I've got a brand new 2009 Salsa La Cruz cyclocross bike I'm using as my commuter (9 miles each way in Mahnattan) and soon it'll be pulling a trailer with my twins (now 7 months old).

I need to fit a rack on the rear for panniers to carry a book or two, a few files, lightweight laptop, office clothes, occasionally a towel. I've got one set of rear eyelets at the dropouts to handle fender and rack. I've got no upper braze-ons for mounting a rack. This bike has disc brakes and 700c rims/ tires.

I've searched these forums and the web in general. It seems that my options are these (in order of my current preference):

1. Use a 28.6 mm seatpost clamp with rack mount eyelets on my 27.2 mm seatpost with some shim.
2. Use P-clamps and go to the seatstays.
3. Mount to the brake bridge.
4. Replace my seatpost clamp with a 31.4 mm seatpost clamp plus some shim on my seat tube.

I'd love to hear other suggestions. I think I want a rack beefier than will mount solely to the seatpost, so I think beam racks are out. I'm more likely to go Tubus than anything else.

Option 1: using my 27.2 mm seatpost, first apply some shim, then a 28.6 mm seatpost clamp like this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Inline-Seat-Cl...9917510&sr=8-1
Mount rack to eyelets on new seatpost clamp. I would leave my current seatpost clamp in place on the seat tube, performing seatpost clamp duty, and the new clamp would serve only as a rack mount point. Advantage: puts any scratches or damage on the seatpost instead of the frame. Offers two mount points instead of one on the brake bridge. Avoids any potential clearcoat damage that would result from p-clamps on the seatstays. Disadvantages: the clamp will require shim to fit on the post. It will not look great. It might not be as sturdy or stable a mounting as the seatstay approach.

Option 2: use p-clamps on the seatstays. Advantages: easy, hardware readily available, cheap, quick. Disadvantages: I really don't want to do any harm to the paint on this frame. Won't mounting these dull the clearcoat under the p-clamps?

Option 3: mount to the brake bridge. Advantages: fairly easy, no scratches or damage to frame paint. No goofy looking extra seatpost clamp plus gnarly shim on my seatpost. Disadvantages: single mount point should allow significantly more sway in the rack than I want; should support less weight; not a lot of racks I like available that support this approach.

Option 4: replace my seatpost clamp on my 30.0 mm seat tube with a new, larger seat post clamp plus some shim. The new clamp would have rack mount holes. Advantages: not many. Disads: ugly, likely to scratch paint, not likely to clamp seatpost super effectively; probably this isn't really an option.

Please offer your advice and help me with the pros and cons. I think I've talked myself into p-clamps.

Also: thoughts on which rack I should use with disc brakes and 700c rims/ tires? I've looked at options, so I'm looking for your real-world in-use evaluations. Thanks!

I use p-clamps on my beater, but they have rubber coatings on the edges. I think I've seen other p-clamps where it is entirely coated in rubber.

^^ this. Works for me.

If you go Tubus, I think they make matching P-clamps kits in several sizes. Any old p-clamp from the hardware store should work as well, though will probably rust eventually (I found some in the electrical section that had rubber inserts). I believe Delta also sells a P-clamp kit with rubber-coated clamps and bolts. It's not that critical, as most of the weight is supported by the dropout eyelets.

I put two of these together that I had lying around and bolted them on my seat tube, between the top tube and seatpost collar. I bent the two half-circle clamps, put them together and made a single clamp that fit perfectly.

Worked like a charm. A single P-clamp would have worked, but I didn't have one lying around.

I brought the two arms of the rack together with a larger bolt for the end of the clamped together loop so it wouldn't come off the clamps. I used these system for a good two years, with considerable weight. The rack stays were bolted to the drop-outs, but Giant didn't include braze-ons that year. The years before and after, but not that year, lol.

I had the same problem, I picked up one of these, works great.



$12, you can order them here

+1 Tubus clamp set, much stronger than cheap p-clamp. Put electric tape under clamps to protect painting.
Here is my LaCruz. Tubus clamps and white tape, looks good. Solid.

hartsu, that's a gorgeous rendition of the La Cruz. I think you sold me. Hadn't thought of electrical tape, and now that you suggest it, I feel pretty silly. Thanks!

When buying P-clips, go to the electrical section of Home Depot rather than the hardware section. There, you can get rubber-padded clips (not just plastic-dipped).

I actually found my p-clips near the cable (TV) section, but I can't remember if it was Home Depot or Lowes. I nearly gave up looking for p-clips locally until I brought a picture with me to the store.

great post! I am currently using my single speed as a commuter (in manhattan as well!) so I'm curious how to attach a rear rack with no braze ons. What did you end up doing OP?

I'll try to take a closeup later today. Oakback's testimonial convinced me to try the Axiom Streamliner. I got the Streamliner DLX, which is quite narrow at the top, mounts to the brake bridge, and hangs almost cantilever style off the dropout eyelet. Here's a link to the product:
https://axiomgear.com/products/gear/r...iner-road-dlx/

This rack and my Planet Bike fenders share the same eyelet at the dropout. When I bought my bike, the shop (NYC Velo) pulled some clever business out and installed the fender on the disc brake side with a long spacer on an even longer mount bolt, allowing the fender support rod to easily clear the disc brake caliper. It took some threading and bending, but the result seems good enough to get the job done and doesn't look hideous.

If you're reluctant to use the P-clamps, I think the brake bridge is a solid alternative for many commuters. I think true long distance touring might require rethinking this, but that's not on my agenda (at least not for now).

Thanks!

I have a Salsa La Cruz and a rear rack p-clamped to the seatstays. The lower mount is a QR skewer thingy. Mine is an Old Man Mountain Sherpa. The p-clamps they provided are rubber-covered and I don't think they're doing any paint damage.

The OMM skewer-mounted option is extremely strong and burley. A smaller person could ride back there.

Another option would be to use a large Carradice seat bag such as the Barley, Pendle or Nelson. The Carradice bags will hold as much gear as a rack top bag or panniers, depending on the model. They center the weight just behind and below the saddle so it doesn't affect bike handling. They don't require a rear rack, although a Carradice Bagman seat-mount rack will provide more support and keep the bag from swaying or hitting your legs.

Not true for taller than average guys. I'm 6'2 with a 35"+/1 standover. My saddle is high enough that a saddle bag would pull the weight balance too high (saddle-centric rather than frame-centric like a rack). so, for me, the weight balance is far better with a rack & panniers.

If I understand you correctly, this sort of thing can enable a regular rack.

https://salsacycles.com/components/c...acks/rack-lock

I've been very happy with it mated to a topeak rack.

Another approach https://www.thule.com/en-us/us/bike-...-rack-_-100090 I use this on my front end; I didn't have any eyelets up there. Also works well.

Nice rig!

I have used the single, center strut to the brake bolt on all my bikes that have gotten rear racks save one for 50 years. Once I was past the flimsy Pletcher racks and onto the far stiffer Blackburn racks I thought I was golden. Now it appears I've been living in delusion for 40 years.

I have a bike that will continue that delusion 1 as soon as I can find a rack with a single strut or that can be adopted cleanly. To me, the single strut is a no-brainer for a cantilevered or disk braked bike.

DIsclaimer - I hate large loads in the backs of bikes. I would far rather carry heavy stuff in LowRiders up front. Weight aft is miserable if you love to climb hills out of the saddle and rock the bike.

Ben