NYYankeeGirl

Can anyone recommend one or give some advice on buying one? Anything I should specifically be looking for? I'm planning on buying one online to save some money.

FWIW I have a Trek FX 7.1.

fietsbob

Online adds shipping charges, of course .. buying from the bike shop keeps them in Biz for when you need help
and it , help, cannot come in a box off the UPS truck.

rack for the car to carry the bike or rack on the bike to carry stuff,
what kind of use ?
long tours with Camping gear or just go to the grocers and back ..

NYYankeeGirl

Sorry, I should have clarified: a bike rack for the rear of my bicycle, to carry bags/groceries on occasion.

My NYC LBS has enough of my money already and does very well. I don't feel guilty.

TurbineBlade

I do all my own work and order 98% of everything I use online.....I also have a very good relationship with a LBS and they have absolutely no issues with how I choose to do it. I occasionally order expensive things (like bikes) from the shop and get odds and ends there.

-------to OP: My wife uses a Delta rear rack that was cheap and works great -- better than my supposedly nicer "trek" rear rack. It's like this one - https://www.rei.com/product/806157?pr...:referralID=NA

It came with struts and a set of p-clips in case you need them.

knobster

What kinda of bike/model do you have? Most road bikes don't have rack mounts so it may add some complexity to what you're trying to do.

Check out Performancebike.com (or go into their store if it's local) or nashbar.com to pick one from their selection. You can usually find coupon codes on one of the forums here near the bottom of the forum list. Most typical racks you'll find will work for what you're needing.

Don't feel bad about not giving your money to your local LBS. I sure don't. I only buy from them when I need something right now.

Sorry, re-read your post. That bike will mount a rack just fine.

tsl

If you're going to carry any sort of panniers, like grocery panniers, skip all the fashionable racks and go directly to a rack with three legs on each side. These are designed to keep your panniers out of your spokes. I learned this the hard way when I bought a sporty-looking model and nearly fell in front of a bus when the panniers jammed into the spokes.

Something like this, the Topeak SuperTourist

See how that third leg in the rear goes back before turning up? That's to keep the back of the pannier from swinging into the spokes.

If you plan to use a trunk bag at the same time as panniers, dual side-rails makes it a lot easier since the panniers then have their own rail to hang from. It saves a lot of cussing and fussing when trying to mount everything from only one side-rail.

This is the Topeak SuperTourist DX

Both these racks have brackets for permanently mounting a taillight. Screwed right to the rack, it's one less thing to worry about being stolen or falling off on a bump. Two of the best blinkies on the market, the PlanetBike SuperFlash and the CatEye LD-1100 will screw right to that mount. TIP: Mount the taillight to the rack before installing the rack on the bike.

You haven't asked yet, but the nicest grocery panniers money can buy are the Arkel Shoppers. Yes, they're expensive. But after struggling for four years with lesser grocery panniers, I've found them to be just about perfect.

I particularly like the Cam-Lock hook system for hanging them. When they're full of groceries, it's a real godsend to be able to mount them back on the bike easily. One hand works the Cam-Lock, while the other holds the bag handles. They just drop right on the rail and lock in place.

The drawstring closure on the top is a super feature. It lets me overpack the pannier a bit without my bread falling off the top on the ride home. I like the internal change purse too. I keep my grocery money separate from my pocket money, and it's a great place to store it, along with my Shopper's Club cards and any coupons I'll need.

I ride to the store with them folded up, open them in the grocery cart, and fill them as I shop. When they're full, I'm done. I empty them on to the belt, and the cashier fills them back up. Then I just hang them back on the bike, and ride home. TIP: Leave room on the top of one for your lock.

wahoonc

NOW you post the Topeak racks...I just got my Jandd racks for my tour/expedition build. I got the Expedition and the Extreme.

To the OP, most racks can be made to fit get the best one that suits your needs. Jandd, Bruce Gordon, and Topeak are a few of the top manufacturers. Once you get the racks then you get to choose the bags. Arkel is good, I opted to go the basket route. I use Wald folding baskets on the rear rack and a medium/large basket on the front.

Aaron

tsl

I bought a Jandd Expedition to replace the rack that let my panniers swing into the spokes. It also solved heel-strike problems I had on that bike. I liked it a lot. If only they made a dual side-rail version. That's why I use a Tubus Cosmo now, well, that and it's stainless.