touring racks, and anyone using Nitto
 

Is anyone using the front rack Nitto m12? In the description of the product. It states that it does not fit all fork posts. Does anyone have measurements of any kind to direct me in knowing if it will work on my bike? Also, about what weight would you say it is good for holding or recommended. I am looking at the Nitto rear rack as well.

Is there other ones i should consider? i will not be doing any week long tours, at least not anytime soon. But is there other types you would recommend? I have access to various types through my shop but am trying to narrow it down based on expert advise...but since i couldn't do that. I came here. jk. But i was looking at the axiom streamliner, it's rated to 110 pounds! It may be overkill for me.

Details:
I am turning my Bianchi Cross cro-mo into an all rounder. I am 6' and weigh 170 pounds if those details matter regarding weight on total ride. Day trip rides and one overnighters to start. maybe a few more days at times. mostly country roads, rail to trails. no heavy off roads, dirt roads at most.

thanks in advance for any recommendations.

I like the little Nashbar rack that is often on sale for as little as $7.99. In fact it is on sale now. I have used one on a few longish tours and it did fine.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=248127

I added a little over the front wheel rack to my Low riders..
Less Bulky than a rack that is both a top platform and low riders in one piece.

Some riders just use a handlebar and a saddle bag or rear panniers,
then the front bag support lets them load the HB bag heavier.

yea, that nashbar is a far bit cheaper than the proposed nitto! And it is black. i am thinking of going away from the chrome. I need room for the cantilever brakes though. it doesn't appear to work with cantis. Which is another reason i have to look closely at what to use. Is that Nashbar workable with a cantilever brake set up?

Nitto is steel, the Gnashbar is aluminum..
the bolt that holds on the brakes holds on the rack, and then the brake..

Actually it is designed for cantis and works fine with them. It mounts on the canti bosses on top of the brake arms. My heavy bike has cantis and one of these little racks. I put my handlebar bag on it.

I had to adapt it when I wanted to use it on a bike that didn't have canti bosses, but it was pretty easy.

I had the Nashbar front rack on my commuter for a while.

I carried a car battery on it once.

I have a Nitto M12. It is a nice sturdy rack but not very large, so it won't hold much gear. It attaches to canti brake mounts on the sides and the fork bolt hole on the top. I think Rivendell and perhaps Velo-Orange sell similar racks designed for bikes without canti brakes. If you intend to use front panniers, there are much better options for a front rack, such as the Tubus Tara. The M12 is ideal for holding a front rack bag and some handlebar bags. You could also strap items to it, such as a sleeping bag in a compression sack. (photo added)

For a rear rack, I got a Tubus Cargo. It was less expensive than the Nitto and will hold more weight, plus some of the better panniers (eg, Ortlieb) are designed to fit it. The Tubus Cargo is surprisingly light weight for such a sturdy rack. It would be my first choice if you don't mind spending $100 or so.

After i examined the photo a bit. i noticed it affixed to the canti bosses. I like that idea because the bike i am using, does not have all the fancy rack bolt on areas. So i may have to use a few p-clamps on the back. I would like to find a rack in the back that uses the bike canti bosses also. I feel it would secure up the feel of the rack. There is just something that makes me nervous about using the p-clamps. I worry that i am going to get weird vibration or noise. I have never outfitted a bike with racks or panniers in all my years of cycling so this is a new experience for me. I believe a h-bar bag is a definite choice so the front rack will be useful. What's your thoughts on the likes of Axiom Streamliners, journey, etc? I am amazed that the nashbar aluminum front rack listed above is cheaper than anything at all that i could buy as a dealer. ha. I might have to look around and see if they have a matching rear one for that kind of bargain.

Walter

You can't see it, but here's a Nashbar front rack carrying a 20+ pound echo machine that I found at an antique show. These racks aren't pretty, but they work great!
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-c...00/echo_01.jpg

Has anyone used one of those little front racks as a rear rack? I'd like something just big enough to strap a sleeping bag or compression sack to, and these look like the ticket.
Looks like it would point up at about a 30* angle if you mounted it on back?

I thought about it, but have not done it. I think you will be able to mount it level, since the brackets that attach to the canti bosses have a pivoting joint.

I think that would work well for some of those who either pack very light or carry most of their gear in the front.

Rivendell sells a rack (Mark's Rack) that is about the size of the Nitto M12 but will fit front or rear. It's a bit overpriced, like almost everything at Rivendell, but will serve that purpose.

http://www.rivbike.com/product-p/r1.htm

Velo-Orange has several options for front and rear racks in different sizes.

http://store.velo-orange.com/index.p...decaleurs.html

I have seen good reports on the Axiom Streamliner rack. Also check out the Velo-Orange stainless steel rack for comparison.

BTW, if you don't mind ordering from overseas, some of the British online cycling shops like Wiggle, Chain Reaction, SJS and others have a lot more options for racks at very good prices.

I like the streamliner pretty well.

Bianchi Cross "all rounder" in tour configuration.
http://i783.photobucket.com/albums/y...ianchi-1-3.jpg

Nice! I hope my bianchi will look just as good. And veloOrange has some excellent items. I am a vo dealer and i still use this forum for buying decisions. Great advice

On my Surly Long Haul Trucker I have Tubus rakes. A Tubus Lowrider Tara on the front and a Tubus Cargo Expedition on the rear. Excellent German engineering.

http://www.aushiker.com/wordpress/wp...20-550x412.jpg

Regards
Andrew

The Tubus looks good...appears to be a nice narrow design. Fits that bundle in there perfectly! I just received a box of goodies in the mail today. I spent the day at Lehigh Valley Velodrome selling off some fodder to make room for my new goodies aboard my Bianchi. Tomorrow will be a day to clean everything up on that old ride and begin the new build. I will make sure to post some pictures of the ride when i am done. It should be an excellent project. Only thing i will need when done with the build that i have to check on next will be fenders.

Works just fine. Have it on my tandem. It does restrict access to adjust the brakes a bit, since it mounts to the brake bosses. Just right for carrying a little extra or supporting a large handelbar bag.
http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...42201666_n.jpg