Saddle stem and pannier rack advice

steve1965

I have in my armoury a 2007 Trek 1.5 which is my mud-guarded etc winter bike. Later in the year, I want to use it for a multi day ride, basically because I don't wish to spend on a proper touring bike and because it's always so comfortable. Reading around a little on google the information I have gleaned is that if I exchange the carbon saddle post for an ally post, it would support a small pannier set, up to 10 kgs which is adequate for what I want to do.

Does anyone have any advice or guidance on this please. Is this a goer? Is the saddle stem easily swapped, are they a standard size? And is this the best way to go?

Thanks
Steve

mrfpb

A. I'm sure your carbon post will support a pannier if an alu one would - just use a torque wrench.

B. If there are no dedicated connections for a pannier on the seat stays, then clips are available to attch a pannier there rather than the seat post. Two seat stay fixing points is more stable than one seatpost fixing point.

C. I have a carradice bagman support attached to my saddle that will carry a saddle bag up to 10kg. No connection to any other part of the bike, and it's really stable even on long days in the dsaddle or on 15 mile trips offroad A bit pricey, but they do seem to last forever. I got a decent one off ebay for half of the "new" price.


For new Carradice items I find SJS and Spa Cycles do the best prices. Carradice have occasional clearance sales on ebay for factory seconds, I have one which had an off centre label on the back for around 2/3 of "new" price.


https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/search/?term=carradice
https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m2b5s73p0/P ... addle-Bags
https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/carradicefac ... 7675.l2559

steve1965

Thanks mrfpb, very sound advice.

steve1965

Hi,

Further to my post below..

My LBS advised me that it’s not advisable to clamp a heavy bag or pannier set to a carbon seat post (carbon post in ally frame). But, I also can’t shift the seat post to replace it! Years of road salt and crap has pretty much welded it in place!

I’m wondering what my options are now - risk it? Or source a smaller bag that can fasten to the seat rails? I could perhaps also buy a handlebar bag and/or crossbar bag to share the weight. I’m a touring novice so have no clue how to best get round this so any advice gladly received

Steve

EBEB

I bought an adapter kit that uses the rear axel to pretend there are pannier rack mounts.

I never trusted the saddle post design. Bought it years ago though. Vague memory of it being German. No idea who made it.

I’ve used it for over 7 years without any significant issue.

mercia_man

A Carradice Camper Long Flap saddle bag carries all I need for B&B touring. They are really big with their extended flap. You could use a Bagman support for it. If you still want to carry more, you could easily combine it with a handlebar bag.

laurentian

This is the answer:

https://www.evanscycles.com/bontrager-e ... gJ0BfD_BwE

You're not clamping to the seat post per se but replacing the clamp with this one that allows you to fix the horizontal brackets from the rack to your bike.

steve1965

A mate suggested doing that Leurentian. The trouble is, with the saddle being stuck in place, so is the collar.

Please ignore my ignorance but could I add one of those clamps above the fixing clamp and bolt the rack on to that? It might look odd but would perhaps work? My initial assumption was that the issue is that the seat post can't take the weight from the panier clamp, but I think it's the pressure a tight clamp causes on the 'delicate' post that is more the issue, is that right?

keef66

Steve1965 wrote:

A mate suggested doing that Leurentian. The trouble is, with the saddle being stuck in place, so is the collar.

Please ignore my ignorance but could I add one of those clamps above the fixing clamp and bolt the rack on to that? It might look odd but would perhaps work? My initial assumption was that the issue is that the seat post can't take the weight from the panier clamp, but I think it's the pressure a tight clamp causes on the 'delicate' post that is more the issue, is that right?

I think replacing the seatpost clamp with one of those would be the safer option; it's then clamping both frame and seatpost.

Can you take off the saddle and parts of the clamp so that you can thread a new seatpost clamp over the top? (The old one you could remove using brute force / hacksaw / Dremel)