Originally Posted by slowandsteady
Rack and pannier idiot here. I have two bikes(new Fuji Road and a Trek MTB) and I would like to get my MTB to be more of a utility/commuter. It really needs some racks or panniers or something. It is a 1993ish Trek 830 hardtail MTB. What do the fittings look like for a rear or front rack? Can someone explain or post a pic?
Does anybody have a Trek 830 that has panniers and racks?
I have one at my parents' home with panniers.. I believe it's a 1992. Here's how it works: if you look at the dropouts (the things that hold the rear wheel axle), you'll see that they have "ears" with threaded holes in them. Those are what are called the eyelets. Then if you look on the seatstays below the saddle, there are two little round things with threaded holes. Those are also eyelets. The eyelets on the dropouts support the weight, and the eyelets on the seat stays support it. (Actually, if your bike lacks the seat stay eyelets, it's not a problem at all!)
With a front rack it's similar: there should be a pair of threaded holes on the "ears" of the fork ends, and another pair of threaded holes on the SIDES of the fork blades (my 830 has them, but many bikes do not).
By the way, Nashbar has some really good deals on rear racks, including a nice one that holds 40 lbs and has a rear light mounting bracket for about $18.
Here's a photo of my touring bike (which is naturally well-equipped for racks), with red arrows pointing to the rack mounting points:
