Hi there. I'm looking for a new front rack to use on my rigid touring bike (VSF T400). I'm trying to understand why the front racks like "surly nice rack", which include a useful platform over the wheel, aren't so popular. I suppose that a clear disadvantage is that the front light has to be replaced with another solution (any tips?). Any other disadvantages? Why are the tubus racks so much more popular? Any possibilities that the surly nice rack would not be compatible with the VSF fork?

Cheers

Lowering the load in front improves your stability. Other than that, I find there's a visual appeal to low-riders...it could be that others do as well.

Define Popular, where are you taking your Sample? and why does popularity matter to you?

.. are you still in School?

Edit I Did look it up, VSF is a German Brand,

you noticed that German riders buy German brand racks .
nice trend, spotting .. But.. whats odd about the fork? Carbon or something?


I have Bikes with Low rider racks , one I added a small over the wheel rack,
not part of the Racks, that carry the panniers.
3 point mount , 2 brake boss ends , and the bolt thru the fork Crown..
for those who just shop online, Nashbar has one that May Do..

Mine was fabricated by a Bike Builder in Newcastle, England, while I was there , in '91,
preparing to take a ferry to Norway.

one issue I have with the Surly "Nice rack" is they are excessively Heavy..


Now my daily ride is a 20" wheel, and so it, a Bike Friday with their front rack,
is both low-riding , plus I can strap stuff across the top of the 2 bags, over the wheel.

because the wheel is small..

But there are other companies making various racks too..
I have the most miles on Bruce Gordon's .
he makes them himself.
Tubus [and all of QBP's Stuff] is imported, across one ocean or another ..

I'm told [Bruce G] Tubus gets a pac rim subcontractor to make theirs, ships out,
then gets powdercoated and re ships them from Germany..

I have A NL made Koga Trekking Bike now, too, it has a Tubus ergo and logo rack ..
Koga has a batch made for them, with a Kickstand on the bottom of the left side .
and a 2nd one on the bike frame .

I have a Hub-dynamo powered light on the fork crown
so a rack on top would have stuff in the way of the light.

nondo, There's no reason not to use a front rack with a platform. I've seen lights moved to the front of and/or onto the supporting struts of front racks.

Brad

I've used front platform racks in the past and they just aren't all that useful in my opinion. I use the rear deck on my rear rack to carry my tent, sleeping bag and pad and just don't need more room up front for carrying those items. The lowrider make sense in how it helps with carrying the load but a front deck is just wasted space.

Tubus stuff is well liked because it's well made. Long ago (and even now) racks had flat stays that were used to attach the rack to the seat stays. They were (and are) mostly a pain to use. The Tubus attachment system is much easier to install and adjust to where you need the rack stays to go. And they are rock solid.

One reason the front "Nice Rack" isn't more popular is that it is very heavy. It is probably the heaviest front rack available at a bit over 3 pounds. Another reason is that it is pretty expensive. If you need another reason, many folks probably do not see the need for a front platform.

Other racks with platforms may or may not have the same issues.

I'm using a Blackburn Lowriders on my Cannondale H600. Had them on since 1993 and it is made in USA....

The front rack platform is reserved solely for carrying important stuff such as beer or firewood short distances to your campsite.

I have an Old Man Mtn Sherpa attached to the front of a 26" wheel LHT without the axle attachment hardware. It weighs a smidge over a pound vs 3lbs for the Surly rack and can carry more than I would put on it.

Yup, quite heavy. The first time I put the Surly rack on, the unladen bike actually handled different due to the increased weight. There was a strong side wind and the wind on the rack was noticeable in how it affected bike handling.

I used that Surly front rack for two tours and replaced it with a Tubus Ergo and also a cheap little Nashbar platform rack that mounts on the cantilever bosses.

I use a handlebar bag for touring. If I did not, I would find the platform to be much more important. I usually just use the front platform for small items, like where to put a jacket when I take it off, spare water bottle, etc. I leave a couple of velcro straps on the rack so that it is easy to strap things on in a few seconds. But, if I did not have a handlebar bag, I would look for a short length rack top bag to put on it.

Why did I buy a Tubus instead of other brands? I like steel, that rules out several other options. Tubus, although expensive has a reputation that led me to believe that a rack failure won't mess up my vacation.

The two racks (Ergo and Nashbar) that replaced my Surly rack weigh a lot less and I hardly notice when they are on the bike.

A front rack platform is for really heavy touring, eg if you need to haul 5 days water across a desert.
For standard wight expedition touring 4 panniers + barbag you dont need the platform.
Of all the non-patform racks, Tubus Tara is the most efficient and effective. It weighs very little but is fully triangulated and has a hoop.
It is easy to build a rack with lots of metal struts and welds. Tara is notable for its simplicity.

I have never toured with anything other than a front rack with a platform. First with a Robert Beckman front rack and now a Nitto Big front rack from Rivendell. The platform allows me to orient my tent and sleeping bag parallel to the bike. The mid-level pannier mount provides extra ground clearence without causing handling problems. And just try strapping a bundle of firewood to a low rider rack. Couldn't care less about the cost or the extra weight of mine, although I would probably never use the Surly for weight reasons. Needlessly heavy. Both my Beckman and Nitto racks have mounts for lights, but I mount mine on the bars.

Heh. While I use it for other things, as I noted in my other post, you cannot strap a bundle of firewood to a low rider rack. I have carried firewood about one mile on both racks at the same time. Sure beat walking with it.

