Izzmonkey

I have a Trek Madone 5.5 road bike which serves me well for my purposes. However, I have a few friends that are planning a multi-day tour relatively soon. I'd love to be able to use my road bike, but I'm having trouble finding a way to attach a bag, much less a rack, to my bike. I doubt it would be a good idea to attach something too big and heavy to a carbon fiber frame, but anything that would provide a meaningful amount of extra space would be a great help.

One issue I'm seeing is that the seatpost on my frame is not round, so any option that employs a bracket around the seatpost will not work.

The plan is to do the tour unassisted, carrying a bare minimum of necessities. No camping equipment or anything.

kayakdiver

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ring+road+bike

It's been discussed tons.. Trailer would be a good option but racks are made that will fit without braze ons....

nun

Get one of these

https://www.carradice.co.uk/racks-and...standard.shtml

and one of these

https://www.carradice.co.uk/day-use-b...addlebag.shtml

kayakdiver

I would think a nice Ortlieb handlebar bag would also add quite a bit of space. You'd be amazed at how much stuff will fit and they work with oversized or standard bars. Along with the above mentioned saddle bag and you'd have a decent amount of space for light touring.

jbpence

even when i tour light, i carry enough to spend an emergency night on the road (very small tent and sleeping bag)

so you if change your mind and want to carry more, consider one of these:
https://extrawheel.com

I have the newer voyager because it will fit in an airline legal box. the abs 'fender' on the classic is too big. this trailer is really slick, you'll seldom know its back of you.

there is a US distributer:
https://www.biketrailershop.com/catal...lers-c-46.html

have used this and its a GREAT trailer.

NoGaBiker

I'm no expert but I'm taking a 5-day trip through Provence in September with a friend. We'll be sleeping in B&Bs and eating at restaurants, so I didn't want to rent a touring bike. I'm renting a racing bike (it's what I'm used to) and flying over with a rack and pack I bought a couple weeks ago. It's the Topeak rack you've seen mentioned here, with the largest trunk that goes on it. The side pockets zip out to become mini panniers. The rack is the MTX beam rack (E-type) and the pack is the MTX TrunkBag DXP (1160g, 1220 cu.in.) The whole rig weighs 4 pounds empty. The rack will carry 20 pounds (requires an alloy seatpost, not carbon). I have been test riding it with 16 pounds (counting the pack) all week and find it to be a great solution.

At 16 mph cruising it is utterly unnoticable. At 21 mph I can feel the aerodynamics causing the rear to feel a little "different." Not really scary, just noticable. It gets more noticable at higher speeds. It might be a problem in a high wind, but honestly, it's no different than riding with any rack and bags -- it's just I'm not used to it on my lightweight. I can also notice that the front end seems lighter when climbing. To combat this I lean out over the front a little more than usual and all is well.

My bike is a Merlin Extralight with Campy Record -- weighs 15 pounds, so the rack and loaded pack more than double the weight.

I am carrying: jeans, synthetic shorts/trunks, cotton sweater, 4 socks, 3 underwears, 4 tee shirts, bike jersey, bike bibs, rain jacket, deck shoes, 6 energy bars, maps, 2 tubes, pump, patch kit, tire levers, multitool, camera, snack foods, chamois cream, small 1st aid, baseball cap, flip flops, arm/leg warmers, and probably a few other things I'm forgetting. It all fits wonderfully, and there's still room for my maps and some fresh food. The rack was $55 and the bag was $99.

Matt

kayakdiver

The OP mentions a non standard seat post... might make a beam rack problematic...

Robert_in_ca

No camping equipment? You don't need more than this...




Then get yourself a compression bag and some straps. I use the size small Sea to Summit eVent waterproof compression bags. You can pick these up at REI for about 25 bucks each. In the same area you can find straps with buckles. You put one of the compression straps around the stem or around the headset, and then take straps with buckles and wrap two around the bars and bag. Here's a pic of the bag on my mountain bike, but Ive done it on my road bike on a camping tour down the California coast and it worked totaly fine. Handled really nicely too.




Also pick up a Bento box for food to grab while riding.

You can also use a saddlebag of whatever size you need. I even used a small compression bag attached to the back of my saddle/seatpost on my road bike with good success.

JimF22003

I'm only replying to this because I also have a Madone 5.5 I don't think I'd try putting a rack on it. I have a seat bag and sometimes use a bento box, but that's about it.

I've been interested in the ExtraWheel option though. I've been thinking about getting one for use with my Specialized XCross bike.

znomit

You can get away with a bar bag and large seatbag. I've done a few three day trips like this.