Originally Posted by
jtgotsjets
Honestly, I find this particular rack to be something of a "fashion" item. Not to say it isn't functional or won't hold your stuff, but for the price (plus the cost of the mounting hardware you'll need), you can get so many other functionally identical (or superior) racks that it only really makes sense if you're going for that "look."
Compare with VO's porteur rack, which is expensive, but fills a less populated niche and is typically less expensive than alternatives.
Eh, I don't know. Given the construction of the rear rack, I wouldn't say it's expensive ($80 for tubular stainless steel and design touches like fender mounts and strap hooks). I'd say it fills an even less populated niche than the porteur rack... no one else is making one like it. It's also heavy duty, and provided that you can find panniers with hooks narrow enough to fit the rack, it's heavy duty. Personally I wish they'd make two versions of their racks: polished and bead blasted. I'd take a matte, bead blasted version over polished, as I think it would look less flashy.