Can someone recommend me a pannier rack?

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Hi,

I am new to the idea of having panniers. Building up a commuter/tourer from an old Puch bike I rescued from my Dad's garage. Can someone recommend me a decent/cheap rack that will fit on this bike?

Thanks

The Rookie

What mountings you got? Dropout? Seatstay (outside) or just on the seatstay bridge?

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I'll have to check when I'm home. Not sure what any of those words mean either I'll take some photos.

MichaelW

You need a rack which is compatible with common pannier mounting systems; this sounds like a no-brainer but many racks don't play well with panniers.
Good panniers have QR locking hooks that totally enclose the metal rod, so they need a single metal rod to hook onto. Many racks include sections of twin rod welded together where the hooks should mount.
Look for:
-3 legs each side
-Non adjustable legs the correct size (26" or 700c)
-Rear lamp bracket.
-If you have mudguards, avoid solid top-plates. Open racks are easier for lashing large loads.

I have premium brand Blackburn and cheap clone lookalike and they both work the same.

unixnerd

My mate and I have the Tortec Velocity, it comes in 26 and 700c compatible models and black or silver. It's only 300g so perfect for commuting but not massive camping trips.

If you're after panniers those from Edinburgh Bicycle (own brand) are stunning value. Mine are over ten years old, bought a set for my nephew and they were 20-30 each.

andrewc3142

Tubus.

Not cheap, but in my experience worthwhile.

redvee

I've got Tortecs on my bikes, Hybrid Velocity on the SS which is slightly wider than the standard velocity and a Tour Ultralite on the Planet X.

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Thanks for all your replies - I don't fully understand everything they say, but thanks

I have a few pictures of the bike here - not taken specifically to show the mountings so may not be the most useful, hopefully someone can shed some light on my options?

The wheels are 27 x 1 1/4 so does that mean at 700C rack would fit or not?





I've been looking at a few budget options - would any of these be okay to fit?
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/bla ... 42#reviews
http://www.planet-x-bikes.co.uk/i/q/FSM ... nnier_rack
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/tortec-ultralite-rear-rack/

(I think the Planet X one will be my choice if it will fit.)

andrewc3142

Can't see from the pics whether there are braze-ons to take the top fixing for a rack, but I guess there are.

One other option for commuting is a Carradice SQR bag. I use the Slim model. Has a mounting that is fixed to the seat post and the bag clips into that. Doubles up as a rear mudguard.

unixnerd

Can't see from the pics whether there are braze-ons to take the top fixing for a rack, but I guess there are.

If not you can use P-clips, I had to do that on my Cannondale.

The Rookie

Or get one with a single clip that goes to the brake mounting bolt.....

nigglenoo

The Minoura from Planet X is very good, lightweight (755g with all fittings) and a very rigid design due to proper triangulation of the stays. It should also last a very long time due to the tubular steel construction. I have one fitted to an MTB.

It is however a rack designed for 26" wheel bikes and is a bit short for some bikes with larger diameter wheels, on my Genesis with 28x700c tyres and mudguards there was only 1cm clearance between the rack and mudguard. However position of the bolt holes on your frame are quite critical to this. The vertical distance from the bottom surface of the top part of the rack to the bottom eyelets of the rack (bolt holes) is 333mm.

The Blackburn is also good but again is intended for 26" wheels so you need to check the dimensions, but worth noting that many racks intended for 26" wheels are absolutely fine with 700C wheeled bikes, e.g. my touring bike's bargain-of-the-decade Tubus Cargo for 26" wheels which was £25 from Evans (sorry they are all gone now ): this bike has 35mm tyres and mudguards.

(27 x 1 1/4" (630mm rim diameter) is slightly bigger again than 700c (622mm) but its only 4mm larger radius, and 1 1/4" is 32mm so your tyres and my touring bike's tyres are going to be near-as-dammit the same.) If a mudguard just touches a rack you can slip a bit of inner tube between to stop rubbing and rattling problems.

The Tortec is not a very rigid design nor very strong and is reported to be excessively tall, a problem with smaller frame sizes as well as being less stable.

unixnerd

The Tortec is not a very rigid design nor very strong and is reported to be excessively tall, a problem with smaller frame sizes as well as being less stable.

It's only about 300g and is really just for light loads, perfect for my commuter bike. For bigger loads My tourer has a Bor Yeah monster that must be about 800g heavier! It's all down to what you want to use it for.

nigglenoo

This thread on the CTC forum could be helpful: on page 3 you can see the Minoura fitted to a touring bike with 35mm tyres, but it is close: http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=77257

I suggest the OP gets his tape measure out and if the Minoura will fit he should buy it. It really is very solid and a good price. To compare, a Tubus Cargo is generally thought of as the benchmark, but is about £70 and only about 80g lighter.

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Thanks for the helpful replies I will get the tape measure out tonight!