yayforebikes

Hey guys,

so I purchased a standard bicycle rack from Target. The P clamps that came with it is too small for my frame. I am hoping that Home Depot might have some in longer forms. So at the moment I did a makeshift rig and installed the P clamps onto the bottom of my seat (not the seat post, but the seat itself) it feels pretty darn sturdy for now, at least until a good solution is found.

Another thing is on the bottom of the rack where I install it onto the frame on the rear wheel, there is NOT enough room for me to install the washer and the other little nut looking thing, is it NECESSARY? There must be at least like... less than half an inch of space between the screw and the wheel hub? And on the other side, where the gears are at, the screw won't go all the way in, it just kind of gets very difficult to screw more maybe a little over half way in or more? Not sure exactly where it stops.

So any advice?

jyl

The eyelets in the frame dropouts are threaded. So the bolts used to install the rack simply thread into those eyelets. You don't need a nut on the other side of the eyelet.

yayforebikes

thank you! Do you happen to also know the size of those eyelets? I need to buy a longer P clamp at Home Depot so I need to know which one to ask for.

Bezalel

Usually M5x0.8, but the p-clamps are normally drilled in fractional sizes. The clamps themselves are sized according to capacity and have no choice in regards to screw hole size.

If you can remove your seatpost clamp the best solution is to replace it with one with rack mounts on them, they are also available from other manufacturers in quick release form.

Problem Solvers

Camplex

Definitely M5, as Bez stated. If you can get stainless steel allen-head bolts, those have advantages.
P-clamps typically have to be stretched open and closed too. They aren't the best option so if you can avoid using them, do. If you have to, get the best ones you can.

jyl

I'm confused. P clamps don't attach to eyelets, they have nothing to do with each other.

Maybe you should post a picture. We, or at least I, am now guessing at exactly what you're facing. It would be good to actually see it.

yayforebikes

I meant the size of the hole of the p clamps. Sorry for any misunderstandings.

fietsbob

there are a range of sizes they were not made for bicycles, the bike people just adopted them as practical workarounds.

the size you pick is the diameter of the thing you will wrap it around ..

LesterOfPuppets

Some rack mount holes are M5, some are M6 and some are an SAE thread. M5 has been the most common for quite some time.

+1 for not worrying about P-clamp bolt hole size too much. You can drill them out a little bit if you get ones with holes to small.