my new frame (new to me, '85 frame) has this clover eyelet pattern on the front fork. my fender has to mount to the back eyelet. my blackburn rack has to mount to the back eyelet. if i try to mount either to the top/front one it doesn't work, gets in the way of the axle.

so what can i put on here? is there another rack that utilizes this eyelet? is there something i'm doing wrong? i don't see reason to load up one eyelet when i have two...

The only thing that I can think of it may be for fenders. If you rack requires the rear eyelet, and so do your fenders, just get some longer bolts. You will need to check the bolts more often to make sure that they are not coming loose on you though.

You could also put a light there for sure.

Snowplow for winter riding.
(sorry, just couldn't resist)

I think the intent was to have one set for fenders and the other for the rack....but of course you've heard "the road to hell is paved with good intentions."

fenders. maybe a basket setup?

Apparently that front eyelet can be useful as a backup when your rear one breaks off - as apparently happened to this Surly Long Haul Trucker:

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?page_id=72359

Neil

Some handlebar bags have stabilizer straps that you hook to those eyelets.

They also can be used for front basket struts.

you can put anything you want there.

What kind of Blackburn rack is it?

A lot of newer racks will attach to the upper eyelet.

One piece of advice I heard is the get your rack attached wherever you want it, then work on fenders, since fender stays are more easily manhandled.

The front eyelet is a rack eyelet. The rear eyelet is a fender eyelet. "Low rider" racks mount on the fender eyelet but "older" style racks use the front eyelet.

Keep in mind that low rider racks are a fairly recent invention (about 1980).

The Tubus Tara low rider rack has fender eyelets on the rack.

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??
Except fenders and lowrider racks!

Yeah, it's intended for racks, but not all racks play the same tune. Some of your alternatives are: (1) see if there's a way to attach the fender to the rack, and (2) look at the SKS Race Blade fenders that clip on to the frame and don't need eyelets.

I mounted my Bruce Gordon Low rider rack to the top eyelet, of my fork,

the mudguard is mounted to the braze-ons on the rack in this case..

a bit more stability moving the load forward ..

the rack is a blackburn FL-1 (low rider rack). i've tried putting it on the front eyelet but it's not going to happen.

anyone have any suggestions of a rack that mounts to the upper eyelet?

That's because that rack goes on the rear (fender) eyelet.

This is the kind of rack those eyelets were originally made for.

https://www.velo-orange.com/vocofrra.html

The Tubus Tara mounts to the rear eyelets but has fender eyelets on the rack.

https://www.peterwhitecycles.com/tubus_racks.asp

There are modern racks that also mount to the top eyelet:

https://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1279171640820

A number of people have mounted these racks in addition to a low rider, in order to get the same kind of utility a custom hi-lo rack provides.

The top eyelet is also used for fenders that have multiple stays. Some use as many as 3. Most of the currently popular fenders use only the one stay, at the back, and are almost just mudflaps, but that is all one really needs.

Obviously not a touring bike, but:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlCpO...layer_embedded

Oh, most important of all - touring bikes have these eyelets. That's how you can tell it's a touring bike. Even though I don't actually use them. On custom bikes there are better arangements for racks, though not always.