Buying RACKS of ebay ????
 

Hi, I'm shopping for some front and back pannier racks .Can anyone tell me if these racks could be good enough to hold 40+ pounds for a couple weeks touring ???

If you know of a better deal or better idea , let me know. I live in Canada. So I don't get free shipping on a lot of stuff.

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/BIKE-BICYCLE-...item43a9744f28

THANK YOU !!!!

Doesn't look very sturdy.

It says the front connectors are adjustable. While they appear to slide fore and aft, it looks like the only way you would be able to adjust the width of the front connectors (so that they match the spacing between your seatstay eyelets) is by rotating them, and that's assuming they rotate. That doesn't leave you with many combinations, but you might be able to compensate with spacers. Or maybe it would fit your bike fine. My rear rack from Rivendell came with both bent and straight connectors.


Another thing I noticed is that the front connectors appear to be below the tube at the front of the "platform." (Look at the second photo from the left.) Depending on your frame geometry, you may need to angle the front connectors up to reach the seatstay eyelets. Looks like the the front tube could interfere with that. In other words, it looks like the front connectors could only be angled up so high before they would hit the front tube. Again, it might work with your bike, but it might not.

Without a brand and without including that information in the description, it's not likely going to be easy to say whether it will be built to hold any specific amount of weight. If there's any truth to "You get what you pay for." then I would say probably not.

I bought my rack on ebay it's been great, but I didn't get a no-name rack with no published tolerances. What I did was decide on acceptable weight tolerances, determine the rack(s) that met those requirements that I would like to use (determine that I was unable/unwilling to pay retail for it), and make a saved search on eBay. I had one particular rack in mind, and when it showed up for an acceptable price, I bid. Eventually I got one. I paid significantly less then retail (but significantly more then $5). I did have the advantage that I was planning way ahead and was under no pressure to get a rack right away. So if, like me, you have more time then money, figure out racks that will work for you, a price that's acceptable, and keep a search running.

If you want to roll the dice on a cheap, no-name rack, buy it early and give it a workout, checking in thoroughly for damage/weakening because having it break on the road will quickly having you wish you had sprung for a sturdier rack.

That seller is known for having cheap "Sale" prices, but then super high shipping to make up the difference. Might be ok, but if you get it be sure to check it long before you go on your trip.

The reason they put all the price in the shippng is to discourage returns. You can't recover shipping cost in a return. Racks (due to size) are not cheap to ship. Thus, no one would return a $6 rack if its junk, which the OP-linked rack may very well be.

I've bought 4 times from Abaxo and got some good parts at fair price, shipped super fast (you do get your moneys worth on the high shipping charge).

I think I'd pass on that rack though.

Nashbar usually has 2-3 decent cheap rear racks:

http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/SubCate..._202334_202379

Better idea: Shop MEC, and/or Amazon Canada. Stay with branded, proven racks like Topeak, Tubus, Blackburn, Axiom(Canadian). Your really don't want to have to worry about a rack fallure in the middle of a tour, even a two week tour.

I'm a definite fan of my Jannd racks, but they sure weren't cheap.

THat Topeak supertourist on sale for $39 at Nashbar looks like a good rack, and if you buy something else to bring your total to more than $50 you get 15% off, so you could get something else very inexpensively. I think all the other advice you've gotten here is good. A rack that will carry the weight you mentioned will cost a bit, but doesn't have to be super expensive.

I only have one and its used a lot Jandd "Expedition". Wide / long / well built. Buy a cheap rack and it fails in the middle of nowhere what do you do? Invest in a good rack, with this you get peace of mind