Touring - Front Rack Recommendation Needed

I drive a Trek Pilot, a bike that has turned out to be quite flexible. The front fork is carbon, but it does have bolt eyelets down at the bottom. Having a hard time picking a front rack - my LBS doesn't carry any. I see all kinds of strange designs from various vendors. Any suggestions?

Much thanks.

I could be wrong, but I'm betting on a carbon fork those eyelets are for fenders rather than a rack. I'm sure someone else will chime in here, but I seem to recall someone saying using racks with any kind of weight on a carbon fork was questionable. As I said, I could be completely wrong.

Hmm...that sounds important to know: Whether carbon forks can support any kind of front rack load. I am not looking to put very much on the front as I am only thinking of two to three day tours or so. The eyelets are on the bottom, and the back side of the fork. Those are for fenders? Trying to avoid buying another bike, as much as i would really LIKE to have a touring bike.

I think you are right to be concerned... However this is nashbar's description of at least one of their forks...

"Smooth out the ride or add a front disk to your favorite touring or cyclocross bike. Large diameter blades and aluminum crown provide ridgidity needed for hard braking and rough terrain, while the carbon soaks up the vibrations. 300mm alloy steer tube. Specify Size 1” or 1 1/8”"

On the other hand they don't have midfork mount holes as far as I can see from the picture.

As to the original question. Lowriders are quite popular, they mount low on the front wheel so there isn't any platform above the wheel. There are three possible mounting optins:

1) mid fork threaded inserts
2) On canti bosses if provided. If you have these Old man of the Mountain has racks.
3) by means of clamps that might damage you canti tubes.

If none of those options are available you would need a custom approach.

A rack option that might fit on your bike if it doesn't have any of the above three is this one. Not the best but passable for small bags. It mounts on the crown brake hole and the eyelets. Examine the design and note whether it would have clearance at the eyelets, or if the fork is in the way.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile_moreimages.cfm?category=112&subcategory=1079&sku=15215&brand=

There is nothing mid fork, and at this point, clamping to the fork is something I think I ought to avoid. The Bor Yueh rack looks promising. Need to scrutinize the design while standing next to my bike tonight. Trek put long reach caliper breaks on this bike, which has allowed me to put wider/larger 700 tires on it. I ride a 225 mile crushed limestone trail (Katy Trail, MO) once or twice a year and the ability to change tires to suit the trail has been awesome. Sure thought such a bike design would allow for a front fork..but maybe not. All this advice is good, so thank you.

Consider the Caradice Limpet rack/pannier combination. It uses the front skewer to support rack and bag with only velcro straps on the fork to stabilize.

http://www.wallbike.com/carradice/limpet.html

Nice option there.

In general the lower eyelet is the one that one mounts racks on, and one ends up attaching the fender there also. A lot is made of the fact that touring bikes often have double eyelets on the front dropout, however use is mainly made of the lower one only. Mid blade eyelet is usefull, but if you don't have on you can half hitch a cord tot he fork and secure it to the rack, and a rack panier designed to do that sounds even better.

I use a Vetta front rack, which is exactly like the Bor Yueh Front Rack from Nashbar. I love it! I hang a 12-volt 4.2 AH SLA battery in a bag for a real headlight on one side and a small soft side cooler on the other. What I really like is the ability to put a small plastic basket sold in Big Lots for $1 on top. Two ball bungee cords hold it down and in the basket goes handy items like a small transistor radio strapped to the inside so I can listen as I ride and adjust as needed, a small towel for wiping my face, snacks/energy bars, and a mesh net that covers my head and helmet if bugs start swarming so as to keep them out of my eyes, nose, and mouth. All of it easily accessible while riding. The mounting strap at the top is somewhat flexible so it should flex with the fork. I would keep an eye out for cracking of that strap if the carbon fork flexes an excessive amount. My fork is Chrome molly and has 4 eyelets. I have the fender brace mounted to the bottom eyelets and the rack mounted to the upper eyelets. The rack came with extra length bolts and two spacers so as to allow clearance of the rack support rods for the fork arms when the lower fender eyelets are used. I like my Vetta rack so much I am considering purchasing the Bor Yueh rack Front Rack for use on another bike.

A rack option that might fit on your bike if it doesn't have any of the above three is this one. Not the best but passable for small bags. It mounts on the crown brake hole and the eyelets. Examine the design and note whether it would have clearance at the eyelets, or if the fork is in the way.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile_moreimages.cfm?category=112&subcategory=1079&sku=15215&brand=



There is nothing mid fork, and at this point, clamping to the fork is something I think I ought to avoid. The Bor Yueh rack looks promising. Need to scrutinize the design while standing next to my bike tonight. Trek put long reach caliper breaks on this bike, which has allowed me to put wider/larger 700 tires on it.


I'm in the same spot. I have a Specialized Sequoia Elite. Carbon fork, long reach calipers, one set of eyelets on the dropouts only. Like you I really, REALLY don't want to clamp around the forks, I'd sooner buy a new fork than do that. This Bor Yueh rack seems like it'll do the job, the weight will be supported by the dropouts and the steadying brace at the top will bolt to the aluminum crown thingy of the fork. I'm not planning on having that much weight up there...and I really like the idea of the platform on top.

I'll let you know my impressions of it when I get it (hopefully this week) but I probably won't put it on for a while, since I won't be touring in the near future :(

I wouldn't even consider mounting a front rack on a carbon fork, and I don't think you need to. A few rack manufactures, Old Man Mountain is one, makes a front rack that mounts on the QR. Most of these are for MTN Bikes so you may have problems with the upper attachment which in these racks is usually to the brake boses. But check them out. That bottom eyelet on your CF fork is definitely for a fender.