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Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,206
Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
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Hotel tours (I call that credit card touring) can be done quite well with some of the larger rack top bags that have zip-out small pannier like bags that hang on the sides of the rack. For that you want a rack that has a fairly wide platform. For the light weight for such touring, a cheap rack will probably do quite well.
For loaded touring, I am sold on the racks that mount the panniers slightly lower. I used a Tubus Logo EVO for a two week trip this past July and I am sold on that rack, but that rack has a very narrow platform that would not work well with a racktop bag.
Bottom line - I think you should buy what you need for credit card touring and later buy what you need when you start carrying camping gear. There are some racks that can carry a lot of weight like the Surly Nice rear rack that also has a wide platform, so if you really want to make sure that your one rack will serve all needs, then look for a rack like that.
Since a one night motel stay will cost almost as much as a really good rack, maybe plan on one less night in a motel and use the savings to buy some better gear? For around town, I use a different rack than I use for loaded touring.
Last edited by Tourist in MSN; 10-30-12 at 10:19 AM.