I ordered a Racktime Addit from them and it arrived today, but with the fixings missing! They're going to send them to me asap.

The rack does look good and it seems to fit my bike no problem, I like that it's quite narrow (but not too narrow).

That's exactly what attracted me - narrow enough to be trim but not too narrow for things like easy use of a rack trunk.

j.

Well I received the fittings but there aren't any instructions - do Racktime supply instructions? If so are they on-line anywhere? They look pretty simple to install so I'm probably being a bit finicky, just in case there's any info I might be missing.

Look here.

https://www.tubus.com/en/download

I've used an original Blackburn rack on my commuter tourer since it came out (I think late 70s early 80s) with various panniers.

At the moment I use Altura Orkneys, which are pretty good, two external pockest and a top pocket as well as rain cover and loop straps. I don't like single volume waterproof panniers for touring as I like to have some bits in particular places and usually use black bin liners to make the interior completely dry.

[just posted this in another thread but putting here too as it speaks to the subject. I'm another lazy reader who hasn't gone through the whole thread so maybe this one has been suggested before...but you haven't seen this pannier!!]

Here's something to know about for a commuting road bike: the Axiom Streamliner Disc DLX rack. Whether you have disc brakes or not, the extensions on the bottom pull the rack back a couple of inches so that you avoid heel-strike issues on road bikes with shorter chainstays or very tall bike where the rack has to be farther forward to make it level as in my 1982 Trek 715 that I commute on. This changed my life, at least the commuting part of it, because it allowed me to everything off my body and onto the bike. Here are some shots:





Was finally able to get a pannier big enough to carry my laptop which greatly increased commute frequency. If anyone is interested in the most awesome pannier ever, you can order this one from Troy at Philosophy Bags. Canvas and leather, made in USA. Not cheap but the quality is amazing and Troy is great to work with. He made this one custom.

Thanks, good call

Dunno why I didn't think of that, after all Tubus and RackTime are the same company and the fitting hardware is very similar if not the same. But it begs the question, why no downloadable manuals on the RackTime site?

It's pretty straightforward, don't really need directions.

Just get it to where you want and then cut the stays to the length you want with a hacksaw.

J.

I fitted it and found that the stays are too long by about 60% so they need cutting short - unfortunately I have neither a hacksaw or vice so cutting them to length won't be so simple, unless I can find a workshop or something to do it for me.

Just run down to an auto-parts store (oh, the irony) or a hardware store. 5$ will get you a crappy, but functional, hacksaw.

^^ this.

It's a pretty common tool. Borrowing one is pretty easy too. You don't need a vise, just find a step, put the piece down on the step, put a foot on it and saw.

J.

Hmmm, after looking at pics of other bikes and the stay length required to fit a rack on those, I'm thinking I'd be better off leaving the stays as they are, or at least cut them down to the bare minimum required.

Looking at the below two pics it appears there may be some any strain from the rack itself on the stays:

Very hard to tell though, however slight.

On the last pic you can see where the bottom fixing of the rack very slightly interferes with the seat-stay weld, chipping off some of the paint in the process. I have rubber washers that I might use to provide some clearance behind the mount and also cover the bare metal where the paint was chipped away.


Once that's all sorted out, time to get either an Ortlieb Vario or Arkel Bug on the rack and see if heel-strike is an issue.

I don't think that would hurt anything but it would look nicer if they were trimmed a bit.

j.

I can see why the stays are so long though, some bikes like the Kona Sutra have the braze-ons very low down the seat stay.

Now I'm simply going to say that you are extremely high maintenance and very pedantic. Go ride your bike, and stop obsessing over minor details.

Be nice. Half the fun of cycling is obsessing over the equipment. Don't like it, don't read it.

J.

Yep. And it's an easy fix to cut aluminum. If you need to refit it to another bike, it's a simple part to get. yet, when complete it looks nice an finished.

J.

High maintenance - no. Pedantic - a little. Perfectionist - probably, but I'm enjoying the process and besides, I can't ride my bike at the moment as I've been quite ill recently and need to recover.

Well, I've fitted the RackTime Addit to my bike, clipped on an Ortlieb Vario to see how well it fitted, and was disappointed. Whilst I can fit the bag further back on the rack to minimize heel-strike, I couldn't secure the lower part of the bag because the elasticated hook (not a bungee, just a rubber strap) can't be positioned at an angle to hook on to the rack. I tried a number of adjustments of the mounting system but to no avail, so the Vario is going back to the shop. I've also ordered an Arkel Bug so I'll see how that goes, hoping it'll work better than the Vario so I'll be able to use it on my daily commute.

