# front rack opinion



## Charles1970 (Oct 28, 2013)

I've been searching for the perfect front rack for my touring mtn. bike which has front suspension, 26" rims.

The only thing I can find that best suits me is this front rack from Zefal.
Raider Front - Zéfal

Does anyone have a better choice or is this is as good as it gets for a bike with front suspension?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!
bike town adventures - Welcome


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## NDTransplant (Feb 6, 2012)

You could try looking at the Thule Pack N Pedal racks. I have not used them personally; they seem to get mixed reviews, some good some not so good.


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## big_papa_nuts (Mar 29, 2010)

Old Man Mountain Front Pannier Racks For Any Bike


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## Charles1970 (Oct 28, 2013)

Holy moly!! Thanks Big Papa Nut!
I've found what I needed. 

You rule, rule, rule!


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## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

big_papa_nuts said:


> Old Man Mountain Front Pannier Racks For Any Bike












+1 - I've been touring on OMM racks for more than a decade. They are strong, light and will fit virtually any bike. :thumbsup:

Plus they are made in the US by some bike nerds which I like...

Dual OMM Coldsprings racks on my Pugsley fatbike in Baja in photo above.


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## Medic Zero (Jun 8, 2011)

Another vote for Old Man Mountain racks. Totally bombproof. I've been abusing a Cold Springs Model for a long time and swear by it. I believe they've discontinued that particular model, but all their stuff is great.


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## rlcanon (Apr 27, 2013)

Charles1970 said:


> Does anyone have a better choice or is this is as good as it gets for a bike with front suspension?


Does putting a load on the fork sliders mess with the front suspension by adding scads of unsprung weight? Mightn't a bikepacking handlebar roll work better? Just thinking out loud...


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## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

Medic Zero said:


> Another vote for Old Man Mountain racks. Totally bombproof. I've been abusing a Cold Springs Model for a long time and swear by it. I believe they've discontinued that particular model, but all their stuff is great.












The new OMM rack looks very nice. :thumbsup:

Old Man Mountain Front Pannier Racks For Any Bike

Sadly I can't see how I am going to wear the OMM racks I now have to justify trying a new one.


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## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

rlcanon said:


> Does putting a load on the fork sliders mess with the front suspension by adding scads of unsprung weight? Mightn't a bikepacking handlebar roll work better? Just thinking out loud...


If you want to really ride technical mountain bike trails I would suggest skipping panniers and racks. You can do it, but it's not that much fun as you have to ride to keep your gear in one piece as opposed to shredding the trail as hard as you can. I don't find the unsprung weight is as much of an issue as it might be otherwise because if you are riding with racks and panniers you can't really push your bike uber hard anyways.

With soft bags you can ride much more normally. However, they don't hold as much so it just depends what your needs are. I own and use both setups. I'd always rather be riding with softbags and light loads, but occasionally I need panniers to carry large amounts of food/gear. Particularly when I am trying to get weight off my touring partner's bike to even things up.

For dirt road touring panniers and racks aren't too bad although I still prefer softbags, but the difference in how you ride the bike isn't as dramatic.

Here is an OMM video that shows some riding with front panniers and shocks. It's pretty buff California riding though. Not what my trails are like in BC!

OMM-Born in the USA on Vimeo


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## rlcanon (Apr 27, 2013)

I've got an OMM on the back of a bike and like it, but this seems to address the unsprung weight issue, if that's a concern:front rack suspension fork

Edited to add this Tubus that gets the rack off the sliders: Tubus Swing Bicycle Bike Rack for Front Suspension Forks


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## Medic Zero (Jun 8, 2011)

vikb said:


> Sadly I can't see how I am going to wear the OMM racks I now have to justify trying a new one.


Exactly! I've taken mine FAR beyond what it was designed to do, and I've still got it:










Yeah, that's a passenger on my OMM Cold Springs! I did that quite regularly for a couple of years. A friend fabbed metal mounts for flip down motorcycle pegs, and I usually had my passengers reach behind them and hold onto my bar ends, but this one was belligerently drunk and refused. We still made it safely to our destination over 5 miles away though!


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## vikb (Sep 7, 2008)

Medic Zero said:


> Exactly! I've taken mine FAR beyond what it was designed to do, and I've still got it:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Whoa! Okay you have officially impressed me and I was already feeling pretty good about my OMM racks.

I'm going to save that picture for the next time somebody asks me if they are tough enough for hard use.


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