Originally Posted by
indyfabz
There are some racks with narrow(er) platforms. Not sure what the advantage would be outside of a small weight savings, assuming a small weight savings can be considered an advantage.
Most of my racks are used for commuting and thus I use rack bags on them. A narrow platform is
usually a poor choice for rack bags. I also happen to use the old Ortlieb rack mount system which allows me to put a mount on a Tubus Vega and Tubus Airy rack so that my trunk bags don't go all wobbly.
I couldn't imagine using either of those racks for panniers nor for carrying my tent and sleeping bag on top of the rack (pannier space is too precious to waste on a tent and sleeping bag).
Originally Posted by
sideshow
Looking to buy a pair of ortlieb packer plus panniers, I will be putting them on my Jamis, I want a rack that will handle 60 pounds or more, that don't cost over a hundred dollars. I'm also thinking about a thinner rack over a wider one, not sure if there are pros or cons with wide or narrow racks? My frame tubes are tapped, as are my dropouts.
As no rules said, Tubus is way to go. Yes, they can be expensive but they handle what you want to do a whole lot better than just about any rack out there. The Cargo on my touring bike has been used for about 10,000 miles of touring (over 15 years) without issue. The Vega on my commute bike has close to 20,000 miles on it and I expect it to last another 200,000 miles if I ever get to that mileage. It's an investment.
By the way, I would suggest you
not put 60 lbs on the back of a bike and go touring. First, 60 lbs is a
lot of weight but, more importantly, 60 lbs on the back of a bike will make for a handling nightmare. Cut your load by at least 20 lbs and split it between the front and rear. Put 60% (roughly) of the weight on the front and 40% on the back. The bike will handle a whole lot better.