I was mildly interested in a non-weight-weenie/non-potential-customer way until I saw this:

Rim breaks for life! Or at least until many many many years from now

I like how they claim that their product will make one be a faster commuter- and, yes, that is with the laptop. Same goes for the 'you can tour with it', given the rack has a weight limit of 40 lbs...

If you don't get their bag, yours may not fit or might have heel strike if you can't adjust your mounting hardware. Also, I saw no place to mount a light/reflector.

I'll give them props the product overview, but I'm not part of their potential customer base.

This is perfect for light weight touring. I've done 6 week tours (including camping gear) with 25 lbs per person. THis would be more than enough.

J.

Kickstarter update today. They have a gadget that they are designing that works with the rack dropouts on any bike. Also the skewer will work with either 130 or 135mm spacing.

J.

"El Duderino" was complaining about the spelling, I think. However, it should be pretty simple to invent a spool that bolts to an eyelet. Something close enough may already exist.

Yes, Dude was. Or "El Duderino" if you're not into that whole brevity thing

So edited

That's pretty much what they are doing. Simple and effective.

J.

Is there any instance in life where The Big L isn't applicable? I honestly didn't even see the spelling error until pointed out.

You hang out regularly at BF, how can you not be incredibly sensitized?

Say what you will about the tenets of the National Socialist Party, at least it's an ethos.

Check out my custom-decorated stem:

Seems like any other bag must have a very rigid back, otherwise the single stay won't keep the bag from potentially getting caught in the wheel.

Tailfin was fully funded on May 31, as well as two stretch goals (rack adapter thingy and clip-on fender)

Hopefully this will lead to a more affordable iteration of this concept down the line. I like the idea of a quick-release rack for a short bike touring/camping trip.

Agree. I think it's a great idea. I'm in for one.

About time someone rethought the design of rear racks.

J.

damn, that's some expensive **** right there.

i'd go with a titanium Tubus rack for that money.

271g and supports 30kg (66#)

https://www.rosebikes.com/article/tu...ack/aid:193895

and that seatpost connector is crap.

Would that be a carbon fiber kitty liter bucket?

Well, at least it probably has a market and it's completely stupid. That's a departure from most bicycle based Kickstarters.

The Tubus Airy is a nice rack - I have one.

The problem with it is that you cannot take the Tubus rack off easily and when you do, you wind up with a handful of little parts that are easily lost. I don't like having the rack on the bike all the time (for a variety of reasons) and want the rack on the bike only for the time I need to use it. Tailfin does that.

J.

I'm sorry, but this is stupid. The "ultra light" rack weighs 275 grams. A typical, good quality (I'm using the Salsa Alternator Standard Rear Rack as a comparison) aluminum rack weighs 765 grams. That's a difference of 490 grams, or about 1 pound. Load the pannier up with 15 pounds of stuff and that's only a 6% difference in weight. That's next to nothing, and shrinks to virtually nothing when you think about pannier, rider, and bike weight as well. You could get that by drinking a bit out of your water bottle before you started off. You could save even more if you went to the bathroom before you left. I bet most people couldn't even pick the heavier loaded bike (by 1 lb) in a blind comparison test.

This product is a way to get money out of people with lots of money and no sense. Race bikes are not meant to have weight mounted on a rack. That's part of the reason why there are no eyelets. For the price of this rack you could buy an entire other bike on bikesdirect and not have to spoil your precious carbon fiber bike.

Anybody who uses racks for serious commuting or touring will NOT want a carbon fiber rack, and anybody who likes to ride their bike quickly will not want a rack on their bike, period. Again, a product for people with more money than sense.

Well, I have done both serious touring and commuting on a race geometry bike. And this is what I want for that application because I can take it off easily and I like how the bike rides. I, personally, find it crazy to tour with more than about 25-30 lbs per person. I have done unsupported tours that way on occasion. That level of weight, loaded properly works on that kind of a bike.

Too, many times, I want to have the ability to carry some extra food for a picnic or a jacket each for my wife and I when on a long road bike or a more fun ride. Prior to this, had to use a seat pack (one of the larger ones). Try that on a racing frame and you can feel what it does to bike handling.

And I don't want another bike because I'd have a bigger problem of needing a bigger storage area to store it (that problem is *far* more expensive than a rack). Buying another bike just to have for a rack? That sounds really foolish to me.

Just because you don't see the need or it's not your application doesn't mean it's bad product or that others are foolish (or stupid - your word) for buying it just because their needs don't match yours. Apparently a whole lot of people disagree with you when you look at the success of this on kickstarter.

J.

... or a kitty litter bucket with carbon-fiber weave stickers on it.

Obviously, those would be load bearing decals.....

Many years ago when I was painting R/C car bodies, I learned you can fake the weave pretty effectively by painting black, then using a rubber drawer liner as a mask and spraying with gunmetal or silver.

https://www.amazon.com/Con-Tact-Premi...5226901&sr=1-9

Would.

For the 100mi/week rider with one bike, occasional long jaunts on the weekend without regard to planning around food stops (or planning at all), and the once-a-year credit card tour, this fits the bill really well.

Hardcore commuting? Not the core market....