rear rack speed consequences
09-15-11, 07:31 AM
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You can get relatively light racks, under 1.5 pounds, that can still hold a fair bit of weight. The speed loss when riding under 15mph is pretty minor... for an empty rack.
If you load it down with 50 pounds of stuff, you're going to feel a considerable burden and will slow down for sure.
Normally I'd say this is fine for a hybrid's typical use, but I see your profile pic of getting aero and your drop bar conversion... which bike are you going to do this on?
If you load it down with 50 pounds of stuff, you're going to feel a considerable burden and will slow down for sure.
Normally I'd say this is fine for a hybrid's typical use, but I see your profile pic of getting aero and your drop bar conversion... which bike are you going to do this on?
09-15-11, 09:39 AM
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The load is going to matter a whole lot more than the rack, and if you're carrying enough load for it to make a difference, sheer speed should not be on your list of priorities.
09-15-11, 11:12 AM
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I agree. I still would buy a good rack rather than a super-heavy cheap one you might find in WalMart.
09-15-11, 03:50 PM
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I've raced with a rack on my bike, but I did not win. It must have been the rack. 
09-15-11, 04:08 PM
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I think you will lose about .00137 mph on a 10 mile run. That's split roughly 3 v 6% between weight and the non-aero properties of the rack. The other 91% is in your mind. Must be the smell. 
09-15-11, 05:21 PM
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09-15-11, 05:33 PM
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1. affix rack to bike.
2. load rack with panniers, load panniers with rocks. Or something useful, if no rocks are to be found.
3. ride around and sweat.
4. take rocks out before big race. Detach panniers from rack.
5. ZOOOOOM.
2. load rack with panniers, load panniers with rocks. Or something useful, if no rocks are to be found.
3. ride around and sweat.
4. take rocks out before big race. Detach panniers from rack.
5. ZOOOOOM.
09-16-11, 03:22 PM
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Thanks for the advice. I was just wondering why road bikes have no option for a rack if the speed difference is so negligible. I think there are probably many roadies who would like a rear rack, but have no option for one.
09-16-11, 04:37 PM
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For some people it's important to ride a bike designed for racing.
Professional bike racers would never ride to the grocery store for a loaf of bread. They train hard and race hard but the rest of the time they rest. Some have elevators in their two story homes so they don't have to climb stairs!
The roadies who post here in the hybrid forums don't even have racks on their hybrids! Roadies who do use racks put them on one of their other bikes, not their race bikes.
Professional bike racers would never ride to the grocery store for a loaf of bread. They train hard and race hard but the rest of the time they rest. Some have elevators in their two story homes so they don't have to climb stairs!
The roadies who post here in the hybrid forums don't even have racks on their hybrids! Roadies who do use racks put them on one of their other bikes, not their race bikes.
09-16-11, 05:32 PM
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One can put a rack on any bike. No holes or anything else on the bike needed. Some people do put racks on thier road bikes. Same for fenders.
09-16-11, 07:04 PM
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For some people it's important to ride a bike designed for racing.
Professional bike racers would never ride to the grocery store for a loaf of bread. They train hard and race hard but the rest of the time they rest. Some have elevators in their two story homes so they don't have to climb stairs!
The roadies who post here in the hybrid forums don't even have racks on their hybrids! Roadies who do use racks put them on one of their other bikes, not their race bikes.
Professional bike racers would never ride to the grocery store for a loaf of bread. They train hard and race hard but the rest of the time they rest. Some have elevators in their two story homes so they don't have to climb stairs!
The roadies who post here in the hybrid forums don't even have racks on their hybrids! Roadies who do use racks put them on one of their other bikes, not their race bikes.
09-17-11, 08:15 AM
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tchen, cyclists are a vain bunch who are marketed to in ways which present multiple bikes as a virtue...I don't know if its a virtue, but its nice to have a small fleet 
I love cycling, I like most cyclists I've met, but I imagine if you spend x1,000 on a road bike the same pressure to conform to the same exacting technical standards which seduced you into buying the bike in the first place would be strong.
Touring bikes, steal frame road bikes in general, urban build ups all have racks on a regular basis & you should do what you want, call it what you want, and learn to assert your expertise & choices through the one factor that matters - cycling well.
I love cycling, I like most cyclists I've met, but I imagine if you spend x1,000 on a road bike the same pressure to conform to the same exacting technical standards which seduced you into buying the bike in the first place would be strong.
Touring bikes, steal frame road bikes in general, urban build ups all have racks on a regular basis & you should do what you want, call it what you want, and learn to assert your expertise & choices through the one factor that matters - cycling well.
09-18-11, 04:17 PM
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09-18-11, 06:08 PM
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The Grand Teton, believed by some to be named by French speaking fur trappers. Teton is a French word for nipple.
Last edited by qmsdc15; 09-18-11 at 06:47 PM.
09-18-11, 06:11 PM
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How did we get from a bike rack to mountains?
Only on this forum....
Only on this forum....
09-18-11, 07:07 PM
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Wonder what the weight rating is of a 38J/36K 'rack'? 
My wife wants to trade her rack for something a bit more streamlined...
My wife wants to trade her rack for something a bit more streamlined...
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09-18-11, 07:31 PM
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No idea what the factor of safety is, but have not yet encountered a rack that has compromised its integrity under 215 lbs of live load.
As for steamlining, age seems to address that, at least in a vertical plane.
As for steamlining, age seems to address that, at least in a vertical plane.