Front rack

[Kirstie]

I just bought the blackburn custom low riders and they seem alright to me. That said, I couldn't find tubus for love nor money at the moment and I would have bought one if I could have done. There's another blackburn low rider (with the hoop over the front wheel) that my other half has and they really are quite rubbish. They are just very rattly - the tubing is too thin - we're going to glue inner tube to them so they're a bit more substantial and rattle less!

 

[rualexander]

Well, maybe the older Blackburns were better made.
The low riders with the hoop were the kind I had for 15 years (actually now I think about it, it was 17 years!), no problems, no rattles, sturdy, etc.
My partner has had the 'custom' low rider for five years and they are good also, although the 'p-clip' type attachment to the lower fork eyelets doesn't inspire confidence as the rack can slide around that point slightly, but it doesn't seem to be an issue in practice.
The rails on Blackburn racks probably do need redesigned for modern panniers, they haven't changed in the past 20 years whereas pannier hooks have changed quite a bit.

 

[andrew_s]

Blackburn may well have outsourced the production, but the design hasn't changed at all since they first came out. That was when all panniers had thin steel hooks and bungee anti-jump fittings. They have problems with modern plastic hooks and anti-jump catches as mentioned above. With the custom, thick hooks can't be spread apart properly, and on the model with the front wheel loop, the back plate stops the anti-jump catches reaching under the rail. Their good reputation is mostly historical - they were the first low riders, and the first rear racks with lateral triangulation.
The P-clips do slip. This is most likely on steep off-road. I ended up putting puncture repair patches around the rod, and clamping the P-clip over them.

With the Tubus front racks, I'd go for the Tara or Duo over the Ergo/Nova. With the Ergo, you may well find that you've got to either spring the rack (3 hands required) or remove the QR to get the wheel out. This is certainly the case with my old model Duo.

 

[rich p]

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With the Tubus front racks, I'd go for the Tara or Duo over the Ergo/Nova. With the Ergo, you may well find that you've got to either spring the rack (3 hands required) or remove the QR to get the wheel out. This is certainly the case with my old model Duo.

I thought that was the case at first but there were a few different options to position it and it's not a problem after all. Whether that would be the case for a different bike I can't say. I had 2 drop-out options and 3 lower and 2 upper fixing points on the rack. I think the drop-out position is the critical one.
The Ergo is reassuringly solid for a rack so light.

 

[Yellow7]

Surly. nice rack. Maybe not cheap but "what cha' get is what cha' pay'"

Their front rack also has a top area for more storage, i found this usefull to releive the rear wheel taking all the load, ok, maybe the steering is affected slightly but as not riding 'technical terrain' it's no problem & reduces the chance of broken rear spokes.

http://www.surlybikes.com/parts/nicerack_pop.html

 

[Bigtwin]

Surly. nice rack. Maybe not cheap but "what cha' get is what cha' pay'"

Their front rack also has a top area for more storage, i found this usefull to releive the rear wheel taking all the load, ok, maybe the steering is affected slightly but as not riding 'technical terrain' it's no problem & reduces the chance of broken rear spokes.

http://www.surlybikes.com/parts/nicerack_pop.html

Exactly. Or exrackly. A slightly more bespoke version of the short MTB rear rack I have on the front of mine. Problem totally solved - as you rightly say, better weight distribution without any noticeable difference in handling.

Wish I'd thought of the smutty name though.

 

[snorri]

That said, I couldn't find tubus for love nor money at the moment and I would have bought one if I could have done.

I bought the Tubus Duo model from Spa Cycles in May and fitted them on my Galaxy. I'm just home from my first tour with them and am very satisfied with their performance.

 

[psmiffy]

nitto - only place I know where you can get them isinternet from rivendall - usa - but its strong

 

[andrew_s]

nitto - only place I know where you can get them isinternet from rivendall - usa - but its strong

Planet-X/On-One sell them, though they are imported in batches so you may have to wait for a particular model.

Gilles Berthoud in France also makes similar racks