I've just replaced the back wheel of my Dahon "Speed" with a sturdy BMX wheel, which has got me thinking I'd like to start using this bike for short tours instead of the converted mountain bike I usually ride. This will make it easier for me to use buses and trains.

I already have a Carradice SQR Slim connected to the seat tube, which I love. I'll need some more room for my gear, though, so I want to put a front rack on the bike and attach some small panniers to it. I see Dahon has come out with a rack, but it's made of aluminium. I'd really rather have something made of steel.

Are there any other options? Do Old Man Mountain, Tubus or any of the other manufacturers make a rack that would fit this bike? I want something strong that won't interfere with folding the bike up.

Any information you might be able to offer would be greatly appreciated.

I am sure you can make something work
but whats about not to like with the alloy rack ? I am sure you can find a crmo tube rack for 4 times the money ..tubus old man mtn comes tomind ...but its a rack ...nothing else ..lol

thor

I know you're partial to Dahon products. Could that possibly be because you sell them? LOL.

I've had problems with aluminium racks in the past. I'd rather pay more and have a quality product than settle for a cheap piece of junk and risk having it fall apart on me when I'm out on the road. The OMM and Tubus racks I've bought in the past for my touring bikes were well worth the investment.

Anyway, thanks for your response.

whats the hostility ? Sure I sell them ........if I have them ,,right now I dont...
havent heard any complaints from anybody about the Dahon racks its definitely not a piece of junk as you call it

if you already know what you want go for it ......the tubus folks need to live as well
Peace my friend
thor

You know, Old Man Mountain racks are made of aluminum. Nothing special either, just 6061-T6, the same kind of readily available generic aluminum you buy at a Home Depot for instance.

OMM racks are better due to good, proper design and construction, that's all.

Neither Tubus nor OMM make a rack suited to your wishes from what I recall, and while Bike Friday makes a front cromoly rack it will not fit your Dahon Speed unless you find a way to get mid blade eyelets or adapters on there. If you were willing to compromise on pannier location, the Bike Friday rear cromoly rack should fit a Dahon Speed and still allow the bike to fold, albeit with more bulk on the back end.

I have personally not had any trouble with the Dahon front rack for my Speed, but I have also never heavily loaded it down.

Thanks for that useful information, Abneycat.

A lot of peopel sell- and use the Dahon frontracks. If they were junk I am sure they would be gone long time ago. Maybe you dd something wrong or used stuff the wrong way since it failed?

I find that often it is possible to fit rear racks on the bikes front wheel, maybe with small adjustments or modification.Maybe look for a 20" steel rack, second hand or new in your area? Just remember that a tube is stronger than a massive rod same size.

We toured last summer with two bikes with the Dahon alu frontracks. I use full size panniers. I suggest if you want to bring a lot of stuff (or if you yourself is on the heavy side) you look into a trailer, maybe something like the City trailer from Carry Freedom. Also you can look into putting an extra (clickfix or similar) bag in the front like the Brompton bike in adition to the front panniers.

I won't be carrying a lot of weight as I'll be using this bike for shorter tours and relying on my converted mountain bikes for longer ones. I want to use my Ortlieb Front-Roller Plus Greenpeace-Line panniers on the Dahon. They aren't that big, and coupled with the Carradice SQR Slim on the back, I should be able to carry more than enough equipment for three or four-day trips.

I never said, by the way, that the Dahon racks were junk. I've had problems with aluminium racks (non Dahon brand) in the past, so I didn't want to buy another one without first checking with knowledgeable cyclists like you and Abneycat. Based on your sage advice, I'll probably end up giving the Dahon rack a try.

Thank you very much indeed for your help.

Tell us how it goes!

Will do! I've ordered one from Wiggle. Looks like it was the last one they had.

I'm getting excited about this bike. Another thing I want to do is change the gearing on it to make climbing hills easier, but I guess I'd better leave that for another thread.

Thanks for the help and HAPPY NEW YEAR!