_dylan

Anyone have panniers on their Raleigh Sports? I'm thinking of putting a black rear rack on my 64 and outfitting with some panniers. I typically ride the Raleigh with my SO since we have the matching thing going on and I think she'd enjoy being able to store more things in my bags than her basket (i.e. jacket, food for picnic, etc.)

Any recommendations on utility that keep the look?

The Golden Boy 

I think the very British way of doing it would be with a bigger saddle bag.

I like panniers, I don't know what rack would be good on a classy, classic looking bike like yours.

It's a very beautiful and classy looking bike.

himespau 

If I were looking for a small-ish pannier, I always thought these looked sort of classy:

_dylan

Thanks! I may look into that, then--a bigger saddle bag. Definitely something to consider and weigh options.

bikemig 

Carradice makes classic saddlebags that would look right on this bike. There are some American companies that make pretty neat stuff as well. Frost river makes some cool looking old school gear.

The Golden Boy 

But it does bring up the question of what rack would look "appropriate" on a bike like that...

I would first say a Pletscher- it would look "right." But it's not as rugged as a Blackburn, and I don't trust the attachment clamps at the seat stays to not damage the bike. Any of the "modern-y" Blackburn, Tubus etc racks would be rugged and useful, but IMO would look out of place.

_dylan

I actually do have a Pletscher rack that was recently painted black--it's the rack I was considering using when I first thought of implementing panniers. I think I'll have to just look around and see what else there is. I'd rather not use panniers if the clamps could damage the stays.

icepick_trotsky 

Pletscher would definitely look right, but I would also recommend a Wald 215. They've been making that rack relatively unchanged for decades, it comes in black or chrome, and it has the same rugged shape as the Blackburn. Plus, it attaches to the brake bridge instead of the stays, so you don't have to worry about damage. Here's a photo of it attached to my wife's Schwinn Traveler, which has a similar vibe to the Raleigh (sorry for the poor phone photos):

The Golden Boy 

There are plenty of people that have said they've had no damage using things to cushion between the clamp and the stays- like a patch of old innertube.

crank_addict

You can find Pletscher's for next to nothing. Not the most robust but can be modified by adding aluminum rod. Depicted is a Schwinn version with the two folding spring clamp's and seat bolt mount, a Pletscher with the mouse trap removed and a Schwinn seat stay rack for large seat bag (made by Park Tool).

nlerner

Or you could make it Raleigh Superbe-like and find a Prestube Minor rack as this person did: