The day before the Bike MS event, I still hadn’t taken the new bike rack out of the box. I was running out of time. I couldn’t leave it for Saturday morning to figure it out. What if I work up late in the morning? What if I opened it up, and it was abysmally confusing? What if it was broken? The weather was good Friday night when I got home with the kids, so while they rode around with the neighbor kids, I could unbox the new bike rack.
Unboxing it? Easy. Figuring it out? Not as easy. I was able to extend it, but I couldn’t figure out how to unlock and adjust it for my particular car. So yes, I had to break out the manual. Sadly, I’m starting to find that many manuals these days are written using only pictures, and no words. If the pictures are not self-explanatory, then you’re in trouble, no? I eventually figured it all out after 30 mins, and tried it out with my bike. It seems sturdy and secure enough, but I don’t have a decent method to secure it, so it seems I will indeed have to buy a specific bike lock. Also, I noticed that the rack finish scratches easily — when I was removing the plastic wrap and barely touched the rack surface with the tips of the scissors, the grey finish came off. Not too impressed with the finish, but it’s nice bike rack otherwise.
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