# commuter rack and panniers



## 05kas05 (Mar 20, 2010)

so i went to one of the local shops here in town and found some panniers and a rear rack for my new 2010 specialized sirrus. 

the rack is an axiom streamliner dlx rear rack they stated it would fit no problem but the rear of the sirrius is rather wide at the lower mounting points is it normal to have to bend the legs of the rack apart to get it to fit. the top part of the rack is only about 3 inches wide which is why i preffer it i want the stremlined look i just wasnt sure if bending it out would affect the rack or the carrying capacity which is rated at 110lbs. any thoughts


now the panniers i want or liked are the racktime travel it front panniers i like them because they will hold what i need and i will have even more room left over they are lite and attach well using the same clips as some of the other highly recommended panniers they also have rain covers if needed.i want the front ones because they are smaller i dont need as much capacity as the rear ones have yet and if i ever do well then i will just switch them around. does anyone have these panniers? have you had any complaints or problems? do you like them or do you recommend something else.

so far i really think this is the set up i want to go with in total it should be about 145.00$
i just want to be sure that this is a decent setup as im on a tight budget at the moment
and i still need to get some additional lighting please tell me what you think good or bad and if you have a better option please share,sorry for the long post and newby questions but this is my first commuter thanks again


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## TheoDog (Aug 12, 2010)

Bending the arm *slightly* is ok. You want a secure fit. It the arms don't fit snug, then they will be slightly bent in wards when you bolt them to the frame. I recommend you loose fit all the points and then tighten everything down evenly (like lug nuts)
As for bags, I always recommend going a little larger than you think you need. You will always want more room. Once you start using the bike for grocery shopping, the extra backpack gets old really quick.

For lights, rear is more important that front. Planet Bike Super Flash for sure
I use a Blackburn voyager 3.3 plus a Flea in flash mode. It works ok. Could be brighter, like a Niterider 250


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

ifyouvegot135rearspacingespeciallywithwidedropoutslikeonanaluminumframeidbesurprisedifyoudidnthavetospreadaonesizefitsallrackabit


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## 05kas05 (Mar 20, 2010)

thanks for the tips and suggestions guys i went ahead and got everything and just finished installing it all so far so good and everything seems to fit well.i really like this look and setup better than the trek trunk bag i had before and i can also carry more stuff.if i need more capacity later i plan on getting a front rack and the matching rear panniers.thanks again guys


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