Saris Bones Wrap, with a Twist

I've been keeping notes about the Saris Bones rack on my MINI Cooper S on and off in anticipation of a thorough post following up my original note from July 2008, which to date drives most of traffic to this blog. The story took a bit of a twist while I drafted it.

The good news is that the Saris Bones (I've got the 2-bike variety) is really a phenomenal rack. It's my favorite trunk rack of all time, although I admit I've only had 3 or 4 over the years. Still, it's the only one that I've loved using. It really is simple to put on and off the MINI once you've done it a few times because the rear is so vertical. I just hook the top two clips and cinch them to take out the slack (but not tight). The sides go on and then the bottom. I opened the hatch a few inches, hooked the bottom, took out the slack in those and then evenly shut the tail. The result is that the hatch would shut, the bottom straps become tight, but as long as I didn't make the straps too tight before closing the hatch, the rack wouldn't jar.



I personally used the Bones only to move my mountain bike around. For my road bike, I really do prefer the front-wheel-off-handle-bars-hooked-sideways-over-the-passenger-seat maneuver I discovered in a MINI forum long ago. The fit was perfect, the effort to get it in and out of the car was minimal (keep in mind I'm referring to an 18-lb. road bike), and I never had to worry about my Cannondale falling off the back of the car.

A trade-off I noticed is that with my road bike inside the car, once I pulled the bike out I had access to all my gear (helmet, gloves, shoes, water bottle, and pump). This was a really convenient way to transport everything and still have access to it at the appropriate times. With the Bones on the back, the hatch stays closed at the trailhead. So access to my gear had to come via the driver's door. After a couple of outings, I found I'd leave the back seats folded flat and put the main items (helmet, gloves, shoes) on the floor behind the driver's seat. This way I didn't have to lean back into the car in order to gear up.

Trade offs aside, I've gotten used to how easy the Bones is to move around, how I loved not worrying out how wet it got, and how great it looked. Alas, it was not to last. On the morning of Sep. 21, it started raining.



By the time the parking lot flooded with a few inches of rain, the street—my only exit—had filled enough that I had no chance of getting a MINI through the waters. So my red, '06 MCS took its chances with the rising water.



I moved the MINI to higher ground; you can see it poking out from behind the trees in the upper corner. It wasn't enough.



The MINI completely succumbed to the muddy, rushing water before dusk. Before I get comments asking why I didn't move the car even further up the parking lot, I'll point out that at this point the water was already three-feet higher than my parking spot next to my building. I had no idea how fast or high the flood waters would reach. In the end, it wouldn't have mattered anyway. After nightfall the water level continued to rise. The entire parking lot was affected as water rose for several hours after I took this picture. Eventually the fire department rescued me via boat.

In the end, the MINI is only a car. (And anyway, we said our goodbyes and exchanged cards and loving glances as the water was rising.) I'm shopping for a replacement right now, with a diminishing chance that the Bones will fit on the newcomer. In any event, I hope that the Bones notes I was able to write help as many motorers as possible; after all, that's the best part about the MINI: sharing the good stuff.

Rose Pedal Jersey

Back in April, a group of fellow cyclists pulled off a very successful (according to our own standards) cycling event dubbed the Rose Pedal. A mere 12 weeks later the custom clothing arrived and it looks great. Really great. Only the jersey is pictured, but I can't recommend the full-zippered beauty enough.



If anyone happens to live within event distance of Canton, GA (just north of Atlanta), I encourage you to come out for next year's ride. (It'll most likely be April. Watch the website for details.) I'll be working on a fresh design for the 2010 jersey as well; we had about two dozen kits picked up for '09 and hope to get a lot more into the hands of the riders next year.

MB Demographics

This doesn't change my outlook on the world in any way, but I noticed that M-B is making assumptions about me. While perusing mbusa.com on my iPhone, the only option is to view stats and pictures of the E-Class. While I can appreciate that creating a mobile site just for the iPhone is tough and expensive for such a small company, I'm more curious why the E-Class is the car of choice for Apple-toting-yuppies. I mean, how did they know?



Then just now, while perusing the options on a GL550 (alas, not for me) I noted that "no additional packages are available" beyond the standard configuration.



I mean, hey, if I'm laying out the $82 grand for an SUV that doesn't belong within 50 feet of dirt, I'm going to want every option, right? So M-B anticipates this and puts it on there for me. It's like they've got all the world's fortune tellers locked up in their marketing department, just making one accurate predication after another about their target demographics. Or are they just guessing?

And One More MINI

C&D reports that MINI will be producing two new models in Oxford. While one is confirmed to be the new Coupe with its styling akin to a college kid with a rear-facing baseball cap ducking at a surprise line drive, the other model is yet unnamed.



The most dismal part of this non-announcement is suspicion that MINI is not only going ahead with the Crossman but may also be considering a convertible version of the just-announced coupe. This prospect really got my creative juices going so I've created the following mockup showing what the coupe looks like without it's fixed top. I, uh, made it yellow.



I do hope I'm wrong on this one. The world doesn't need another Mister 2.

Shredded Get-My-Attention

My kids are in the window where they have a preference for specific breakfast cereals but aren't old enough to refuse what I actually come home with.* Standing in front of one hundred feet of boxes, I usually take a few extra moments to look for trends in packaging design. Yeah, even though I love designing boxes, checking out cereal really isn't as cool as it sounds.

Standing in the aisle last night, this blue box jumped out at me. I typically like this style of design but find it less effective because of its simplicity in what I estimate to be largely an impulse buy. Thus, the more exciting or informative, the more likely someone grabs it. However, from what I saw, most cereal designers have this notion and they've simultaneously raced toward 'exciting,' thus saturating the effect. When I stepped about 5 feet back and looked down the aisle, I was amazed at how much this blue box stood out. Within a sea of at least one hundred boxes, no other package had this much visibility. So I bought it.

*Within reason; anything bran, granola, or a 40-something woman getting 'back in shape' is going to be boycotted by my kids.

New Chrysler

Fiat's deal with Chrysler has closed. A collective sigh goes out amongst those of us nervously watching the auto industry for signs of change, improvement, and, possibly, life. The image below illustrates the significance of this specific change.


Chrysler source

I'm not typically this pessimistic, although I am cynical. I don't wish ill on any Chrysler people, however, I just can't shake the notion that this purchase means very little. The culprit of Chrysler's demise over the last few decades has been infusions of cash and 'new collaborations' when the company gets too close to the edge. The motivation to make meaningful change never happened and Chrysler never changed course. It just kicked the can down the road.


JD Power source

If you squint at the chart, you'll see that Fiat, who is saving Chrysler, is dead last on JD Power's 2009 Satisfaction Survey. Chrysler is second to last. I'm stuck wondering, again, how many times we'll see money poured into a company or initiative because it's easier than redefining the goal, the logistics, and the product. I hope that somehow Fiat and Chrysler take the next 18 months of downtime and create a new line of cars for a new audience that really wants to buy them. Cheaper versions of the current unenthusiastic products aren't going to cut it.

Spring in Atlanta

This is what I love about the seasons here; it's just colorful.