How much do cycling buddies cost?

[patches]

 

Transport for 1… for now. Cycling buddy bike carrier coming soon.

[Dicky DQ]

On 5/26/2022 at 1:20 AM, patches said:

Far from me physically (about 1500km and a 3hr ferry ride)

Further from me financially 😅

Damn, I did not think NZ fuel costs were so close to ours.

[The Ouzo]

Cost me a chain breaker last night. 
 

well not a buddy, but my neighbors son. Used his BMX as transport. Wanted my help to fit his new chain last night, no quick link and also no new pin, so was trying to use the old pin. 
needed some extra hands to try and get the old pin back in, asked him to tighten the chain breaker whilst I tried to hold the rest in place. 
thread went in skew, he carried on tightening and stripped the threads. 
fortunately not an expensive tool. 

[Hairy]

On 5/24/2022 at 7:04 AM, patches said:

We recently purchased a new car and with a new car comes a new challenge on how to transport bikes.

The old car (2015 Polo TSI) was a little run-around and we didn't care much for dirtying interiors or some light cosmetic damage caused by clip on bike carriers. However the new car (2022 Volvo XC40), although more spacious, is somewhat sacred (at least for now), so a more considered approach needs to be taken when transporting muddy bikes and bums.

So I'll be heading down the path of a Thule roof rack, bike carriers, and seat protectors

I'd likely be spending around R4500 (equiv) extra to be able to transport a 2nd bike and rider. A riding buddy. Yes, one could always say "I'll meet you there", when it's a local trail, but where I live (Auckland, NZ), even the local trails are 45min away, and half the fun of riding with friends is the company, even on the drive there and back.

So therein lies the question... at what point does one usually call it and say it's too costly to purchase equipment to accommodate the transportation of a riding buddy?

Keen to hear the various Hubber philosophies on this

Your moral compass is wrong, get the three bike carrier 

[patches]

10 minutes ago, Hairy said:

Your moral compass is wrong, get the three bike carrier 

Tow bar mount?

Have you seen what a tow bar for an XC40 cost?! …yikes! That plus a one of them Thule platform racks would cost more than my bike! 😅

Plus I need roof racks for other endeavours.

[patches]

1 hour ago, ouzo said:

Cost me a chain breaker last night. 
 

well not a buddy, but my neighbors son. Used his BMX as transport. Wanted my help to fit his new chain last night, no quick link and also no new pin, so was trying to use the old pin. 
needed some extra hands to try and get the old pin back in, asked him to tighten the chain breaker whilst I tried to hold the rest in place. 
thread went in skew, he carried on tightening and stripped the threads. 
fortunately not an expensive tool. 

Oh dear, there’s a whole other discussion (hashed out somewhat on the Toolbox thread) about lending tools to friends. General consensus was no, but like you say, the average chain breaker seems harmless and inexpensive enough.
 

Your neighbour’s  son has earned the title of Chain Breaker-Breaker, and ironically unable  to break the chain, haha

[The Ouzo]

13 minutes ago, patches said:

Oh dear, there’s a whole other discussion (hashed out somewhat on the Toolbox thread) about lending tools to friends. General consensus was no, but like you say, the average chain breaker seems harmless and inexpensive enough.
 

Your neighbour’s  son has earned the title of Chain Breaker-Breaker, and ironically unable  to break the chain, haha

I read that discussion when it was on. In this case it happened in my work shed in my presence so I guess I can’t 100% put the blame on him. 

[porqui]

10 hours ago, patches said:

 

Transport for 1… for now. Cycling buddy bike carrier coming soon.

Please please please do not forget it is there  

[The Ouzo]

4 minutes ago, porqui said:

Please please please do not forget it is there  

I used to open the cover to the sunroof in order to remember. 

[throttles]

7 hours ago, patches said:

Tow bar mount?

Have you seen what a tow bar for an XC40 cost?! …yikes! That plus a one of them Thule platform racks would cost more than my bike! 😅

Plus I need roof racks for other endeavours.

Check what previous model Volvo towbar will fit then looks for a second hand one there might even be a generic towbar that may fit. 👌🏻

[The Ouzo]

57 minutes ago, throttles said:

Check what previous model Volvo towbar will fit then looks for a second hand one there might even be a generic towbar that may fit. 👌🏻

There is no previous model of what he has.  Brand new platform and it was the first car to use that platform. 

[Hairy]

1 minute ago, ouzo said:

There is no previous model of what he has.  Brand new platform and it was the first car to use that platform. 

Blah ... just weld or rivet something to the back of the car and strap it down with ratchet straps ........................

[throttles]

1 hour ago, ouzo said:

There is no previous model of what he has.  Brand new platform and it was the first car to use that platform. 

Aah.. so he drives the Volvo equivalent of a Aethos? 🥹😬🤷🏻‍♂️

[patches]

6 hours ago, porqui said:

Please please please do not forget it is there  

6 hours ago, ouzo said:

I used to open the cover to the sunroof in order to remember. 

Haha, yeah, I’m paranoid about that. Seen a number of horror stories, even a friend that worked at Thule did it to his car 🤣

When I had a rooftop carrier on a previous car, I used to stick a red post-it on the dash as a reminder. I’ll do something similar this time.

[patches]

3 hours ago, throttles said:

Check what previous model Volvo towbar will fit then looks for a second hand one there might even be a generic towbar that may fit. 👌🏻

2 hours ago, ouzo said:

There is no previous model of what he has.  Brand new platform and it was the first car to use that platform. 

2 hours ago, Hairy said:

Blah ... just weld or rivet something to the back of the car and strap it down with ratchet straps ........................

41 minutes ago, throttles said:

Aah.. so he drives the Volvo equivalent of a Aethos? 🥹😬🤷🏻‍♂️

Yeah, the XC40 only shares its platform with newer and more expensive cars (Volvo C40 and Polestar 2).

On the towbar front, there are generic options available here (approx. R10,000 equiv.), but all are the tongue mount and although removable, they are still pretty visible. I’d prefer the gooseneck type that becomes invisible when removed (so yeah, me being fussy 😅).
 

 

 

Vs

 

The other issue is the electronics. As the wiring links into the ECU somehow, Volvo seemed to indicate that generic options may void warranty. It was the sales guy speaking, so he may have been bluffing.

As for the weld, rivet and strap option Hairy… I value my life and have only been married a year with no current plans for divorce 😅

Edited June 18, 2022 by patches

[DJR]

Agreed, if you do bad and bumpy dirt roads, strap the bikes down as well, especially to prevent side to side movement. No need for super tight ratchet straps though, a normal run of the mill cleat strap will do the trick for a pedal bike.