jonwvara 

What would be an appropriate set of front and rear racks to use on a circa 1976 touring bike? (I know, the Raleigh Gran Sport wasn't really designed for touring, but mine is going to do some touring just the same.) I never pack more than 15-20 lbs of gear, so they need not be especially heavy duty. There's always the Pletscher rear, but what about a front? I don't use panniers, but just strap the gear to the rack platform.
I'm thinking mainstream and low-cost here--nothing exotic and high-priced.

kroozer 

Blackburn

Pompiere

Jim Blackburn started making racks in 1975 and, after looking at the website, it looks like they still make the same model.

rhm

The old ones say "JIM BLACKBURN" on them. Newer ones just say "BLACKBURN."

Grand Bois

The new ones are not the same as the old ones. None of the new ones attach to the brake bolts. P clips will have to be used on vintage frames, and that's not a satisfactory way to attach a rack that will actually be used. There are still pleanty of the old ones out there. I bought a front and rear at a bike swap for $10.

toytech

I have a half a dozen Blackburn's they are great racks and pretty easy to find.

ScottNotBombs

Why isn't that a satisfactory way to attach one that will be used? I've been using p clamps on mine and it's been fine so far.

Grand Bois

I don't find it satisfactory. The P clips move and I don't like the way it looks. That's my opinion. If it works for you, that's fine.

jonwvara 

Thanks for a key piece of information. Brake bolt attachment = good. I'd like to avoid P-clips, though I'd use them if I had to.

ScottNotBombs

Alright, I was just curious. I agree that they do move if I don't put innertube between them and the frame and it would look better if it was a brake bolt attachment.

rhm

There was an early rack style that had two arms, that looked like they would mount to the brazed on studs on the seat stays. But I never found a frame that matched the spacing; not quite right for either my '82 Trek or my '84 Counterpoint, and the arms could not be moved, adjusted, etc. You could bend them, which is what I did, though I don't know how many times you can do that. I imagine these would have worked very well with p-clips.

There is also a style with two arms that could be adjusted front-to-back like the arm that mounts to the brake bolt. I don't know when these were introduced. Anyway, I wouldn't want to use p-clips with that style of rack.

Grand Bois

I have one of the type with two solid arms. I managed to get it bolted to the studs on my MB-2 by bending the arms. The four point mounting makes it really solid.

The older type that bolt to the brake bolt are more solid than they look. The stainless steel strut requires bending to fit and it's not easy. I have a large basket on a front rack that I sometimes overload and it doesn't feel like the rack is moving side to side at all.

Roger M

If you're going with a Pletscher rear, this might be a good match for the front(if you don't plan on putting much weight on it).

https://cgi.ebay.com/Pletscher-Front-...#ht_2074wt_905

Iowegian

I have a set of these and they are fantastic when they fit but they don't interchange well between frames. I finally found a frame to fit the racks (sorta backwards but that's how it worked out...) so I'm good to go for now but I'd hesitate to pick up this style of rack again unless the price is right. The rear has two solid arms that mate with tabs on the seat stays and the front has a wide tab that mounts to the brake bolt. It's probably the most solid connection of any rack I have but it just isn't very adjustable. Also, there isn't much clearance between the front tab and the headset cup but I could easily space it out if it becomes a problem.

bikingshearer 

FWIW, if you are actually going to use the racks, get ones that are solid and don't worry about "period correct." Pletscher racks suck for any weight-bearing purpose - they are just too wiggly. For the front, be sure to get low-riders of some sort. They make a huge difference in handling. My experience is that a bike with fully-loaded low-riders handles much better than a bikle with a filled up medium-sized handlebar bag. Seriously.

Blackburns will work just fine, front and rear.

ColonelJLloyd 

The 1981 Schwinn Super Sport at my LBS has this rack and the matching front. The racks are level and look more integrated than most production bikes at the time. The racks on the catalog bike aren't quite level. If I find that frameset in a 25" I'll convert it to 650B. It looks to be a really good candidate.



I don't like the looks of P-clamps, but fitting a rack with the proper size, rubber coated clamps makes for a pretty secure connection in my experience. I've fitted several at my LBS for folks who put all kinds of crap on their racks.

badger_biker 

Most of these were built as standard equipment for specific bikes. Schwinn and Trek used them quite a bit. I've managed to mate two of them to bikes I have with some bending. Aside from the braze on alignment issue is it is hard to get the rack mounted level sometimes. A super solid mount though. I also agree the brake mount is more solid than you would think and I've toured with some pretty heavy panniers in the past. Blackburns are great racks.

I recently ran across an odd light duty Rhode Gear rack on a 1980 bike with a kind of nice rubber strap that clipped along the length of it. Unfortunately they used plastic as joints between platform rails and cross struts and they cracked over time. If anyone has one and needs a strap send me a PM.

Roger M

This Voyageur SP has factory racks like the Colonel is talking about. The rear is mounted to braze on inserts on the stays, and the front is mounted to the brake bolt.

I should ad that this is from 1982, and not the 70s

ColonelJLloyd 

At least with the early Jim Blackburn rack with which I am familiar, you can polish them to look like stainless or chrome with some #0000 steel wool and, if you wish, metal polish.

jonwvara 

Low-riders don't work for me, because I don't use panniers--just a trunk bag on top of the rack in back and a light waterproof bag--the kind people use for sealing stuff up on a canoe trip--strapped to the front. My maximum load, front and back combined, is less than 20 pounds. I think a Pletscher rear will handle half of that, but I'm skeptical of the fork-mounted Pletscher front. Pletscher does make a front rack with legs that mounts to the brake bolt--I think it's called the Athlete 2B--that would probably handle the other 10 pounds well enough, but it's not exactly C & V, I don't think. At the end of the day I'm not sure how much that matters to me, though.
JV

Grand Bois

You can restore them to what can pass for the original satin finish after sanding out the gouges and scratches by scrubbing them with Ajax cleanser. I discoverd this by accident while trying to remove some paint that had rubbed off on my rack.

Sigurdd50

Period correct racks would be... a rucksack?
half-kidding... pletscher for sure. I recall finishing tours with pieces of wire holding the back rack stays in place at the rear drop outs. I'd get home after several hundred miles of rambling around the midwest and look down there and shake my head that the bailing wire held the whole bit up for days

(this was also the day of canvas saddle bags, metal canteens for water, and yes, backpacks).

Grand Bois

I've always hated Plescher racks for the damage they do to seat stays and because they look like cheap junk. Fortunately, they were put mostly on crap bikes. I bought my first Blackburn from an ad in the back of a magazine in the late seventies and I'm still using it. The panniers I used with it I made myself from a Frostline kit. Remember those?

Actually, my wife is still using it:

Beach Comber

FYI If someone has a Blackburn (rear) in good condition they'd like to part with, pm me with what you'd want for it. No meets in my area for awhile, and I need one for a new project. TY.

Iowegian

I'll have to grab a photo of my 82 Voyageur SP. It has the exact same factory racks as Roger's but the rear mounts are bent due to the steep seat stays (it's a 27" frame). Till then, here's some photos of the racks I mentioned before.