Pannier racks

[Adrian Godwin]

Retailers seem to have low stocks of pannier racks at the moment. One told
me that she couldn't get more from Tortec until May, and Wiggle's stock
control system seems to confirm this.

Apparently, a new EU regulation has resulted in the need to change designs
and there is a temporary shortage. Any ideas what this is about ? Some
new, probably unwanted safety feature perhaps ? Worth waiting for, or
worth buying before we're lumbered with it ?

-adrian

 

[Paul Boyd]

Adrian Godwin said the following on 19/04/2007 14:50:

> Apparently, a new EU regulation has resulted in the need to change designs
> and there is a temporary shortage.

Today is the 19th April, not the 1st

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

 

[Roger Burton West]

Adrian Godwin wrote:

>Apparently, a new EU regulation has resulted in the need to change designs
>and there is a temporary shortage.

On a possibly-related note, it appears that the reason I haven't been
able to find a Carry Freedom Y-Frame Large for money (haven't tried
love) is that they've been required to recall them all for axle
strengthening. This is from Avon Cyclery, not CF themselves.

>Any ideas what this is about ? Some
>new, probably unwanted safety feature perhaps ? Worth waiting for, or
>worth buying before we're lumbered with it ?

I can see it now - "pre-ban racks, only 200 quid"...

R

 

[Mark Thompson]

> Retailers seem to have low stocks of pannier racks at the moment. One
> told me that she couldn't get more from Tortec until May, and Wiggle's
> stock control system seems to confirm this.

Still plenty where I work.

 

[Bob Johnstone]

Roger Burton West wrote:
> On a possibly-related note, it appears that the reason I haven't been
> able to find a Carry Freedom Y-Frame Large for money (haven't tried
> love) is that they've been required to recall them all for axle
> strengthening. This is from Avon Cyclery, not CF themselves.

That's interesting. If that's true maybe they should just lower the 90kg
load specification. Does anyone really carry that much on one? I
certainly don't, even when I get carried away at Sainsbury's.

Bob

 

[Adrian Godwin]

Mark Thompson <pleasegivegenerously@warmmail*_turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com> wrote:
>> Retailers seem to have low stocks of pannier racks at the moment. One
>> told me that she couldn't get more from Tortec until May, and Wiggle's
>> stock control system seems to confirm this.
>
> Still plenty where I work.

Can't make my mind up between Tortec Expedition and Blackburn Expedition 2.

Both are difficult to find here (Cambridge) but the Blackburn Exp 1 I
found had fairly crummy welding, which put me off a bit. And the Tortec
seems to weigh about half again as much.

-adrian

 

[vernon]

"Mark Thompson"
<pleasegivegenerously@warmmail*_turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com> wrote in
message news:[email protected]...
>> Retailers seem to have low stocks of pannier racks at the moment. One
>> told me that she couldn't get more from Tortec until May, and Wiggle's
>> stock control system seems to confirm this.

That could be as soons two weeks away.....hardly a crisis unless oyu want
one now for next week's tour ;-)

 

[rothers]

On Thu, 19 Apr 2007 22:04:58 +0100, Adrian Godwin <[email protected]>
wrote:

>Mark Thompson <pleasegivegenerously@warmmail*_turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com> wrote:
>>> Retailers seem to have low stocks of pannier racks at the moment. One
>>> told me that she couldn't get more from Tortec until May, and Wiggle's
>>> stock control system seems to confirm this.
>>
>> Still plenty where I work.
>
>Can't make my mind up between Tortec Expedition and Blackburn Expedition 2.
>
>Both are difficult to find here (Cambridge) but the Blackburn Exp 1 I
>found had fairly crummy welding, which put me off a bit. And the Tortec
>seems to weigh about half again as much.

Get the Tortec.

The Blackburn rack is OK but the brackets that come with it to attach to the
seat stays are horrible flimsy bits of sheet metal, look like an afterthought.
The Tortec has some nice solid adjustable aluminium rods.

Cheers

Neil

 

[Adrian Godwin]

rothers <[email protected]> wrote:

>
> Get the Tortec.
>
> The Blackburn rack is OK but the brackets that come with it to attach to the
> seat stays are horrible flimsy bits of sheet metal, look like an afterthought.
> The Tortec has some nice solid adjustable aluminium rods.
>

Nasty, aren't they ? .. I was considering making some alloy stays to
replace them (at least they appear to be stainless though : why do so
many manufacturers make a nice rustfree alloy rack and than include
chrome-plated steel stays ?).

But the Tortec, as well as a useful flat plate for mounting a rear
light, also has a sticky-out-bit that's supposed to be specially for
cateye light. And if you use the flat plate instead (perhaps for a
flat-mounting cateye light like an LD600), what's it for then ?
Practising angle-grinding on, I suspect.

