Nice rack
 

I'm looking to purchase a new rack for my bike (it has rack eyelets) but i am looking for one that is long and can carry a decent load. It needs to be big because intend on strapping down large boxes to it so that i can commute to the UPS facility. any suggestions would be much appreciated.

thanks in advance.

awwwww, not what I thought :(

The Jandd Expedition Rack seems to be what you are looking for. It's a sturdy rack with a long, wide platform.
http://www.jandd.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=FREXP
http://www.jandd.com/ProdImages/Rack...ditionRack.jpg

Here's Surly's entry into the rack cook-off. Costs about $90. But its cro-moly with a strong design.


http://www.cosmicsports.de/surly/Sur...24E-RK0102.jpg

MSRP on the Surly is a whopping $130.

Guess that explains why the rack was deleted from Alfred E. Bike website. Originally it was listed at $90.

Good ideas, both. However, how big are these boxes you want to tote with you? If they are getting really big, then you may consider a small bike trailer for hauling lots of stuff.

This could be an option, if necessary.

http://www.bykaboose.com/

:D That's why I clicked on this thread too.

Yeah, what a dang tease.

Oh, I knew they were gonna be racks... :p

Here, maybe this will help you out --

or not.. can't get the image to upload..

oh well.. sorry.

Hmm. No one has suggested the Xtracycle (http://www.xtracycle.com/html/home.php). Not a rack, but if you truly need to haul big loads, it's a good way to go.

Also, check out A.N.T.'s racks (http://www.antbikemike.com/basketsandracks.html). And I've come across custom rack builders on the web (there's one in Texas: anyone?) that could probably make an extra long rack.

edit: A.N.T. says that their "Baskets and racks are built for ANT frames only." Not sure if that means they won't fit other bikes, but just fyi.

Also check out OMM, old man mountain, for racks. They are well made and not bargain basement.

Weight in the back is a BAD idea. Consider this.

The rear triangle is the WEAKEST part of a frame. The thin seatstays and chainstays combined with the rider's weight, road potholes, swaying back and forth, etc., add up to a lot of stress. THEN add a heavy box. It's a great way to break a frame. Ever seen a broken frame NOT fractured at the rear triangle? I doubt many.

The back wheel is also weaker than the front. A front bicycle wheel is built symmetrically, with a centered axle and spokes of equal length on both sides. But the rear wheel is dished and askew, with an axle offset to make room for gears (usually). The left side spokes are longer than the right side. Add the rider's weight, plus uneven road terrain and a couple hundred pounds of torque and it equals tremendous stress. THEN add a heavy box. An excellent way to destroy a wheel. Have you ever broken a spoke on a FRONT wheel? I doubt many.

Carrying weight on the back of a bike makes it squirrely and hard to control. Put a fifty pound box on your rear rack and try to ride down the street. It becomes almost unmanageable. Stop at a red light and it gets downright scary. It's hard to keep the bike upright and the entire frame flexes and tries to lay down. Not to mention the weight is BEHIND you, out of sight, while you're trying to look forward. It doesn't make sense. The front is where you want to carry weight, not the back. The front.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...ewsitecopy.jpg

The front is where the stronger part of the frame is, away from the weak rear triangle. The front is where the stronger of the two wheels are. The front is where your hands are in control, not behind your ass, where you can't even see if it's shifting or about to fall or whatever.

The front is where freight should be carried. And as low as possible.

I've carried cargo daily as a bike messenger in Chicago, L.A., and San Francisco since 2000. I've broken countless spokes (rear wheel every time), and good frames (rear triangle every time) before building my own custom front rack and realizing I'd had it wrong for so many years. Fellow messengers and commuters started asking where they could get their own.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...ileboxwide.jpg

If you're interested, click here to get to my website. Regardless, use the above info for your consideration in buying a rack.

How come money never find its way onto my spokes?

No doubt!

There's a story behind those dollar bills.

A little over a year ago I found those two dollars on a small residential street in SOMA, the district just south of downtown San Francisco. I was working as a messenger there, and thought it'd be an interesting experiment to put the found bills into my spokes and leave them there until someone took them. The idea was to see how many minutes they'd last--everyone knows that if you leave something laying out in the open here in the big city (especially MONEY), someone will snatch it up immediately, right?

Wrong.

