Rack & Panniers for Planet X Ti Sportive

doyler78

I've got a Planet X Ti Sportive (titanium) road bike which has no rack mounts and has carbon seatpost.

Do you think this would work with it?

http://www.ukbikestore.co.uk/product/77 ... -rack.html

It will be used for commuting and possibly a bit of light touring in Ireland (to start with anyway).

If not any other suggestions?

alfablue

That rack looks like a fantastic solution. There is also a non DLX model that has a slightly wider platform, useful if you want to put a tent or something on that.

I got a Tubus rack and quick release adapter, same sort of solution but it cost over £100, so for the price this looks excellent (though Tubus are top quality/10 year guarantee - and they make a Ti rack if you want to keep to the theme )

alan_sherman

You already have the bottom fixing so could go for a rack with a single top fixing (tubus fly for example) or if you have a small frame size the combined seatpost clamp and rack fixing thingy will work. See link below but available elsewhere too:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/MPart ... e=googleps

the rack you have linked to looks to be just the ticket for me though - I have a frame without mudguard eyelets that I'd like to fit a rack to - that rack at £30 seems a very good, and complete solution.

Thanks

doyler78

alfablue wrote:

That rack looks like a fantastic solution. There is also a non DLX model that has a slightly wider platform, useful if you want to put a tent or something on that.

I got a Tubus rack and quick release adapter, same sort of solution but it cost over £100, so for the price this looks excellent (though Tubus are top quality/10 year guarantee - and they make a Ti rack if you want to keep to the theme )

The Ti look great however beyond what I can afford by the time I add panniers .

What setup did you go for?

I've seen the tubus fly which seems similar to the axiom however I've read some complaints about it not being very steady because of only having the central arm. I would of course have the same concerns with the Axiom. If you have the fly have you noticed any probs?

doyler78

Alan,

Mine's a medium frame. I had seen those seat clamps however a bit of reading suggests, as you say, that they are best suited to small frames otherwise the rack sits too high. I had a topeak rack that clamps to the seatpost recommended a while back by someone who done the Irish End2End on it however with the carbon seatpost that was out.

I must admit the rack I linked to did catch my attention and the only thing that worried me was the cost as I wondered how they could make something that light, that takes 50kg for that amount of money though I think perhaps I would go for the wider one if I can find it just in case I ever need it.

alfablue

doyler78 wrote:

alfablue wrote:

That rack looks like a fantastic solution. There is also a non DLX model that has a slightly wider platform, useful if you want to put a tent or something on that.

I got a Tubus rack and quick release adapter, same sort of solution but it cost over £100, so for the price this looks excellent (though Tubus are top quality/10 year guarantee - and they make a Ti rack if you want to keep to the theme )

The Ti look great however beyond what I can afford by the time I add panniers .

What setup did you go for?

I've seen the tubus fly which seems similar to the axiom however I've read some complaints about it not being very steady because of only having the central arm. I would have course have the same concerns with the Axiom. If you have the fly have you noticed any probs?

I went for the Cosmo (a stainless steel version of the Logo) with the upper seat stay adapters (posh P-clips) and the qr adapter, used this on my Ti mtb when I toured on that, I now use the rack on my proper tourer, without the adapters. Ti would be nice for you, and saves 200g, but at an £80+ premium on the Axiom, which if it is as good as it looks should be ideal!

doyler78

I've been doing a lot more reading around this and really it seems there is no real substitute for a bike with the appropriate mounts and I do keep reading stories of problems with p-clips slipping and causing real problems. I've also read stories of them eating through the rubber and then eating into the frame itself.

Alfablue did you experience any such problems and do you think the tubus posh p-clips set provides better fixing or is it purely aesthetics (which isn't a bad thing either)? Reason I'm asking is that I'm leaning more towards a proper rack rather than the brake bridge type job as I do have a flat bar bike that has rack mounts on the rear (Specialized Sirrus) and my next bike will be a lightish tourer but that's a bit down the line. Thing is I think that pulling a rack on and off between bike is probably likely to be a bit of faff so I'm still undecided.

