Touring - Question for Jandd Extreme owners

I recently mounted a Jandd Extreme front rack on my 1984 Specialized Expedition and with a little bending of the bottom rods, got it nice and level but it seems a bit flexible from side to side if you grab the top of the rack.
Since I got it so I can add more weight in front and minimize some shimmy issues I've had in the past, I'm wondering if anyone has noticed any side play on theirs and if it causes any problems. I have a fender and the rack plate is about an inch above my tire.

I'm considering using an old rear rack center brake mounting bracket to stiffen it. I would drill a couple holes in the rack top plate to mount the bracket and attach it to the fork through the crown fender mounting hole.

Just wondering if anyone else has tried to stiffen their setup or if I'm being needlessly concerned. We've had a bad spring with snow last weekend so I haven't had a chance to load it up and try it.
Thanks for any input.

I used the hose clamps that came with mine and it is super solid. Maybe you can use those if you have not, or tighten the crap out of them if you did. Maybe you mounted the upper bolts too low ?

Give us a pic...

I received the same rack last week. I also did the same modification. Take a look here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/9320902@N04/2416671789/in/photostream/).

Mine was not moveable at all (France-Vietnam).

Rather than bending the bottom rods, consider using spacers perhaps?

EDIT: Ah, reread your post. You bent the rods to level the rack-spacers wouldn't help then!

Interesting.... I have just ordered the same rack to put on my '83 Expedition and was wondering how well it would fit. I'm curious as to how you went about bending the lower rods? Did you mount it and then use the leverage of the rack to bend them until the rack was level?

On my surly lht, my problem was mainly the rack being too wide. After spending a deal of time and a little bit of bending the rack is pretty firm in place for me. I had to find some longer screws to use instead of the screws given.

The top part is a little bit flexible, however, the few times I had my panniers on there hasn't been any issue (the panniers were lightly loaded though).

I don't mean to completely hijack the thread, but i have another question for owners of the aforementioned rack... or anybody really...

I noticed that the jandd extreme lowrider position isn't quite as low as a normal lowrider. Does this make much of a difference in practice as far as stability and handling? Also, with all this talk about the wobbly-ness of this rack, do you think any similarly priced lowrider racks would be more secure and stable? I think i would be perfectly happy with a simple lowrider, but i figured i might as well throw in for the top shelf thing if there aren't any disadvantages in having it. Oh and one more thing, how much work would it take to strip the powdercoating from any of these racks??

Also, if i can find a rack made in the US, i'll probably buy it regardless of the style. Does anybody know of companies that actually manufacture their racks here? I asked Old man mountain and they told me that only their cold springs rack was made here. I also really don't like buying new things, and front racks don't appear on ebay very often, so if anybody has any they'd like to sell or trade let me know.

Whatever it is i end up buying, it will be fitted onto a centurion elite gt of a similar vintage as the specialized. 1984 i think. I'm interested in hearing if and how your guys' wobbly-ness actually makes any difference once the rack is up and loaded.

The Jandd extreme lowrider position is a little bit higher than normal low riders, but IMO doesn't change handling provided that your load is balanced. I like the higher position anyways, for larger bags.

Again, it shouldn't be wobbly-least it wasn't for me for a full year tour (vy heavy loaded).

The #1 benefit to the Jandd is the top platform. If you don't plan on carrying gear on the top platform, then go with a regular front rack. You'll likely save a pound, or more (the Jandd is heavy).

Interesting.... I have just ordered the same rack to put on my '83 Expedition and was wondering how well it would fit. I'm curious as to how you went about bending the lower rods? Did you mount it and then use the leverage of the rack to bend them until the rack was level?

Endovrend
Since it was sloping down toward the back of the rack I bent the lower rods down and forward about 3/4 inch to get it to level out. I took the rack off and had it standing on the floor with the lower welds supported by the floor. I slid a piece of copper tubing about 10" long over the rod and just pulled it forward. It actually moves pretty easily so go easy at first. The paint finish will flake off so you will probably need to touch it up if you have a black rack.

I also bought a couple of 3/4 inch nylon bushings at the hardware store and cut a little off, to fill the space you'll have between the rack and your mid fork eyelets.

xiaodidi - Since I have mid fork eyelets I bolted the rack directly and avoided clamps but I guess another option for me would be to use a pair of clamps higher on the fork for stability - thanks for the idea.

I used the Jandd Extreme for my tour of Alaska and it was solid. It sounds like mine sits even higher on my Rocky Mountain Sherpa, compared to your Specialized. You can see it in the photo HERE. (http://www.pbase.com/canyonlands/image/79929970)

The Extreme was very handy to have on tour but it wasn't a direct fit for my Thorn Nomad (Thorn frames can have any number of rack mounting variables so YMMV) or the Novara Safari. The ability to fit this rack was the deciding factor for going to Alaska with the RMB Sherpa. I really needed the rack's top platform for our ride across the Denali Highway.

