Dear all,

I was wondering if you could suggest a good rear rack for a road bike. I want something sturdy and possibly not too expensive.

Thanks,

R

Topeak combo deals work well.

Since price can be a subjective term around here, it might be more helpful to know what bike you have.

As you say road bike does it have rack mounting eyelets on the dropouts and near the top of the seat stays? Old Man Mountain has racks specifically designed for road bikes without rack mounts and Tubus makes special accessory hardware to mount some of their racks on frames without proper rack mounting provisions.

Depending on how sturdy it has to be, and how much weight it has to take, you might have a look at the Topeak beam racks.

Here's more info on the bike. It's a Fuji Del Rey VALite Tubing (a product of 1982 Japan if not mistaken). I believe it has mounting eyelets on the dropouts but not near the top of seat post as you can see in the photos. I wonder if this means that my frame does not allow a rear rack, or if does what size of a rack should I actually purchase? This is a 23" frame with 27" wheels. Any tips would be most appreciated.

By the way, has anyone tried front racks? What are the pros and cons of having a front rack/basket?

I am going to carry a large and somewhat heavy backpack on this bike everyday to school. We're talking about 15 to 20 pounds of weight (books and laptop). Any thoughts as to how I should carry the backpack would be most appreciated. I don't think a trunk or panniers work because once in school I would need my backpack.

Pro of a front rack is that you'll always have your luggage in eyesight.

Con is that it will probably catch a load of wind, thus slowing you down.

When you get a rear rack, sometimes it comes with some metal strips that make it able to mount on the brake bolt.

I have 2 topeak explorer racks and I think they are very sturdy, cheap and work very well - also compatible with topeak trunk bags.

+1 topeak

It also depends on what you'll carry and how you'll carry it.

There are excellent racks out there that work well only for top-mounted trunk bags, but that really, really suck for panniers.

There are racks that are great for panniers, but are too narrow for trunk bags.

And there are racks that do a good job for both, but not at the same time, or both at the same time.

That's where you start when thinking about racks.

Are you willing to replace your backpack with a combo unit that does double-duty as a backpack off the bike, but converts to a pannier on the bike? Or are you thinking milk crate on the top?

I have a Topeak Explorer on 2 different bikes. Great racks; inexpensive; and versatile.

Nashbar has the Sunlight Multi-fit on sale right now for about 16 bones. That's a pretty good deal in my book.

Hi there! Thanks for your (always) informative comments. I am carrying my backpack. It's a huge, somewhat heavy school backpack. I put my laptop and tons of books in it. Panniers are out of the question. They don't suit my purpose. I need something to put my backpack on. So what are your recommendations?

Appreciatively.

when I was using a backpack, I put it in a basket attached to the rear rack. worked fine though I felt it kept the weight a bit high (thus switching to the trunk bag + panniers). but if you want to carry a backpack then that's one way that worked for me. YOu will want a cargo net to keep the backpack from jumping out of the basket though.

You might look at a mail bag pannier. As the name suggests, it converts from a pannier to a mail bag. That's what I use for my laptop and my lunch. Doesn't fit too much else though. Nice thing about that is, you are forced to travel lighter...