drewcifer

hey i'm planning a 2 week tour on my specialized road bike. the frame doesn't have eyelets. are there any other brands besides old man mountain that make racks for non-eyeleted road bikes? omm seems pricey.

would it be better to go with the extra-wheel trailer? i'm struggling trying to decide which route to take. also i'm trying to do this cheap... as long as i have a decent level of safety and comfort.

would you tour with racks and panniers on a rear wheel with 20 spokes? i've got a 32 spoke wheel from my track bike that i'm putting up front but i don't have a replacement for the rear...

anyone have a extrawheel i can take off their hands?

any advice would be appreciated.

Robert_in_ca

You can get a large handlebar bag, a large saddle bag and a frame bag, and then use a camelbak for water.

https://bikeforums.net/showthread.php...=any+tour+bike



Here's another solution.



https://www.rivbike.com/products/list...product=20-108

And use a large saddle bag like the ones they offer at Rivendell.

digitalbicycle

You can get brackets that go in the large triangular hole in the rear dropouts that allow a rack to be attached. I don't know where to get these, only that they exist, and it may be that they're no longer manufactured. Can anybody else chime in w/a source?

kayakboy

+1 for Nitto racks. Astounding quality, avaiable in small sizes shown above, to pretty regular size. The one shown above can go on the front or back. The frame bags are real smart too as they are very areodynamic. (unless a crosswind picks up).

Check craigslist for a replacement rear wheel. There is a possibility of you wreaking the 20 spoke wheel on rough pavement.

drewcifer

thanks for the suggestions. if anyone else has anymore ideas please share.

n00b question: when looking for a replacement rear wheel should i be trying to find something compatible with my current cassette or something with one already? do i need to know anything about spacing or anything else to ensure it will be compatible with the rest of my drive train? i have a full ultegra.

Cyclist0383

Tubus makes an excellent system. I use one and it is rock solid.

https://www.thetouringstore.com/TUBUS...ONS%20PAGE.htm

MichaelW

Are you camping or staying in accomodation.
Camping may need more space than you can accomodate on a race bike, unless you go really ultralight.
You can carry all you need for a 2 week non-camping tour in a large Carradice saddlebag and bar bag. Carradice make metal bag supports for the large 20-25l saddlebags.

n4zou

Just run a bolt through the dropout as shown in this photo.

You can use a fender washer as a bracket by just drilling a hole through it and then use standard rack hardware instead of that big bolt. If your really good at drilling a taping you can drill and tap a grade 5 bolt for the metric screw that would normally go in the eyelet.

Muttsta

I managed to find some at my local REI
Be sure to buy some spares though, because they can break, and when they do it's impossible to find them

drewcifer

I will be camping. but im going with 2 friends so we will be able to share a lot of the community items.

thanks for all the info this is extremely helpful.

seeker333

Get a used bob yak or burley nomad trailer, locally if possible, because shipping is $30-40 due to oversize package. Then you won't have to modify your bike in any way and can focus on trip planning and training, instead of coming up with creative bike mechanic solutions.

Your bike is built for speed, not strength. The frame and rear wheel are probably going to be overloaded if you put 50 lbs of rack, pannier and gear on it - unless you weigh under 150 lbs, dressed out. 200lbs is the upper limit on most road bikes these days (actually more like 175).

You probably don't have any ultralight/ultra costly camping gear either. A trailer will let you lug all that fine walmart/colemans gear - this stuff is relatively cheap and heavy, and easy to dispose of after trip.

Sell the trailer on ebay after trip. They are very popular and sell for $150-$250 in June-Aug. There are 3 on ebay right now.

You end up "renting" the trailer for very low cost, far cheaper than most all rack/pannier options. Its possible to even profit on this "rental" if timed right.

Then you're back to racing bike only - no unsellable, no-longer-used accessories laying around the house.

ronzorini

Axiom makes an affordable $22.99 rack for those bikes without rack mounts. I especially like the setback for more heel clearance. Also has that Tubus look.

https://aebike.com/page.cfm?PageID=30...ils&sku=RK6615

drewcifer

thanks for the advice seeker. thats really the route ive been thinking of taking lately.

so you think i'd really be fine with the 20 spoke wheel and everything if i ran a trailer? most of the load would be off the bike right?

n4zou

Find a used trail-a-bike and convert it for touring. They attach to the seat post so what little weight is placed on the seat post is distributed across the bike. You can find them on ebay or at yard sales and thrift stores. Here is what your looking for.


I found an old Hitchhiker for $1 at a yard sale and converted it for a friend. He wanted to try touring to see if it was something he wanted to do before spending lots of money. Here is a photo of his bike and trailer.


He used it for several months and then purchased a dedicated touring bike.

seeker333

Yep, the trailer will get at least half the load (or more) off your bike, in contrast to rack and panniers that puts it all right on the rear wheel.

digitalbicycle

Duh, of course you could DIY it. I don't know why I didn't think of that.

drewcifer

hey is there any affordable option for a front rack without eyelets?

drewcifer

another q

is 2700 cubic inches of bag space enough for a 2 week unsupported camping tour? The tent and sleeping mat wont be inside the bags