Gamoh Rear Porteur Rack Impressions
04-17-13, 10:51 PM
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Gamoh Rear Porteur Rack Impressions
Since there's not much information on the Gamoh Rear Porteur Rack available I thought I'd share my impressions after using it for the last few days.
Pros:
It's wide! I measured the platform at 11 inches by 16.5. It's perfectly sized for my briefcase. I can easily strap it on with no fear that it might hop off with my 15" Macbook with it. I could easily set a bunch of pizza boxes on it and lash them on securely.
It's sturdy. Stainless steel construction and weighted to hold up to 40lbs. Looks and feels very durable and tough. I'm sure someone could lash bags to the platform and attach some panniers or grocery bags to the sides and carry a lot of food.
Fits perfectly on my 700c 59cm touring bike. No problems mounting it. Looks good too.
Frees up the front of my bike to carry a handlebar bag. I didn't want a porteur front rack for that reason alone.
Peace of mind. I never worry that someone will steal the rack off my back when I go into a grocery store. I do get paranoid about leaving my nice canvas Zimable on it though. Now with this rack there's no need for me to have the Zimbale on at all.
Unloaded the bike seems to handle perfectly fine.
Cons:
With significant weight the the rack creates a significant shimmy on my bike. I don't personally mind this, but it did take at least three fingers on the handlebars to calm them down. I could still ride with no hands, but not as confidently as before. Something about the way the bike shimmys makes me think of a fish swishing its tail back and forth to propel itself forward.
Weight. This is a heavy rack.
Price. At 104 dollars this isn't the cheapest of racks. However, since
Overall: Glad I bought it. I wanted a rack that could hold my briefcase as securely as possible (I know, I could use a pannier, I've just never liked the way it feels when I have a single loaded pannier on my bike) and this is it. I like the fact that it drastically expands the ability of my bike to carry cargo. I could easily see myself lashing a workout duffel bag to the rear or loading up a bunch of stuff from Costco to the rack.
Pros:
It's wide! I measured the platform at 11 inches by 16.5. It's perfectly sized for my briefcase. I can easily strap it on with no fear that it might hop off with my 15" Macbook with it. I could easily set a bunch of pizza boxes on it and lash them on securely.
It's sturdy. Stainless steel construction and weighted to hold up to 40lbs. Looks and feels very durable and tough. I'm sure someone could lash bags to the platform and attach some panniers or grocery bags to the sides and carry a lot of food.
Fits perfectly on my 700c 59cm touring bike. No problems mounting it. Looks good too.
Frees up the front of my bike to carry a handlebar bag. I didn't want a porteur front rack for that reason alone.
Peace of mind. I never worry that someone will steal the rack off my back when I go into a grocery store. I do get paranoid about leaving my nice canvas Zimable on it though. Now with this rack there's no need for me to have the Zimbale on at all.
Unloaded the bike seems to handle perfectly fine.
Cons:
With significant weight the the rack creates a significant shimmy on my bike. I don't personally mind this, but it did take at least three fingers on the handlebars to calm them down. I could still ride with no hands, but not as confidently as before. Something about the way the bike shimmys makes me think of a fish swishing its tail back and forth to propel itself forward.
Weight. This is a heavy rack.
Price. At 104 dollars this isn't the cheapest of racks. However, since
Overall: Glad I bought it. I wanted a rack that could hold my briefcase as securely as possible (I know, I could use a pannier, I've just never liked the way it feels when I have a single loaded pannier on my bike) and this is it. I like the fact that it drastically expands the ability of my bike to carry cargo. I could easily see myself lashing a workout duffel bag to the rear or loading up a bunch of stuff from Costco to the rack.
Last edited by dvald001; 04-17-13 at 11:03 PM.
04-18-13, 03:57 PM
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bill nyecycles
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looks great.
I'm a teacher as well! Elementary though - your classroom looks like middle or high school.
my wife was having the same conundrum about her laptop. she didn't want to backpack it cause it was sweaty, so she got a pannier but it's very unbalanced she said. I just showed her your rack and your briefcase strapped to it. She likes it - but just doesn't feel comfortable bungee tarping her macbook to it! lol
I'm a teacher as well! Elementary though - your classroom looks like middle or high school.
my wife was having the same conundrum about her laptop. she didn't want to backpack it cause it was sweaty, so she got a pannier but it's very unbalanced she said. I just showed her your rack and your briefcase strapped to it. She likes it - but just doesn't feel comfortable bungee tarping her macbook to it! lol
04-18-13, 11:09 PM
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Good guess, but it's actually an elementary school that was converted over to the city's adult school 
You know, I could totally see why someone would be apprehensive, but the bungees really hold it down, especially if you stretch the web really tight over it. If I were worried it'd hop off the rack I'd add another bungee cord or two as backup, but it really feels like it's not going anywhere. Underneath the briefcase I also added a cheapo foam laptop case to protect the briefcase and laptop a little more (there's additional padding inside the briefcase too).
If your wife wants another option I would also recommend using a large saddlebag. I have an 18l Zimbale bag (similar to the Carradice bags) and back when I had a 13" inch laptop I was able to keep it in there pretty securely.
You know, I could totally see why someone would be apprehensive, but the bungees really hold it down, especially if you stretch the web really tight over it. If I were worried it'd hop off the rack I'd add another bungee cord or two as backup, but it really feels like it's not going anywhere. Underneath the briefcase I also added a cheapo foam laptop case to protect the briefcase and laptop a little more (there's additional padding inside the briefcase too).
If your wife wants another option I would also recommend using a large saddlebag. I have an 18l Zimbale bag (similar to the Carradice bags) and back when I had a 13" inch laptop I was able to keep it in there pretty securely.
