I installed this front rack according to the directions and it feels very solid, but when I grab the very top of it and pull it side to side it moves side to side a bit, is the normal?

Yes

I put one of these on my CrossCheck with p- clamps attaching to the brake bosses. It's incredibly stiff.


https://store.velo-orange.com/index.p...ront-rack.html

That rack is very very stiff, but you do not appear to have the mid-fork braze-on fittings for the upper mounts. Thus, your play is probably at that location with the adapter fittings that you used. I used to use that rack.


Racks and side to side motion are one of those things that some people are more willing to live with than other people, so I can' really say what is acceptable and what is not.

Not normal in my experience. Is everything tightened down?

Don't try this with a rack that sways.

All the adjustable mounting brackets flex, a bit.
but to make it fit as many bikes as possible they chose to do that.

Consider getting a extra bracket or 2. previous posts have shown the flexing metal fatigue cracks the brackets, but having spares are the field repair.

^ This is very important.

It is far better to have the mounts/brackets flexing and be the "weak" spot in the rack attachment.

Consider if the racks mounting brackets were absolutely rigid. The next weakest spot of support would be either the rack bracket-to-fork attachment screw or the braze-on attachment to the fork.

To have a braze-on and/or fork failure is far more difficult/expensive to repair than a simple bracket failure.

OTOH Directly Bolted racks need the matching dimensions of rack & Brazed on Fittings.

+1

Surly brackets do occasionally break. Surly's Nice Rack with universal mounts that fit most any bike but none of them really good. One of the heaviest front racks too.