The Birdy rack mounted with panniers suffers from a problem. It took me a while to figure out what the problem was.

I noticed after commuting for a while, that the side where I hang the pannier, the mudguard strut which also serves as pannier support, wears quite fast against the pannier. I thought it was just the pannier bouncing or something so I sleeved the strut with a double layer of black shrink sleeve which looked nice.

But shortly afterwards, the shrink sleeve was worn through! So I sleeved it with a thick piece of PVC hose, and even that shows signs of wear especially after the Kangaroo Island tour.

Then just a few weeks ago I realised the reason for the wear is, the rear wheel is suspended so moves WRT the pannier on the rack which is frame mounted. So the mudguard strut moves WRT the pannier and wears rapidly. My pannier now has in fact a hole worn in it where it contacts the strut with the sleeving.



So be wary for the front panniers which suffers from the same problem. The strut which is axle mounted, will rub against the pannier which is frame mounted. I have seen a recommendation somewhere (Birdyfreunde?) to bend the strut end inwards a bit or the end will damage the panniers.