Touring - Attaching my rear rack...problems

I'm trying to attach my rear rack to my bike...am I supposed to be doing this just using my bare hands and some allen keys (think they're known as hex keys to some)? Should my rack be bent into place to fit my frame? When I'm screwin it into the eyelets at the top of my seatstays near the seatpost, they seem to be screwing in at odd angles to the frame. Hope I haven't done too much damage. Help.

Not sure if this should go in bicycle mechanics or here...thanks for any help

A year ago I attached the rear rack to my bike by myself. After two or three hours of body contortions, screw-stripping, tool-dropping, and paint gouging, I actually managed to get it in place. Halleluiah! The task was complicated because my bike uses side-pull brakes, which are asymmetrical, which meant that I had to precisely impart a three-dimensional twist to one of the two metal strips that connect the rack to the rear eyelet. I used a vice grip in one hand, and needle-nose pliers in the other. I swore a lot. I got frustrated. It is a miracle I succeeded.

Of course, after all my effort, the rear rack was not correctly positioned for me. An experienced mechanic would probably have spotted the problem immediately, but it took me almost a year to figure it out.

I also went to battle attaching my new fenders. After two or three hours, I conceded defeat. The fenders had won. I took my bike and a bag full of tiny parts to a bike mechanic, and five or ten minutes later, the job was done — and done right!

There is no shame going to a skilled mechanic. As much as I would like to be able to do all bicycle maintenance tasks myself, the reality is that I cannot. Hooray for all mechanically-gifted people who work in bicycle stores!

haha, I think you're right. Lesson learnt! off goes the rack, and down I go to the lbs. cheers!

yes, with your bare hands and with allen keys.

I had the same problem a while back. I stripped the thread of a eye accidently because the screw was not well positioned. normally, a screw should go in easily with your fingers and then you tighten it up with keys. so what i have to do now (yes, haven´t done it yet), is to get a new thread drilled by some mechanic because i have no experience on that.

as to the rack, i also bent my rack to fit it to the frame. not all racks are made to fit to every kind of frame. i was told it was an old tradition to bend the rack.

this is what you have to do with most racks
http://home.nycap.rr.com/richboat/rack.jpg
dropout^

velonomad- great diagram. sometimes, what is intuitive to some is unimaginable by others.

You should see the constructions we had to do when I worked in an LBS to mount racks... no two bikes are the same but most rack dimensions are. Small MTBs (like 14" ladies frames were the worst...).

We had a rule about throwing all extra rack/reflector hardware into a box because you would frequently have to frankenstein a rack mount out of those bits.