I'm thinking of using the Delta front loader (https://www.rei.com/product/671312) on my bike, which doesn't have mid-fork braze-ons. Has anyone used it? The reviews at the REI site were fairly poor. The alternative would be a Tubus Tara with adapters, but that's ~3x the price.

Thanks,
Daniel

I started with the Delta Shock Treatment rack. It appeared to be fairly durable,no complaints.
I changed out my forks, ordered the cheap nashbar lowrider rack. When it got here I decided to use the Delta rack with the nashbar hardware because the Delta rack was thicker (stronger?) than the nashbar rack.
I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work, If it was me I would go for the Delta.

Hi, Yes, I used the Delta Front Loader on a recent California tour. It worked fine. No problems. No issues. I'd use it again.
Stevie B

I've used the Delta Front loader on a 3650 mile cross country trip and a 600 miler last summer. It works fine. My fork does not have mid fork braze-ons. For the long trip, I used the hardware that came with the rack. I was going to change forks until I got a set of tubus mounts from Wayne at the Touring Shop.They are sturdy, look good and are more flexible than fixed mounting points. I had to experiment a little with spacers(they come with the rack or nylon ones can be found places like Jome Depot), but it is a nice installation. If you are interested, I could get some close-up shots of it tomorrow.

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

I have the delta front loader but I can't get the bridge piece (what is the U-shaped piece called that joins the two side pieces together over the tire?) to stay on. It's held on w/ two tiny set screws and they just keep vibrating out on the really bump roads I ride on. I haven't figured out what to do about that yet. Otherwise, it is a sturdy rack. The only other issue I had was it was hard to attach my nashbar front panniers to the rack so for now, I'm using the Nashbar low rider rack

I also used the Nashbar front panniers and had a hard time with the little velcro fasteners. I had one bounce loose when I hit a pothole, because I was not using the velcro loops. I used them after that regardless of how hard it was to connect them or inconvient it was! I got a nice pair of Ortlieb's for Christmas, so that problem is taken care of. Try using blue locktite on your set screws. It should hold them in place and still allow you to take it apart if necessary.

This is how I set the rack up for forks without mid-blade braze-on's.

Thanks to everyone for the comments. I bought the rack, tried installing it, and it's going back to REI. The supplied hardware wouldn't work with my fork (the clamps wouldn't fit around the blades), and I had to stand it off too far from the eyelets at the fork ends as well. Also, it just seems kinda cheap -- I was not impressed by the removable U-shaped piece that joins the two halves. I ordered a Tara and a set of the mid-fork brazeon replacement mounts.

Daniel

hey Doug64

What kind of attachment clamps are you using? My Delta rack came w/ the U-shaped clamps and they don't look nearly as nice as whatever you're using. also I have the Mega front rack, is that a different one from whatever you have? Is the bridge piece between the two side pieces attached to each piece on your rack? Mine is not attached and uses a separate U-shaped middle piece that attaches w/the tiny set screws that are always bouncing out (I'll try the lock tite)

Check out the link in post #4. My rack had the same U-shaped clamps. They worked OK, but were not a clean installation. I'm not sure which rack it is, but it sounds similar. My rack also has the u-shaped bridge. I have not had much trouble with it. While touring, I check most rack bolts every 3-4 days.