Chicagoan

Hi All,

I'm pretty new to it. I have been commuting 60 miles a week for about a month and a half now. I use a Specialized Crossroads Sport hybrid outfitted to be more suitable for a person who isn't old and fat, I junked the big cushy seat and bought a set of slicks.

Anyway I got a Delta Megarack Sport and the small pannier bags.

BIG MISTAKE!!!

The bags are fine. THey hold my laptop and a change of clothes, and my books go on top. The rack is a piece of crap though!


My first day out with it I rode the lakefront downtown(Chicago) afterschool to see my mom at work(I'm a mama's boy). THe wind was with me and I was doing a steady 18mph fully loaded (25 pounds). I hit a good bump and the rack bent. So now I have to bend it up whenever I hit a bump because it starts rubbing the back tire. I need a stronger Rack!!

Can anyone make a good recomendation?

missile meister

I was glad to see your post - I use the same bike and was looking at the Megarack - before your review, anyway. I'll anxiously watch for anyone else's advice on this as I'm getting tired of the sweaty back from my backpack (my commute is only 4 miles each way) and need to find an appropriate rack.

2_i 

Presumably you still need to ride longer to convince yourself that a Tubus rack:

https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/tubus_racks.asp

is a worthwhile investment. I load my Cargo daily for something like 7 years with a minimum of 25lbs. The rear of my bike got hit twice by a car during that period with the rack coming out just with minor deformations.

cyccommute 

The Sport rack has a free floating leg that allows it to rotate. You should get the Delta MegaRack Universal instead. The rack you have is good for light loads but not good with panniers. The lack of an extra leg lets the bags rotate and could go into the spokes. Try and keep upper stays on the rack as short as possible while keeping the rack deck level on any rack. It sounds like your upper stays bent.

Edit: The Cargo suggested by 2_i is a great rack but it's also about 3 times a much. Worth the investment but kinda hard on the pocket book.

bmclaughlin807

I'll second the Delta MegaRack Universal. I used one for quite a while... regularly loaded with 90 lbs or more. It's now on my wife's bike, as mine came with a rack on it, a Blackburn MTN.... I like the Delta Universal much better, and will be replacing it with one in the near future.

edit: The Delta rack also has a mount on the rear for a light or reflector... I like that a lot. (Not sure why it isn't in the picture on the Delta website, but every one I've ever seen has the mount on the back)

slowjoe66

You can find a plethora of different racks that I am sure would be acceptable to you. The point being that you want a heavier duty rack with supports front and back at least and preferably a center support. You will want a longer, beefier top tray, somewhere around 14 inches long, and minimum 5 inches wide or wider if you are going to actually use panniers. If you ever get larger panniers, you will appreciate the longer top platform because you can slide the bags back further so that you have less opportunity for heel strike.

Other than the previously stated Tubus, Old man mountain makes really great racks: https://www.oldmanmountain.com/rear_rack_page.htm

Schwinnrider

If money is no object, then Tubus should be your choice. Well-engineered, well-made German quality. That being said, I used a Topeak rack for years, and the only reason I replaced it is because it got bent when a truck hit me.

hankbrandenburg

I've been using the Topeak Explorer Rack and MTX Trunkbag setup since May without issue. It seems like a sturdy setup and I like the way the bag slides off the rack to carry into the office when I arrive. I have the rain cover as well.

tsl

I started with that Delta rack too. Broke several spokes and nearly ruined my grocery panniers with it. I also had heel-strike issues.

I next upgraded to a Jandd Expedition rack. Longer, with plenty of uprights on the side, it's a great rack for load-carrying.

