front rack for Surly LHT?

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K

Kosong

Active Member
Location
Bristol
Hi all :smile:

I'm looking to get a front rack for my Surly LHT...The surly one, although nice, is a bit expensive and excessive for what i'd be needing it for...I'm not very clued up on rack brands and who is worth bothering with/who to look for so do any of you have advice? It's a 26" tyre, no disc brakes...will be mounting 2 Ortlieb city front rollers on there, and maybe strapping an easy access bag to the top as ive got butterfly handlebars which make finding decent handlebar bags pretty hard.

Fire away with suggestions and reviews...ive found a decent price on the blackburn outpost front rack but reviews are mixed...
 
mjr

mjr

Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
Location
mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
No specifics because my front rack is too small for your use, but make sure the panniers can't easily bend into the front wheel if knocked and flip you, such as the two sides linking firmly over the top of the wheel. There used to be some cheap bag mounts which lack any defence against it.
 
scotjimland

scotjimland

Active Member
Location
Suffolk
Tubus Duo on mine .. rock solid rack, quality doesn't come cheap.. about £55

DSCF3740.jpg
 
Crankarm

Crankarm

Guru
Location
Nr Cambridge
If you are prepared to sacrifice the top shelf of the rack then the Tubus Tara is the best, simple, light and strong. The Ergo has more tubes down below to locate the pannier hooks but is slightly heavier but more robust. I would avoid the Blackburn Outpost as I got one and the fitting kit was dreadful. It was returned. Plus welds on other Blackburn racks the Expedition I have had have failed as their welding is crap.
https://spacycles.co.uk/products.php?mode=search

Other makes are Old Man Mountain racks and Jand racks which are both good.

The Surly Nice Front rack is the best though for full on expedition having a nice top shelf, but it is a little heavy weighing 1.5kg with all mounting plates and bolts attached.
 
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K

Kosong

Active Member
Location
Bristol
How does having low riders compare to 'regular' height panniers for handling on the front? The tubus series all look great and within budget, seeing as they will last me years...but im just trying to figure out if theres any considerations with handling before i make a decision.

Am happy to sacrifice a top shelf - i have enough storage space on the back as it is, and perhaps when I'm back out in germany next week i can find a handlebar bag for my butterfly bars which are way, way more common on the continent. I think ive only seen then a few times in the UK and when you go into a bike shop they mostly look at you and shrug if you dont have dropped handlebars/MTB. if any of you have my handlebars and have a solution to having an 'easy access' bag connected to them somehow then fire away!
 
OP
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K

Kosong

Active Member
Location
Bristol
Nice bike pics everyone btw :smile:

Just checked mine and there are eyelets front and back...
 
Crankarm

Crankarm

Guru
Location
Nr Cambridge
Do not by Blackburn stuff it is s**t and the warranty isn't worth the paper it is printed on. Tubus racks in comparison are far far far far better. Plus Tubus is a German company as is Ortlieb who make the best bike luggage. Ortlieb panniers are everywhere for a reason. They are good.
 
Heltor Chasca

Heltor Chasca

Out-riding the Black Dog
Location
Near Bristol, Bath & Mendips in Somerset
365E8A1B-9A5E-4B4E-8418-1DE653A507E1.jpeg
I had a Surly Nice Rack on my Disc Trucker. I took it off and replaced it with a Tubus Tara which is MUCH lighter and looks better. The Nice rack is better on my cargo bike and looks the part. Sure you can strap more to it, but how heavy do you want your front end? You can strap small items to the top of the front panniers if you desperately need to. Surly’s racks aren’t on a par with Tubus in my opinion. They get hot spots which wear through the powder coat and the bare metal starts to rust. Constant maintenance. I would avoid and go for Tubus.
 
Gravity Aided

Gravity Aided

Legendary Member
Location
Land of Lincoln
Crankarm said:
Do not by Blackburn stuff it is s**t and the warranty isn't worth the paper it is printed on. Tubus racks in comparison are far far far far better. Plus Tubus is a German company as is Ortlieb who make the best bike luggage. Ortlieb panniers are everywhere for a reason. They are good.
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I've been using Jim Blackburn bicycle racks for the last 30 years or so, and haven't found this to be the case. I'm sure Tubus also makes very good, very expensive racks as well. Ortlieb is also a very fine maker of bags, from what I've seen and heard from others.
 
Heltor Chasca

Heltor Chasca

Out-riding the Black Dog
Location
Near Bristol, Bath & Mendips in Somerset
Kosong said:
also noticed ALL of you have brooks saddles from what I can see - I haven't dropped the cash on one yet as I really want to try one, but the only people i know with one have dropped handlebars which i absolutely cannot use. Might just have to treat myself to one one month and find out for myself :smile:
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I like the Cambium 17s. I borrowed a saddle from a bike shop in Bath and for my sins it worked. I now have 3 and each has over 3000km on it. I do like the leather ones, but I’ve never quite been convinced to switch from their vegan offering. I don’t mind the extra maintenance involved with leather, but for now the C17s work.
 
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