In response to timmreck's question regarding stability: I've had zero trouble with the rack on my Sherpa and my front expedition panniers carry the bulk of my pack weight. That said, I don't put anything really heavy up top and aways try to keep the weight concentrated low and toward the center.

I've been following this thread with interest because I was getting ready to put Jandd racks on a vintage 26 inch wheeled Bridgestone that I've just built up. I know Jandd racks are among the beefiest of the aluminum racks and they seem to enjoy a very good reputation. Does their installation often require some creative customizing? I was also hoping that the Jandd front rack would be rock solid and without flex.

On my '83 Expedition I went with the Surly racks. They are chromoly, pretty heavy, but are extremely solid. When loaded they do not flex at all. I'm a convert to front racks with a shelf as, for me, they eliminate the handlebar bag. Here are some pics of how I have my Expedition set up. (http://www.daystarbotanicals.com/bicycles/expedition/index.html) It makes a great touring rig. I had hoped to set the Bridgestone up the same way, except using the Jandd racks.

BTW, the Surly racks seem to be running about $135.00 now a days (I paid $90.00 a couple years ago), but HERE (http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-ULTIMATE-BIKE-BICYCLE-TOURING-ATB-FRONT-RACK-NICE_W0QQitemZ380016924418QQihZ025QQcategoryZ62131QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) is a Surly knock-off that I've been considering--for $95.00. Still a lot more than the Jandd, but they are chromoly.

Safe journeys,

Works great on my Nomad: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2250/2313986143_8f3e42d05b.jpg?v=0

Good rack design and good idea to increase stability. I am surprised that it is not part of the original design.
I would use a flat stainless steel rack connector that LBS sell to connect rear racks to oddly located rack bosses. Attached as you described to the front brake mount bolt at the top of the fork and to the platform with a couple of stainless steel button head screws and nylon lock nuts from home depot. Similar to how the old blackburn front rack attached if I'm not mistaken

This web site explains how a user over came the issue I think you were encountering with the lower attachments without bending aluminium.

http://www.phred.org/~alex/bikes/janddrack.html

He fabricated a simple peice to move the upper attachment point. Very clever.

http://www.phred.org/~alex/pictures/bikes/jandd-triangle.jpg

Zebede:

Thanks for that mounting plate idea. That seems like a good solution and not too hard to do with rudimentary tools and my limited skills. I think I will try that.

One thing I am now noticing is that the Jandd Extreme seems to mount up about an inch or two further forward than the old Blackburn Lowrider that I have..... I guess this will be putting the weight further forward relative to the steering axis.... Frankly this seems like a bad idea, handling-wise..... Any comments?

By the way, the real reason I want to have the front shelf is so I can mount a wire basket with bungee netting there. Like the smaller version of this: http://www.rivbike.com/products/list/bags_and_racks?page=2#product=20-102 I have a similar set up on my town bike and I'll tell you what.... once you try this you cannot live without it..... In many ways it is better than a handlebar bag. I am surprised that you don't see more people using them.....

As I see it advantages include:

1. The weight is lower than a handlebar bag. (You could still have a small bar bag with it).
2. You can dry out stuff there under the bungee netting.... think wet swimming suit, flyfishing waders, towels, wet rain jacket, sweaty shirt after a long climb, etc.
3. Perfect for "temporary overflow" conditions like when you buy a bunch of food / beer at the end of the day and are just riding to your campsite to consume it all...... After it is gone, the basket, when empty, is a lot more aerodynamic than a handlebar bag.
4. Provides an excellent in-camp dish drying rack!
5. You can have a portable evaporative cooler.... wrap your foodstuffs in a towel that you occasionally drip water onto.
6. Gives you that *authentic* bike hobo look which we all want to have .....:D

Remember to use some oversized washers with the Jandd because it is aluminum. Especially if going on a rough tour. Note the bolt pics in #13 above-could rip under stress.

-ooh and nifty idea about the bungee basket!

Here is a pic of how mine worked out mounted. If I use the bracket to add stability I'll post another pic.

OK, here's another question for you Jandd Extreme (or similar) owners:

Have you ever tried to put your bike (with rack) on a bus with this type of bus rack?

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.muni.org/iceimages/transit1/bike2.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.muni.org/transit1/bike_attach.cfm&h=319&w=450&sz=69&hl=en&start=3&um=1&tbnid=0pasfNoB5_FCGM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3DBus%2BBike%2Bracks%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN

Will the "loop" still fit up and over your rack (panniers removed, of course?)

