Mounting a rear rack w/o braze ons?
11-15-09, 01:59 PM
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Mounting a rear rack w/o braze ons?
I recently acquired a new road bike, and unlike my Bianchi, this bike does not have any mounting holes near the rear dropouts. How does one mount a rear rack to a bike without mounting brackets by the dropouts? Other then a seat post mount, as those site way higher then I would like, and I would like to hold panniers. Any ideas? Do they make a thin strip of metal that slips over your skewer then has a hole at the other end for mounting?
11-15-09, 03:53 PM
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You can find P-clamps for much cheaper in a hardware store, get the vinyl coated ones. I've been using that for a while without problems.
11-15-09, 05:43 PM
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You can find P-clamps for much cheaper in a hardware store, get the vinyl coated ones. I've been using that for a while without problems.
11-15-09, 08:48 PM
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I vote for P-clamps too. I just used them to attach fender support arms to my mountain bike fork, which has no eyelets. Cost me all of $2.58 for 2 vinyl-clad, 1 1/4" P-clamps at the local Ace hardware.
11-15-09, 11:21 PM
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Blackburn will give you free ones if you get a rack from them and ask for them. But it may be faster to buy them locally. They do come in different sizes - just keep that in mind.
11-16-09, 09:32 AM
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+1 for P-clamps. You have to finesse them but you'll get the fit (& screws w/washers) correct eventually.
11-16-09, 09:59 AM
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P-clamps are good (also called cable straps/cable hangers/cable clamps depending on the hardware store).
Before you spend the time and money trying to make a rack and panniers fit your bike, you might want to look at the length of your chainstays and the size of your feet, and make sure that your heels won't hit the panniers every time you turn the pedals. Road bikes with no mounting points for racks frequently have short chainstays, which makes carrying panniers difficult.
If you don't want to mess with p-clips and heels hitting panniers, consider a saddlebag like the ones Rivendell and Carradice make. Of course, then you'll either need a saddle with built in bag loops or an adaptor that provides a place to attach your saddlebag to your saddle.
Messenger bags are another option, your back doesn't get sweaty, they aren't as top-heavy as backpacks, and everything comes with you when you get off the bike.
I'm not recommending one setup over another, just pointing out some options. Rack and panniers, saddlebags and messenger bags all have their pluses and minuses.
Before you spend the time and money trying to make a rack and panniers fit your bike, you might want to look at the length of your chainstays and the size of your feet, and make sure that your heels won't hit the panniers every time you turn the pedals. Road bikes with no mounting points for racks frequently have short chainstays, which makes carrying panniers difficult.
If you don't want to mess with p-clips and heels hitting panniers, consider a saddlebag like the ones Rivendell and Carradice make. Of course, then you'll either need a saddle with built in bag loops or an adaptor that provides a place to attach your saddlebag to your saddle.
Messenger bags are another option, your back doesn't get sweaty, they aren't as top-heavy as backpacks, and everything comes with you when you get off the bike.
I'm not recommending one setup over another, just pointing out some options. Rack and panniers, saddlebags and messenger bags all have their pluses and minuses.
11-16-09, 10:08 AM
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P-clamps work but the Tubus adapters are a bit nicer. A little easier to use because you can put the adapter on the bike and then attach the rack. P-clamps are just a bit futzier. If you want to take the rack off, it's easy to remove and just leave the adapter in place.
Here's what they look like
Wayne at the Touring Store is a really good guy to work with too.
Here's what they look like
Wayne at the Touring Store is a really good guy to work with too.
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Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
11-16-09, 12:06 PM
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P-clips work great at the top, but I would think that would severely limit your capacity if you used them at the dropouts. I have some nuts that are the right size to fit into the triangular hole found in many older dropouts. Either use something like that or something that rests on the skewers seems like the best idea.
