Front Pannier Racks

[rifraf]

Has anyone had any experience with the thule pack and pedal system? im keen to do some offroad touring/ bike packing, the problem i have is i only have 2 bikes, a roadie and a duel suspension bike with 15mm front axle and 142x12 rear, no one seems to make a rack for duallies or for those axles, any advice from he more experienced would be muchly appreciated

WarrenH seems perfectly happy with a beam rack on his seat post and an Extrawheel trailer on his Giant full suspension mtb.
He shared pics of his set up in some really out of the way places.
Wish I could have a couple of walls adorned with his pics to inspire me
Recommend you search his posts for ideas as at the very least you'll likely aim higher with regards exactly where you might tour.
Just a thought

Theres a pic or two of his bike/trailer in here if you peruse

http://s225.photobucket.com/user/WildWassa/slideshow/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sorry but no experience with the Thule gear.

[SwimBikeRun]

Has anyone had any experience with the thule pack and pedal system? im keen to do some offroad touring/ bike packing, the problem i have is i only have 2 bikes, a roadie and a duel suspension bike with 15mm front axle and 142x12 rear, no one seems to make a rack for duallies or for those axles, any advice from he more experienced would be muchly appreciated

WarrenH seems perfectly happy with a beam rack on his seat post and an Extrawheel trailer on his Giant full suspension mtb.
He shared pics of his set up in some really out of the way places.
Wish I could have a couple of walls adorned with his pics to inspire me
Recommend you search his posts for ideas as at the very least you'll likely aim higher with regards exactly where you might tour.
Just a thought

Theres a pic or two of his bike/trailer in here if you peruse

http://s225.photobucket.com/user/WildWassa/slideshow/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sorry but no experience with the Thule gear.

thanks rifraf, i currently also run a beam rack with the side racks for pannier bags, i cant run a frame bag due to the suspension set up, hence the asking about the thule racks, i have been doing some 2-3 day bike packing trips, but my next one is a 5-6 day trip. The downside is i need to carry more for that, i have considered a trailer but again the 142 x 12 rear seems to be an issue

[Baalzamon]

This fella seems to do bikepacking very well with dual suspension

[SwimBikeRun]

This fella seems to do bikepacking very well with dual suspension

is this yours Baalzamon? if so do you have a list of the bags you use? looks very similar to my frame style

[Baalzamon]

I wish it was mine, found it simply by going to images.google.com and searching for "bikepacking dual suspension mtb"

[RonK]

This fella seems to do bikepacking very well with dual suspension

is this yours Baalzamon? if so do you have a list of the bags you use? looks very similar to my frame style

They are Porcelain Rocketbags.
You can also get similar from Revelate Designs and Bedrock Bags to name a few, or buy locally from Bike Bag Dude.

More on this topic here Bikepacking - an alternative way of touring...

[baabaa]

and this mob offers some cheap and workhorse type kit which is well worth a look if you want to use it for commuting as well....
http://banjobrothers.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
have the water proof saddle trunk and top tube bags and been way better vale for $ than I thought they would be..
If I was going lightweight would think of this lot
https://www.apidura.com/shop/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Wingnut]

Think I'm going to look out for one of these Nitto racks now...

http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/r5.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[rifraf]

Think I'm going to look out for one of these Nitto racks now...

http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/r5.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They look like a significant addition in utility without too much of a drop in eye candy compared to your original thoughts (Porteur).
Nitto has a fine reputation for quality gear.
I was just last night admiring an Ogre using one to complement a Cosmo (?)
Western_rider's_dad in post 362
http://forums.mtbr.com/surly/ogre-build ... st11070227" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[battler2]

thread bump. looking at doing some touring soon, but not heavy touring to start off with, but as i can combine a shipment i might as well plan for the future and get a front rack. was looking at the Tubus Lowrider Tara for about $65AUD

http://www.tubus.com/product.php?xn=16" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

all my research seems to indicate Tubus make good racks (a few failures heard of), but mostly good. is there anything better out there?

[Kampy]

all my research seems to indicate Tubus make good racks (a few failures heard of), but mostly good. is there anything better out there?

I have the Tubus Nova which is the stainless version of the Tara. Not as strong but a little prettier and more resistant to corrosion (if scratched). I've had it fitted to my LHT for approximately 20,000km of loaded touring/commuting and have taken it over all kinds of surfaces. I mostly carry food, tools and camp water up front(i.e. the heavy stuff!) to try and even out my weight distribution so this rack works for a living. I absolutely love the thing and couldn't recommend it highly enough! Build quality is fantastic and it's very strong for it's weight (around 500g with all the mounting hardware). I would only consider another rack if you want a higher pannier position for off road clearances or if you desire a platform up front (although I have seen Tubus low riders combined with small front platform racks like those made by Nitto and VO to support a front load/handlebar bag).

