# Rack/Pannier Qs



## Plum (Sep 14, 2004)

Hey all out there. I'm wanting to get a rack setup with panniers for commuting and around town, and I have a couple of dilemmas:

I already run a full fender set, along with disc brakes, so I'm pretty well blocked up at the rear dropouts for eyelets. There isn't a second set on this particular frame, so I'd be looking at doubling up with the fender mount to make it work, if I can fit it around the caliper.

I also frequently tow a chariot, so I'm already using a non-standard QR on the rear, so a QR mounted rack won't work either.

My fork only has the lowrider eyelets on the D/Os, and it's already being used for the front fender, again along with disc brake caliper in the way too.

Is there an option for mouting a rear rack in place with all that I have going on? I should mention, this is a 29er frame too, which would probably limit rack options a little.

My other option is to get a surly fork (the pugsley 100mm) that has rack mounts seprately from the DO, allowing front rack usage with all my other crap. Will a front rack ONLY be unwieldy or awkward? My bike is non-suspension corrected, so the fork is the right length for me (within 7mm anyway) so that's not an issue.

I don't want to lose the fenders for obvious reasons, but would really like a place to haul that's not on my back...

Thanks for the input.

Plum


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## Zaphod (Feb 2, 2004)

I'm not saying this will work perfectly for you ... but it might. I have one on order and expect it will allow me to roll sans Chariot for some excursions with kids while still supporting it as needed. Before you dismiss it, check some of the blog stuff where they show some guys bombing some rocky Moab-esque trails like they stole it.

What I'm talking about is this !


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## Plum (Sep 14, 2004)

Well, as cool as the extracycle/big dummy is, I'm not looking to haul THAT much. The chariot isn't specifically the problem, and the fact that when the chariot isn't on the bike it's a normal bike is good for me.

My bigger problem is that I have almost everything possible bolted to or near the dropout, and I want to add more. A front rack/pannier would be easy to do, but I'm concerned about the handling. It probably won't be any worse than having racks/panniers front and rear for the most part, I suppose.

I would do away with the fenders, but without them the chariot (and my daughter) get sprinkled gently with sand. Closing the rain cover on the chariot is an option, but it'll get steamy in the summer..

Anybody out there running fenders/discs and a rack/pannier on the rear end? Can I attach my fenders to the rack rather than the frame?

Plum


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## YuriB (Jan 12, 2004)

I think Old Man Mountain Racks makes something that will work for you


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## Plum (Sep 14, 2004)

*Omm*

I've looked at the OMM racks, and I don't think they'll work with rear discs. I can't use the axle mounted setup because of the Chariot adapter and quick release. The more I look into it, the more I think I need a rack specific fork to make a rack setup work..

Plum


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## MW (Jan 17, 2007)

Have you tried test-fitting a standard rear rack?

To work with your 29ers, you'll want one that's designed for road bikes (700c wheels) and is vertically-adjustable . . . but you should be able to find one that clears your rear tire.

Doubling-up a rack + fenders on the same eyelet shouldn't be a problem. I may be mistaken, but isn't this the norm on most non-touring bikes? For what it's worth, I've always run my rack+fenders this way and never had a problem. You'll just need some longer allen bolts from Home Depot (trim excess length with a grinder or dremel if you can't find the perfect size).

Disc brake clearance . . . no personal experience here, but I see how this could be a show-stopper. If it's -really- close, you might be able to space the non-drive side rack mount away from the dropout with a couple washers. Otherwise, a quick Google search turned up this rack . . . which looks like it just spaces the mount away from the caliper and uses a looooong bolt into the dropout. Maybe that'd do the trick?

Let us know how it works out.

--MW


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## hoovermd (Dec 22, 2007)

Dunno how many $$ you are interested in spending but you might want to give the guys at Bruce Gordon Cycles a call. http://www.bgcycles.com/racks.html

They might have either a solution or suggestion for you.

I have 2 of his racks form 20 years ago and I can vouch for their durability at least.

Saw Bruce at the NAHBS show and he tried to sell me a new rack. when I mentioned that the 20yr old ones were still working fine, he smiled and noted that this IS a problem he has!


