? rear pannier rack for a soft tail bike?

[C.J.Patten]

Howdy folks!

I have a KHS folding bike with a soft-tail.

It only has an inch or so of travel but I'd like to add a rear rack for
panniers and most racks seem to attach in two places: near the rear axle and
somewhere along the seat-tube.

You see the problem here - all the racks I've seen are rigid. I need
something that either doesn't attach to those two points or has some kind of
fudge factor to allow for the flex.

I'm not considering converting to a hard tail - it has to be able to flex.

Any suggestions?

FYI: I have a "rack" now that attaches to the seat post alone but it's
designed for a single rear pack, not panniers. (no "sides" that come down to
prevent a pannier from hitting the spokes.)

Perhaps there are some kind of arms I could attach to it that would do the
trick? (if I wanted to use the attach points near the rear axle, once again
I'd have to design a "fudge factor" in to allow for the flex)

Thanks for your time,
Chris

 

[Dane Jackson]

C.J.Patten <[email protected]> wrote:
> Howdy folks!
>
> I have a KHS folding bike with a soft-tail.
>
> It only has an inch or so of travel but I'd like to add a rear rack for
> panniers and most racks seem to attach in two places: near the rear axle and
> somewhere along the seat-tube.
>
> You see the problem here - all the racks I've seen are rigid. I need
> something that either doesn't attach to those two points or has some kind of
> fudge factor to allow for the flex.
>
> I'm not considering converting to a hard tail - it has to be able to flex.
>
> Any suggestions?

I'm not sure if they have what you want, but Old Man Mountain is
probably your best bet.

http://www.oldmanmountain.com/rear_rack_page.htm

--
Dane Jackson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g
"Never date a woman with a brother named Nunzio."
-Slovotsky's Law #22

 

[C.J.Patten]

"Dane Jackson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> I'm not sure if they have what you want, but Old Man Mountain is
> probably your best bet.
>
> http://www.oldmanmountain.com/rear_rack_page.htm


Thank you Dane! I hadn't seen that page and they appear to have some
promising options.

 

[Ken]

"C.J.Patten" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Howdy folks!
>
> I have a KHS folding bike with a soft-tail.
>
> It only has an inch or so of travel but I'd like to add a rear rack for
> panniers and most racks seem to attach in two places: near the rear axle
> and somewhere along the seat-tube.
>
> You see the problem here - all the racks I've seen are rigid. I need
> something that either doesn't attach to those two points or has some kind
> of fudge factor to allow for the flex.
>
> I'm not considering converting to a hard tail - it has to be able to flex.
>
> Any suggestions?
>
> FYI: I have a "rack" now that attaches to the seat post alone but it's
> designed for a single rear pack, not panniers. (no "sides" that come down
> to prevent a pannier from hitting the spokes.)
>
> Perhaps there are some kind of arms I could attach to it that would do the
> trick? (if I wanted to use the attach points near the rear axle, once
> again I'd have to design a "fudge factor" in to allow for the flex)
>
> Thanks for your time,
> Chris
>
Well here is another solution:
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?...rand=&sku=1665&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

It only supports 25 pounds, but if you are only commuting on this bike it
maybe okay, I don't know what you are planning on carrying.

Ken

 

[C.J.Patten]

"Ken" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>


> Well here is another solution:
> http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?...rand=&sku=1665&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=
>
> It only supports 25 pounds, but if you are only commuting on this bike it
> maybe okay, I don't know what you are planning on carrying.


Thanks Ken! I have a rack that's *similar* to that one minus the side
pieces.

What's your thought on spoke interference?
It would be a severely bad day if one of those dangly bits got into a
spoke...

Chris

 

[Leo Lichtman]

"C.J.Patten" wrote: (clip) What's your thought on spoke interference? It
would be a severely bad day if one of those dangly bits got into a spoke...
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The two options, suggestesd by Dane and Ken both look like they would work,
with different trade-offs. The first supports the load from the rear axle
and two points on the seat stays--so the load capacity is much higher than
the other. The thing to realize is that this increases the unsprung weight
of the rear wheel a LOT if it is fully loaded. This could defeat some of
the advantages of the rear suspension.

