Road bike, rack?

Caden

Ok, so I'm one of those folks who commutes on a road bike. Used to ride a hybrid but it was heavy, had an unnecessary suspension fork, and frankly I fell in love with my road bike (Trek 1500) and club riding, long rides, tri-relays, etc and never looked back.

So that's my only bike now and I need to make it work for commuting, which I do 2-3 times each week 8 miles each way (but hilly!). I just HATE wearing a backpack while riding a road bike. It's not comfortable! Does anyone here ride a straight-up road bike and commute like I do? Would one of those rear racks that doesn't require eyelets be advisable? I know where to buy them, so I don't need advice on that - just on whether this is a crazy thing to do to a road bike.

And a pure seatpost rack won't work. I'm not gonna stick a pack with my work computer, shoes, etc on a post sticking out 90 degrees from a carbon fiber seatpost and hanging over my wheel.

strummer_fan

I commute on a road bike regularly. You need one of these:

http://www.rivbike.com/webalog/baggage_racks/20094.html

I did a 5-day ride on one of these with full panniers. No complaints.

It's light in weight, and looks good, too.

Caden

That appears to require spots on the frame to screw on. My bike (Trek 1500) does not have any of these. Anywhere. I'm aware that there are racks that can attach at the bottom to the rear axle (or with a loop to the seat stays) and they usually attach to the seatpost at the top or something. Or to the seatstays again.

Has anyone used one of these? Preferences?

gblackwood

Caden, I encountered the same problem when I used my old road bike for commuting also. The frame had no eyelets to mount a rack to. My LBS sugested I obtain a few "P" clamps from my local hardware store or homecenter. These clamps are shaped like a "P" and are rubber lined. You would need to find the sizes that match the diameter of your stays. This worked for me. My commute is three times a week, 24 miles round trip.

Other alternatives I looked at were using a rack from Old Man Mountain.
http://www.oldmanmountain.com/rear_rack_page.htm

These racks mount through the rear axle and don't require eyelets. I think they may be a good choice but they aren't the cheapest.

The last alternative is to look at saddle mounted bags such as Carradice.
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/carradice.asp

Depending on what you are carrying, these may be worth concidering.

Outside of these choices, I did notice that there are seatpost mounted raks available. I suppose they might get the job done but this isn't an option if you are using a composite seatpost.

Good luck with your search. I hope I provided some information that helps.

-GB

strummer_fan

Caden-
I understood your original post, and that's why I showed you the R-15. It requires no mounting points on the bike. It comes with clamps that are rubber lined that go onto 4 points on the seatstays. I bought a Cyclocross bike that was designed for racing and had absolutely no mounting points for a rack. This Nitto rack solved the problem.

Yes, you can carry panniers with a laptop, and a change of clothes.

No, you don't need to damage your bike.

see:
http://www.benscycle.net/index.php?...products_id=671

They have one for sale.

Cheers!

Caden

Thanks! I glanced at it and thought it needed at least the top eyelets. Glad to know racks exist for crazy folks like me who insist on commuting on a racing bike! :-)

strummer_fan

The other good thing is that it is well made, has a nice finish, and is rather light in weight compared to many others. It did take some patience to get it mounted, because all 4 attachment points are fully adjustable at both ends. If you take your time and go slow, you can end up with a nice racing bike that is more usable as a commuter... and ... when that big century or competitive club ride comes up, you just need a 4mm allen key and an 8mm wrench to pull it back off again.

cheers!

chizlr40

dont know how much you have to carry daily.but i drive to work once a week, bring food to store in the co fridge and clothes to wear for the week. i guess if you have to carry your laptop daily to and fro this may not work,but could it lighten the load?

ontheroadid

Like you, I fell in love with my road bike and stopped riding my heavier commuter. I ride my road bike with a backpack, and for some reason, I prefer it to using panniers (which I have on my commuter, a converted mountain bike). Heck, yesterday that backpack helped keep me warm when I rode home in a downpour.

I don't like the panniers because they're a pain to remove from the racks every day (Velcro safety strap). With a backpack, I walk right into the building. So, you might look at getting a better backpack, one that can snug up against you and not sag or sway under the load. Some companies even make bike-specific packs that bend with you when you use the drops.

Oh, and reduce your load by leaving a pair of shoes, a belt, and a nicer work-appropriate jacket at work. As soon as I stopped carrying shoes, my load was very easy to manage.

kris5006

[QUOTE=ontheroadid]I don't like the panniers because they're a pain to remove from the racks every day (Velcro safety strap).

That's not true. Have a look at Arkel's panniers. They are attached to the rack with aluminium hangs, which takes a maximum of half a second to deconnect. I use a Bug for commuting, and i wouldn't use anything else.