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## Plum (Sep 14, 2004)

Those BG racks do look nice. I think I've determined that I have too much crap on the back of my bike already, and that fitting a rear rack is going to be a cludge anyway it comes about. 

I think I'm leaning towards the pugsley 100mm fork, with the surly nice rack for the front. That leaves my DO eyelets open for the front fender and the rack is secure to the fork with the double mounts on the fork. It might be a little unwieldy with the rack only on the front, but it's not likely to be any worse than normal.

This option lets me run my rear fender, disc and chairiot attachment, as well as my front fender, disc, rack and panniers when I need them.

Plum


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## Schmucker (Aug 23, 2007)

Would either of these work?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Axiom-Odyssee-R...ryZ56198QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.com/DELTA-DISC-BRAK...ryZ56198QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


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## PscyclePath (Aug 29, 2007)

I have a Fisher FS 29er that I use a good bit for tooling around town on various errands. I got a seat post-mounted rack, which holds a bike trunk, and recently added a pair of pannier racks and Jandd touring panniers. Works great, though I sometimes need to lock out the rear suspension to keep the rear rack from rubbing the tires on particularly nsaty bumps.

Seat-post mounted rack is usually the only way to go if you're rigging a FS bike.

Tom


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## Plum (Sep 14, 2004)

PscyclePath said:


> I have a Fisher FS 29er that I use a good bit for tooling around town on various errands. I got a seat post-mounted rack, which holds a bike trunk, and recently added a pair of pannier racks and Jandd touring panniers. Works great, though I sometimes need to lock out the rear suspension to keep the rear rack from rubbing the tires on particularly nsaty bumps.
> 
> Seat-post mounted rack is usually the only way to go if you're rigging a FS bike.
> 
> Tom


Do you find your seatpost rack to be pretty sturdy? I've never really liked the design, but it's certainly an option in this instance. It's not a FS bike, but the rear end is pretty well accessoried up already..

I have an email into surly right now too, to determine the rack compatability with their pugsley 100mm fork. The fork appears to be equipped with two extra pairs of braze ons on the legs, in addition to the eyelets on the dropouts. My current fork isn't that HD right now, so a new fork is on my radar anyway...

Plum


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## TobyNobody (Mar 17, 2004)

I've seen plenty of rear racks compatible with disc brakes - usually with a little post designed to push the left stay out for brake clearance.

Something similar may be available for front racks.

Then for fenders, as I see it, you have two easy options - (1) devise some sort of clamp to *attach your fenders directly to the rack *instead of the frame.or (2) put the fender stay over top of the rack stay and squeeze them together with the bolt. As someone said before, having the rack and the fenders share eyelets is the standard for every bike with single eyelets. I have done it myself on my road bike used as a commuterand I had no problems for thousands of kms of riding. Is there some reason why this won't work?


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## Plum (Sep 14, 2004)

Yeah, I've seen the disc brake compatible racks, but not in large 700c or 29er format. I guess it's a combination of things that look like they'll all contribute to the rack not fitting.

The fenders alreday use an extender to clear the disc caliper, and ideally, the fender strut would be inside the rack strut, as I expect the rack to be over the fender. Having the rack extender attached to the rack means I'd have to put the fender strut on the outside, then cross back to the inside. Finding a disc compatible rack that will fit 700c wheels is another complication.

I heard from surly, and their fork that I am considering will take a Nice Rack, but they didn't clarify which one, so I am continuing to find out. I might just have to start buying parts and see what fits, but that gets a little pricey. The Front rack appears to conflict with the disc brake, whereas the rear model seems like it wouldn't work becuase of the spacing (135 vs. 100mm), so I'm not sure, but the extra braze-ons on the fork give me hope that there's a solution there..

Plum


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## PscyclePath (Aug 29, 2007)

Plum said:


> Do you find your seatpost rack to be pretty sturdy? I've never really liked the design, but it's certainly an option in this instance. It's not a FS bike, but the rear end is pretty well accessoried up already..