The other one, supported entirely by the seatpost is much simpler to put on
and off, and, of course, has much less load capacity. It does, however,
preserve the full benefit of the rear suspension--it may even increase it by
placing an inertia directly over the wheel. The bows which extend downward
on the sides of either rack hold the panniers out of the spokes--just be
sure you don't overlook any loose ends.

If you put anything delicate, like a camera, in the rack pack, it will be
shaken much more by the axle-mounted rack.

 

[Ken]

"C.J.Patten" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Ken" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>>
>
>
>> Well here is another solution:
>> http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?...rand=&sku=1665&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=
>>
>> It only supports 25 pounds, but if you are only commuting on this bike it
>> maybe okay, I don't know what you are planning on carrying.
>
>
> Thanks Ken! I have a rack that's *similar* to that one minus the side
> pieces.
>
> What's your thought on spoke interference?
> It would be a severely bad day if one of those dangly bits got into a
> spoke...
>
> Chris
>

Well THAT would be a BAD day! Somehow I think the folks at Delta probably
thought of that too, and it's my opinion that those funny little side pieces
are probably stiff enough to handle the weight, remember that this rack only
supports 25 pounds, so if you had it loaded evenly the most each side would
be supporting would be 12.5 pounds. And thats not much.

Ken

 

[Dane Jackson]

C.J.Patten <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> "Dane Jackson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>> I'm not sure if they have what you want, but Old Man Mountain is
>> probably your best bet.
>>
>> http://www.oldmanmountain.com/rear_rack_page.htm
>
>
> Thank you Dane! I hadn't seen that page and they appear to have some
> promising options.

No problem. I don't have any MTB's, but whenever this question comes
up, that seems to be the link all the tourer/MTB'ers point to.

--
Dane Jackson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g
There's no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government
working for you. -- Will Rogers

 

[C.J.Patten]

"Ken" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> Well THAT would be a BAD day! Somehow I think the folks at Delta probably
> thought of that too, and it's my opinion that those funny little side
> pieces are probably stiff enough to handle the weight, remember that this
> rack only supports 25 pounds, so if you had it loaded evenly the most each
> side would be supporting would be 12.5 pounds. And thats not much.

I'm trying to think *what* I'd carry and it likely doesn't add up to 25lbs.

My HEAVY tent (the huge HammerHead3) is 8lbs.
Camera gear under 3lbs (with a small hard shell case)...
ThermaRest maybe 1lb (ProLite3 short)...

....that's about 12 there so let's we've got 13 left -sleeping bag (what's
that worth? 3lbs?) so there's 10lbs for food, water etc.

Reasonable? (probably end up with a lighter tent before long)

_________

I found out what rack I have - it's an Axiom-Journey:
http://www.axiomgear.com/racks_seatpost/journey_seatpost.php

I saw identical racks WITH the extra dangley bits while at MEC today:
http://www.axiomgear.com/racks_suspension/odyssee_rear_suspension.php

I should have waited to buy the rack until I knew what options I had.
I probably didn't explain my needs well enough to the shop - or they were
just selling what they had on hand. (and they're an 8 hour drive away)

_________

Your point about the suspension is well made. I wouldn't have thought of
that. By anchoring the rack to the seat post, the contents enjoy the same
cushioned ride as my toosh. That's worth considering if I want to carry
electronic gear.

Thanks again for the advice.

Chris

 

[mark]

Rivendell (www.rivendellbicycles.com ) of Walnut Creek, CA and Carradice of
Nelson, England both offer very nice canvas seat bags. The Rivendell Hoss
and the Carradice Camper are both touted as being big enough to hold camping
gear, although the tent you've referred to might be difficult to fit in with
your other gear. Seat bags are nice because they keep the load close to the
center of the bike, instead of hanging out over or behind the rear axle. You
would need either a saddle with seat bag loops in back or an adaptor to hang
the bag from.
--
mark

 

[C.J.Patten]

"mark" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> Rivendell (www.rivendellbicycles.com ) of Walnut Creek, CA and Carradice
> of
> Nelson, England both offer very nice canvas seat bags. The Rivendell Hoss
> and the Carradice Camper are both touted as being big enough to hold
> camping
> gear, although the tent you've referred to might be difficult to fit in
> with
> your other gear. Seat bags are nice because they keep the load close to
> the
> center of the bike, instead of hanging out over or behind the rear axle.
> You
> would need either a saddle with seat bag loops in back or an adaptor to
> hang
> the bag from.

