rack and tyres

thehairs1970

I am intending to do a large section of the West Country Way from Bristol on my Orange P7. I don't do much in the way of touring at all, maybe one or two trips a year. Can anyone recommend a very cheap rear pannier rack that will fit a disc brake bike? Also I found a supplier of very cheap Kenda Kwest tyres. Would these be up to the task of lower rolling resistance but sufficient grip? thanks

bicyclist

dont know about the rack.those tyres no no no there is just to much resistance with those just like riding through glue.invest in some ironman ones,a bit expensive but like riding on air,good luck.

andymiller

thehairs1970 wrote:

Can anyone recommend a very cheap rear pannier rack that will fit a disc brake bike?

Buy cheap buy twice. And a broken rack on tour would be a pain the proverbial (though OK in the west country you're unlikley to be to far from a shop)..

Someone did do a round up of disk-brake compatible racks. Try doing a search.

(i'd recommend investing in a Tubus).

yer gran

Tor-tek do a disc compatible rear (and I believe front). Price......not sure off the top of; 30-45 I think......there may be a more expensve st. steel version at the upper end and an alu. at the lower.
Decent racks (I've tried several over the years). Not familiar with your route, but if its all/partly off-road, its worth spending a bit more.
Tyres.....I've toured on Specialised for years and never had a problem. I've also couriered on them over 10 years, and cant complain.
I also have a p7 and use 26x1 for fast but weighty tours (packing hiking gear, but setting up base camp); nimbus 26x1.5 for above but on the move; crossroads for multi-condition touring-solid strip in the centre to help with tarmac, but knobbly enough to cope with off-road rigours.
Good luck.
(p.s. if you end up penny pinching on the rack take a fistfull of thick cable-ties - you can bodge virtually anything)

alfablue

My newbie touring partner got this Lifeline rack last year from Wiggle for £16. (The Topeak DX was about £30). It held up fine on a weeks tour of the Celtic Trail. It did need a couple of extra washers on the brake side to clear the caliper, but it was fine. We were fully loaded (camping gear etc) so quite a heavy load. I wouldn't want to go this cheap for longer term use (I have a Tubus, but with the axle mount it cost nearly £100), but for a one off I would say go for it. It seems well made, and indeed the top stays are proper alu tubes, not thin strips of bendy steel as per some cheap racks.

I agree with the cable ties tip - always take them, and I did repair a Blackburn rack once, when one of the vertical stays came away from the mount. I have also repaired a front mech that lost the screw holding the cage together, plus many other repairs that usually look like they will last indefinitely, take a few different sizes.

For tyres, my partner had Schwalbe City Jets (just because that's what she had on the bike and was to "tight" to buy new tyres despite my "strong" recommendation!), they are good but cheap slicks - slicks are not ideal given some of the trails, but still she managed no prob. Not saying you should use slicks, just showing that you generally can get by. I use Schwalbe Marathons 1.5, the tread design doesn't seem to impact on road performance too much - a good compromise.

We did about 200 miles, I had no punctures, partner had one.

I wouldn't use anything "Kenda".

thehairs1970

Thanks for all the advice. I eventually bit the bullet and bought Conti Travel Contacts. Bit pricier but got a good deal on £36 the pair. Just got to get the rack. I'm only carrying spare clothes as I'm B&Bing this trip. Maybe I'll save for something better later but I do like the look (price) of the Lifeline.

Martyn

alfablue

thehairs1970 wrote:

Thanks for all the advice. I eventually bit the bullet and bought Conti Travel Contacts. Bit pricier but got a good deal on £36 the pair. Just got to get the rack. I'm only carrying spare clothes as I'm B&Bing this trip. Maybe I'll save for something better later but I do like the look (price) of the Lifeline.

Martyn

The Lifeline should be fine with your intended load.

Magnus Thor

Have you considered some of the Carradice SQR systems? I have used the Tour bag for my Audax bike and really like it.


Magnus Thor
Iceland