Touring - Anybody ever used a seatpost-mounted rack?

I'm looking to do a bit of a credit card tour, carrying MAYBE 15 lbs or so on a rack and was wondering if anyone has any feedback on whether a seatpost mounted rack will work for that? Any suggestions for what to look out for, what to avoid, etc... OR, is it just a really bad idea?

thanks,

Scott

Further to this question...

Can a seatpost-mounted rack be used with a carbon seatpost?

Further to this question...

Can a seatpost-mounted rack be used with a carbon seatpost?

I've seen it said that it's a bad* idea. Can't recall where, though. Maybe the commuting forum...


*potentially catastrophic

I've always heard not to mix carbon and seatpost racks.

I never used one but I suppose you could use a seatpost rack if you keep your load under 15lb. If you have eyelets though, a cheap alu rack should be lighter and stronger.

A friend used a seat-post mounted rack on a short trip we did last summer. They can't hold a lot of weight; she had to supplement with a messenger bag (the deluxe Reload), even though she was sleeping under a tarp and used the bike as "poles". In addition to the lack of structural support, you also miss out on piling things on the bit between the bags, if need-be.

Performance-wise, the rack moved on the seat post, becoming unaligned with the back wheel. I don't think the bags ever rubbed the wheel, but, then again, she stopped and adjusted before that happened. My friend isn't a whimp; they simply move no matter how tight you tighten them.

Were you serious about the carbon seatpost?

Ok, I bit. I heard the story of someone who did a track start on a road bike that happened to have a carbon seatpost (she forgot about the carbon seatpost) and almost ended up with a episiotomy. They ended up walking 12 miles back to the car. Just think what a little jostling from a couple pot-holes will do, when riding with loaded panniers hanging on a seat-post mounted rack.

I rode from seattle to SF with a seat post rack. it worked just fine. I don't have a carbon seatpost but I had to tighten it to the seatpost so hard I was almost certain it was going to bust. I carried only 20 to 10 lbs on it depending on how much food I had. But that forced me to go very minimal with small panniers, but that's what I love.

I'm looking to do a bit of a credit card tour, carrying MAYBE 15 lbs or so on a rack and was wondering if anyone has any feedback on whether a seatpost mounted rack will work for that? Any suggestions for what to look out for, what to avoid, etc... OR, is it just a really bad idea?

thanks,

Scott

I cycled with a Croacian Woman along the Camino Santiago who had all of her kit in a backpack bungeed to a seatpost rack. It seemed to work fine for her, although her center of gravity was a bit high. This caused problems for her at speed on descents.

So, my short answer: no it's not a bad idea.

I regularly go on rides with a seatpost rack and about 10-15 lbs of gear. Seems to be pretty stable to me, no problems, i wouldn't want to put too much weight on it though, not worth the risk.

I did 500 k last summer with a seatpost rack and had no problem...and I had it quite loaded (~30 lbs)...mine is rated for up to 40 i think. Just be sure to reallly tighten it on there.

I've never toured with a seatpost rack, and wouldn't, because I'd carry way more stuff than it can handle (your results may vary because you want to do credit card touring, which requires less stuff).

I've used it a lot for commuting, hauling stuff around town, and am happy with my seatpost racks for that purpose. They are easy to remove & install. I haven't had too many problems with the post shifting itself off center, like others who have posted here.

Also, I've been using them attached to a carbon seatpost with no issues whatsoever. But I don't keep it on there all the time--just when I'm hauling stuff around.

Rich