…when, driving out to Dalby, I see in my rear view mirror the roof rack fall sideways off the roof, bikes still attached, and flip over a couple of times, coming to rest on the grass verge.  First thought: that's four bikes totalled. Second thought: how on earth did THAT happen? It's a Thule rack that I've been using for four years and it isn't just bolted to the top of the car, it's locked on. 

We didn't hit an overhanging branch. We were in between the Everley and the Wrench Green turn off, going round that righthander at the bottom of a small hill, doing about 30-35mph.

Anyway, we parked up, I sent one of the boys back up the road with the red warning triangle, and I set about inspecting the damage. The roof rack was wrecked. Bent, twisted etc. The bikes were… almost unscathed. Two saddles written off, a bit of spoke-key work on two wheels, one snapped wheel skewer, and that was it. My steel hardtail - the biggest bike, and on the outside of the rack - was unmarked. Its chain had fallen off. Nothing more.

Managed to get four people and four dismantled bikes IN the car. Left the roof rack where it came to rest on the grass verge, cos there was no room for it. Drove home. Replaced saddles and skewer, straightened wheels, and set off back to Dalby, this time with only three people and three bikes (four people and four bikes was a tight fit and one of my boys wasn't bothered about missing a ride).

Went to pick up the rack en route, rather than leave junk in the countryside. And it had disappeared! I was hoping to inspect it to see what had made it come off. I still don't know. There's a couple of dints in the car roof where the feet of the roof rails go, on the side that it fell off from. I'm guessing that I maybe overtightened it on that side, crimping the roof a bit a giving a small amount of play… resulting the hooks that side coming loose. But that's just a guess.

We got to Dalby, determined to get a ride in. Briefly saw Brendan riding past in the opposite direction in the car park, but I was trying to catch up with a couple of teenagers who were ahead of me so wasn't able to stop.

The ride was still good though, despite my son's mate snapping his chain. It was getting a bit dark under the trees towards the end.

Shame to have lost a bike rack but it was worth less than any one of the bikes attached to it, so I guess it was fairly lucky all told.

Time for a bike rack test now, maybe.

Cheers, Matthew. Trouble is, I can't photograph the rack: it was either removed or simply nicked before I got back to it… So all I can do is guess.

I have a contact at Thule so I can describe to them what happened, but I don't know how it happened. I didn't just put it on today. I last put it on the roof about six weeks ago. (And when I put it on, I rocked the car side to side using the rack to check it was on firmly.) Four mountain bikes is the heaviest load it's had for quite some time, though.

Think I'll be getting a tow ball mounted rack now…