Pendle Wheel Support Bike Racks

...rack:

The Pendle wheel support rack is a modular system made of (mostly) painted steel pieces that can be assembled into a strong and readily lockable construction. Its 'engineered' rather than pretty but once the bikes are on, they wont fall off or get easily stolen (though they could still be damaged if someone runs into the back of you, as happened to us once - not the racks fault that one)

Fixing is easy (once you ...
...say I wasnt impressed with Pendle or the longevity of their rack and am looking to replace it with something in Aluminium like a Thule or Atera model. Painted steel of this quality just isn't up to our weather, if you only plan summer use then this may not be a problem to you - if Pendle ever reintroduce the galvanised ones they used to make then that would help too, but its still heavy

Having experienced a wheel support rack there ... more

My parents used to own a big bike shop so I got to try out all sorts of interesting gear (they usually charged me for it, but I guess thats how they stayed in business). When I started needing to move some pricey mountain bikes on motorways and stuff I wanted a real secure rack - in all senses of the word.

The strap on racks were just too easy to pinch and the roofrack isnt ideal on the motorway if you are in a hurry (or want to use a multistory carpark, carport, or garage anytime) Many bike trail parking spots also have height restrictions to keep out vans these days, making bikes on the roof a pain.

The rack:

The Pendle wheel support rack is a modular system made of (mostly) painted steel pieces that can be assembled into a strong and readily lockable construction. Its 'engineered' rather than pretty but once the bikes are on, they wont fall off or get easily stolen (though they could still be damaged if someone runs into the back of you, as happened to us once - not the racks fault that one)

Fixing is easy (once you have a towbar) as you simply fix an adaptor block between towball and towbar bracket - when you need to fix rack drop it in and padlock it on. To attach a bike is pretty much the same, drop it in and strap it up (did one Motorway trip, forgetting to strap the bike and it was fine !)

The issues:

In use I have to say it was pretty darn good, but even before the year was out it had started to get rusty. Had a chat with the makers and they were just not bothered (made no mention of the family business in conversation). The view was that the powder coating was good quality and if the rack was washed just like my car it would be fine. Since the bikes got a good clean after most trips and the rack was hosed down at the same time I was of the view that was what I was doing.

Figured it may not get much worse, but it was decided not to sell the racks in the shop lest we had to face similar disgruntled customers

Storing the rack was a pain too, as its pretty heave and bulky so was easier if two people put it away- all that steel again

By end of the second year of use, the galavnised pieces still looked shiny but the rest was a mess. Much of the paint has bubbled from underneath (like car bodywork did in the 70's) and large flakes of black paint littered the back of the garage. It became embarrasing to fix this to my nice car and put a £2000 bike in it.

For something that retailed over £150 this was pretty poor show, in my opinion - our Thule roof stuff and Hollywood boot rack still look almost new, and they have been around years.

My verdict:

Its fair to say I wasnt impressed with Pendle or the longevity of their rack and am looking to replace it with something in Aluminium like a Thule or Atera model. Painted steel of this quality just isn't up to our weather, if you only plan summer use then this may not be a problem to you - if Pendle ever reintroduce the galvanised ones they used to make then that would help too, but its still heavy

Having experienced a wheel support rack there is no way I would go back to the strap on or roofrack kit and would heartily commend them to anyone for easy of use and security 

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