jhnmrk

forgive me if this has been covered before, but the search function is still disabled... at any rate, does anyone know of an affordable rear rack that would be compatible with a road bike without rack mount eyelets? is there an adaptor that is readily available? I've only seen the $130 old man mountain racks looking online, and that doesn't fit in with my idea of affordable. any help would be appreciated! thanks.

markf

Lots of people improvise a rack attachment with P-clips (also called cable hangers or tubing hangers, and sold in hardware stores in a range of sies).

If you're road bike doesn't have rack eyelets, the chain stays might be short enough to make carrying panniers difficult (if the stays are too short or your feet are too big, your heels will hit the panniers w/ every turn of the pedals). You might want to look into a good seat bag instead. Rivendell and Carradice make really good canvas seat bags, the bigger models (Carradice Camper and Rivendell Hoss) are big enough for a light camping tour if you combine them with a handlebar bag. If you're just credit card touring, the smaller bags should work about as well. The nice thing about seat bags is that they keep the load closer to the center of the bike. If you try to run panniers on a road bike w/ short chain stays, you could find the panniers hanging way off the back end of the bike.

If your saddle doesn't have loops for a Carradice or Rivendell seat bag, Wallingford Bike Parts sells a nice adaptor. They also sell lots of Brooks saddles with bag loops.

Shemp

Old Man Mountain racks. They use your brake bosses as mounting points. I used one on a mountain bike for an offroad tour.

jhnmrk

thanks, i'll look into the p-clips. honestly it hurts a little to even think about putting a rack on this bike...
https://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne...1863202&size=l
no brake bosses on that thing.

i'll probably end up buying a reliable old beater for the long hauls. i'll just have to get creative in where i keep it in my tiny apartment because my girlfriend will get upset if i upset the delicate 2 for her, 2 for him bike balance.

littlefoot

some call them p-clamps,p-clips,p-straps. I call them insulated clamps....Gardner Bender(electrical supplier) makes them in a variety of sizes available at any Lowes in the electrical dept.