Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.Richbiker
02-04-05, 08:53 AM
This post is a spinoff from the post about using cx bikes as road/commuting/touring bikes.
Someone there asked about how to mount a rack on a frame without rack mounting eyelets. It's even harder to do if you have disc brakes. But not impossible.
If you have the money, purchase a rack from Old Man Mountain (there was one pictured in that same thread about using cx bikes as road bikes). If you don't want to spring for the omm rack, you have other options.
I mounted a rack on the back of my disc equipped spicer cx.
-Used 2 rubber coated clamps to attach the top/front of the rack to the seat stays just below the seat. Most racks come with these clamps for bikes that don't have threaded braze-ons.
-for the left, disc side of the rack, I took an extra rack "stay" and cut off the long straight part with the elongated hole. I attached that to the outside edge of the disc mount, using the same bolts that hold the disc calper in place. Then I bolted the left bottom end of the rack to the cut-off rack stay (this was a little tricky, because it's difficult to get a wrench between the attached rack stay and the the avid disc mount to hold the nut while you tighten from the left side.
-mounting the right side of the rack proved a problem, because there is no clamp made that is tall enough to match the height of the disc brake mount on the left side. Using another rubber coated clamp left the rack a little off-center and askew. Plus the little rubber coated clamp was not up to the task of supporting a loaded pannier. It twisted on my first loaded tour. So here's what you can do:
1. If you order a custom frame, have disc brake mounts put on both sides. That way you have rack attaching points on both sides that are of equal height.
2. Purchase a rack made by Trek or by Delta that comes with adjustable legs. You can make the right side a little longer and devise a secure clamp for it.
3. I called Gene at Spicer (spicercycles.com), who is onehelluva nice guy, and easy to do business with. For about $30, he made me a pair of nice looking, bomb-proof aluminum clamps. I have yet to install it, and I will have to make some modifications to his work, but once it's on there I will have a nice looking, secure rack for my commuting/touring/cx bike.
I'll post pictures of how I attached a conventional blackburn rack to my cx later, cuz I don't have the picture with me right now. But next time, I have to think ahead a little more and get the bike ordered with provisions for a rack, especially if I'm going to use disc brakes.
I would also recommend Spicer if you want to build a custom ti or alu CX frame.
rc
Someone there asked about how to mount a rack on a frame without rack mounting eyelets. It's even harder to do if you have disc brakes. But not impossible.
If you have the money, purchase a rack from Old Man Mountain (there was one pictured in that same thread about using cx bikes as road bikes). If you don't want to spring for the omm rack, you have other options.
I mounted a rack on the back of my disc equipped spicer cx.
-Used 2 rubber coated clamps to attach the top/front of the rack to the seat stays just below the seat. Most racks come with these clamps for bikes that don't have threaded braze-ons.
-for the left, disc side of the rack, I took an extra rack "stay" and cut off the long straight part with the elongated hole. I attached that to the outside edge of the disc mount, using the same bolts that hold the disc calper in place. Then I bolted the left bottom end of the rack to the cut-off rack stay (this was a little tricky, because it's difficult to get a wrench between the attached rack stay and the the avid disc mount to hold the nut while you tighten from the left side.
-mounting the right side of the rack proved a problem, because there is no clamp made that is tall enough to match the height of the disc brake mount on the left side. Using another rubber coated clamp left the rack a little off-center and askew. Plus the little rubber coated clamp was not up to the task of supporting a loaded pannier. It twisted on my first loaded tour. So here's what you can do:
1. If you order a custom frame, have disc brake mounts put on both sides. That way you have rack attaching points on both sides that are of equal height.
2. Purchase a rack made by Trek or by Delta that comes with adjustable legs. You can make the right side a little longer and devise a secure clamp for it.
3. I called Gene at Spicer (spicercycles.com), who is onehelluva nice guy, and easy to do business with. For about $30, he made me a pair of nice looking, bomb-proof aluminum clamps. I have yet to install it, and I will have to make some modifications to his work, but once it's on there I will have a nice looking, secure rack for my commuting/touring/cx bike.
I'll post pictures of how I attached a conventional blackburn rack to my cx later, cuz I don't have the picture with me right now. But next time, I have to think ahead a little more and get the bike ordered with provisions for a rack, especially if I'm going to use disc brakes.
I would also recommend Spicer if you want to build a custom ti or alu CX frame.
rc