kit

I've gotten the boyfriend to agree to some touring next month. That was the easy part-- the hard part, as it turns out, is finding a rack for him that won't have heelstrike and is affordable. He has a 2009 Volpe, size 11 feet, and will probably be getting Nashbar deluxe panniers.

Searching the forums, I've found mention of two racks that are less than $100. Has anyone had any experience with these on a Volpe or similar frame?

Jannd Expedition rack $80

Old Man Mountain White Rock $54

(Apologies if this has been covered already, I did my best with the search function.)

Torrilin

I've used the Jannd Expedition on a bike with 42.5cm chainstays. Worked fine, and with my size 7.5mens/9.5 womens feet, it didn't matter much what I did with my panniers. A guy with larger feet might want to watch that the panniers were *all* the way back.

The bent stay on the Jannd works very well too.

valygrl

Arkel panniers have a moveable hook system, so you can push the pannier way back on the rack. Others may as well. Or use a tall narrow pannier, even a front pannier, in back.

Another possilbility, Tubus makes some rack mounting accessories, you might be able to use whatever rack, but move it backwards. You might need a little additional hardware at the top mounting point too - longer stays - depending on the frame geometry.

Call Wayne at the link above, he'll know, he knows everything.

MichaelW

Cheap panniers often lack the heel cutout which minimises heel strike. Make sure the panniers are right before worrying about the rack.
You can move a square pannier back but rear-end weight affects handling, fat better to mount the weight forward and still avoid heel strike.

kit

Thanks for the tips. I'll look into panniers with heel cut-outs. And maybe front panniers to take some of the load as well.