The Bontrager rack that came on my Trek 520 has been solid as a rock and is reasonably priced by itself. I use my bike like others use a pickup truck -- it hauls everything, both on tours and around town. I have put so much weight on it that I ended up bending the rear axle without harming the rack at all. I also have a Soma Porteur front rack that costs almost three times what the Bontrager costs, but is great for evening out heavy loads and is perfect for carrying things that don't fit well in the Wald folding baskets mounted on my back rack. FWIW