Where can I find a set of these at a good price. Price is important but I would rather have quality than a great savings. I am new to the touring thing and trying to set my bike up. I have a GT Transeo 3.0 that has disc brakes. Any help is appreciated.

Nashbar

https://thetouringstore.com/TUBUS/TUB...OME%20PAGE.htm

I've got Tubus Tara front racks on my tourer. Altho they are not the cheapest option, they are among the best and lighter than most. They are also easy to install and remove. I only put them on my bike while touring and remove at other times.

Thanks guys, I just noticed I didn't spell front right but looks like you guys got it. I am trying to find a front rack that will fit the suspension forks with a 700 size wheel. Is anyone using this type of rack? Thanks again for helping the new guy.

I have a set of Tubus Tara and a set of Tubus Duo. I LOVE the Duo, due to its simplicity, sturdiness, and ease of on/off. You need a mid-fork brazeon that goes all the way through to use them, though. They are especially nice if you are packing your bike for shipping/have an S&S bike, as they don't take up much space at all when removed as they don't have the cross-tire hoop.

https://thetouringstore.com/TUBUS/Duo/DUO%20PAGE.htm

Worst front racks I've used were from "Delta," via Performance Bike. Total crap, IMO, and I returned them after one short tour. the original Blackburn lowriders weren't so good, either, as they would often slide down. Good racks are expensive, but they will last a long time and I see them as a safety feature that shouldn't be scrimped on. A wimpy rack can make your bike handle poorly, and a broken rack can bring an abrupt end to a ride if it throws itself and the panniers into your spokes. This is especially true for a front rack.

For rear racks, I have (or have used) the standard Blackburn Expedition, various Tubus models, and even a Bruce Gordon. All have worked fine. I think that the quality margin is more pronounced up front than in the rear.

I've only needed one rack set.. I got Bruce Gordon's almost 30 years ago.

But with disc Brakes you may need different on the rear .. Tubus Disco?
https://www.tubus.com/product.php?xn=10 lower mount is your QR thru the Hub.



all else people make racks, that are not factories.

some framebuilders make the rack part of the frame./

If you have discs, these might make it easier to mount. Old Man Mountain front racks
https://www.oldmanmountain.com/Pages/...rontRacks.html

To be honest, I wouldn't even try. There's the issue of putting a rack on a suspension fork in the first place. There are a few ways to do it but all of them seem kludgy. None of them are cheap, either. The Old Man Mountain go for $140. Tubus makes the Swing but it's a similar price.

And loading a suspension fork doesn't do anything good for the suspending part. A load on the lowers of a suspension fork makes the fork leaden and slow to respond. You'll also need to be careful when clamping anything to the sliders to avoid damage.

Assuming that you are going to be riding mostly roads or even smooth dirt roads, you have the problem of carrying around a fork that really doesn't have much to offer. Unless you plan on doing some off-road riding...and you should probably have a different bike for that...a suspension fork is mostly added weight.

A better option would be to buy an inexpensive rigid fork and swap it out for whatever touring you want to do. The swap is simple and takes only minutes to do.

Thanks everyone for the help. I am trying to set the bike up for the C&O Tow Path and the GAP Trail, I am going to make this trip in May 2014. I have to support the trip myself and I am trying not to pull any kind of trailer. The suspension does have a lock out on it which is use often.
Not sure which way to go. I already have the rear rack, no panniers/bags yet. Thanks again.

I was thinking OMM when I saw suspension forks, too. The Tubus Tara might work, since it doesn't have a fork crown attachment, but does the OP's fork have mid-fork mounts?

What does OMM mean? Sorry. I assume a mid mount would be the hole in the center of the fork, closer to the top of the front tire?

Old Man Mountain, see post #8

We have done the GAP/C&O several times. Trailers are great on it. What is the aversion to using your trailer (as long as it is a single wheel type as 2-wheeled is a non-starter).

Also, if you have a little time you can pick up good quality used racks on eBay if you keep watching for what you want or set up a search agent to notify you when it comes available. Racks should sell for about 1/2 of the new price...