Well the Bug arrived and I fitted it on the rack, it's a slightly better fit than the Ortlieb Vario as the lower securing hook is attached to a more flexible bungee rather than the stiff rubber strap used by the Vario (which just didn't work to secure to lower part of the bag). However, with the Bug mounted as far back as possible on the rack, I've found that the bag does move forward about 1cm which is enough for heel-strike to occur. I'll try wrapping some insulating tape around part of the rack to prevent the movement but the Arkel's cam-lock fixing system doesn't strike me as being as durable or as secure as the Ortlieb systems. I did try to pull the Bug off the rack but it stayed put, but after years of use I wouldn't be surprised if the spring-loaded cam-lock mechanism became weaker, but only time would tell I guess.

For me though, the Bug is a bit disappointing given the price - it has no inner pocket or organiser which is essential for a commuter bag; granted you can buy a separate laptop bag with mesh pockets but this adds an extra £26 to an already expensive bag. The addition of a mesh organiser pocket inside the outer zippered compartment would be a great improvement to the Bug.

But it does seem that convertible pannier/backpacks all seem to suffer from the same problem, that the lower securing system is always a hook on an elasticated strap and unless that hook can be fixed directly below on the rack then the bag will move as it's pulled forward by the elastic strap. Unless your rack has horizontal dog-legs long emough to allow the elasticated hook to be attached vertically with the bag mounted at the furthest rear position on the rack, then you're more likely to encounter problems - I think a rack like the Tortec Expedition would work well in this case so maybe I should have bought one of those instead of the RackTime AddIt, but I didn't want a full-on touring rack for my commuting bike.

For bikes with short chainstays (435mm on my bike) and for riders with large feet, the elastic strap is more likely to be an issue, as I've found, so I'm starting to think that I'm better off just getting giving up on the convertible backpack/pannier and just plump for the Ortlieb panniers with their rigid QuickLock adjustable lower fixing system which would (I think) alleviate the issue with the pannier moving forward.

If The Ortlieb Vario and Arkel Bug dispensed with the elastic lower securing strap/hook and used a moveable plastic clip to secure the lower part of the bag, there'd be none of the issues I've encountered.

User error all the way.

Both my wife and I use Ortleib Backrollers and Arkel Bugs with a very similar rack to yours (we use Tubus Logos) on bike with short (42.5mm) chainstays. If your panniers are mounted properly then they will not move.

Go find someone to teach you how to properly set up your panniers. There is no logical reason aside from user error why neither of these panniers will work for you.

Did you actually adjust the hooks on the Bug to position in all the way back on the rack to avoid heel strike? Also, the three outer pockets are great for organizing small things. Earlier models had an inside pocket, and it was very hard to access with a full pannier, making it useless.

As for the cams failing, Arkel has a lifetime guarantee, and the best customer service of any business I've ever dealt with. After several years of daily use and abuse mine are still going strong. You simply need to squirt them with WD-40 once every six months or so.

Can I politely say that you obviously haven't read and absorbed and understood all the facts in my last post, otherwise you wouldn't be telling me that I don't know how to set up panniers; either that or you're just a rude idiot. I don't think I'm being over-sensitive here.

As I said, the cam-locks didn't inspire much longer-term confidence and as a city commuter in stop-start traffic, the only thing I'd be willing to put in the mesh side-pockets would be a water bottle or some trash - think about it.

Obviously I've done everything I can to try to make the Bug work for me but I'm not happy with it and whilst I'm sure the Bug is a good product, it isn't for me, end of story.

I should mention that I've been posting about my process of getting a rack and luggage for my bike to seek advice and info from the helpful members of this forum, and to give back and provide information about my findings for the possible benefit of others choosing a luggage solution, which is generally the purpose of user forums, rather than a place for posting insults.

No, you are doing it wrong. The Bug, which I've used for years in heavy city traffic, removing it at least five times a day as my job takes me all over the city center, is dead solid when properly mounted. After reading your post today I even banged my fist on the back of mine while it was mounted to see it it would slide, and it didn't move a millimeter.

It's sad that when someone points out that you are clearly not doing something correctly, and offers advice based on long term experience with an item you take it as an insult.

Saying that something is faulty becasue you can't figure out how to properly install it (How many racks and panniers haven't you been able to use? How many did you buy and return?) doesn't help anyone.


Oh, and I wasn't talking about the mesh pockets; I was talking about the three zippered pockets on outside the Bug. Maybe you should spend a little quality time with your Bug and get to know it before you post your internet reviews. Urgh.

LOL, thanks for Pendantic thread. I'm looking for a rack too and this saved me from starting my own Pendantic thread.

I'll probably go with the Topeak rack. I have a GT and unfortunately the funky frame looks like may present a challenge, but I won't know until I have the rack in hand. Good luck with the rack and panniers.

I thought about buying panniers, but instead I just bungee corded a Milk crate to my rack. Made mounting and dismounting a little tricky, but that's because my bike is slightly too big already.