Touring - Is this feasible

hey hows it goin everyone.. well i got the itch to wanna try touring around the state and was wondering if my bike could work for this. Its my commuter bike(Only one i own) GT Peace 29r steel bike. only issues i see is the fact that there are no attach points so i have to use a seat post rack. let me know what ya'll think thanks
http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn297/LiftedSport/102_2134.jpg

An "Old Man Mountain rack would be better, stronger - and would attach via the rear axle and hose clamps on the seat stays. See here if you want: http://www.oldmanmountain.com/Pages/RackPages/RearRacks.html

hmm i tried to search and couldnt find anything on this but has anyone ever thought of touring with a backpackers bag

Bad idea. You'll have spinal damage within the first three days. You can't find anything on it because it doesn't work well. Panniers were invented for many reasons. Including reducing back sweat.

Bad idea. You'll have spinal damage within the first three days. You can't find anything on it because it doesn't work well. Panniers were invented for many reasons. Including reducing back sweat.

I think that it's an exaggeration to say that you will damage your spine within three days. And I agree that it's a bad idea. I know a homeless guy, based out of San Francisco, who has cycled thousands of miles around the west coast wearing a heavy backpack. Most would find it VERY uncomfortable. An upright riding position and a rear rack where much of the backpack weight can sit would improve your comfort.

OMM racks are the way to go on your bike.

I think that it's an exaggeration to say that you will damage your spine within three days. And I agree that it's a bad idea. I know a homeless guy, based out of San Francisco, who has cycled thousands of miles around the west coast wearing a heavy backpack. Most would find it VERY uncomfortable. An upright riding position and a rear rack where much of the backpack weight can sit would improve your comfort.

OMM racks are the way to go on your bike.

+1 on the rack points. With finagling you might get a cro mo rack to work too. But I'm not sure that I'd extrapolate homeless guy behavior as reasonable touring practice. Priorities are different.

I think the seatpost rack combination would leave you a little space and weight constrained. In addition to OMM racks you might consider using a trailer. Trailers aren't everyone's cup of tea, but they do give you another option.

Speedo

Under even a light self-supported touring load, that seatpost rack will probably break. I agree with what everyone else is saying. The Old Man Mountain racks work great for these situations. I have a friend who uses one, and he loves it. He's done a short tour on it as well, and it held up really well.

I think the Old Man Mountain racks should work, but if not you should be able to MacGuyver something. I wouldn't put all that weight on a seatpost rack. I'd also recommend putting at least half of the weight in front. Old Man Mountain definitely has a rack that would work. With that setup you should have a great touring machine!

well thank yall for your help.. just wondering has anyone ever heard of someone welding a custom rack to the frame? because seriously for about 210 which is how much that rack would run me i wonder how much someone would charge to make one and weld it to my frame front and rear.

why $210? Get a front OMM sherpa for $110 and put the panniers on that. For the rear experiment with different configurations of gear strapped under the seat OR search around for a cheap Sunlite rear rack for around $35 with the adjustable struts, using rubber coated stainless clamps and possibly cutting the adjustable strut short you could mount the rack on the seat stays above the disk brake. heck if you wanted to go totally cheap skip the front rack and strap as much as you can under the handlebars and stack everything else on top of the cheap rack.



this is the one, not sure if it's still made but the thought is that the higher mount on the seat stays would require a shorter rack strut allowing for a mount that would not use panniers but pile stuff bags on the rack underneath your seat. I used a couple of these on 20" wheeled folding bikes and they are plenty sturdy.


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0014GI8SU/ref=asc_df_B0014GI8SU973513?smid=A2TE9IQP68MWQU&tag=shopzilla_mp_1221-20&linkCode=asn&creative=380341&creativeASIN=B0014GI8SU

I cut the adjustable slug off at the bottom and drilled through it at i's set screw for the mounting onto the frame. I'm guessing this would bring the rack way forward under the seat so you couldn't use panniers but honestly there are better ways to balance the load on your mtn bike than piling stuff behind the rear wheel. For touring I'd rather put stuff on top of the rear rack and spread the load forward than pile everything on the rear. Maybe consider a full frame pack and find other places to secure waterbottles.

this looks better, with a slew of ss straps you can attach nearly anything anywhere securely

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013G4M2C?&tag=shopwiki-us-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325

For a cheaper option you could try to attach a standard rack to your frame by using a Problem Solvers seat clamp with rack braze-ons and P-clips. My friend toured with me using a seat post rack, after 135 miles there was a 20 degree bend in his seat post.

For a cheaper option you could try to attach a standard rack to your frame by using a Problem Solvers seat clamp with rack braze-ons and P-clips. My friend toured with me using a seat post rack, after 135 miles there was a 20 degree bend in his seat post.

i accually tried to do that this morning only to find out that it was a waste of $30. when i put the bags on my heel hit the bags and i couldnt make it go back any further so i guess i only have one choice. damn i wish i had gotten a diffrent bike but i couldnt pass up $300 for a brand new bike

I use a rack and bags on my cross bike, but I'm looking into this packing system for mountain bikes.

http://carouseldesignworks.com/main.html

i accually tried to do that this morning only to find out that it was a waste of $30. when i put the bags on my heel hit the bags and i couldnt make it go back any further so i guess i only have one choice. damn i wish i had gotten a diffrent bike but i couldnt pass up $300 for a brand new bike

configure a rear rack that sits an inch over the rear wheel and don't bother with panners on the rear, pile the sleeping bag, ground gear or tent on top of the rack up against the seat post and under the seat then move everything else forward. You got a good bike. Panniers don't have to go on the rear.