It's this sort of irritating detail that makes me dither about for
ages and then go and spend an unwarranted amount of money on
something like a Tubus.

-adrian

 

[Adrian Godwin]

vernon <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> "Mark Thompson"
> <pleasegivegenerously@warmmail*_turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com> wrote in
> message news:[email protected]...
>>> Retailers seem to have low stocks of pannier racks at the moment. One
>>> told me that she couldn't get more from Tortec until May, and Wiggle's
>>> stock control system seems to confirm this.
>
> That could be as soons two weeks away.....hardly a crisis unless oyu want
> one now for next week's tour ;-)
>
>

But, but, I've got two shiny new Ortlieb panniers waiting to be tried
out. The urge to own shiny things is second only to the urge to own shiny
things NOW.

-adrian

 

[rothers]

On Thu, 19 Apr 2007 22:58:25 +0100, Adrian Godwin <[email protected]>
wrote:


>But the Tortec, as well as a useful flat plate for mounting a rear
>light, also has a sticky-out-bit that's supposed to be specially for
>cateye light. And if you use the flat plate instead (perhaps for a
>flat-mounting cateye light like an LD600), what's it for then ?
>Practising angle-grinding on, I suspect.

On the Tortec I've got the sticky-out angle bracket is a optional bolt on bit
that fixes to the flat plate. Perhaps they've improved the design over time.

http://www.bonthronebikes.co.uk/413-41713

Cheers

Neil

 

[Adrian Godwin]

rothers <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> On the Tortec I've got the sticky-out angle bracket is a optional bolt on bit
> that fixes to the flat plate. Perhaps they've improved the design over time.
>
> http://www.bonthronebikes.co.uk/413-41713
>

That sounds more sensible. Curiously, the Bonthrone picture of the
Expedition rack (the above is the ultralight) is

http://www.bonthronebikes.co.uk/413-41710

Which looks quite different from the one at Wiggle :

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5300003805


-adrian

 

[Dave Larrington]

In news:[email protected],
rothers <[email protected]> tweaked the Babbage-Engine to tell us:
> On Thu, 19 Apr 2007 22:58:25 +0100, Adrian Godwin
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>> But the Tortec, as well as a useful flat plate for mounting a rear
>> light, also has a sticky-out-bit that's supposed to be specially for
>> cateye light. And if you use the flat plate instead (perhaps for a
>> flat-mounting cateye light like an LD600), what's it for then ?
>> Practising angle-grinding on, I suspect.
>
> On the Tortec I've got the sticky-out angle bracket is a optional
> bolt on bit that fixes to the flat plate. Perhaps they've improved
> the design over time.
>
> http://www.bonthronebikes.co.uk/413-41713

I've got two Tortecs; one like the one Neil describes and one with the
sticky-out bracket integral to the rack. However, on the latter the
sticky-out bracket is positioned such that it doesn't get in the way of the
lights I have bolted to the flat plate.

--
Dave Larrington
<http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk>
Give the anarchist a cigarette.

 

[Rob Morley]

In article <[email protected]>, Adrian Godwin
[email protected] says...

> Nasty, aren't they ? .. I was considering making some alloy stays to
> replace them (at least they appear to be stainless though : why do so
> many manufacturers make a nice rustfree alloy rack and than include
> chrome-plated steel stays ?).
>
Because decent bikes have braze-ons for racks - if you use the clips
your frame is **** and you don't deserve better.

 

[David Damerell]

Quoting Adrian Godwin <[email protected]>:
>Can't make my mind up between Tortec Expedition and Blackburn Expedition 2.

I had broken 3 cheap racks at the point I bought a Tortec Expedition in
steel. I have not yet broken it - or the one on the tandem, which did the
End to End with the bulk of our luggage on it.
--
David Damerell <[email protected]> Distortion Field!
Today is Brieday, April.

 

[Adrian Godwin]

Rob Morley <[email protected]> wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>, Adrian Godwin
> [email protected] says...
>
>> Nasty, aren't they ? .. I was considering making some alloy stays to
>> replace them (at least they appear to be stainless though : why do so
>> many manufacturers make a nice rustfree alloy rack and than include
>> chrome-plated steel stays ?).
>>
> Because decent bikes have braze-ons for racks - if you use the clips
> your frame is **** and you don't deserve better.

No, not the p-clip things, but the rods that go from the top of the
rack to the braze-ons near the rear brakes. In most racks these are
a bit of twisted steel strip, sometimes not even stainless.

-adrian

 

[Adrian Godwin]

rothers <[email protected]> wrote:

>
> On the Tortec I've got the sticky-out angle bracket is a optional bolt on bit
> that fixes to the flat plate. Perhaps they've improved the design over time.
>

There seem to be at least 3 different version of the Expedition rack, even
without the stainless version. But I finally found one like that in Evans
(sorry, elyob, I tried everyone else first ..). Ta.

-adrian