Need help choosing between 2 racks
 

Hey guys, I've whittled my choices down to 2 racks, but am having the hardest time deciding between them. I'd appreciate any feedback.

I will primarily use it for commuting, approx 7 miles each way (I don't do touring, etc.)
My panniers are Axiom Cartier DLXes
The bike is a 20 inchTrek 7.4 FX


Here is rack choice A: Axiom Streamliner DLX

Narrow profile, minimalist design probably blends in nicely with a hybrid. I never use a rack trunk bag so the narrow top isn't an issue for me.
http://www.axiomgear.com/img/prod/st...dlx-1-full.jpg

Choice B: Bontrager BackRack Deluxe L
Regular size top but has a 2nd set of pannier rails, which would lower my center of gravity a little.

http://s7d4.scene7.com/is/image/Trek...0,0&iccEmbed=0


Thanks

I like to keep the rack top free for unexpected extra items, so I'd opt for the second rack - wider top and the panniers would mount lower so they wouldn't interfere with stuff on top of the rack. It also looks like it has better options for mounting lights and reflectors at the back of the rack where they wouldn't be obscured by any luggage.

But it sounds like you wouldn't be using the rack top, so my preference wouldn't apply.

If you cant decide between the 2, get the cheapest

Oh man! I absolutely fell in love with my DLX. So much so, that I bought another for my new bike! It's incredibly light, and does everything I want it to. It's nice and narrow, so since you use two panniers rather than a trunk bag, the CoG will be closer in and won't tilt your bike left or right as much as other, wider racks. The bontrager looks overengineered to me, too many points that could fail (I counted 24 welds vs 16 on the axiom) and too many tubes that add weight. I'm not a weight weenie, but when the lighter one is cheaper and better, I'd go for that one. It also has twice the weight capacity as the bontrager - I've comfortably sat on mine that was attached with P-clips on the seatstays (I weigh 120).

Go for the axiom :)

The DLX is a nice rack; I have that on my commuter. But

1) I miss having a wide top. With my old bike & rack, I held my U-lock on the top with two bungies, which I could also use to strap boxes & items to the top of the rack. Now I'm stuck with what fits in my pannier & fold-out townie bag.

2) The narrow/"leaning in" design of the DLX brings the side bags closer to the brakes, too. I don't know how wide your bags are (front-to-back distance when mounted), but my work pannier bumps up against my rear canti. It's not bad enough to be dangerous, but it's annoying, and a traditional rack like the Bontrager would probably avoid this with standard cantis, and almost definitely avoid this problem with linear-pull brakes.

That said, the DLX weighs a fair bit less than most of the double-row designs like that Bontrager, so I'm not sure what I'd buy today.

Edit: IIRC, there's also a Streamliner DLX Disc that has cantilevered offsets on its legs that should hold that rack further back and avoid problem #2, though I wouldn't trust the offset-mount "disc" DLX to hold as much weight since it would not transfer the load directly over the frame's braze-on.

they're both good designs. Pretty much breaks down to whether you want a place for top loads or not. I first put that DLX on my CrossCheck with a small Velo-Orange front rack. After awhile I went to the Logo which is like the bottom rack. Then went to no rear rack and only the front one that can take panniers or a top load. I'm back to the DLX because carrying only one pannier is neat. With the CC I had to replace the Axiom seat stay mounts with flat SS straps because of how close it all was to the fenders. It has to be the most solid rack of any type I've had, other Tubus racks included. I wonder if the short ss straps have something to do with it. If you often travel with only one pannier it's the way to go.

Thanks a lot for all the great feedback!!

Ok, based on input, I've decided to go with the Axiom. I really like the narrow profile.

If I find that I miss having a proper rack top, then I'll sell it and try the Bontrager.

UPDATE!

I received my rack earlier this week and it looks suh-weet!

Buut I'm a little confused about the lower leg spacing?
Please check out the 2 pics here.

The green square shows the rack's leg aligned with the non-drive side of the bike's frame (rack boss? I guess it's called?)
And the red square shows the drive side of the bike's rack boss. See the big gap??? Is this normal? Do I stretch it to fit?



Do most people end up stretching their rack legs so that they match the width of their dropout/boss/(whatever it's called )?
...sorry, I;ve been working 12 hour days with little sleep, so my terminology is most likely wrong


Thanks for any input/experience... I'd sure love to mount this rack (correctly) and start using it!


http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=237810
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=237811

Ah, lack of sleep does me wrong. I should have searched first!
Found this BF thread which confirms, I should just stretch it to fit...
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ike.-Help-pls.