[just4tehhalibut]

Not quite a pannier rack but I came across Specialized's Globe Porteur rack and giving it a go on the front in conjunction with my Tubus Tara lowrider rack. Not an overly large flat rack and no provision for bolting on lights or a fence but it'll do with carrying the pizza home. It easily bolts onto my Surly LHT forks using the midfork mounts and the crown mount, because I already had the Tara bolted on midfork on the outside I just swapped in shorter bolts for the Tara and then bolted the Globe's legs to the inside taking care that the bolts didn't meet those coming in from the outside. The legs can adjust for 3 length settings as well as swap from inside to outside bolting. 10kg max but.

Mine was in glossy black. Might be a solution for somebody?
PS got mine from Cycle Bespoke in Perth but not many left, someone else bought 3, must have a fleet to fit to.

Now to make a bag for it ...

[Espresso_]

Mine was in glossy black. Might be a solution for somebody?
PS got mine from Cycle Bespoke in Perth but not many left, someone else bought 3

Can I ask how much it set you back?

E

[geoff_tewierik]

I picked up my Globe Porteur Rack at Epic Cycles in Brisbane for $80 two weeks ago. They had another on the wall.



Also working on a bag for it, based on this pattern, http://ifihadabikeblog.blogspot.com.au/ ... r-bag.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[RonK]

For the rack-obsessed, these Steco products may be interesting.

[outnabike]

Longevity might be the problem but it might suite some members.

[find_bruce]

I have one on my commuter. It is not a bad rack. The weakness is that the front mount acts like a hinge & the rear mount is not strong enough to resist - the result is that the back of the rack moves down & forward breaking the rear mount. The way I fixed it was adding a third mount - one of these - and attaching it to the top rail.


Solid as a rock now

[Kampy]

New Porteur style racks from Surly look interesting, especially for those with suspension corrected forks as it looks like they are compatible with lowriders without any mods. Should be here mid 2016 by the sounds of things. Details here (after the tyre stuff).

[geoff_tewierik]

Got a shed load of extra bolt on attachment points on those new Surly racks.

[Espresso_]

New Porteur style racks from Surly look interesting, especially for those with suspension corrected forks as it looks like they are compatible with lowriders without any mods.

This is (potentially) exactly the rack I was looking for after the demise of the Salsa Alternator front rack. Small enough in 8 pack form - I hope it's as rock solid as other surly racks and better than the cheaper alternatives.

E

[TheShadow]

I've just bought a (barely) used touring bike that came with a front rack which I'm pretty sure has never been installed. There is not one tiny mark on either the rack or the forks. I think it's even the genuine item that came with the bike, going by photos on the manufacturer's website.

My issue with it is, it's a generic-looking 3-piece item - two upside down triangles with big long slots for mounting screws/bolts, with a third bridging 'U" to join them. It has those little brackets with 2*90 degree bends to utilise the currently unused cantilever brake mounts (bike has cable disks), which for one thing puts the top bag mount up quite high? Then in the middle of the triangle frame, a horizontal slot is used in conjunction with one of the two mounting bolts/bosses on the side of the fork - which I like to see used, but it does not look real strong to me. Rack is rated at 7 or 9kg.

To me, it all looks messy and fundamentally weak.

Going by earlier posts in this thread, a Tubus Tara would fit. It has double the weight capacity and just looks far more stable and better designed. The bags would also be significantly lower, afaic. This is what you want, isn't it? The rear rack on the bike is very solid looking. This front one looks very poorly designed by comparison. The smart thing would be to get the Tubus, wouldn't it? If I get it now with the bags, I won't have to pay shipping if I have to get it later...(*rationalizes imminent budget blowout to self* )

[RonK]

Yes, Tubus racks are the top choice.

I'm not a fan of the Tara though - it uses a 14mm tube on which the Ortlieb lower hooks don't fit well.
I prefer the Ergo, or even better the stainless steel Nova.

[TheShadow]

OK, thanks Ron. I'm thinking of getting the Vaude panniers, so probably similar issue there also. The other Tubus models get progressively more expensive I notice. Might be a future upgrade.

I might just check what diameter this unused rack has on the top rail, and if it's 8-13mm, have a go at installing it to see how solid I can make it. I'm not sure if it's missing some spacers on the top brake mounting. The thing that really caused me to turn my nose up at it was the inclusion of automotive hose clamps for the lower mounting, which I've found is for forks without rack mounts, but it doesn't inspire confidence when you're looking at the installation kit..."I'm supposed to use THAT?! No-no-no"

EDIT: Well I've got it on and it's solid enough I think to carry it's 9kg limit. The top rail is pretty high and also does not have much space at the rear of the top rail to get a rear pannier hook locked on and encircling the rail. And it really ruins easy access to the wheel skewer and crowds the mechanical disk caliper actuator. So, it those two issues, rather than questions of strength which could lead me to look for something better. I was not expecting that, since on the face of it there is 2 bolts on the side of the fork 1/2 way down, a threaded eyelet at the bottom of the fork at the front and rear...yet THIS is all they could come up with for a rack? It's not a total disaster, but I'm surprised something better can't be done.

I'm not totally sure a Tubus Ergo would cleanly circumnavigate the mess of angles and protrusions around the axle/caliper area. It probably would fit on, though.