ApocalypseRider

Hi all, did some google searches but couldn't find what I was looking for.
Wondering if anyone knows of a back rack I could put 100lbs on (I will be carrying a big battery as well as camping gear etc when I go touring this summer)
Thanks!

Bezalel

It isn't hard to find a CrMo rack rated for 40Kg but you're cutting into the margin of safety. What about moving some of your load to the front or let us dissuade you from bringing the battery.

ApocalypseRider

Hmm I could probably cut it down to 70-80lbs, but yeah I would already be carrying a load on the front too.

djb

just a heads up, if you are an average sized male, even if you find a rack that can take that much weight, you are going to want to have a pretty darn strong wheel or else you will be dealing with spoke issues, heck maybe even eyelet issues and or rack bolt issues.
Just saying.

alan s 

You'll want to use a trailer.

lhendrick

100 lbs. On the rear. On a bicycle. With a heavy load on the front. You do understand the concepts of gravity and inertia right? I would like to see the video footage when you arrive at the bottom of a hill with that load and try to stop. Think wheels, brakes, tires, even frame factors. On the other hand, I doubt you will enjoy the climb to the top of any hill.

Please, share with us the need for a large, heavy battery in this modern age of solar power, wheel dynamo's and lightweight lithium ion batteries. With such a large battery you might consider and electric motor driven bike....just sayin'

We are trying to help you. There is a reason rear racks are not rated for 100 lb loads.

saddlesores

would you by chance be riding a fixie with solid rubber tyres?

RWBlue01

I always love when skinny people say this stuff. If you hang out with the Clydesdales for a while you will understand that most bikes can handle a lot more weight than people think. This being said, I wish I was 50# less. It would have made my tour time more fun.

I would agree with the trailer suggestion. I love my trailer. It can carry a lot.

And Why the large battery? There may or may not be a better solution.

Nick The Beard

"Seeking back rack with 100lbs+ weight capacity"

Seek a new pack-list.

staehpj1

Is there some special reason you need to carry that much stuff? If it is just clothing and camping and cooking gear I strongly suggest you just carry a lot less.

To put this load into perspective:
It is pretty easy to get total gear weight down to 30 pounds and still have full camping and cooking gear with no special ultralight gear or techniques. With more effort a 20 pounds base weight is possible and for the weight obsessed 10 pounds is do able.

OK, so assuming that you want/need to carry that much the next question might be, will it actually fit on the rack? How bulky are the items you are taking?

I'd have to have some very special reason to even consider touring with that kind of load, but if you must, a trailer might be your best bet. I don't think it would be much fun to tour with that much stuff on your bike though.

I would be really curious what you could possibly be taking that weighs that much.

krobinson103

A large lead acid battery weighs in a bit, add in 10kg of touring gear. It would be possible. NOt fun, but possible. I have a rack rated at 50kg I use for carrying heavy loads of groceries and my kids. It can take it, but it transfers the load to the frame and I really don't think the frame likes it much. Also on a run from costco with every panier and basket full along with a big backpack its.... hard work. Ask me to go up a hill of any length and I'm not happy.



A rack like that carries a load heavier than you or the bike really want to deal with.

BigAura

I'd say get a set of front & rear Surly Nice Racks for total tote'n power of 150lbs. They are the most over-built racks that I'm personally familiar with. You better have some well built wheels too. Personally if I was planning to carry that much I'd probably go to a trailer though.

jimc101

How do you intend to re-charge the battery in tour? Sticking any dead weigh like that on the rack is going to make the bike top heavy and pretty nasty to ride.

If you want power on the go, have you looked at Lithium Ion batteries? Add a dynamo hub to recharge them during the day and the solution would be a lot lighter.

For heavy duty rack, would be looking at Tubus or Old Man Mountain brands initially, only Steel, Alu will bend with that sort or weight.

Tourist in MSN

Note the weight rating is based on type of use (road versus off-road) and mounting bolts (6mm versus 5mm).
Thorn Expedition Steel Rear cycle pannier rack - B - £89.99

Since the mounting bolts are the limiting factor, that also raises the question of how well built the dropouts are that the rack would be bolted to.

I do not own this rack and have never seen one of them, thus can't comment on it. I am only listing it here because of the weight rating.

I think this rack is normally used on bikes with 26 inch wheels, thus if you used a 29r, you should ask first if it will fit on a bike with a larger wheel.

staehpj1

I hesitate to mention this because I think hauling that much is a bad idea in any normal touring situation, but I hosted a guy who rode from NYC down the coast and across the southern tier with what must have been a couple hundred pounds of stuff. He used what looked like Wald Wire basket type racks and had stuff strapped on way up high. I lost track of his trip in Florida but know he made it at least that far.

I think his empty racks probably weighed about what my total load (not counting water) did on my last tour or maybe even a bit more.

So while I consider it ill advised, it is possible. I just can't imagine why anyone would subject themselves to that kind of burden. I can almost see it for the guy who rode to (with his climbing gear) and climbed Everest or the guy who toured the west with his kayak and whitewater gear on a trailer going from river to river.
https://www.waldsports.com/index.cfm/...-twin-carrier/

gorshkov

+1 on finding some way to cut down. Go on a short tour. See what you really need. If you absolutely must take the battery, use a trailer. I've pulled a 120 lb trailer behind my bike before (not for touring, just around town running errands), and while hills really sucked, it didn't screw up the handling of the bike.

J.C. Koto

I'm curious as to what the big battery is intended for and if another solution could be substituted.

Bike Hermit

I notice the O.P. has not weighed in with the reason for carrying a big battery....maybe he gets a charge out of pulling our collective leg? I have a friend who outweighs me by at least 100 pounds. He was plagued by flats when touring until he switched to Schwalbe Marathon Mondial tires. The freewheel body on his bike is the first one I have ever seen broken in half! His 36 hole Mavic A719 rims laced three cross are still true though!

DogBoy

This will handle 350 lbs. I think it is no longer considered merely a "rack" though.

indyfabz

That was my initial thought, although this could be for real. I believe it was last year or the year before that Adventure Cycling started weighing the rigs of people who stopped by their Missoula headquarters. IIRC, there was one fellow whose bike and gear was a good bit over 150 lbs.

staehpj1

I immediately wondered the same, but since I have seen a few folks who have done similarly strange things I figured I'd give the benefit of the doubt. If the OP is trolling we will likely see some escalation. If the OP is for real, hopefully they will post back with a bit more details.

Darth Lefty 

You are just begging for head shake / tank slapper / shimmy. I get it on either of my bikes with just a full tail bag and sitting up to ride no-hands. I'd also say trailer, if the payload is non-negotiable.

fietsbob

You probably need a steel Long John cargo bike .. Number 1.. it will locate that weight low and centered between the wheels ..
as their load area is an extension of the front .. .

100 pounds on a rear rack will lift the front wheel off the ground when you are not on the bike ...

and make it handle Really weird while you are On it.

above Touring bike and gear stat was probably a 4 pannier distributed load . as typical self contained bike tourists do these days.

ApocalypseRider

Those look sweet! Thanks for the link

ApocalypseRider

LOL the reason I haven't replied, and I know I'll get heavily bashed for it, but it's for an electric motor...