seat post Rack on a road bike

ram038

I have bought a seat post rack for my road bike. Now that i have it I am not too sure of its suitability for a week long tour of France carrying camping gear. Has anyone used one of these racks for a similar tour and can pass their experience on pleasew?

alfablue

I am not convinced they are suitable for much at all apart from light loads. There are stories about the clamps being poor and the racks swinging round. I have never used one but no way would I risk it for the type of tour you are planning, I wouldn't trust it. Also, the weight is likely to be higher than a conventional rack and panniers and is likely to make the handling suffer.

You can fit conventional racks to most bikes even if they don't have mounts - m-part seatpost clamp with rack mounts, p-clips (particularly Tubus ones), Tubus Q/R axle mount etc.

andymiller

What alfablue said (as always).

The manufacturers give amaximum weight limit of 10 kgs which almost certainly won't be enough for your equipment.

geoff_ss

When we were touring New Zealand (b&b on a CTC tour) we saw a Japanese bloke carrying camping gear on a seat pin mounted rack and we all thought it looked a bit dodgy and fragile. Apart from anything else, a seat pin isn't designed to carry a cantilevered load. I wouldn't think they are safe for anything other than a small rack pack carrying little else than spares and a few clothes.

So I agree with what the others wrote.

Geoff

rhext

Had a mate use one for a MTB trip across Scotland. It seemed to hold up quite well, but he was only using it for emergency kit and it did drift occasionally. You might get away with it if you're not flinging the bike around, but I suspect it won't be ideal. Why not load it up and give it a go?

If the problem is that your bike doesn't have fixings for a rack, then I'm with the advice above: there's lots of solutions to that which allow you to put a proper rack on your bike.

ram038

alfablue wrote:

I am not convinced they are suitable for much at all apart from light loads. There are stories about the clamps being poor and the racks swinging round. I have never used one but no way would I risk it for the type of tour you are planning, I wouldn't trust it. Also, the weight is likely to be higher than a conventional rack and panniers and is likely to make the handling suffer.

You can fit conventional racks to most bikes even if they don't have mounts - m-part seatpost clamp with rack mounts, p-clips (particularly Tubus ones), Tubus Q/R axle mount etc.

do all racks fit all size seat\chain stays? I am on a tight budget and do not want blow money on new rack and fittings if they don't fit. LBS has been not very helpful. I have a 35 litre backpack I can use but can see that not being very comfortable on 40\50 mile daily trip.

alfablue

Generally, most racks can be made to fit most bikes, unless the geometry is weird. Some bikes may have a small rear triangle (mostly road bikes rather than tourers/audax/hybrids) and whilst the rack may fit there may be limited heel clearance when using panniers (also a function of your foot size).

No way would I want to do long day rides with a heavy backpack!

You could buy the rack from somewhere like Wiggle, then if it doesn't fit you get no-quibble returns, for the cost of postage.

What bike are you wanting to fit the rack to?

bigjim

I notice they are doing this now. has the addition of axle stays
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0398706040

alfablue

bigjim wrote:

I notice they are doing this now. has the addition of axle stays
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0398706040

They are showing it on a full susser! :roll: :shock:

bigjim

They are showing it on a full susser!

Read it! "A Bicycle luggage rack, mounts to the seatpost and on non-suspension bikes has vertical supports for additional rigidity." That means no suspension bike! I.e racer, tourer etc.

Geez. You try to be helpful......

alfablue

bigjim wrote:

They are showing it on a full susser!

Read it! "A Bicycle luggage rack, mounts to the seatpost and on non-suspension bikes has vertical supports for additional rigidity." That means no suspension bike! I.e racer, tourer etc.

Geez. You try to be helpful......

Jeez, I read it, the picture amused me!!!! :roll:

bigjim

Apologies. Thought you were having a go. Didn't want the OP thinking he could not fit it. Although a full rack is more suitable. This one though would stop the rack swinging around the seat post. See a lot of these post racks being used on racers around here with rackbag attached. That comination though is still heavier than a carradice barley attached to the saddle.

alfablue

No worries.Yes, the stays look like a good idea.

I have a Barley on my Audax bike, I have to use a Topeak rail fixer to prevent it fouling my thighs, but the bag is very good. Possibly would consider a larger carradice with a bag support for touring

bigjim

I have fixed a water bottle holder to my seatpost. Holds my waterproof but also will keep Barley from bumping thighs. You need a bit of post showing though. Cheap fix at £1.

alfablue

Hey, lateral thinking bigjim! Good fix!

wasp707

I use a Delta Postporter for touring with no troubles. But I must stress that it is lightweight touring with lightweight tent, sleeping bag and stove. For a week you don't need too many spare clothes, just wash and wear.

bigjim

I use a Delta Postporter for touring with no troubles.

That Postporter looks ok but reviews are not so good on attached website.


http://www.mtbr.com/mfr/delta/bike-rack ... 98crx.aspx