Originally Posted by
dellwilson
I know they are a little pricey, but I highly recommend the Tubus racks. I went with the Vega and Tara for my Surly Cross Check. I've got experience with various racks on my commuter bikes and get a lot of service out of them. However, the Tubus racks are lightweight, well-designed, and install like spreading butter. I can turn my CC from a club ride bike to full-on touring bike in about 15 mins.
One of the reasons that I like the Tubus is the stiffness. This is especially important for loaded touring and even more important for loaded touring and downhills. I was shocked when I watched the rack on my daughter's Fuji swaying under load along the Lochsa River in Idaho. It was visible from a few hundred feet behind her. The rack was solidly mounted but not solid. The rack wasn't a Blackburn but it was a Blackburn style like the one Doug64 has posted above. Many of the newer aluminum racks use larger diameter tubular construction which make them somewhat stiffer. The
Planet Bike KOKO, for example is a tubular design which is both lighter and stiffer than the Blackburn type. It's cheap too.