I've used it 10 or 12 times now, and it's worked well. Seat post racks do have a weight limit, usually around 20 kg or so. So far, mine has used the bike trunk mostly for packing the little stuff that I use in teaching the road portion of the Road I courses, as well as my locks, winter jacket/rain jacket, and a few other small things. I like the idea that by popping the quck release it's easily swapped over to my hardtail or even the road bike if needed.

Here's a picture of the rack, minus the trunk and panniers:









The MTB trunk slides and locks into a little slot on the rack, and for about $20 extra you can get the pannier racks, shown here on the sides.

The only gripe I have is that the support is wholly on the seat post, so the rig may sometime slip to the left or right and cause the tires to rub a bit. A couple little straps from the pannier racks to the quick release will probably fix that once I get a little time to tinker with them.

Tom


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## chucko58 (Aug 4, 2006)

Jandd has some spacers for using racks with disc brakes. I haven't used them.

Disclaimer: I'm just a frequent Jandd customer, not a shill.


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## Plum (Sep 14, 2004)

Surly reports that the fork I'm considering is compatible with their Front Nice Rack, which conflicts with the disc brake mount that I need to use.

It has two sets of braze-ons for attachments, spaced at about 120mm wide, one at the top, one nearer the bottom. It would appear that they're for a rack attachment, but the spacing at the bottom doesn't appear wide enough for the typical 135mm rear rack attachment.

No clear resolution yet, I'm afraid. For some reason, I want to avoid the seatpost mounted setup, although they certainly appear sturdy. 

Plum


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## TobyNobody (Mar 17, 2004)

Plum said:


> Yeah, I've seen the disc brake compatible racks, but not in large 700c or 29er format. I guess it's a combination of things that look like they'll all contribute to the rack not fitting.
> 
> The fenders alreday use an extender to clear the disc caliper, and ideally, the fender strut would be inside the rack strut, as I expect the rack to be over the fender. Having the rack extender attached to the rack means I'd have to put the fender strut on the outside, then cross back to the inside.
> Plum


Most people, I think, put the fender over the rack so the heavy load of the rack (compared to the light load of the fender) is closer to the dropout for added support. Since the fender stays generally come from the _back_ of the wheel and the rack stays come from the _top _of the wheel there is generally not the confusing inside-outside mess you are thinking about.


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## MW (Jan 17, 2007)

Plum: might've missed this in one of your earlier posts, but have you ridden with front panniers before? I don't have personal experience with this, but I've heard that the effect on handling / steering isn't particularly pleasant. Maybe others here can comment?

--MW


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## Plum (Sep 14, 2004)

*Front Panniers*

No, I haven't ridden with Fronts, or rears for that matter. I defaulted to the front because of the all the accessory issues I have in the back, but it doesn't seem either way will be particularly straightforward at this point.

The Topeak DX series seem to be my best bet, but I have to break out the tape and see if they'll clear the 29er rear end. I think they're designed around 26ers..

Plum


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## RockyRider (Nov 21, 2004)

Plum said:


> Surly reports that the fork I'm considering is compatible with their Front Nice Rack, which conflicts with the disc brake mount that I need to use.
> 
> It has two sets of braze-ons for attachments, spaced at about 120mm wide, one at the top, one nearer the bottom. It would appear that they're for a rack attachment, but the spacing at the bottom doesn't appear wide enough for the typical 135mm rear rack attachment.
> 
> ...


I just got directed to this post because I'm in the same boat with my Karate monkey that has Cascadia 29er fenders and I want to run a rear rack. Anyway on the front rack question I know for a fact you can run a disc and a rack on the Puglsy fork because I have one. There are also plenty of pictures of this in the Surly forum under "Its a Pugs Life" thread. The front fork on the pug uses a 135mm hub so it will fit nearly any 700C rack. PM me if you are interested.

Check this out:
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=200784


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## Plum (Sep 14, 2004)

RockyRider said:


> I just got directed to this post because I'm in the same boat with my Karate monkey that has Cascadia 29er fenders and I want to run a rear rack. Anyway on the front rack question I know for a fact you can run a disc and a rack on the Puglsy fork because I have one. There are also plenty of pictures of this in the Surly forum under "Its a Pugs Life" thread. The front fork on the pug uses a 135mm hub so it will fit nearly any 700C rack. PM me if you are interested.
> 
> Check this out:
> http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=200784


Yep, I've seen the typical pug fork that takes the rear rack, but I'm getting the 100mm (non-offset) model, and I don't know what the rack attachments are spaced for. It's on the way, so I will be able to take measurements directly from the fork, then look around and see what fits..

