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Warning: my rear rack bolt sheared off mid-commute on the Manhattan Bridge and I almost ate it
So last Tuesday I'm hauling my laptop and a change of clothes over the Manhattan Bridge like always, and right in the middle of the span I hear this sharp crack. The two bolts holding my rear rack to the dropout had sheared clean off, and my pannier starts swinging into my back wheel. I'm doing maybe 15 mph with cars flying past and my bag is basically trying to become a brake. I grabbed the brakes hard, jumped off, and dragged the bike onto the walkway while my heart was going nuts. Turns out those bolts were stock, cheap, and I never checked them once in 3 years of daily riding. I zip tied the rack to the seat stay with two ties from my tool pouch just to limp the last mile to the office. Now I'm swapping in stainless bolts and checking them every month, no exceptions. Anyone else had a rack or bolt let go on them, and do you run a backup strap for exactly this?
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