On my surly lht, my problem was mainly the rack being too wide. After spending a deal of time and a little bit of bending the rack is pretty firm in place for me. I had to find some longer screws to use instead of the screws given.

The top part is a little bit flexible, however, the few times I had my panniers on there hasn't been any issue (the panniers were lightly loaded though).

I also have a Surly LHT and installed a Jandd Extreme. It was also too wide for the fork. However, I also have a Tubus front rack. (I bought the Extreme afterward because I wanted to try a front rack with a platform and Jandd had a 20%-off sale.) The spacers that came with the Tubus worked perfect on the Jandd. I even used the bolts that came with the Tubus - much better than those on the Jandd. If I was someone without a Tubus to steal from, I'd buy some stainless steel bolts from the hardware store - longer than those that came with the Jandd and with a more sensible Allen bolt socket - the ones on Jandd's bolts are smaller than the smallest wrench on my multi-tool. Then I'd make my own spacers. Get some tubing just big enough to fit over the bolts and cut to length. Providing you could find suitable tubing the rest would be easy.

Once installed with the Tubus spacers and bolts, the Jandd seems quite stable. I have yet to take it on tour.

One other problem related to the Extreme front rack. I have a dual stem setup to lower my handlebar bag - mostly to provide clearance for my cyclocross brake levers. However, that makes it low enough to limit the size of stuff I can carry on the Extreme's platform. I'm going to have to monkey with the angle of the handlebar bag to get a good compromise between crowding the brake levers and crowding anything I might carry on the rack's platform.

Ah, tinkering to get the perfect rig is a neverending task. But it's fun.

How easy is it to remove the front wheel to fix a flat with that rack mounted?

Reason I ask is that my current front rack (an old Agusport) is so narrow that I must force it apart about an inch more than normal to get the wheel out.

I can take my front wheel off no problem with the jandd rank mounted (on my long haul trucker for any clarification).

I've got the Jandd Expedition front rack. There's no sway in mine at all.

Perhaps mounting directly to mid-fork eyelets helps. The stays are up against the forks in couple of places that way. The stiffness of the forks can enhance the stiffness of the rack stays, possibly.

With this thought in mind, anyway, I didn't try to level the top shelf by moving the rear rack stays forward of the forks. So, the shelf tilts slightly upward. That fact has never caused a problem, though.

The rack was a bit wide for my LHT front forks, as many of you have noticed with your racks, too. I didn't use any spacers other than two thin metal washers, though. I just pushed the rack stays in against the forks when I bolted the rack on through the mid-fork eyelets.

This way bends the rack stays inward slightly, true. However, the rack stays are much closer to the mid-fork eyelets that way. This arrangement makes for less leverage against the bolts that run through the fork eyelets. (With the end of the bolt farther away from the eyelet hole, there is more leverage downward on the bolt from the loaded rack.) There will be less chance of the bolts coming loose over time, or of stripping the threads inside the fork.

I've thought about replacing the rack with a heavier steel rack over the years. I've never been able to justify that, though. The Expedition works too well. So, the rack has been passed from one bike to the next.

The top shelf is very convenient. It's a large part of why I bought the rack. It's not just the additional storage space. The solid shelf makes for an even longer front fender. The shelf also greatly enhances the stiffness of the rack.

I've even mounted my front lights to the shelf, too. I used a long metric bolt (with several nuts and washers as spacers) to attach the bar part of a handlebar extender to the top of the the shelf. I used one of the holes that's in the shelf for a reflector bracket. So, the shelf permits a couple of lights up front, without using any handlebar space. The light mounts on the shelf are a lot more stable than those on outward hanging handlebar extensions would be, too.

There is one problem I've had with the rack. Recently, I got new wheels for my LHT, with wider Mavic mtb rims. To clear the wider rims, my V-brakes had to be set wider on the frame. The top stays of the Expedition rack meet the rear stays and form a corner in the rear of the rack, as you can see from pictures above. After I adjusted the brake, the brake arms could no longer clear the top stays of the rack back by this corner.

I had to bend the rear corners of the rack outward to clear the brake arms. I wondered how this would turn out, but, surprisingly, it doesn't look nasty. The black of the rack somehow makes the outward sweep of the bent corners invisible to casual inspection. With the panniers on the bike, I don't even notice.

Be warned, though. With V-brakes and wider rims (as on some 26", 36- spoke wheels), the unaltered Expedition might not clear your brake arms.

I had to use rubber spaces to take up some of the gap at the mid fork attachment point. I do not get any sway at all. You should be able to get spaces at your LBS the one I went to gave them to me for free since I bought the rack from them.