I only wish I could get what so many recommended and that was to get the appropriate rack mounts welded on however that's just a no goer over here.

alfablue

Hi Doyler, the Tubus P-clip was rock solid, no movement at all, I think it is helped by having a 2 bold fixing so one bolt isn't doing 2 jobs (securing p-clip and securing rack). I used this in conjunction with the Tubus QR adapter, which is also rock solid, and the whole setup was extremely rigid on the bike. I gave up using it not because of problems with the rack, but because the mtb was twitchy at the front when loaded (a geometry issue I expect), I don't like flat bars for long tours (wrist ache) and I wanted to use the mtb as an mtb

You say you want to get a light tourer - if you want to do loaded (i.e. camping loaded) touring I would recommend getting a regular tourer as light tourers (sometimes aka audax bikes) can be flexy from the bottom bracket/rear triangle. Also, it would be a bit similar to the P-X Sportive (in style, not flex!). I have a steel Dawes Audax which is a lovely day ride bike but it wiggles badly when loaded up, so having tried loaded touring with the MTB and an audax bike, I finally got a Condor Heritage which is rock solid loaded up. I know you say light touring, but you may get the touring bug

I reckon the Tubus system would work well on the P-X - more-so with the Tubus QR adapter, though you do need a Tubus rack (and then only certain models) to use the QR adapter.

Alternatively, the Spesh should work reasonably well for touring.

(BTW I do have a now redundant set of Tubus QR and P clips should you want them, for an appropriate consideration - not bothered about selling them, but if ylou go this route let me know)

doyler78

Yeah I see what you mean about a light tourer. That makes sense and when I think about this well I have 2 lightish road bikes in the Scott Carbon job and the Planet X Ti bike. I have the flat bar run around. So getting something heavier shouldn't really be an issue as the weight being carried will pretty much make bike weight pretty redundant should end up doing more full on touring.

Reassuring to know about your experience with abus racks and I was leaning towards them beforehand and the adapter kits made specifically for the job just instills a little more confidence in me. I think I will probably go this route. If I do I will definitely be needing the adapter kits so I will pm you to arrange a price and postage if you are still selling then.

Next thing will be bags. Any recommendations there? I've got an ortlieb backpack which hasn't let a spot of water in over 3 winters so I'd be heading that direction.

alfablue

I have Ortlieb Bike Packer Plus panners, the Bike Packers have lids (rather than roll up tops), and the Plus panniers have a cordura type fabric rather than the thicker and more industrial shiny fabric of the non-plus (classic) models. The Plusses also have the QL2 fitting system which allows tool-less adjustment, more variability in adjustment, and they can also be fitted with a wire security accessory (thin wire loop to put your lock through to secure bags to bike).

I thought I wanted all those features but I actually prefer the Back Roller Classics my g/f has. They are easier to close when nearly full, simpler, cheaper, and the fabric is tougher. They do lack external pockets though, but I still prefer them, and I got these for the fronts. The tool-less adjustability is a non-issue really, once set you don't need to alter it anyway.

Either way you won't go wrong with Ortlieb, though the Carradice Carradry are worth a look (larger, cheaper, British made, Grey only).

I also looked at Vaude, their waterproof ones looked as good as Ortleib and the design looked good, but when I saw them in the flesh I was less convinced, given the price. They are hard to find too.

doyler78

Thanks Alfablue. Always very comprehensive advice. Plenty to consider.

redddraggon

Light Touring? Do you reckon you'd ever want a rack pack? Personally I use a Tortec Velocity rear rack, which is narrow, so will only allow a pair of pannier. I combine that with a Carradice saddle bag.

About £24, and you can pair it with a rack seatpost clamp thing.





http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/MPart ... e=googleps

doyler78

Reddraggon are you using the seapost collar or are you attaching to rack mounts? I did look at those collars before I posted here and I had seen complaints about them when used with bikes that weren't small (I'm on medium) as the load is held high which can make cornering sketchy. Have you noticed any problems?

Rack packs - no plans but then I had no plans to ride with racks and panniers only last year. Problem is I don't know what I might want to do so that's why I'm leaning towards versatility.

PeterBL

@Reddragon: which bike are you using the rack for? From the picture, it doesn't seem to extend very much to the back, so I'd be worried about heel clearance if your chainstays are rather short. Any problem for you?

Also, I can't see why you cannot mount a bag on each side.

redddraggon

doyler78 wrote:

Reddraggon are you using the seapost collar or are you attaching to rack mounts? I did look at those collars before I posted here and I had seen complaints about them when used with bikes that weren't small (I'm on medium) as the load is held high which can make cornering sketchy. Have you noticed any problems?

Rack packs - no plans but then I had no plans to ride with racks and panniers only last year. Problem is I don't know what I might want to do so that's why I'm leaning towards versatility.