Last fall I did an overnighter with less gear than normal. That allowed me to stuff by sleeping bag in one of my panniers instead of carrying it on the front platform. That, in turn, allowed me to pick up a fresh-baked pie from a farm stand on the way home. Duct taped it to the platform. It arrived home with me undamaged.

I respectfully disagree with all the comments about the uselessness of a front rack deck. In my opinion a front " boxy rando" bag from Swift, Acorn, Gu Watanabe, Berthoud or Ostrich sitting on a front deck just above the fender is essential equipment. Easy to access from the driver's seat, lower center of gravity than a bag cantilevered off the handlebars and a map case on top.
..............And a six pack fits inside in case of emergencies.

I have both front and rear Nice Racks and I agree that the front rack is pretty heavy. It has lowriders, a nice sized platform and can mount to just about any bike. I like my nice rack but I do wish it were lighter.

I share your view. I'm surprised this strategy is not more common.

Depending on frame size, a decked front rack will accommodate a rear rack (trunk) bag pretty good, with the bag at nearly the same position as a hbar bag. You'll have more room for hands, less bar clutter, and trunk bags can be the same size or larger than a hbar bag. The weight on rack handles a little better than weight on hbar, and a trunk bag often costs less than a similar sized hbar bag. Only con to this arrangement is the trunk bags were not intended to be removed at every stop, so they usually lack QR capability. I use doubled Walmart bags in the trunk bag, gives some waterproofing, easy to carry, free and no one thinks anything odd with a person carrying a WM bag.

And both my trunk bags are insulated and do hold a 6 pack, although I don't drink beer often.

OP, the problem with the Surly Nice Rack (front) is that it's especially heavy, even for a deck type rack. All deck type racks are very heavy compared to a Tubus Tara or Nova.

Racks with both low and high positions are heavy, and the Surly is heavy among those. It's still pretty popular for a heavy and expensive rack. It can fit many bikes but the first setup is a bit of a pain. I like the platform but wish I could cut out the lowrider part. Front platform racks without lowriders aren't much heavier than lowriders. Vélo Orange has a platform rack lighter than Tubus'. I don't see the point of not having a platform when you could. I use a small daypack instead of a handlebar bag, which is about same weight for 2-3x the capacity and it's much more useful. I can even dig into the panniers while riding. The difference in handling between low and high is negligible. If anything, I find lowriders sluggish at low speed, which is when I want better control. Hitting a curb with lowriders can be disastrous too. Tubus makes great stuff and I wish they'd make a front platform rack. As for the light, it depends more on the rack. Mine fits well on a Surly:



What I'd really like is a touring bike with built-in front platform, fender and light protected between fender and platform.

this, and water, or a watermelon or fruit pie.

The surly IS heavy. I combined a Bor Yueh highrider with a Jannd Lowrider for significantly less weight and equal functionality.

the jannd extreme is a lighter option to the surly, and still allows a great lowrider pannier position. I'd suggest this for a front rack if your bike will fit.

I find I prefer a front rack or combination of racks with a platform top. My first touring bike was a Jack Taylor and it came with front and rear platform racks. The bike was stolen 20 yrs. ago, but I still have the racks, although I have stiffened them both. I like the platform front because I like the Acorn Boxy Rando bag up front. I now mount my folded/rolled sleeping mat in front of the bag and then have a pair of panniers below. Tent and sleeping bag go with another pair of panniers on the rear. To get a good handling bike with this weight and balance combination, I did have to bend the fork to increase fork offset/reduce trail to 46-47mm trail. No more truck like handling.

An alternative configuration is a Nitto M12 platform rack mounted on canti brake bosses, with a low rider rack mounted on the fork.

The center of gravity is only slightly lower than a handlebar bag. But the lower level of the deck makes accessing it while pedaling more difficult. I've often taken photos while riding for a different perspective or an action shot. Reaching down to unzip a bag that is much lower than the handlebars would be more difficult. Additionally, if you carry cameras and/or electronic equipment in the deck bag, you'll have to have much better cushioning of delicate equipment than with a handlebar bag. The handlebar bag cradles and suspends the cameras/electronics above the jarring of the road.

When I use my racks its generaly front and rear decks, but seldom with four pannier. Just two, and sometimes I will switch things up by putting the pannier up front one day and in the back the next. No idea why, just do it sometimes.

I really don't care much for lowriders, mostly because they catch on stuff, and are harder to push through weeds and brush. I have abraded holes in one front bag on a lowrider, on a long narrow bridge with heavy traffic and a curb.

My racks are just topeak explorers, if I carried big loads I would probably go with Jandds.

Agree with the accessability issues of a rack bag in front as opposed to a bar bag, but not such a declarative this is the way it is point. I have done both and found that quality of life was not diminished at all. I find the front rack bag to be slightly better handling personaly.

mostly I use it to carry extra water, or pizza, or firewood.





The other day I took all the racks off, in preparation for a month long on and off road rackless bag system. I will probably put the racks back on at some point if the next tour seems like it needs them.

and Pizza

Rio Grande?

Gosh I wish. No, its the Buffalo river in Arkansas. Its a great river, the only undamed natural watershed left. Great canoeing, and about 300 miles or so of hiking trails. This is part of a 300 mile three day weekend ride I do sometimes in the summer.

Thanks guys for all the inputs. I found valuable insights on alternatives to the surly rack. My opinion is that for a self-contained tour the platform will not add much % of weight, so it will be definitely handy for carrying a daypack or one of those nice "boxy rando bags".