My new bike has a Tubus Cosmo rack. It's one of the few available in the US that has a second siderail. This lets me mount my rack trunk bag and grocery panniers simultaneously, so I can stop and shop on the way home from work rather than having to make a second trip out. The link above shows the "old" Cosmo rack. I bought the "new", 2008 version.

bmclaughlin807

I mount my trunk bag and grocery panniers at the same time on my Delta or Blackburn MTN racks... the velcro on the trunk bag fits just fine in front of the hooks from my grocery panniers. I think when I replace my rack I'm going with the Delta MegaRack XL ... says it's 2" longer which will give me just a little bit more clearance. I hit the panniers with my heel once in a great while on my Blackburn rack.

swifty

The Blackburn Expedition is a very nice rack. It seems a popular alternative to the more expensive Tubus racks among the touring/expedition crowd. As a matter of fact, I have one laying around in my shed, as I prefer my Deuter H20 backpack for commuting. Nothing wrong with the rack itself though.

kill.cactus

+1 on the Blackburn expedition. I think it is around 40 dollars though.

It easily carries up to 30 or 35 pounds of my stuff several times a week (if I choose to use panniers)

brunop

look at a surly nice rack. tough as nails.

Bikingtoteach

My blackburn seems strong?!

flipped4bikes

Blackburn. Old Man Mountain.

bmclaughlin807

My Blackburn is strong enough... I just don't like the way my panniers mount to it (They barely fit) and I don't like that it doesn't have a mount for a tail light. (I had to screw on a metal piece to mount my tail light to)

n4zou

+1 Surly nice racks are just that, really nice!

If you can DIY stuff you can make your own racks. Check this link on how to make your own racks.
https://www.k3pgp.org/bikerack.htm

You don’t need to go to that extreme size as shown in the photo but it does show you what you can easily make yourself.

Banzai

I just got an Old Man Mountian Sherpa...very pleased. It's simple to mount with sturdy and elegant hardware.

genel

I really like my Trek Interchange rack and bag. They've lasted for years under heavy use.

The rack is about $30. You can put any brand of bag on it, but the Interchange ones are very conveniant. They just clip on. no futzing with straps.

andrelam

I'll seconds the Trek Interchange rack. I like the rack NOT because I have any Interchange bags, but because it has a convenient little slow in the back that perfectly holds a standard belt clip rear blinky light. There is a thumb screw to lock in the rear light. I love the feature. The rack is also well made and durable. I am sure the Tubus racks are nicer but I could not justify the expense when I just starting to commute by bike. If I ever need to upgrade, the Tubus are realy the only other option, but at just under $30 the Trek rack is a great value.

Happy riding,
André

kchunks

I use a Topeak Explorer which has worked well for me. I think it is rated to 50 pounds. It also has a 50mm and 80mm set of holes on the pack for a reflector or light.

tsl

Oh, it can be done on darned near any rack, but it's a big pain in the butt.

I don't like fussing for five minutes to mount them both, then having to fuss again to remove the loaded grocery panniers so I can carry the bike up the fire escape. Plus, the grocery panniers stick up a bit interfering with the side pouches on the trunk bag, which is also wider than the rack. There's just too much interference for me.

All in all, since I don't do fussing or frustration well at all, the extra hundred bucks for a Tubus with a second side rail is worth every penny (and more) to me from a mental health standpoint.

zoltani

When i first saw the thread title i had a response ready:

My recommendation is to not buy a cheap rack. I did this and after the rack failed i had to buy another rack, but this time i did not skimp. In all reality i wasted that 12 bucks for the cheap rack when i was trying to save money. Should have gone for the more expensive rack in the beginning.
Now i am using a blackburn rack, and i like it because it is way sturdier than the previous one i had and can handle heavy loads. However, i do NOT recommend any lighting product made by blackburn (edit: i should have specified that i am speaking of their red blinkies)

Chicagoan

Tahnks for all of your responces. Does anyone have experience with th topeak rack that comes with a ulock that stores underneath the rack? It also has a rear light mount.

iain.dalton

There's also this guy.

By the way, I've seen some welded racks on the forums, using chromoly (tubes? rods? I'm not sure). Does anyone have a link to someone going through it step by step? It would be an interesting project, but I'm not sure how one would bend the chromoly.