Fitting panniers to a Specialized Allez

KnightOfTheLongTights

Just ordered some Altura Arc 40 panniers. With a view to giving touring a shot.

My 2010 Specialized Allez 24 has the eyelets. Is fitting them easy?

Is there anything else I need to know? Has anyone had issues with heel clearance?

Thanks.

tim_wand

If it has the eyelets on the bottom of the seat stays then your laughing as it should also have the rack mounting points at the top of the chainstay near the junction with the seat tube. This is rare for late model Allezs, If you look in tour and expedition on the Forum there is a Forumite called iPETE who has posted pictures of his 2010 allez with racks

Way of the Roses C2C is one thread its in.

Basically if there are no mount points you are looking at an Mpart seat collar (£4.99) to mount the rack at the top and then either P clips on the lower seat stays (About £1.50) or a Quick Release Axle mount kit (again M part about £11 and more stable then p clips) all from Wiggle.

If as you say though your frame has the eyelets then the rack should mount with just M4 bolts (stem or water bottle mount bolts) or occasionally on beefier set ups M5

KnightOfTheLongTights

tim wand wrote:

If it has the eyelets on the bottom of the seat stays then your laughing as it should also have the rack mounting points at the top of the chainstay near the junction with the seat tube. This is rare for late model Allezs, If you look in tour and expedition on the Forum there is a Forumite called iPETE who has posted pictures of his 2010 allez with racks

Way of the Roses C2C is one thread its in.

Basically if there are no mount points you are looking at an Mpart seat collar (£4.99) to mount the rack at the top and then either P clips on the lower seat stays (About £1.50) or a Quick Release Axle mount kit (again M part about £11 and more stable then p clips) all from Wiggle.

If as you say though your frame has the eyelets then the rack should mount with just M4 bolts (stem or water bottle mount bolts) or occasionally on beefier set ups M5

thanks Tim

the panniers apprently have 'Rixen & Kaul' fittings. Where does this fit in with M4/5 bolts? Do I need to buy the latter?

I've seen the thread with iPete's bike, but surely that is irrelevant as I'll be fitting mine differently? Think it might actually be a 2009 Allez, bought 2010.

tim_wand

The eyelets are for fitting a rack. you then fit the panniers to the rack, Rixen Kaul are the fittings on the pannier which attatch it to the rack.

How are you planning to fit your panniers to the bike.

You cannot fit panniers direct to your frame without a rack, The M4 or M5 Bolts should already be in the frame at the mounting points or can be purchased for pence.

You need a rack you can pick up decent ones for about £15 then these attatch to the eyelets/mounting points on your frame. If there are no rack mounting points then you need the seatcollar P clips or Q/R axle mount option as per first reply.

I know a rack ruins the lines of a bike slightly but they can be removed quickly when not in use and are the only way to securely and stably fit panniers to a bike.

If your looking to fit low riders to the front fork then again you will need the mudgaurd eyelets on the fork and then the brake pivot mount at the front.


Dont just fit front. START AT THE BACK AS IT IS MORE STABLE AND A BETTER STRONG POINT

KnightOfTheLongTights

thanks for all that Tim, great stuff.

MichaelW

Rixen and Kaul fittings are standard kit, very good and found on most of the best panniers.
You need a well-behaved rack to fit them.
R&K hook on the top of the rack then close underneath. They need a rod or tube with a circular cross section NOT two rods welded together. Many racks have sections of twin rod and these limit your R&K mounting points.
Personally i dont like a solid top plate, it limits your ability to lash down larger loads.
I prefer 3 legs, fully triangulated like a Blackburn, or very stiff like a Tubus, to prevent sidways sway.
A rear lamp bracket is useful.
Some racks have a raised loop at the front, other a totally flat top. I like the raised section to stabilise larger loads and to hook my U-lock under.

The Altura bags have a bit of heel cutout but not much. You can reduce heel interference by mounting higher up or further back, both options affect stability and handling.

Fit the rack using M5 stainless steel Allen bolts with washers and a smear of grease on the threads. You can mix rack and mudguard stays on one bolt, but put the rack next to the frame of the bike for strength.
Sometimes, bolts can work their way loose through the mystery of "precession". If this happens, fit a serrated anti-rotation washer.

KnightOfTheLongTights

top info Michael, much appreciated.

on-yer-bike

I have fitted a rack and panniers to a 54 Allez 2008. I wasnt able to use the top mounting bosses because the rear brake was in the way and they seemed way too low. So, I bought an MPart seat collar with rack bosses. I had to use washers on the the bottom fixings so that the rack cleared the frame. I had to mount the panniers as far back as possible to create heel clearance.

KnightOfTheLongTights

more to these pannier chappies than meets the eye, eh?

KnightOfTheLongTights

on-yer-bike wrote:

I have fitted a rack and panniers to a 54 Allez 2008. I wasnt able to use the top mounting bosses because the rear brake was in the way and they seemed way too low. So, I bought an MPart seat collar with rack bosses. I had to use washers on the the bottom fixings so that the rack cleared the frame. I had to mount the panniers as far back as possible to create heel clearance.

This worked with the MPart seat collar. Got a cheapo Topeak rack which seems OK. The 2x20 Altura Arc panniers ir eally like, cos they are quite minimal (no paddign, pockets etc) while also looking reasonably bombproof.

Looking forward to first pannier-laden ride from Penrith to Borrowdale this evening!!