mounted.


-Tim-
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Old 08-13-19, 03:11 PM
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A quick look at the major rack manufacturers' websites (yakima, thule, saris, and kuat) shows that none of them sell any kind of cover for transport.

I don't live in a super rainy area like the Pacific Northwest but I've never seen anyone put a cover on their bike on a rack, so I'm going to suggest that it's not really necessary.
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Old 03-04-23, 09:00 AM
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Search this looked like perfect thread but seemingly no answers. Any ideas since?
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Old 03-04-23, 10:23 AM
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Kuat recommends that you do not use covers with this specific rack. Perhaps because it’s a lighter weight rack the addition of covers catches wind and applies downward force?
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Old 03-04-23, 11:06 AM
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Bought a couple of these and they work well. Don’t know about your taillights though. Bike cover
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Old 03-04-23, 04:23 PM
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It's a bike and not a wicked witch- if there is rain in transit, I promise you it will still be hooked to the rack once you reach your destination.
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Old 03-05-23, 04:50 PM
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Originally Posted by mstateglfr
It's a bike and not a wicked witch- if there is rain in transit, I promise you it will still be hooked to the rack once you reach your destination.
+1 it’s a tool not a jewel.

Moreover, bikes are built to function in the rain. Worst case scenario you might want to wipe the chain with some lube after a wet drive.
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Old 03-05-23, 10:44 PM
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This is the reason for multiple bikes. Have one that you don't mind getting a little more roughness from rain and mud and such and then one that is a nice day queen or king that just goes out when it is nice. Or go titanium and don't worry about paint chips because no paint to chip or anything to rust.
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Old 03-06-23, 07:17 AM
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OP wants a bike cover to protect his bike, period... Telling him that his bike can handle rain or be dirty is not very relevant to his enquiry on this forum.

My race bike does not (never) see rain, dirt, sand, salt, etc. Not because it's not capable of, but because I baby it and I specifically bought a gravel bike for spring and rainy days. I am sure a Ferrari can be driven in rain or even during a cold harsh winter, but people choose not to do it and it's OK.

Let us know if you end up buying that stretching bike cover and how it holds. I know high speed wind can be a PITA with covers...
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Old 03-06-23, 10:41 AM
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Originally Posted by eduskator
OP wants a bike cover to protect his bike, period... Telling him that his bike can handle rain or be dirty is not very relevant to his enquiry on this forum.

My race bike does not (never) see rain, dirt, sand, salt, etc. Not because it's not capable of, but because I baby it and I specifically bought a gravel bike for spring and rainy days. I am sure a Ferrari can be driven in rain or even during a cold harsh winter, but people choose not to do it and it's OK.

Let us know if you end up buying that stretching bike cover and how it holds. I know high speed wind can be a PITA with covers...
The OP asked this question 3 years ago. I posted my comment to someone else who renewed the dead thread. Its odd, but it seems like many dont realize a bike can get wet and not be ruined.
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Old 03-06-23, 11:20 AM
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Originally Posted by eduskator

My race bike does not (never) see rain, dirt, sand, salt, etc. Not because it's not capable of, but because I baby it….
..

must not actually be a race bike, or you don’t race very much. Invariably racing is going to end up with a lot of riding in bad weather and over bad roads.

And I do think it’s a relevant point for the OP that bikes can easily be put on a car rack uncovered without damage. It sounds like the OP is relatively new to cycling, at least maybe new to traveling with their bike on a car.

It’s a relevant data point that the OP can consider that the vast majority of us find no need for a bike cover on a car rack. If he still wants one fine, but it’s a relevant perspective.
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Old 03-06-23, 11:28 AM
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Car's going to get the rock chip before the bike ever does.
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Old 03-06-23, 11:35 AM
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I don’t have a big problem w wet but doing a cross country drive through snow salt etc is more concerning
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Old 03-06-23, 01:23 PM
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Originally Posted by merlinextraligh
must not actually be a race bike, or you don’t race very much. Invariably racing is going to end up with a lot of riding in bad weather and over bad roads.

