sqharaway

Hi all,

I'm looking at the Tubus Fly rack for my ride from Portland to Santa Barbara. I realize I'm going with a somewhat interesting setup: 2009 Specialized Tarmac w/ Shimano 105 components. Does anyone know if the Fly will fit this bike? The rack has a single strut that seems to want to attach itself to the rear brake but the 105 does not have a nut on the top like some other brakes do...

Any other suggestions on light, rear racks? I should have less than 40 lbs of gear with me, if that helps.

Thanks, in advance!

Davet

The Fly rack uses a strut and an attachment that shares the same hole as the brake mounting bolt, it doesn't mount on the brake caliper itself. You will have to have a way to anchor the bottom part of the rack, either on your seat stays or the quick release.

If you haven't already purchased the rack, may I suggest you talk to this guy: https://www.thetouringstore.com/TUBUS/Fly/FLY%20PAGE.htm really knowledgeable and helpful, particularly when it comes to situations like yours.

kayakdiver

I'll second talking to Wayne at the Touringstore. He will answer a phone like vendors did in the old days.... Know what he's talking about and give you advice that will save you in the long run.

LeeG

and I'd suggest getting that 40lbs closer to 25lbs.

sqharaway

For sure! In fact, I'll probably only have about 20 lbs of gear. I only said 40 above because it seems to be the smallest weight limit tier of rack...

kayakdiver

If I was hauling only 20 lbs on my TCR... I'd go with a beam rack and handle bar bag combo. Put about 15 lbs in the back and another 5 up front. My TCR does have an alloy post though. Don't know what you are running. I'm not a heavy rider.... My wheels aren't really made to haul more than me and my tcr. I'd throw something a little heavier duty on the rear just for peace of mind....

I'm not a fan of beam racks but on my carbon i'd be going for as light as I could and still have what I need... I'd also cover a ton more miles keeping it light and also since my gearing is much higher than a touring specific bicycle keeping the weight low would be my biggest goal.

LeeG

it would be nice if there were small panniers for road bikes for heel clearance. I had a small pair of panniers that were about 10"tall, 9" long and 5" wide that I gave away. For a road bike like that and carrying more than can comfortably pile on top I'd be inclined to configure two waterproof compression stuff sacks off the sides with tent and sleeping bag on top. The trick is coming up with a secure belts and suspenders method of attachment that is easy enough to remove and install without any risk of the mess coming apart while riding.

https://www.rei.com/product/768369 maybe something like this with two webbing straps and fastek buckles attaching through the loops on the bags to the rack with a final lashing of a long bungie to hold it still.

When I was young and skinny touring on road bikes I didn't take a tent, packed sleeping bag in stuff sack with extra clothes, sleeping pad and army surplus poncho on rack. Small front handle bar bag for misc. items. Kungfu slippers. No cooking gear.

sqharaway

kayakdiver & LeeG:

You just saved my life. I hadn't thought much about the clearance of my ankles--the rear rack & panniers setup I was planning on probably isn't going to work. (This is clearly my first tour!)

I'm riding a Specialized Tarmac Comp--full carbon road bike with a full Shimano 105 component group. Weight load shouldn't be a problem. I only weigh 135 lbs so even if I end up with 30 lbs of gear (which won't happen) the total weight for the bike would be 165 lbs, which is well within it's weight limit.

kayakdiver, I thought about your beam rack idea. What sort of bag do you put on those? What do you think about strapping my tent and sleeping bag to it and putting clothing, food, etc. in the handlebar bag?

I've also been looking at Carousel Design Works' saddle packs (https://www.flickr.com/photos/carouse...7611514005907/). I'm thinking I could probably strap by tent and sleeping bag to my handlebars (both are small items) and put everything else into one of these packs. This seems closer to LeeG's suggestion. Assuming I can get a saddle pack quickly enough, this setup seems workable, to me. It would keep me light and fast! What do you think of this?

sstorkel

I carried 22lbs of gear using a Carradice Nelson Longflamp saddlebag mounted to a Bagman QR support and a Lone Peak H-100 handlebar bag. FYI, that was basically a couple of pairs of street clothes, an extra set of riding gear, a bunch of tools+spare parts, camera, cell phone, U-lock, and a book or two. No towel, no camping gear, no cooking gear, no sleeping bag. You can find my first pass at a packing list here. If you're planning to camp, you'll either be carrying a lot more gear than I did or making some hard choices about what to leave behind...

A word of caution: I mounted the bags and gear to my Cervelo RS road bike, which has a more relaxed geometry and longer wheelbase than your Tarmac, and did not like what the extra weight did to the handling of the bike. I eventually ended up building a cheap touring bike based on Nashar's double-butted aluminum touring frame. In the end, I was very, very happy with that decision...

kayakdiver

OP, That looks like a nice sized saddle bag that along with a handle bar bag should work nicely together. I think you're on your way! Go for a night or weekend mini tour to test out everything before setting out on the longer trip.

sqharaway

My attempt to get a saddle pack from both Carousel Design Works and Epic Designs failed miserably--totally my fault though, giving them such short notice. That said, I've been in contact with Wayne who helped me out a great deal and have the Tubus Fly rack on the way! He is confident that the quick release kit will give me the ability to not only mount it on my Tarmac, but also give me enough heal clearance. Luckily, the Fly rack was my last major purchase before the trip in mid-June (I tend to get anxious about hemorrhaging money!).

Thanks for all of your advice! I'll post details of the trip upon my return.

LeeG

it looks like my idea to strapping a 13liter drybag on either side wouldn't work as well on a Tubus Fly, I've got an Axiom Streamliner with the extra leg to keep things from falling into the wheel. either way have a good trip