Originally Posted by
john m flores
25 year old me is laughing at 50-something me right now, trying to be "cool" with a bike with racks lol. But it's ok to admit that we're nerds and that our racked bikes are nerdy. They're miles away from the sleek bikes of the Tour de France.
The only thing close to being cool with bags is the bikepacking scene; it's the pedaling equivalent of overlanding with their rooftop tents and tactical gear, and I suspect that the bikepacking aversion to racks over the years has included the idea that racks aren't cool. But a funny thing has been happening in that space over the last couple of years - the recognition that racks provide some real utility and are sometimes a better solution than strapping things to the bike frame. Tailfin is a big influencer in this return to racks movement.
https://www.tailfin.cc/product/panni...v=7516fd43adaa
But Tailfin racks are way too expensive and cool (and proprietary) for me these days lol. 25 year old me might have splurged. 50-something me is finally embracing my inner nerd.
I saw a similar, perhaps exact same rear rack in Bicycle Quarterly article, streamlined carbon single strut each side, with just a bag on top. What's hilarious about that photo is that, what I've read of bikepacking, it's for both less low side cargo for going through brush, and less aero drag; Well, that setup with oversize bottle/cargo cages on the sides, holds a lot less than panniers, but just as much aero drag and brush obstruction. Non sequitur.