The first day went by and no one took them! Then a week went by. Then a month! No matter where I locked my bike, regardless of how long I'd leave it unnattended, I'd come back, and there'd be the bills, tucked into my spokes in plain sight for all to see!

People on the street would ask me about them all the time--sometimes I'd be on my way into a building after locking up, and someone would point to my wheel and say, "Hey, are those real dollars?", and I'd say, "Yes they are, I found them and they're free to anyone that needs them! Feel free!", and continue into the building. But later when I'd come back out, the bills remained!

It sort of became an ongoing sociological experiment, other messengers got in on it, and occasionally a friend would tell me they'd witnessed someone get close to taking the dollars, but then hesitate and walk away.

The bills stayed put for a little over FIVE MONTHS, until I moved on to CETMAracks full time. I still have 'em.

From reading the site, I understand that ANT racks are made to fit ANT bikes at the time of the bike's construction and only ANT bikes get ANT racks.

I think I am readin that correctly.

Best,
e.

Heh, I was going to say "This Thread Is Wortless Without Pics" but it's full of 'em. ;)

Lancekagar, that's an awesome story about the dollars bills.

Still there - http://aebike.com/site/page.cfm?PageID=30&SKU=RK0103

Surly has been having problems getting / keeping items in stock.

OK, just to make sure we have explored other options not yet shown:

http://www.khamsindesigns.com/produc...ack-8-ball.jpg
http://static.flickr.com/12/18688649_291fbef71b_m.jpg
http://www.angelfire.com/psy/codeyth.../Nice_Rack.jpg

I've hauled 50+ pounds on the back of my bike and let me tell you, lancekagar is right on the money (pun intended-cool $ bill story). At every imperfection in the road, it feels like the whole back end wants to jump into the next lane. Not fun.

I've also put nearly that much weight on the front of my bike. It wasn't much fun either. I had to fight the front wheel to keep it going straight. The only caveat being that it was a home made rack, so maybe it wasn't balanced correctly to be sitting over the front wheel.

My solution? I built my own trailer.
I've made a few modifications since posting this thread, (increased bend in the tow arm, new hitch, etc.), and I should have more pics by morning.
I was rather amazed at how easy it was to move lots of weight on a trailer.

There are several companies out there that make nice, sturdy trailers. I just couldn't afford one.

my first thought was, wtf is this doing in a commuting forum?! :p ok, so that :rolleyes: kind of rack

Off-topic:

Two of my buddies went to GTC recently (gov't tech conference). They walked past a display of a fancy server rack, and a well-endowed lady was stationed at the booth, leaning forward on her elbows waiting for customers. As they walked by, one of my buddies exclaimed innocently, "nice rack!" The other choked down laughter as the lady gave them both a shocked and dirty look. Wish I coulda been there!

These provide a very large surface to strap things on. Like 30# bags of cat litter.

I can vouch for the goodness of those CETMAracks. I've been using mine for a few months and it works great. I use it to carry kitty litter. Small furniture that we find at thrift shops in the area. And during the summer I carry my back pack on it, to work, so my back isn't soaked at the end of my ride.

The pic below... full bag carrying clothes and junk. Handling wise, with a larger, wider load, it was a bit sluggish, but it worked fine. I think it might help build some upper body strength keeping the front wheel in line.. hehe...
http://static.flickr.com/33/55349468_03748a658d.jpg

Aw, shucks. I'm so glad to hear you're liking yours. Hearing feedback like that makes it all worth it to me.


Cheers, friend.

I agree with you.
Lots of folks in europe load the front wheel, rather than the rear.

So what gives, why the aversion to a loaded front in the US of A?

I speak only for myself, but my aversion to loading the front is that I don't like swinging the weight around every time I turn the bars, either for minor course/balance corrections or to negotiate a curve -- I just don't like what it does to the handling. The only cure that I know of for this is a small front wheel and a basket that does not turn with the bars, like in the middle of this page: http://www.worksman.com/industrialbikes.html

I can carry lots of weight on the back wheel with minimal handling issues, and no significant maintenance issues (and actually, most of the frames I have seen break from use have been at the BB, but I have also seen forks break from normal use). I would not recommend as much weight for people with highly-dished and/or low-spoke-count wheels. I know there are people out there who tour with most of the weight on the front, or believe in a 50-50 front-back weight distribution, for reasons similar to those you cite. But it doesn't work for me.

The steering thing turns most people away. Things seem to be changing, though.