Touring - LHT with cargo, problem?

finally after 9 hours of working i got my lht (54cm) assembled and yet i encountered another problem: the tubus cargo (26´) doesn´t´fit to the eyelets on the seat stays, i have to stretch it open wide enough to let it "clamp" on to the eyelets, i wonder if anyone who has the same setup faced with similar problem? and if i do it this way will it damage the rack or frame?

Wrestling with racks to get them on is a time-honored tradition for tour bike builders. My Americano has a 145mm (tandem) rear spacing, and an oversized rigid front fork. I won't recount the exact words that were uttered while bending and "reasoning with" the racks to get them installed, but it wasn't G-rated.

It IS a tradition, I reckon. :D In my opinion, even dedicated touring models don't have enough eyelets, for the most part. Trying to squeeze fenders AND a rack on one eyelet sucks, and it just isn't as strong or stable, as far as I'm concerned. I guess it's just one of those things to BS about with other tourers!

The tubus stays are bendable aluminum, I'd bend them. But did you loosen the allen bolts that hold the stays to the rack? these let the stays out quite a bit. Also, the brackets can be reversed, holding the stays either in an inboard or outboard position, try flipping the brackets so the stays are to the outside.

bendable aluminum, I'd bend them.
Famous last words.
"Let me just bend my aluminum seatpost/frame/etc. back....." :eek:

I don't think aluminium. Tubus are CroMo tubing, and the hardware would not be a lesser metal.

Agreed about the time-honoured tradition. You may need to get some new stays made. However, I would have thought that the rods and clamps on the rack (I presume there are the ones on the rack) would have allowed enough adjustment. Is it because they aren't long enough with the 45cm chainstays, or you can't spread them wide enough for the braze-ons on the seatstays?

Maybe an email to Surly AND Tubus detailing your problem may provide an answer -- such as a special piece of hardware.

Is it because they aren't long enough with the 45cm chainstays, or you can't spread them wide enough for the braze-ons on the seatstays? ah sorry folks, my mistake, i meant the 2 legs that connect to the chain stays. i tried to fasten them from the inside, but that does seem to interfere with the chain so i had to bend the legs wider to fit to the frame.

good to know that it´s a long held tradition.

ah sorry folks, my mistake, i meant the 2 legs that connect to the chain stays. i tried to fasten them from the inside, but that does seem to interfere with the chain so i had to bend the legs wider to fit to the frame.

good to know that it´s a long held tradition. There's enough latitude there for the rack to accomodate different dropout widths.

Cro-Mo won't mind the odd bend or two -- now or in 15 years' time. Happy touring. I'm jealous (about the Tubus, and maybe European touring... well... yes that too).

If you haven't already done so. You also need to put loctite (blue) on all the rack fasteners good idea to do on waterbottle cage mounts also. Put a drop on each fastener and allow to dry ( about 20 mins) this will save you much aggravation later

If you haven't already done so. You also need to put loctite (blue) on all the rack fasteners good idea to do on waterbottle cage mounts also. Put a drop on each fastener and allow to dry ( about 20 mins) this will save you much aggravation later

:)

For those of you without a Tubus rack yet, they rack seat stays ARE solid aluminum rods, and meant to be bent if need be.

Ah...putting a rack on? No problem.. Let me just grab a few tools... Let's see...

Allen wrenchs. Dremel. Hack saw. Pliers. Hydraulic jack. Heavy Chain. Duct tape. Crowbar. Hrm...this chainsaw might come in handy, too.

abbub- a chainsaw will make a horrid mess of things. What you need is an angle grinder and/or oxy-acetaline torch. In the event that neither of these tools are available metal cut-off wheels are available in 7" sizes for circular saws.

OOOOOoooohhhhh....a TORCH! I knew I was forgetting something.

If you haven't already done so. You also need to put loctite (blue) on all the rack fasteners good idea to do on waterbottle cage mounts also. Put a drop on each fastener and allow to dry ( about 20 mins) this will save you much aggravation later i´ve already did and then out of uncertainty i unfastened it and found that half the threads of the screw were gone by 50%, so does the threads in the eyelet, i wonder if this will make the rack less stable under weight?

i´ve already did and then out of uncertainty i unfastened it and found that half the threads of the screw were gone by 50%, so does the threads in the eyelet, i wonder if this will make the rack less stable under weight?

From the image, I assume it's the left dropout, so I think you could use a longer screw and a locknut on the other side. This will prevent the screw from getting loose and will give you peace of mind.

alright, cool, i can´t believe it didn´t occur to me, thanks!

1st: I'd try to thread a brand-new button head bolt from the inside of the frame outwards. If you can do that then leave it in there and you can do the outter lock nut jimmy rig and be fine.