Tailfin aero pack?

joeyhalloran

These look very nice, but at £250 for the alloy version its very expensive. Am I missing something or would something like the Nitto R10 or even a regular rack with a top trunk bag or different size dry bags strapped on be as effective?



So is the tailfin different/significantly better or is it just expensive 'because it's tailfin'?

daniel_b

I think you are likely correct.

I'm sure it's very well engineered, and rock solid.

I'm going to invest in one of their original tailfin rack things for my gravel bike though, and I'll probably splurge on the carbon version, but will use my existing Ortlieb panniers with it rather than buy their quite pricey own brand ones.

joeyhalloran

Can you even use regular panniers with it? I thought the panniers had a proprietary attachment mechanism.

pangolin

joeyhalloran said:

Can you even use regular panniers with it? I thought the panniers had a proprietary attachment mechanism.

They sell adaptors

https://www.tailfin.cc/product/spares/accessories-accessories/third-party-pannier-adaptors/?v=79cba1185463

daniel_b

joeyhalloran said:

Can you even use regular panniers with it? I thought the panniers had a proprietary attachment mechanism.

As Pangolin posted, not massively cheap, but covers both sides, and still much cheaper than proprietary panniers that can only be used on that rack.

I wanted a reliable system I can take on and off easily, and I think this fits the bill, all be it at a fair cost.

daniel_b

Just noticed since I priced it up in October, the rack itself has gone up by 20% (£50) :-(

MattFalle

sorry - £300 for a rack?

seriously?

joeyhalloran

MattFalle said:

sorry - £300 for a rack?

seriously?

That's for the cheaper option! Closer to £400 for the carbon version, plus £100 for each pannier.

pangolin

Think it was around the £150 mark when it was originally on kickstarter wasn't it?

daniel_b

I seem to recall it being in the region of £200 on kickstarter but I may well misremember it, there were many different options.

I tell a lie about the price, I have looked today, and what I am pricing up is again hitting £249, so not sure what happened there - that's for the rack without their custom mounts, but then I need to buy generic mounts which are an extra £35.

Bizarrely, and frustratingly there is no my knowledge no other brand out there that provides a lightweight system, that is solid when attached, but also EASILY removable.

I'm happy to be proved wrong, and would love for some cheaper alternatives, but for me this will enable my gravel bike to be used for regular commuting duties, a spot of bikepacking, and light touring, but then turned into a lighter weight winter bike as well.

Excitingly, my bike that was due in May, and then December, is now back to July.

pangolin

How often will you realistically be removing it?

This is the same weight (440g, within 10% of the carbon rack + adaptors)
£254 cheaper (costs less than just the adaptors you need to buy)
Bound to be more solid

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Tortec-Tour-Ultralite-Rear-Pannier-Rack_3043.htm?sku=20570

pblakeney

pangolin said:

How often will you realistically be removing it?

This is the same weight (440g, within 10% of the carbon rack + adaptors)
£254 cheaper (costs less than just the adaptors you need to buy)
Bound to be more solid

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Tortec-Tour-Ultralite-Rear-Pannier-Rack_3043.htm?sku=20570

Only if the bike has rack mounts.
FWIW I think any bike to be used for carrying loads should have rack mounts.

pangolin

Ah good point

daniel_b

pangolin said:

How often will you realistically be removing it?

This is the same weight (440g, within 10% of the carbon rack + adaptors)
£254 cheaper (costs less than just the adaptors you need to buy)
Bound to be more solid

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Tortec-Tour-Ultralite-Rear-Pannier-Rack_3043.htm?sku=20570

I actually had one of those which I planned to fit on my synapse, but the legs would not extend wide enough to reach the mounting points, so I ended up going for this Roswheel thing instead, which although heavier, is REALLY well built and solid.

I even tried to splay the legs out on the rack leaving a block of wood wider that I wanted the spread to be for the bike in it for days and weeks, but the spring of the metal would always take it back to where it had been, I suspect it probably needed heating as well.
https://amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08KBPZFQF/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_image?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm pretty sure the bike I am getting certainly does not have top mounts, although it may have legit lower mounting points, but I know if I had 2 or 4 bolts to undo everytime I wanted to ride sans rack, it simply wouldn't happen, same as it is now with my Synapse.

I suppose in reality I am paying here for the luxury of a quick removal/fitting system, plus additionally should I want to use it on another bike it would be a cinch to swap it across, for example my lightweight climbing bike, if I wanted to ride that and take some luggage, it would be easy, swap the thru axle across, no screwing in of bolts required.

pangolin

oxoman said:

Don't carradice do anything similar at a cheaper price. Certainly can't fault the stuff I've had off them.

