ernok1923

looking for a front rack with a shelf on top for 700c. will be for loaded touring. any recommendations?

Lolly Pop

Surly Nice

vik 

Old Man Mountain Cold Springs - mounts via front axle QR and brake posts. I liked it so much I have one no both my touring bikes:

Here is a pic.

FidelCastrovich

Old Man Mountain. I have the Sherpa, but there's another model. Bombproof, very easy to attach and comfortable to use.

bwgride

I too like a top shelf on my front rack.

The Surly Nice rack seems very good, but is also very expensive ($100+).

Jandd makes the Extreme Front Rack for about $60 and it has a nice top shelf.

I have the Old Man Mountain front rack, which was recommend above, and it is very sturdy, but it mounts through the wheel axle on the quick release skewer (a special, long skewer is required). I did not like this system because it made removing the front wheel tiresome. Also, I'm not sure about the durability of the required long skewer -- my is rusting and bending.

Another option is the Blackburn front rack (model MT-F front mountain rack). I see these on ebay.com about 1 every week or so and they sell for about $15, shipped for about $20 to $25. You can see a picture of one on this old web site:

https://www.bikepro.com/products/racks/black_racks.html

After considering the options above I decided the cheapest way to get a sturdy front rack with a long top shelf was to mount a rear rack there. A number of rear racks will work, so easy to replace them -- you simply need one where the main leg of the rack is angled backwards, not straight down, to give the front brake cable room. I found that the Tioga rear rack (sold at Nashbar.com $20) fits very well. I attached the top shelf braces to the top of my fork with clamps. The rack is very sturdy; I test rode it recently with 30+ pounds (15 on each side) and detected no sway or movement. Here's two pictures to show my mounting of this rack:

NoReg

Clever idea. In theory the weight should be too far forward, and want to flop the stearing, but if it works what more can one say.

bwgride

I thought about using a rear rack up front some years ago, but was not sure it would work. Recently I saw a picture of a touring bike on the Surly LHT usergroup which had Tubus Cargo racks both front and rear, so I thought I would give it a try.

When test riding it with the 30 pounds, I was able to pedal up hill about 20 yards without hands on my bike (which seems typical for me when carrying a load up front on my curvy streets; I've not tried a straight, flat road yet). With hands on bars, I cannot find any difference in control from using lowriders or any of the other front racks I've used. The frame may also have something to do with the stability; it's a Surly LHT and I've found it to ride well under load.

So far I prefer using this type of rack up front because it has larger shelf than most front racks, is cheaper than most front racks, and can be replaced at almost any bike shop, should that be needed, since most all shops carry some type of rear rack.

5 more

Hi bwgride.

Very interesting set up. Can you use a low rider rack as well as the shelf rack?
Also have a look at this rack on ebay
https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...1536&rd=1&rd=1

bwgride

I have Nashbar's low rider, which is very similar to Blackburn's original design, and I can make it fit I think. Two issues to address. First, the front loop attaching the two low rider sides would not be possible, but one could substitute one of the top rack's support legs (one of the Tioga's legs) for the loop with some work. Second, the low rider sides will not be flush with the fork/wheel as originally designed due to the top rack's support legs. The Tioga's support legs will push the forward part of the low rider away from the bike while the low rider side next to the fork will be inward. I doubt this would cause any problems, but I don't know for sure since I have not tested it. Perhaps a different rear rack or a different low rider may provide a better fit than the combination I have.

I had considered adding a low rider, but with the handling of my current configuration, I saw no benefit.

I've seen that front rack you reference on ebay. Nashbar also sells it. Two differences I note compared to using a rear rack up front is that the top shelf on that front rack is smaller, and that rack is designed to carry less weight so it's not as sturdy as using a rear rack. For me, it would suite what I wanted, but it may, however, work well for others.