I have the planet bike cascadia 29er's already, and they're worth the money. I get a little bit of shoe drip from the front wheel, but they're great.

Plum


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## ohannon7 (Mar 24, 2008)

I use a rear seat post rack. Seems pretty sturdy and light weight. 
I can carry shoes, clothes, & lunch in a bag. Got it at my LBS for $25. I just gotta find a better way to strap the bag to it...


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## citybiker (Mar 20, 2008)

TOPEAK Explorer Disc Rack...I run that with my disc brakes and 700c/29er wheels...No problems. Plus the Topeak slide in trunk bag with fold down panniers. Works great.


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## Plum (Sep 14, 2004)

citybiker said:


> TOPEAK Explorer Disc Rack...I run that with my disc brakes and 700c/29er wheels...No problems. Plus the Topeak slide in trunk bag with fold down panniers. Works great.


Good to know, this rack has been at the top of my list to try, but nobody in town has the disc version, so I have to buy it to try it. Nice to know that it fits over the 29er wheels.

I've been 'roughing it' with a messenger bag and the chariot for my Daughter. I picked up a codura grill cover at the hardware store to cover up the Chariot at Daycare, after I lock it up. So far, nobody has messed with it, but it's only been a couple of days. I'd like to think that people wouldn't vandalize or steal from a stroller/trailer outside of a daycare, but I know that there's some ugly souls out there.

If I see one of those topeak explorer DX racks I might pick it up. Will be nicer as the weather warms up, it wasn't quite 40 degrees here this morning, pretty comfortable to commute in, bag or not..

Plum


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## RockyRider (Nov 21, 2004)

citybiker said:


> TOPEAK Explorer Disc Rack...I run that with my disc brakes and 700c/29er wheels...No problems. Plus the Topeak slide in trunk bag with fold down panniers. Works great.


What size tire are you running? I test fit that rack on my 29er with 2.0 (Halo twin rail) tires and the tire hit it. If I ran a road or cross tire it would be fine but I want the larger tire for the conditions I commute in. I've almost got a set up figured out with the rack/tire/fender set up and I'll post pics here when I'm done


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## RockyRider (Nov 21, 2004)

*Here is what I came up with*

X-post from Surly forum:

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=397164


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## TrekJeff (Oct 12, 2006)

Bon Yuer rack on the back of my CrossCheck. No problems,even with a set of my fenders mounted.


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## Plum (Sep 14, 2004)

*Update!*

OK, it's been a little while, but i have successfully mounted a rear rack on my 29er.

I ended up with a Surly Nice Rack (rear). After a quick test fitting, the Topeak DX disc brake compatable model didn't clear the 29 x 2.1" tire (nanoraptor). The surly rack clears easily, and would probably clear a 36" tire, adjusted all the way up.

I have a spare set of 'eyelets' in the dropout plate of my bike, just in front of the disc brake mount (on the non-drive side). I was able to get the rack mounted there without any spacers and the upright just comes into contact with the disc caliper. The rack ends up canted (sloped) a little forward, but it shouldn't be a problem.

I got the rack mounted up last weekend, and my panniers from REI showed up today. A quick test fit and some adjustments to the mounting clamps and I am free of any heel interference. I'm really impressed with the REI panniers, they seem to be very well constructed. BTW, I got the larger model, hoping that heel clearance wouldn't be an issue, and it seems to have worked out.

If anybody wants a pic, I'll get some, but my bike isn't a stock frame, so I'm not sure it'd be terribly handy for anybody looking to do the same.

Plum


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## cazloco (Apr 6, 2005)

chucko58 said:


> Jandd has some spacers for using racks with disc brakes. I haven't used them.
> 
> Disclaimer: I'm just a frequent Jandd customer, not a shill.


Spacers are often used to clear disc brakes.

Caz


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