Excellent link! Also found http://www.rivbike.com/webalog/baggage_racks/
linked from there.

I'm leaning toward a smaller tent, using side panniers or something like
Rivendell's "other" options (Burrito bag, handlebar bag) and putting the big
tent on top of the rear rack aligned front to back.

VERY cool storage options at Rivendell.

Thanks!
Chris

 

[mark]

"C.J.Patten" wrote
> Excellent link! Also found http://www.rivbike.com/webalog/baggage_racks/
> linked from there.
>
> I'm leaning toward a smaller tent, using side panniers or something like
> Rivendell's "other" options (Burrito bag, handlebar bag) and putting the
big
> tent on top of the rear rack aligned front to back.
>
> VERY cool storage options at Rivendell.
>
> Thanks!
> Chris
>
>
Glad you like the Rivendell link, I've learned a fair bit from them in the
last few years. Their bags and their bikes are beautifully made, BTW.
--
mark

 

[C.J.Patten]

"mark" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> Glad you like the Rivendell link, I've learned a fair bit from them in the


No kidding! I'm tempted to buy their lugged stem just for the looks!
http://www.rivbike.com/html/parts_luggedstem.html

I'll keep them in my bookmarks - classy gear.

Chris

 

[Mark Hickey]

"Ken" <[email protected]> wrote:

>"C.J.Patten" <[email protected]> wrote

>> What's your thought on spoke interference?
>> It would be a severely bad day if one of those dangly bits got into a
>> spoke...
>
>Well THAT would be a BAD day! Somehow I think the folks at Delta probably
>thought of that too, and it's my opinion that those funny little side pieces
>are probably stiff enough to handle the weight, remember that this rack only
>supports 25 pounds, so if you had it loaded evenly the most each side would
>be supporting would be 12.5 pounds. And thats not much.

I've been riding the Delta rack with panniers for a couple years now,
and it's been more than adequate. I never load it with more than
10-15 pounds, but it's been absolutely solid, and I've never had a
problem with it slipping from side to side, even though I do a
significant amount of riding in gravel and rough dirt paths. I
suspect if it DID move, it would do so in small increments, and the
"tinging" you'd hear as the rack made the initial contact would alert
you before things got ugly.

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame

 

[C.J.Patten]

"Mark Hickey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

>
> I've been riding the Delta rack with panniers for a couple years now,
> and it's been more than adequate. I never load it with more than
> 10-15 pounds, but it's been absolutely solid, and I've never had a
> problem with it slipping from side to side, even though I do a
> significant amount of riding in gravel and rough dirt paths. I
> suspect if it DID move, it would do so in small increments, and the
> "tinging" you'd hear as the rack made the initial contact would alert
> you before things got ugly.
>
> Mark Hickey - http://www.habcycles.com

That's great to know Mark - thanks. I feel more comfortable having this type
of rack on my bike now.

(FYI: I had an AeroDisc on my old bike so 'spokes' weren't an issue... it's
taking some getting used to having a very effective food processor spinning
under my butt now...

C.

 

[C.J.Patten]

Well, I couldn't resist posting a bit of bike p0rn. Here's some photos of my
baby.
http://www.ncf.ca/~af895/bike/KHS.html

As you can see, with the current Axiom rack, there aren't any rails on the
side. I just noticed it sits rather high compared to some of the other
models like the Topeak V-type rack:
http://www.topeak.com/products/Topeak-RXBeamRackwDualsideframe.html

This may sound ridiculous, but I supposed I could go with an even higher
rack (Topeak QR Beam Rack MTX "A-type") and the panniers would be so far
away from the wheel as not to need the side supports... (they'd be
practically at seat level) Perhaps that's just dumb though... CofG would be
nutty.

I think this is going to take a few more trips to the LBS & MEC...

Thanks for all the advice - if you have any more, it's always appreciated.

Chris