pannier rack and bags for a road bike

[jd1970]

ive got an orbea fleche with no attachments for any kind of pannier rack.

gonna do the c2c in the summer and need to take all my gear with me. i assume i need a seatpost mounted rack - can anyone advise on the best?

 

[andym]

Bear in mind that the seatpost racks have a maximum load limit of 10kgs. If you need more than that then there are ways of mounting a rack and you might well be worth considering these.

 

[Ticktockmy]

I use old man mountain racks, as they use the QR skewer and p clamps if you dont have bosses, I have done quite a few Km's with them and never had any problems. As they use a longer Skewer i always carry a spare just in case. UK dealer is here http://www.carradice.../categories/omm

 

[Arch]

P clips can make most racks work with a non-bossed bike - it might just take a little ingenuity. You might want to put extra effort into packing light, depending how robust you can make the attachments.

My FCR (flat barred ali compact road frame) has bosses at the dropouts (for mudguards I think, but I doubled up with the rack too) but not on the seatstays, so my rack attaches to the seatpin bolt. I've carried light camping gear on it to no ill effect.

 

[tbtb]

You can use a "normal" rack (which has weight advantages over the seatpost racks) probably, with p-clips at the bottom of the seat stays and one of 3 solutions at the top fixing point(s):

p-clips,
a 3 point rack (which bolts onto the caliper brake),
or a frame seatpost collar with rack fitting attachments.

I think Wiggle do that third one. If you prefer to avoid p-clips, I believe I've seen one of those racks that hooks onto the rear wheel skewer in one of the big online shops - it wasn't an OMM rack though (I just mention this to suggest there may exist a cheaper alternative with similar design). If travelling light, front racks can sometimes fit the back and may save 100g.

 

[ufkacbln]

M parts do a seatpost collar which has bosses for a rack

Tubus also do racks that fit to the quick release

or brackets:

 

[MontyVeda]

I've had a seatpost rack and although a sinch to attach and remove... it's crap once it's got a bit of weight on it. Also they are quite high in comparison to a 'proper rack'.

 

[andym]

Chain Reaction do the Mart-style seatpost clamp adapter in other sizes under the Electra brand name:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=37703.

 

[willem]

The problem is that such bikes are quite unsuitable, depending on how much you want to overload them. A seatpost rack is a bad idea for anything more than a very light load, because it exercises pretty strong forces in the wrong place, and because it sits pretty high. You could fit a rack like a Tubus Fly and use two front lowrider bags on that rack, or a large saddle bag like a Carradice Camper longflap (with good support like a Nitto R10 rack). In both cases you are talking about 25 litres maximum, weighing perhaps 7-8 kg. That will work if you yourself are not grossly overweight. If this is for a hosteling trip you will not have a problem, but if you want to camp, you really need to know what you are doing, and focus on ultralight gear like a 1 kg tent, a 400 gram mattress, a 400-500 gram sleeping bag etc. If you want to ease the burden for your bike, fit the widest possible tyres for some suspension, and have a close look at the rear wheel. Maybe you need to buy a strong handbuilt traditional wheel with 36 spokes and a heavier rim. Finally, have a look at the gearing. So the question is: is this for a camping trip or a hostel/hotel/B&B trip?
Willem

 

[andym]

The problem is that such bikes are quite unsuitable, depending on how much you want to overload them. A seatpost rack is a bad idea for anything more than a very light load, because it exercises pretty strong forces in the wrong place, and because it sits pretty high. You could fit a rack like a Tubus Fly and use two front lowrider bags on that rack, or a large saddle bag like a Carradice Camper longflap (with good support like a Nitto R10 rack). In both cases you are talking about 25 litres maximum, weighing perhaps 7-8 kg. That will work if you yourself are not grossly overweight. If this is for a hosteling trip you will not have a problem, but if you want to camp, you really need to know what you are doing, and focus on ultralight gear like a 1 kg tent, a 400 gram mattress, a 400-500 gram sleeping bag etc. If you want to ease the burden for your bike, fit the widest possible tyres for some suspension, and have a close look at the rear wheel. Maybe you need to buy a strong handbuilt traditional wheel with 36 spokes and a heavier rim. Finally, have a look at the gearing. So the question is: is this for a camping trip or a hostel/hotel/B&B trip?
Willem

jd1970

Before you go out and buy a new bike (or worse, abandon the idea), here's a link to the last time we went round this loop (only last week as it happens).

I've seen loads of threads about this topic but I can't recall anyone ever saying 'I fitted a pannier rack to my racing bike and it broke/really bad things happened to me'.

Seatpost carriers aren't a great idea, and your bike isn't ideal for touring (although I suspect the gearing will be more of an issue than the strength of the frame or the wheels), and keeping the amount of stuff you carry to a minimum is always a good idea. However, you're not proposing to cross Africa on your bike so I suspect that nothing awful is going to happen.

 

[frank9755]

Andy is right in that if you mess around with Heath Robinson p-clip attachments and get a rack on your bike you probably won't have a crash and your bike probably will survive intact.

But it won't feel great as you are loading up a bike which is designed to handle in a particular way with a load that it is not designed for - so you are increasing your chances of a crash on a twisty descent. It's to do with frame angles, fork rake and trail, but essentially you would be doing the equivalent of putting a very large tail on a small dog.

Read posts by Jimboalee on here - he's an ex-frame builder and racer, and talks knowledgeably about how different frames handle and why. Here's one

Luckily there is a solution designed for your needs - the saddlebag. A Carradice Camper Longflap will hold up to 24 litres which, if you are not camping, is easily enough and if you are, is still enough with good kit and careful packing.

A saddlebag puts the weight pretty much where your body is, while a rack puts a fair bit of it behind the rear axle. It's hard to believe what a difference it makes to handling, but if you take exactly the same gear in panniers and then put it in a saddlebag you will never switch back - with a saddlebag you hardly notice it is there.