And I do think it’s a relevant point for the OP that bikes can easily be put on a car rack uncovered without damage. It sounds like the OP is relatively new to cycling, at least maybe new to traveling with their bike on a car.

It’s a relevant data point that the OP can consider that the vast majority of us find no need for a bike cover on a car rack. If he still wants one fine, but it’s a relevant perspective.
It's a race bike, but I don't race much. It's in my trunk when I am traveling and it's wet outside. Otherwise, it's on my bike rack.
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Old 03-08-23, 11:03 PM
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Originally Posted by NoWhammies
We have the Kuat Sherpa 2.0 bike rack. Great rack. No complaints about the rack.

I am though concerned with the bike a) getting stone chips and/or b) getting dirty. Especially if it start raining while we are in transit. I'd like to put a bike cover of the bike when the bike is on the rack.

I've come across velosock which seems to do the job. But man. Pricey as all get out. Does anyone have any experience with Velosock? Or can you recommend something a little more (or a lot more) affordable?

Thank you.
We’ve used Velosock for thousands of miles and they work great. We typically only put them on if we see we will be driving in rain. They go on and off quickly.

I learned the lesson the hard way after driving up I-70 in colorado in the rain. There had been construction and there was concrete dust in the water that got driven under pressure into the drive train of two bikes while driving at speed. I spent the next day disassembling the drivetrains of both bikes so we could ride for the week. I still had to replace the chains and some bearings when we got home. And I lost a day of riding on a 5 day trip.

This doesn’t happen with the covers. They aren’t waterproof but the water stream never gets to the bikes and it is never under pressure. The material acts like a filter too. Bikes stay clean and largely dry.

Originally Posted by TimothyH
Keep in mind that a cover might block the automobile's tail lights.
I’ve made up an attachment for the back of my rack that has an LED light bar with a cable that plugs into my trailer hitch connection. I’d recommend doing the same unless you have a single bike with no cover. Two bikes with no cover largely hide taillights or at least make them a lot less prominent.
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Old 03-10-23, 12:16 AM
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I bought one of these. It's inexpensive and might not be durable enough for regular use, but the few times I use it, it's fine.

Team Obsidian: Heavy Duty Waterproof Bike Cover/Storage 4 Seasons Protection | eBay

I'm not too worried about rain, per se. But we sometimes go on gravel roads with the bikes on the back of our camper and, rain or shine, they're just absolutely filthy when we get there. If we were doing regular trips with the good bikes on the back of the car, I'd probably bite the bullet and get a rigid, lockable cover. But on most occasions, they're either in the covered back of a pickup truck, in the Subarus, on the back for short hops, or locked on the roofs of the Subarus (less filthy!). So we don't need the cover very often.

Last edited by Camilo; 03-10-23 at 12:23 AM.
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Old 03-11-23, 06:35 PM
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Hey JohnJ80 I bought a Velosock to put on my bike when the bike sits in the bike rack. I bought a cover that is shown as being indoor only like this guy:





In the end though I did not use the cover. The flapping of the top of the cover against the bike in the wind caused me concern that the constant back and forth against the frame would damage the carbon of the bike. Shame too as I thought I had stumbled upon the best solution with the Velosock cover.
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Old 03-21-23, 09:22 AM
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Originally Posted by NoWhammies
Hey JohnJ80 I bought a Velosock to put on my bike when the bike sits in the bike rack. I bought a cover that is shown as being indoor only like this guy:





In the end though I did not use the cover. The flapping of the top of the cover against the bike in the wind caused me concern that the constant back and forth against the frame would damage the carbon of the bike. Shame too as I thought I had stumbled upon the best solution with the Velosock cover.
we have the full zip ones. We probably have around 20,000 miles on them. They work fine.

We do put a strap around the seat post and around the stem to reduce the surface area in the wind on one of our cars where they sit higher (sport wagon). But that’s primarily because we’re driving in the western states at speeds around 80mph. 70 or below it’s not an issue. And it’s not an issue when it’s on our SUV because the bikes aren’t in the wind at all.
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