Tubus epoxy covering - how tough? Or how to protect?

[scotsbikester]

I bought a nice Tubus rack:

Fly Classic

I use a Carradice Bike Bureau pannier bag:

Bike Bureau

After my first trip with this combination on Monday, I noticed very slight marking of the epoxy covering on the rack.

Questions:

1. How long does the epoxy last? I sometimes like just using things like that "naked". If Tubus have bothered to cover it in epoxy, maybe that's enough. At the moment I'll be using the Bike Bureau twice a week, for an eight mile round trip commute. It's fairly heavily loaded (16" laptop, big iPad, plus extras). I don't tour, though sometimes on holiday I do use the rack to fetch shopping. If I ever do tour I've got several more substantial racks I would use.

2. Or what does anybody use to protect it. Electrical tape? Helicopter tape?

EDIT. Sorry folks, turn out the answer is obvious. Tubus make protectors. Of course they do, it's Tubus

And my excellent local bike shop sells them. Though there seem to be two versions. Anybody tried either? Both?

https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m5b0s215p4656/TUBUS-Abrasion-Protection-Set-T79006

https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m5b0s215p3290/TUBUS-Anti-Scratch-Protection-T79005

 

[Dogtrousers]

I've got a Tubus rack. Not a Fly, a bigger one but the same black finish. I've had it for over 10 years. Not for commuting, just weekend cycling and a couple of teeny mini-tours but I've ridden many 1,000s of km with it with a rack bag sitting on top.

In answer to your questions, I just fitted it and forgot about it. It has probably got a bit scratched up, but nothing drastic. I've never used anything to protect it. I imagine at its current rate of deterioration it will last until the sun explodes.

I have wound a bit of retro reflective tape on the uprights. But that wasn't to protect the rack. It was more "I've got this tape, what shall I do with it?"

 

[scotsbikester]

I've got a Tubus rack. Not a Fly, a bigger one but the same black finish. I've had it for over 10 years. Not for commuting, just weekend cycling and a couple of teeny mini-tours but I've ridden many 1,000s of km with it with a rack bag sitting on top.

In answer to your questions, I just fitted it and forgot about it. It has probably got a bit scratched up, but nothing drastic. I've never used anything to protect it. I imagine at its current rate of deterioration it will last until the sun explodes.

I have wound a bit of retro reflective tape on the uprights. But that wasn't to protect the rack. It was more "I've got this tape, what shall I do with it?"

Thanks. You may well be right. I should stop worrying. And just buy a new one if it rusts through, or the sun explodes, whichever is first.

Though I think it's the clips of panniers specifically that wear the rack. Maybe. Whereas a rack bag is often velcroed on. Or whatever the past participle of the verb "to velcro" is.

Good tip about reflective tape.

Got to admire Tubus' instructions though. They give a torque setting for every bolt and nut. Down to 4.3 Nm for one of them. Yes, that's ".3". Not 4. Or 5. Or even four and a half. But 4.3. So I did - "some engineer has bothered to work out the exact torque settings for this bolt. I owe it to them to set my wrench to exactly that amount".

 

[Dogtrousers]

Yes, I specifically mentioned the rack bag that just sits there, static, as I imagine that's very different to the dynamic case of fitting and unfitting panniers every day.

But my underlying message is: even if you neglect a Tubus rack (as I have) it doesn't seem to mind much

 

[All uphill]

I've got a Tubus rack that I've neglected over the years. It's carried Carradice panniers full of shopping and gone on tour with me.

Despite the neglect it's still solid with no rust or damage beyond superficial scrapes.

 

[wafter]

To counter this thread's rampant optimism, over about 4k miles my pannier bags have worn through the powdercoat on my (not Tubus) rack, and are probably most of the way through the wall of they ally tube itself in places.

IMO you absolutely need some form of protection on there; can't comment on their own protectors but my plan is to chop up some bits of thin walled brass tube and bond them on with retaining compound (allowing them to be removed with heat if required).

 

[Ming the Merciless]

To counter this thread's rampant optimism, over about 4k miles my pannier bags have worn through the powdercoat on my (not Tubus) rack, and are probably most of the way through the wall of they ally tube itself in places.

IMO you absolutely need some form of protection on there; can't comment on their own protectors but my plan is to chop up some bits of thin walled brass tube and bond them on with retaining compound (allowing them to be removed with heat if required).

Should have bought Tubus being moral.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Tubus are formed from ancient metals from about 100 million years after the Big Bang. The will last till the heat death of the universe.