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I have Specialized Stumpjumper Evo FSR and as all the FSR frames its' shock is underneath the top tube. Now the issue that the only option to put the bike on the rack is to put the shock shaft on the rubber U that's on the rack. The question is, can I do something to ensure avoiding scratching shock shaft? Or the only way is to get a new rack?

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Is the shock shaft taking the weight of the bike when on the rack? Because that's much worse... – cmannett85 Jan 10 at 8:01
Unfortunately - yes :( Now you scared me even to think about putting the bike on that rack. – J-unior Jan 10 at 14:00
It's a little more work and it'll look a little funny, but you could turn the handlebars sideways and hang the bike on the rack upside-down on the down tube. If the support on the rack doesn't fit between the down and top tubes near the head tube, rest the top tube on that support and the downtube on the other. – jimirings Jan 14 at 15:13

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You can purchase a rack adapter thats primary use is for mixte, womens bikes or bike with angled top tubes. It is a removeable bar that attaches to the seatpost on one end and then attaches between the stem and the headset top bearing at the other end. You then hang the bike on the rack by the adapter.

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Yep, here's the one I have for my step-through: amazon.com/Allen-Tension-Bicycle-Cross-Bar-Adaptor/dp/… There are others, but this one works fine. If you're super-worried about scratches, you may want to line the ends with cloth or foam or whatever. – dsalo Jan 10 at 13:07
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A dropper seatpost could be an issue? It has a shaft that can be damaged too... – J-unior Jan 10 at 13:58
IMHO The best way to go is a rack with rail(s) that bike sits on, preferably with both the wheels attached. No bike is designed to hang, most do it OK without too much damage most of the time, its a cheap way to fabricate a rack that is also compact, and most people do it, does not make it the best way..... – mattnz Jan 10 at 20:35
Example of such a rack? I've only ever seen them on buses. – dsalo Jan 10 at 23:49
A quick look around the Thule page yielded this one. I'm sure there are others. thule.com/en-US/CA/Products/Bike-Carriers/Hitch/… – Kibbee Jan 14 at 0:18
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You definitely should not be mounting your bike on the rack by the shock- that's just asking for trouble. The adapter that mikes suggested should do the trick for you, but if you want to use this as a reason to get a new bike rack I would suggest you look into a Thule T2 or Yakima's equivalent. I owned a handful of tray mount style hitch racks that were relatively inexpensive before finally purchasing a T2. Now that I've owned it for a while I wish I had have sprung for it in the first place. Incredibly easy to use, very secure, and virtually no restrictions on the type of bike it will accept. Completely worth the extra money.

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You have a nice bike. You owe it to the bike and yourself to invest in a nice rack to transport it. – jm2 Jan 13 at 18:34
I think I'll search for second-hand thule rack. Don't know when this hobby is gonna stop sucking money from my account :-/ – J-unior Jan 14 at 8:26
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When you're dead. – jm2 Jan 14 at 17:02

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