I bought an Axiom Streamliner Road DLX rack (the one that connects at the brake bridge) for my new Salsa La Cruz since the bike doesn't have rack mounts on the seatstays.

I put the rack on last night and it seemed ok, but this morning when I put a pannier on it and headed out the door, the weight from the cargo kept bending the metal bar that connects the rack to the brake bridge. As a result, the rack would rub the tire. I tried bending it back into place, and it would be fine for a minute or two but as soon as I hit a bump, the rack would bend back down and hit the tire. Before I got too far from home I went back and took the rack off and threw everything in my messenger bag instead.

The rack is supposedly rated to 110 lbs, but I only had 15 pounds on there, max. Anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions for fixing it?

I have that same rack and have never had that problem. Any pics of your mounting arrangement?

Here's a pic with the rack mounted.

Beautiful bike!

I have almost the exact same setup, except I got the black rack. I bent the brake bridge connector twice during mounting. The first was intentional, and the second was accidental. Since then, I've loaded it up with probably at least 40 pounds and no further action in the brake bridge connector. I don't know that that helps you.

Good luck.

That does look like a long length of unsupported steel. I could see it being susceptible to bending, especially from an uneven load, as caused my a single painner. Looks to be made even worse by the disk brake mounts, canting the rack further back.

I would suggest fabricating your own mounting strap, I used a piece of 1/8th aluminium sheet, with a few holes drilled in in to mount my rack. It's much stiffer than before, and a lot less likely to bend.

My bike has very steep seat stays, so the strap that goes to the brake bridge isn't anywhere near that long. I can see that if your panniers are all the way back it will place a lot of force on that strap. I think your best bet is to fabricate a new heavy duty strap. That or find a way to move the rack closer in to your seat tube. I'll see if I can get a pic up of my rack asap.

it looks like the fact that the lower mounts push the rack so far rearward that the weight of the pannier is being allowed to be farther forward than is normal (heck with my large feet, I have to hang the pannier on the very back portion of the rack) this would put more weight forward causing the rack to rotate torwards that front, bending the support. Until you can fabricate a more robust mount, try moving the pannier more toward the rear so the weight is pushing down on the back of the rack, instead of on the front of the rack. You want the support to be under tension, not compression.

Have you thought about another rack using p-clamps?? It would solve your problem IMHO...

the problem seems to be that your rack is too far away back.
what you can do is:
1. mount the strap on the other (back) side of the bridge.
2. turn the rack such that it will have a small slope towards the back

this way the load will be on the near-axle mounts and it will push the rack backward. mounting strap will be stretched, not compressed and hence should not bend.

I had this rack. Hated it. That 115lb rating is a lie. The single aluminum strut my rack came with broke easily.

That's an awful design. 115 lb?

The brackets at the bottom look sketchy too.

Awful design? I have the same rack and love it. I have even sat on the rack while riding. Super crank forward seating .

Sorry. Double post.

Beautiful bike, but rack looks really goofy . I'ts way too back ...

If you like macgyvering , here is hints & tips how to mount rear rack on a Bike with Disc Brakes.

This is how i do it my LaCruz, very solid.

What takes the vertical load? All I see are two cantilevered sheet metal parts that won't transmit any load at all to the eyelets.

As much as I hate to throw in the towel, I think I might just have to suck it up and buy another rack. I don't have the tools to fabricate a stronger mounting piece, and I wouldn't know where to start even if I did. Even if I could get the rack to work properly, it looks like I won't be able to fit fenders on under it with my 700x35c tires. The rack itself is so freaking skinny on top.

I think I might go with the Topeak Explorer Disc rack and use p-clamps. My wife has the non-disc version and the quality seems good. I think the fenders are going to be a pain to mount with that one, too. Argh...

Were you ever able to solve the problem popsicleian? I am having the same trouble with my Avail Giant bike.

that looks like a very bad design. what transfers the downward forces to the frame?

Check out the Sherpa rack from Old Man Mountain. It is what I got for my cross bike that has disc brakes. It is expensive but was the only option that allowed multiple very secure points of attachment. It will come with p-clamps for your seat tubes and you can get custom sized extender bars to make the fit perfect. Not cheap but it won't fall apart and you will be able to mount fenders underneath without problems.

Beautiful bike. It's puzzling to me that Salsa did not include rack mounts on the seat stays since so many people use cross bikes for commuting and light touring, and the La Cruz is apparently not designed for cyclocross racing. If it doesn't have mounts, your best option is probably to use P-clips.

Thanks sjt78. I know the bike store where I got everything is not understanding the issue.

My only immediate solution is to shift the panniers further to the rear of the rack, and putting more of the load weight on the rear stays than on the front horizontal stay bar.

Thanks for your response dynodonn. Actually a local school mechanic teacher and a youth that fixes bikes solved the problem for me. They put the stay in between the seat post clamp and then tightened everything up. It is working wonderful so far.

Hi there,

Just wanted to know whether you would recommend this particular rack? Like yourself, I have a Cube Peloton Race bike which does not have any mounts for standard pannier racks and I'm hoping to use this bike on a long tour of the UK (Lands End to John O'Groats, 1000 miles) with lots of steep up hill climbs etc... Was wondering whether you would recommend these racks for a tour like this. I'm going to be riding over 7-10 days and will be travelling light, but will certainly need panniers. Your advise would be appreciated. Thanks.

Hi,

I was searching the old forums for discussions on a rack that accommodates disc brakes and I saw your post and pictures. What type of rack do you have?

thanks,
Marc