Pannier Racks
 

Hey All,

I have recently decided that I am going with Axiom panniers for my fully loaded tour. I've settled on the Axioms because: 1.) They're cheap 2.) I've read decent reviews. However, I am unsure of what racks would be best suitable for the Axiom panniers and my fully loaded tour. I am going to order the panniers from modernbike, so if possible, please recommend racks from that seller so I can buy it as one big package. Also, I am on a budget so the cheapest, yet still durable, front/rear racks would be best. Thanks for all the help.

I bet they would fit nicely on Axiom racks. They're not too expensive and can handle a decent load. I've got them on a couple of bikes.

Which Axiom racks are you referring to? The Odyssee, Journey, Streamliner? I need both front and back. Thanks again.

I was thinking Journey for front and back. Would that be appropriate?

If your rear rack is going to carry any bags/gear on top it's worth getting a rear rack with lowered rails. They are so convenient for attaching gear and removing panniers without having to take everything off or digging underneath what's tied on the rack. Topeak SuperTourist are decent economical racks. I have a rear rack bag that often stays on the rack and it's much easier to clip panniers on/off with the rack sitting 2" higher. I used to have a Tubus Cargo on the bike and I'd be more inclined to leave the panniers on the bike and dig contents out of the panniers instead of pulling the bags on/off as desired.

http://www.topeak.com/products/Racks...tDXTubularRack

I got an Axiom Journey on sale from REI and was not impressed with how flexible it was compared to the Topeak or Tubus racks. When mounted on the bike I could flex it side to side about 3/4". It looks solid but I'm thinking it's method of attachment allows for more flexing than other racks as it seemed more flexible than the basic old Blackburn rack. I removed it and have used a Tubus Cargo and Topeak ST and the difference is noticable. That said I later got an Axiom Streamliner thinking it would be worth trying on a commuter bike. The attachment with jointed arms was the same as the Journey but it was going to interfere with fender mounts as it sits so low. I replaced the Axiom attachement with plain ss straps. It is a VERY solid rack with the ss straps. I never attached it with the stock mounts so I don't know how big a difference they make. I'm going to attach the Journey on my friends bike with ss straps and see if that's the source of the flexing. The only reason for getting the Streamliner is if you weren't going to put much on the top of the rack but it if I wanted a rack to survive a major crash I bet it would be it.
All of this is splitting hairs but when you have choices, why not?

You might want to look at the Jannd "expedition" rear. Solid build and wide top

1st rack I ever bought and was very impressed. I even had the Extreme front rack too. The Expedition can be had for $70 shipped, no tax.


http://bikeisland.com/images/qjanddexpedition.jpg

I have used the Jandd Expedition rack and I decided it was overkill for my bike. My DH uses them on his bikes though. I put a Delta Sherpa rack on my touring bike. It has worked well for my last 2 tours. My panniers were 10-15 lbs. each. My Jandd panniers worked great on the rack. I also have a Delta rack on my commuter bike and it has hauled a lot of groceries in my panniers.

We both have Blackburn lowrider racks and they work great for us with Jandd Mini Mtn Panniers.

I'm not sure of the price of the Delta racks: one came on a Novara Safari I used to own, and the other was $1.93 at an REI garage sale!

I have an Odyssee on one bike and a Streamliner on the other. I REALLY like the Odyssee. The Streamliner is pretty new so I haven't quite made my mind up on it yet, but I like it so far. Both seem solid enough for me. I don't pack massive loads and they work well for me.