Thanks guys. I thought that pulling a trailer would be a nightmare, am I wrong? I was looking at the single wheeled BOB trailers but I just thought this would suck. If this is doable than that would solve my issues and I could carry what I needed to carry in the trailer. Is the trailer really not bad?

really not bad .. I have 2_ 2 wheel trailers ..

I have a drybag with backpack straps , so once the bag is in the trailer,
I can wear the trailer and carry the bike, in my hand over stairs and road washouts.

2 rear panniers and a front barbag should suffice.
Adding pannier racks to sus forks on a budget is always a kludge.
If you need to put more up front, have a look at randonneur style front racks that bolt to the cantilever brake bolts and fit on top of the front wheel.

After seeing your route, your choice of a front shock is a good one. I've only ridden the C&O from Georgetown to the Potomac Falls but even that short distance cries out for a bit of suspension. That said...

I hate trailers. But I only hate them for on-road touring. Off-road, they work better than panniers for the same reasons that I detail above. Bicycle suspension forks just don't work all that well when you put a huge load on them. It becomes a problem of sprung vs unsprung mass. Basically, the tire is a rubber ball that shock allows to bounce off the ground in a more or less controlled manner. Putting a lot of weight on the unsprung lowers reduces the ability of the shock to control the bounce by making it incapable of bouncing.

If you use a trailer in that situation, the fork (and other suspension parts if you have them) can work like they are supposed to. A trailer also lowers the mass on the rear wheel so that impacts have a bit less force. This helps keep the rear wheel being damaged over time. Trailers do have an impact on handling which is why I hate them for on-road riding. But for off-road, they are hard to beat. Get a singe wheel one, however. They more closely follow the track of the bike and you have one less tire to worry about.

A Tubus Swing, by the way, doesn't have the impact on the suspension like other front racks because it's not attached to the fork but suspended with the rest of the bike and rider. It's kind of kludgy and expensive.

I ride the C&O every day as part of my commute, and a suspension fork is pretty much useless. Wider high volume tires are the way to go with a rigid fork. A few weeks ago I rode the entire C&O from Cumberland to DC through lots of mud. Very comfortable with this rig. OMM Sherpa front rack with Ortleib rollers f/r.

Thanks everyone for all of the help. I am thinking maybe a trailer is the way to go, any suggestions on where to start that search? The BOB's are kind of expensive.

Changing out the front forks is not an option. They can be locked out if I don't need them, I see no reason to change them out for a ridgid set but maybe I am missing something. As far as an earlier post stating that the back panniers should be sufficient and I don't need the front..... I don't agree. This trip will be self supported so I need to be able to carry all of my gear. I am a Marine and understand very well how to pack gear for extended stays but I don't think two rear bags will be enough.

I guess the other question is how long does this trip usually take? What is the average trip time in days to do both trails? I understand that depends on the rider but I would like to see if the norm is close to what I have planned.

I might as well ask this to while I have you guys helping me. Is there any good saddles/seats out there or is the pain something you have to deal with? I did 26.3 miles yesterday and my butt is sore today. I had a nice pair of riding shorts on, padded but with my stock GT seat. Thoughts?

Thanks everyone for your help.

Start looking at BikeTrailersshop.comhttps://www.biketrailershop.com/extra...ers-c-208.html. You could also look for them on Craigslist or do a Google search for "bicycle cargo trailers". There are some $100 single wheel trailers out there. They probably won't last for 20 or 30 years but they should be good enough for a smoothish tour.

I rode the C&O in two days...116 miles on day 1 and 70 or so on day 2. Not too many side trips. For a leisurely trip on the GAP and C&0, with visits to Harpers Ferry, Antietam, Fort Frederick and the like, 5 days would be comfortable. About 70 miles a day.

Cyccommute and Alan s, thanks for your continued help as I really appreciate it. Cyccommute, I saw a BOB trailer on Craislist last month but I can't find it now, he was asking $150. I have some time to get one though, hopefully I can find a deal.
alan s, two days, Awesome! I think I need to revise my schedule. Is 5 days possible to do the whole thing?

Alan s, I guess if I read what you wrote I would see five days is doable.