I'm using it on my Ribble, so I don't need the seatpost collar thing as I've got the threaded bits on the top of the seatstay. I think you should be able to use it fine with a medium PX Sportive. Using a seatpost collar rack mount wouldn't really change the height you are supporting the weight, as the rack is still attaching at the same point - the threads near the dropouts. The way the Tortec Velocity connects the seatstays/collar means that you can have the top of the rack parallel to the ground using whatever method you use - it has long highly adjustable rods.

PeterBL wrote:

@Reddragon: which bike are you using the rack for? From the picture, it doesn't seem to extend very much to the back, so I'd be worried about heel clearance if your chainstays are rather short. Any problem for you?

It's on my Ribble and I've no issues.

PeterBL wrote:

Also, I can't see why you cannot mount a bag on each side.

No reason why you couldn't use two panniers, but the Tortec Velocity is too narrow for a rackpack (e.g like this)

PeterBL

Thanks a lot for the clarification, redddragon!

doyler78

Reddraggon thanks for the reponse. I'm a little confused about the response.

Using a seatpost collar rack mount wouldn't really change the height you are supporting the weight, as the rack is still attaching at the same point - the threads near the dropouts

I know that the sportive is supposed to take guards and I do notice a largish hole in the tube between the chainstays and there are two small holes by the dropouts (hard to tell if they are threaded or not though as they are so small though I guess they must or else they would be pretty pointless). Are these holes something that I can mount the lower part of the rack too. Or are you talking about something else?

doyler78

That m-part seat clamp is 31.8mm only and my seat clamp need to be 34.9mm so that's a no goer so looks like it would be p-clips.

I've got seduced by the relative cheapness of the velocity as it isn't a great cost if it doesn't pan out though I do keep looking at the tubus airy longingly but I'd probably end up comprimising on the pannier bags to pay for it and I want the ortlieb bags

redddraggon

doyler78 wrote:

Reddraggon thanks for the reponse. I'm a little confused about the response.

Using a seatpost collar rack mount wouldn't really change the height you are supporting the weight, as the rack is still attaching at the same point - the threads near the dropouts

I know that the sportive is supposed to take guards and I do notice a largish hole in the tube between the chainstays and there are two small holes by the dropouts (hard to tell if they are threaded or not though as they are so small though I guess they must or else they would be pretty pointless). Are these holes something that I can mount the lower part of the rack too. Or are you talking about something else?

If the Sportive takes guards, there'll be threaded holes near the rear drop outs and these can be used for the rack and guards.

doyler78 wrote:

That m-part seat clamp is 31.8mm only and my seat clamp need to be 34.9mm so that's a no goer so looks like it would be p-clips.

I thought the Sportive took a 27.2mm post? They did last time I looked at them. I have the Ti Road which takes a 31.6mm post and needs the 34.9mm clamp. It seems wierd to use a 27.2mm post but need a 34.9mm clamp. Most frames that have a 27.2mm post use 31.8mm clamps. Wierd

doyler78

redddraggon wrote:

If the Sportive takes guards, there'll be threaded holes near the rear drop outs and these can be used for the rack and guards.

Thanks I worked that out afterwards as I was fitting racks to another bike so it all made a lot more sense to me. I've always used clip on type guards so I wasn't sure what way things went together but it all makes sense now

redddraggon wrote:

I thought the Sportive took a 27.2mm post? They did last time I looked at them. I have the Ti Road which takes a 31.6mm post and needs the 34.9mm clamp. It seems wierd to use a 27.2mm post but need a 34.9mm clamp. Most frames that have a 27.2mm post use 31.8mm clamps. Wierd

You may well be right as I know I couldn't swap the seatpost on my Scott Carbon bike with onto the Planet X as it was too big.

I wasn't sure what size it was so I just checked it out on the Planet X website and that's where I got the info.

I think it is probably wrong as you say because it does state that it has a 27.2mm seatpost so that would be one helluva (sp?) thick frame (which it isn't) to require such a big seat clamp.

http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/CBP ... ---shimano

I actually had to replace the seatpost clamp at one stage on that bike as I managed to break it but I can't remember what size it was. Will check out when I get home.

doyler78

Ok seems it is a 34.9mm seatpost clamp

I emailed Planet X and they sent this response:

The site's right! Someone's raised that in the past and we've checked. :-)

They must have felt the need to thicken the walls on that area of the frame so a bit suprising that your road version doesn't require that :?

doyler78

Well I've checked the bike now and the seatpost clamp has 35.0 stamped on it so it seems that the site is right enough. So p-clips it will have to be.

t0ph0id

Would any of these also fit on the Planet X SL Pro Carbon? Mine's a small.

I'd like to do a few short tours but can't shell out on a new bike right now.