Hybrid Bicycles - rear rack speed consequences

How big of a speed loss will result from adding a rear rack?
Thanks!

You can get relatively light racks, under 1.5 pounds, that can still hold a fair bit of weight. The speed loss when riding under 15mph is pretty minor... for an empty rack.

If you load it down with 50 pounds of stuff, you're going to feel a considerable burden and will slow down for sure.

Normally I'd say this is fine for a hybrid's typical use, but I see your profile pic of getting aero and your drop bar conversion... which bike are you going to do this on?

It would be on the bike in the pic( the conversion).

The load is going to matter a whole lot more than the rack, and if you're carrying enough load for it to make a difference, sheer speed should not be on your list of priorities.

I agree. I still would buy a good rack rather than a super-heavy cheap one you might find in WalMart.

Ok. Thanks for the advice.
Have a good day.

I've raced with a rack on my bike, but I did not win. It must have been the rack. :p

I think you will lose about .00137 mph on a 10 mile run. That's split roughly 3 v 6% between weight and the non-aero properties of the rack. The other 91% is in your mind. Must be the smell. ;)

How big of a speed loss will result from adding a rear rack?
Thanks!

Gee ... wearing a baggy shirt would slow you down more, LOL.

1. affix rack to bike.

2. load rack with panniers, load panniers with rocks. Or something useful, if no rocks are to be found.

3. ride around and sweat.

4. take rocks out before big race. Detach panniers from rack.

5. ZOOOOOM.

D) all of the above.

Thanks for the advice. I was just wondering why road bikes have no option for a rack if the speed difference is so negligible. I think there are probably many roadies who would like a rear rack, but have no option for one.

For some people it's important to ride a bike designed for racing.

Professional bike racers would never ride to the grocery store for a loaf of bread. They train hard and race hard but the rest of the time they rest. Some have elevators in their two story homes so they don't have to climb stairs!

The roadies who post here in the hybrid forums don't even have racks on their hybrids! Roadies who do use racks put them on one of their other bikes, not their race bikes.

Thanks for the advice. I was just wondering why road bikes have no option for a rack if the speed difference is so negligible. I think there are probably many roadies who would like a rear rack, but have no option for one.

One can put a rack on any bike. No holes or anything else on the bike needed. Some people do put racks on thier road bikes. Same for fenders.

For some people it's important to ride a bike designed for racing.

Professional bike racers would never ride to the grocery store for a loaf of bread. They train hard and race hard but the rest of the time they rest. Some have elevators in their two story homes so they don't have to climb stairs!

The roadies who post here in the hybrid forums don't even have racks on their hybrids! Roadies who do use racks put them on one of their other bikes, not their race bikes.

LOL ... this is one of the funniest and amusingly sarcastic comments I've read here. Maybe more true than sarcastic, though. I love it. You know though that some of the roadies would rip you a new one if you posted it on their forum. But so what ... again, too funny.

tchen, cyclists are a vain bunch who are marketed to in ways which present multiple bikes as a virtue...I don't know if its a virtue, but its nice to have a small fleet :)

I love cycling, I like most cyclists I've met, but I imagine if you spend x1,000 on a road bike the same pressure to conform to the same exacting technical standards which seduced you into buying the bike in the first place would be strong.

Touring bikes, steal frame road bikes in general, urban build ups all have racks on a regular basis & you should do what you want, call it what you want, and learn to assert your expertise & choices through the one factor that matters - cycling well.

My wife has a rack, and it hasn't affected her speed.

My wife has a rack, and it hasn't affected her speed.

A big rack is more drag but is not without advantages. I'm a fan! :D

My wife has a rack, and it hasn't affected her speed.
Too funny! But as usual this thread is useless without pics....

Just picture the Rockies, only smaller

The Grand Teton, believed by some to be named by French speaking fur trappers. Teton is a French word for nipple.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Grand_Teton_in_Winter-NPS.jpg

How did we get from a bike rack to mountains?

Only on this forum.... :rolleyes: :lol:

She makes me lose my interest in flats.. wink wink

Wonder what the weight rating is of a 38J/36K 'rack'? :innocent: My wife wants to trade her rack for something a bit more streamlined...

No idea what the factor of safety is, but have not yet encountered a rack that has compromised its integrity under 215 lbs of live load.

As for steamlining, age seems to address that, at least in a vertical plane.

This is why I love this forum. :lol:

How did we get from a bike rack to mountains?

Only on this forum.... :rolleyes: :lol:

Time to turn the converstation back to racks on bikes.

based on their location (especially on a hybrid where you're upright), an empty rack won't make you any less aero. Mount a jet pack to it and it'll make you a heck of a lot faster, but just watch your spinning motion so you don't get your legs too close. Those things get hot and everyone hates the smell of singed leg hair. If you become a true roadie and shave your legs, that won't be an issue.

Thanks for getting us back on track, Himespau :lol:

Honestly, I know nothing about bicycle racks. I'm a backpack guy. I know a lot about those, and they prolly would impact speed.