Bekologist

jannd lowrider with Bor Yueh front rack. combination system. Redundancy if one fails. Top shelf.

probably lighter than either jannd extreme and surly nice.

savage24

If you like the Surly Nice racks, buy them here: https://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_S...0Racks-Bicycle

$80 each, delivered to your door. I purchased both of mine from them. No affiliation, other than a happy customer. The Surly front rack is a bit heavy with the mounting hardware, but I like having the shelf.

nun

Ok I'll do the Nitto/Riv thing

https://www.rivbike.com/webalog/baggage_racks/20108.html
https://www.rivbike.com/webalog/baggage_racks/20020.html
https://www.rivbike.com/webalog/baggage_racks/20075.html

G. Hoffman

I've got a Surly Nice Front Rack on my LHT, and I like it, though I havn't done any touring with it yet. It went on well, and is made extremly well.


Gabriel

FidelCastrovich

Holy cr@p!!! Have you guys noticed that both Surlys weigh over 1200 grams?!?!?!(On average).

savage24

Well, I did say it was a bit heavy. When you ride around town with a big ol' heavy U-lock strapped to the front rack, the rack by itself doesn't seem that heavy after awhile.

FidelCastrovich

Oh, i hadn't noticed.
Anyways, i just checked, and my RedRock rear+Sherpa front weigh 1050 grams, which is less than one Surly Nice.
I wonder why they decided to make a rack that heavy. I mean, i know the Surly mentality favors utility over style, but unless they're designed to second as aircraft carriers, i don't understand this at all.
I'm sorry, i'm in the late stages of becoming a weight weenie when it comes to my commuter/tourer, so i've been noticing these things...

savage24

No need to apologize for weight weenie-ness, just slow down a little before you blow by me on the hills - you're making me look bad.

tomn

Take a look at the Nitto front rack sold online by Rivendell:

https://www.rivbike.com/webalog/baggage_racks/20075.html





Very sturdy. I had mine powdercoated black to match the read Tubus.

Tom

fat_bike_nut

I have a question for those that use the OMM Sherpa rack. Can you use the mid-point mount on it, or does it only allow for high-mount panniers? I realize that the OMM racks generally cater to mountain bike and off-road tourists, so it would make sense to keep the loads high, but when I go out on paved roads, I'd prefer lowering the panniers because it makes the bike feel more stable to me. Racks like the JANDD Extreme front rack can do this.

I only ask because, well, I'm planning on getting a tourist with a front disc brake, and I like the utility that a top shelf presents on the front rack

ernok1923

these are all good rack ideas. thanks so much. i guess the reason i am looking for a front rack with a shelf is mostly do to space. i'm not a tall person and ride a 49cm frame. i do not wish to have a handlebar bag which rises above the bars. and since there isn't a whole lot of room to go the double-stem route, i am thinking about having the handlebar bag sitting on the shelf. now my only concern is being able to secure the bag to the shelf properly, but also being able to remove it quickly and easily. is there anything out there like this?

G. Hoffman

I'm far more concerned that it not fall apart on me while riding down a dirt washboard of a road in the middle of nowhere. Light is nice, but lightweight is NOT a good thing. I'm pretty sure my Surly rack will survive anything I can ever imagine throwing at it.


Gabriel

FidelCastrovich

ask the guy(s) at OMM. Channing's his name, i think. Word is he's very helpful and will be glad to answer your questions.

FidelCastrovich

You're right, lightweight isn't a good thing. But i'm sure there's a middle ground between feather weight and aircraft carrier. I'm pretty confident that OMM didn't put keeping the weight down as a top priority. First of all they went for lower weight limits than the Surly. Second they used aluminum. Most of all, i believe it's just a better design. Cause Nittos are made of steel as well, and they are not as heavy as the Surly Nices. In fact, they are almost half the weight.
Anyway, looks like Surly just set bombproof design as a top priority, at the expense of everything else. Which is fine. And if it works for you - great. I, personally, don't like it.

bwgride

Yes, a rack bag like these (would be a much better fit than strapping a handlebar bag on the rack):


https://aebike.com/page.cfm?PageID=30...ils&sku=BG6616

https://aebike.com/page.cfm?PageID=30...ils&sku=BG2556

ernok1923

well, rack bags that i have seen do not appear to be as convenient to open while riding, like a handlebar bag. also, i have not seen a rack bag with a map holder or a good way to attach one, a feature on most if not all handlebar bags. i had thought of a rack bag, but those two reasons sort of push the rack bag out of the picture for me.