I recently bought an Arkel AC Lowrider front rack. I installed it on my 2007 Trek 520 and it looks like this:



As you can see the rack is slightly off-center. Is there a way to fix this, or is the rack somehow faulty? Or am I just being uptight about the whole thing and should just ignore it (which is hard to do when it is right infront of me while riding)?

I have the same rack which is also crooked like that and it worked fine.

i would use a few shims to get it right.Or put it in a vice and bend it like it should be but I would try the shims first.

If you just bought it I would return it before you void the warranty or ask the shop you bought it from to fix the installation.

I did that on a rear rack.

My Surly front rack on my LHT is that way... and it was installed by my favorite LBS. I've gotten used to it.

I use the same rack. Mine is crooked too. It bugged me at first, but once I actually started my tour I realized that I had more important things to worry about. You'll get used to it.

Mine's like that too. Different rack though. No problems. As long as it's not hitting anything.

I have a Tubus Tara on my 2007 Trek 520 and had a similar problem. I figured out it was being caused by a small defect on the right eyelet of the fork. The eyelet was angled forward slightly, and this caused the arm of the rack to be pushed forward and put the rack off center.

I fixed the problem by enlarging the hole on the Tara rack to accommodate the angled eyelet. It's not perfect, but it's certainly better.

Good luck!

I've seen this before. The 520's frame is warped beyond repair and is now extremely dangerous to ride. Please let me know where I can pick up the bike for proper disposal.

Same issues with both a Tara and Jannd front racks. My wife's Tara was definitely made five minutes before quitting time on the Friday before a long weekend in Germany.

You wouldn't expect it for price and since they are mass produced using jigs. It is important not to stress the rack when you install it. On my wife's Tara, I have a spacer on one side and not the other and that's the way it fits best. I wouldn't try bending it. I would install it while using spacers where needed in order to you create as little stress on the rack as possible and if it looks a little out of alignment in the end, no big deal. Stressing it to make it look straight could fatigue the rack causing it to fail sooner than later.