LeeG

Ok, 26" wheels. I have toured with low riders on 700c. w low riders and commuted with 26" low riders. Personally I don't like how low the bags are to the ground and curbs w 26" wheels. While the stability is fantastic it just doesn't jive with uneven terrain. The problem I see with many top mounted front racks is that the load is mounted too far forward which duplicates the bad handling problem of heavy rear loads behind the rear axle. What I did discover was that with some panniers like the Ortliebs where you can change the position of the clips you can get the weight back enough to be in line with the front fork. It's awkward with cantilevers as they will press into the panniers but it's not an issue with linear pull brakes. It may not be an issue with your bike.
What I did with my 26" LHT and an Old Man Mountain front rack is take off the axle mounting hardware and mount the rack directly to the top eyelet of the dropout. Then used the other hardware to secure to the fork and brake mounts. It's a very solid rack, light, and able to accommodate panniers and top load.
That method of attachment may not work exactly with your fork but the general idea is too move the load back on the fork, not hanging far forward and just low enough to not interfere with fender or tire.

sprocketss

Biketouringhobo, how do you like them?

fietsbob

NB they are rather Heavy.

Biketouringhobo

I like the Jandd Extreme front rack A lot over low rider racks and I also use
the Jandd Expedition rear rack

ct-vt-trekker

The Tubus Tara is on sale now on Wiggle for $82.02. Free shipping and duty free from the UK.
Wiggle | Tubus
I bought one from them last spring and I received it in 2 days. I'm on the east coast.

LeeG

I installed one on a bike and the back portion would hit the down tube if the bars turned far. Tis heavy.

sprocketss

Yes, that is a good price and free shipping! 2 to 4 week wait though as they are out of stock, by the time they are back in stock the sale may be over, I will contact them anyways.

sprocketss

Do you have any concerns regarding weight?

Biketouringhobo

nope

veganbikes

Another vote for Tubus. I haven't seen more elegant and durable production racks on the market. All the other front racks I see look like ugly rear racks or are just so big and clunky or not designed for panniers.

If you buy a nice rack that is sturdy and well built such as the Tubus Duo or Tara (if you can't do a Duo) it may well save your tours or commute and in the grand scheme of things you will more than get your money out of them if you commute regularly or tour a bunch. Plus they are a good piece of mind item. You don't want to have to worry about your racks ever.

fietsbob

Tubus has an accessory piece to add a short KS under the left side, it with a center Or rear KS holds the bike up nicely .

Koga-Miyata has long had a special order batch from Tubus to do that , with a brazed on piece added before powder coating.

NerdLord

I got the nashbar front rack, at first thought it was pretty flimsy, but once on and tight it turned pretty solid, I think it's rated at a max (both sides together) of 20-25 pounds, I'll have to double check though...

Only real problem was the fact it shipped with half the instruction sheet, had to go to web page to print out.

jonc123

Tubus Duo/front Rollers on 26"

Miele Man

For many years i used a front Blacburn type low-rider rack bought from Mountain Equipment Co-op for $15.00 Canadian. the rear rack was $17.50 Canadian. Both racks were used together for 2-weeks long loaded self-supported tours of fire/logging/mining roads in the Matachewan area of Northern Ontario. The racks held up very well to the rough roads of these tours. The most important thing regarding a Blackburn type low-rider rack used by itself (they're designed for use by themselves or with a front rack) is that the transverse hoop must go to the bottom of the rack in order to prevent swaying. Some old knock-offs had that loop only go to the top of the rack and not all the way down.

Here's a link to an image of my recent MTB drop-bar touring bicycle and racks.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/73832500@N00/20961200128/

Cheers