How about ditching the rack idea and get a trailer instead.

you know i think i'll just go with the trailor route i mean for front and rear racks it almost going to run just for the trailer not even including the panniers. so thanks for the idea. i did some reading and i think this is the one for me Burley Nomad Cargo Trailer

Ditch the trailer idea and get a caravan instead. Better yet, hire a SAG wagon for a few weeks...

This thread is too funny - dude comes here with what looks like a pretty functional setup, but then the helpful suggestions start...

IMHO, OP is fine as is, use a small backpack for more space. 5-6kg (10 pounds or so) is fine. Try and hang something (tent? sleeping bag) off your handlebars for more space again.

Also, I'm pretty sure you can get brackets that would let you bolt on a normal seat rack.

After this trip, you'll figure out if you want to spend any money, and if so, what on.

On the a side note, how is that bike? I've been looking into one.

Dude that thing is bomb proof, it will go wherever you let it take you. Get a front rack with clamp on mounting, more water bottles and hit the road. I dont see anything wrong with the seat post rack, it works dosent it? Some folks are in love with the idea of touring not touring, so they build the perfect bike and dream of being on the road. I would take that bike and ride the hell out of it if I were you. Good luck man.

o i love the bike it rides smooth like it has suspension. i just wish it had like attach points. but like the previous poster put it is bombproof. all ive done to the bike other than adding the rack is swapped out to a less aggressive tire.

I'd definitely do some trial runs before you go multinight with that setup, see how you like it, make adjustments as necessary. You'll want to keep an eye on how heavy you load the seat post rack (because having that break in the middle of a tour wouldn't be fun), so you might run lighter than you would otherwise like to run. But riding the bike you have is always much more fun than riding the bike you wish you had but don't.

Edit: And just wanted to add that you, in fact, have a pretty nice bike.

I think that it's an exaggeration to say that you will damage your spine within three days. And I agree that it's a bad idea. I know a homeless guy, based out of San Francisco, who has cycled thousands of miles around the west coast wearing a heavy backpack. Most would find it VERY uncomfortable. An upright riding position and a rear rack where much of the backpack weight can sit would improve your comfort.

OMM racks are the way to go on your bike.

Yes it was an exaggeration. And to all those that criticize us for offering suggestions to the OP - with the tired 'thinking about touring, not actually touring' argument - we are on forums, and the guy asked for advice. Whats the problem? Goodluck with the touring, OP. Trailers work fine too.

well thank yall for your help.. just wondering has anyone ever heard of someone welding a custom rack to the frame? because seriously for about 210 which is how much that rack would run me i wonder how much someone would charge to make one and weld it to my frame front and rear.

IMO, for whatever that's worth, before you think about welding a rack onto a frame, which in my mind lends itself too much opportunity for cracked welds when you are out of reach of any shops, you should think about having some mounting points put on your bike. I have read about people having this done at machine shops and bike shops.

Or, you can look into getting another frame on craigslist or elsewhere and building it as you go. in the meantime, use the bike ya got!

One step less invasive yet, rather than welding the frame or even havng braze-ons tapped, just use P-clamps along with an Old Man Mountain or Axiom rack that make use of the axle. Quick, easy, relatively cheap (Axiom especially), and removable when desired.

You could also look at getting some kind of frame bag from epic designs. They are designed to be mounted to mountain bikes without racks. I haven't used them myself but they seem cool.

http://www.epicdesignsalaska.com/

hey hows it goin everyone.. well i got the itch to wanna try touring around the state and was wondering if my bike could work for this. Its my commuter bike(Only one i own) GT Peace 29r steel bike. only issues i see is the fact that there are no attach points so i have to use a seat post rack. let me know what ya'll think thanks


I think I would seriously consider using just a front rack and panniers on that. Use rack top loading or saddle bag on the rear. With P clamps you may be able to rig a standard rear rack on to the fork for front loading.

Anything wrong with the Axiom stuff? It's far cheaper:
http://www.axiomgear.com/products/gear/racks/

Anything wrong with the Axiom stuff? It's far cheaper:
http://www.axiomgear.com/products/gear/racks/

I only have experience with two of their rear racks in the non-disc variety. The Streamliner DLX(tubus vega copy) on a CrossCheck and it's a very nice solid rack unfortunately the seat stay mounts extend too far down and interfere with fenders so I used ss straps and it's fine. The other one was the Journey model and it surprised me how flexible it was compared to the range of other racks I'd used. Not sure if the mounting system at the seat stays allows for flex but the difference between the Streamliner with ss straps or Tubus Cargo and the Journey model is night and day.

I did 100 miles one day wearing a heavy backpack. That was 30 years ago and I was young and stupid. The seatpost rack is only rated for 25 lbs. at best.