# Rear rack mounting and options



## 93EXCivic (Mar 12, 2018)

I want to put a rear rack on one of my bikes. It is an old Schwinn High Plains I have converted to a dropbar "gravel" bike. I want a rack I can use for gravel bikepacking and use around town. The frame only has fender eyelets though. What are the mount options for a frame like this? Should I have fender eyelets added or is there another mounting option? And what is a budget option for a rack that would work well for this use? I'd like to stay under $150.


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## joshtee (Jun 30, 2016)

I mounted a Blackburn Local Standard rack to the front of my touring bike. Works well.

This is one is similar, but a little more adjustable. Probably need longer scewers, though.

https://www.blackburndesign.com/p/local-deluxe-front-rear-flat-bike-rack


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## Moof123 (Jul 1, 2019)

Axiom makes racks that use the quick release skewer for the bottom mounts. You can either use the fender mount for the top, or get a seat tube clamp with mounting bosses for the top part.

On my commuter cyclocross bike there were some ridges on the derailleur hanger near the drive side skewer and a thick washer was needed to get it to play nice. Other than that I have been running a rack on my commuter bike this way for years now. Fixing flats is a little bit more of a pain, but still not horrible.


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## 93EXCivic (Mar 12, 2018)

Moof123 said:


> Axiom makes racks that use the quick release skewer for the bottom mounts. You can either use the fender mount for the top, or get a seat tube clamp with mounting bosses for the top part.
> 
> On my commuter cyclocross bike there were some ridges on the derailleur hanger near the drive side skewer and a thick washer was needed to get it to play nice. Other than that I have been running a rack on my commuter bike this way for years now. Fixing flats is a little bit more of a pain, but still not horrible.


I have eyelets by the dropouts so I don't have to have one that attaches to the QR I don't think.


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## Moof123 (Jul 1, 2019)

These also can mount to the eyelets, but it sounds like all you need is a rack that comes with a single top mounting point to bolt into your top fender hole, or to get a seat clamp with mounting bosses (many available). My issue was having no braze-ons whatsoever.

Google "seat clamp with eyelets" and you'll be set. I spent $47 on my rack, another ~$12 for the clamp, so $60'ish total for a rocking setup.


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## 93EXCivic (Mar 12, 2018)

Moof123 said:


> These also can mount to the eyelets, but it sounds like all you need is a rack that comes with a single top mounting point to bolt into your top fender hole, or to get a seat clamp with mounting bosses (many available). My issue was having no braze-ons whatsoever.
> 
> Google "seat clamp with eyelets" and you'll be set. I spent $47 on my rack, another ~$12 for the clamp, so $60'ish total for a rocking setup.


I'll have to find one that goes to the top fender hole then as the bike has an integrated seat clamp so I can't use an aftermarket one.


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## Central Scrutinizer (Aug 30, 2005)

93EXCivic said:


> I'll have to find one that goes to the top fender hole then as the bike has an integrated seat clamp so I can't use an aftermarket one.


Some of the clamps simply clamp to the seatpost and do not act as a seatpost clamp (does that make sense?). For example, this one: https://salsacycles.com/components/category/collars/post-lock

"Our Post-Lock is a bicycle rack attachment point that can be positioned anywhere on your seatpost to provide a mounting point. Post-Locks do not have a lip like our Lip-Lock, Flip-Lock, and Rack-Lock so therefore cannot be used as a seatpost clamp."

(edited to add product description)


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## SpeedyStein (Aug 2, 2014)

So, there are a number of ways you could go about this - if you have fender mounts, you have rack mounts. If you don't have upper eyelets, you can also attached the upper rack stay to the seat-stay bridge, where you would attach the uppermost part of a fender. You might need to bend/customize the upper rack stay to get it to work, but I've pretty much had to do this for every rack anyway. 

If you don't have a seat stay bridge, and no other mount points for the upper rack stays, you can also use P-clamps. Buy fancy ones on Amazon/ebay, or go to the hardware store for 1/3 the price for basically the same thing. All they are is a metal strip bent in a circle roughly the size of your frame tube you are attaching to, rubber coated to keep from scratching the paint, with holes drilled on each end to attach a bolt though - this both attaches your rack stay and securely tightens the clamp around your frame, holding it in place. I've used these before, and as long as you get the right size, they work very well. 

If you don't have lower mounts, there are a handful of racks that can mount to your rear axle, or you can use p-clamps there too. Axiom and Old Man Mountain make nice racks that can mount to the axle. Otherwise, almost any rack can mount with p-clamps, but you have to be much more discerning with the correct size at the bottom - this is the load bearing part.


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## Moof123 (Jul 1, 2019)

93EXCivic said:


> I'll have to find one that goes to the top fender hole then as the bike has an integrated seat clamp so I can't use an aftermarket one.


Well go look at the Axiom ones, mine came with both types of hardware for both eyelets and for attaching to the fender hole. Many racks try to be generic like this and are setup to use either a single strap to the fender hole, or the dual mounts. I have fenders with a plastic mounting bracket I didn't want squished (and frankly like the redundancy of two mounts when possible), so I used the seatpost clamp with eyelets. The fact you have eyelets by the dropouts means you have the hardest part taken care of.


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## 93EXCivic (Mar 12, 2018)

Cool so it sounds like most any rack will work then.


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## tfinator (Apr 30, 2009)

Jack Ducan said:


> Cycling is a fun and enjoyable hobby, but it will be more useful by installing a rear bike rack. First, you should look for a rack that can carry a maximum of 25kg so that you can carry heavier objects, buy a rear bike rack that is compatible with the size of the bike rack for a more stable attachment. When you install a rear bike rack, you should consider rear-back racks with eyelets for fast and easy installation. You can use it to carry your bike tools, daily essentials, and food with a rack trunk.


What an informative little bot.

Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk


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## Norts60 (Mar 6, 2020)

What about a Tailfin, it doesnt need eyelets , you buy a special axle, which it mounts on and also attaches to your seat post.





Technical Bikepacking Equipment - Tailfin Cycling


Racks and bags for the ultimate racing and bikepacking adventures or simple day-to-day commutes. Beautiful, lightweight, and easy to use.




www.tailfin.cc


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## doubravsky (Dec 16, 2020)

+1 on the Tailfin.... pricey but fabulous. I have through-axles for it on 3 of my bikes.... swapping from one to the other takes less than a minute.


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