Not traditionally known for being lightweight though

MattFalle

joeyhalloran said:

MattFalle said:

sorry - £300 for a rack?

seriously?

That's for the cheaper option! Closer to £400 for the carbon version, plus £100 for each pannier.

utterly, stupid, ridiculous money. daft.

soz, but thats stupid money for what it is.

the only tricky part of makibg tgat is the two small welds onto the quck release that fits arond the seat post, otherwise its just sli tube bent and crimped with a M4 hole drilled in to.

daniel_b

The carbon one I am going to buy is £249:


£284 with the pannier mounts.

MattFalle

How much inc postage and panniers?

daniel_b

I think postage is included, could be wrong, but they charge a premium for their panniers & bags, hence why I am sticking with my tried and trusted 14 year old Ortlieb rolltop panniers, with the older style fixing, as I notice it states Q3.1 is not compatible with their add on pannier adaptors.

Edit: Just priced it up with their largest panniers, and a rack bag, and it weighs in at £689
The panniers appear to be £100 a pop, and the trunk bag is £150!

Having said that, I'm pretty sure their luggage all gets excellent reviews, but I simply don't need it, and for those prices it would have to be second to none.

I'm definitely in agreement that it is very expensive for what it is, and if there was a viable 'quick release' option I would be all for it, but I need panniers, as I have a laptop to transport, and I refuse to use a rucksack, as I have a slightly dodgy lower back (herniated disc etc).
And also want to use it for light touring, an don't fancy all the frame bag shenanigans.

The place I used to commute to way back when had physical desktops, so I could get away with just a rackbag.

MattFalle

with apologies for soundy argy, apart from the marketing, what stands them out from the rest of the stuff like a £20 Scwinn rack off Amazon ?

webboo

For 280 quid you could get a local fabrication shop to make one to your own design.

Ben6899

pangolin said:

oxoman said:

Don't carradice do anything similar at a cheaper price. Certainly can't fault the stuff I've had off them.

Not traditionally known for being lightweight though

Don't really need lightweight for touring - steady as she goes.

All you need is a Carradice Nelson, a quick release bagman and the additional support stays which can attach to the bottom of the seatpost if you don't have touring eyelets on your frame.

That'll come in at ~£130 (£99 for the Nelson). Photos below.

PS. And because this place is predictable. The garden is a work in progress / the pallet? I’m building some benches.

Ben6899

MattFalle

Ben6899 said:

this

MattFalle

webboo said:

For 280 quid you could get a local fabrication shop to make one to your own design.

and this

but, tbh, you could knock one up yourself over a weekend with some lengths of sli tubing from b&q and just get the welds put on for a few squiddlies, can of black hammerite, off you go.

MattFalle

its just a seat post clamp with a longer bolt stuck through it, yah?

Ben6899

MattFalle said:

its just a seat post clamp with a longer bolt stuck through it, yah?

It wouldn't clamp a seat post because it clamps solely to the post itself and doesn't interact with the frame. But that kind of carry on, yeh.

daniel_b

MattFalle said:

its just a seat post clamp with a longer bolt stuck through it, yah?

I've used something like this 3 times with good success, twice on my bikes, and once on a mates:


I can see the solution above is good, but quick release it is not, unless I am missing something?

MattFalle

so

1x seat post clamp
2x long straight bits of ali tubing
1x really long bit of ali tubing bent to shape
2x small brackets to clamp them together

and Tailfin want £300?

okey dokey

MattFalle

daniel_b said:

MattFalle said:

its just a seat post clamp with a longer bolt stuck through it, yah?

I've used something like this 3 times with good success, twice on my bikes, and once on a mates:

yup - that'll do the job.

if you think you need a bigger bolt, just drill through and re-tap. 5 min job.

pangolin

Ben6899 said:

pangolin said:

oxoman said:

Don't carradice do anything similar at a cheaper price. Certainly can't fault the stuff I've had off them.

Not traditionally known for being lightweight though

Don't really need lightweight for touring - steady as she goes.

All you need is a Carradice Nelson, a quick release bagman and the additional support stays which can attach to the bottom of the seatpost if you don't have touring eyelets on your frame.

That'll come in at ~£130 (£99 for the Nelson). Photos below.

PS. And because this place is predictable. The garden is a work in progress / the pallet? I’m building some benches.

Yeah they are decent, I had one (I think a pendle?) for a while. Not sure I would want to put a laptop in it though, it always felt a bit bouncy. I think I had the bagman support without the extra 2 struts to the seatpost though.

Daniel did specifically ask for lightweight though and they are about 1kg just for the bag (but so is an ortileb rolltop so... shrug).