Hi guys,

I'm looking to buy a rack for my standard factory crosscheck. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at the amount of racks there are available so I'd like some help! I thought I had it figured out, but do I have to take into account the amount of clearance the rack has for fenders? I'll be buying them for my bike at some point and now it seems like another complication to add to choosing the right rack.

My main concern is heel strike. I'll be mounting ortlieb back roller panniers onto whatever rack I end up buying and I have size UK10-11 (US11-12) shoes. I've searched this forum, found some similar threads to this and it seems like the Jandd Expedition is a safe bet. I currently live in Japan so having that rack shipped to me costs nearly as much as the rack itself. Ideally I don't want to spend £100 or over on a rack (a surly nice rack is a no), so I'd appreciate some recommendations on similarly priced racks to the Jandd when taking everything above into account.

Also, I don't particularly know what kind of numbers I should be keeping an eye out for when looking at rack dimensions. After having a look around, it seems like they float around the 12 inch/30cm mark. What should I be looking for when I want to make sure there's no heel strike?

Finally, I'm currently on the Blackburn website but I can't find anything about the dimensions for their racks. What the hell?

What size bike? Cross Check should have decent chainstay length.

I like the Bontrager Back-rack deluxe, they have two sizes, one for a smaller frame that puts the rack further back. It's a bit of a Tubus rip-off design with a lower bar for mounting panniers and retails for about $50 USD.

Most racks can be made to work if angled properly. I wear a size 12 US, ride a 53cm Trek 520 w/ 450mm chainstays. I went with the standard "L" sized rack mentioned above and it works fine although I did end up putting my panniers most of the way back after a few heel strikes but I didn't have to angle it at all (but I probably should have bought the "S" due to my large feet).

You might look at Axiom racks. Some models come equipped with an attachment that allow you to mount the rack further back if you have shorter chainstays.

US size 12 feet are not that large. I doubt you will have a problem with most racks. You may need to mount the panniers toward that back of the rack.

Can't you buy a rack locally where you are? That way you can be sure it is either OK or easy to return.

View the Dropout extension adapter at https://www.ortliebusa.com
allows their racks to be mounted further back on the dropout side

If stock upper strut is insufficient length longer are sold also.

Ditto going with a QR Axle mount
https://www.tubus.com/product.php?xn=33

I'm using the Tubus LoGo, & a Back roller set.. sliding hooks Fwd, shifts Bag Back ..
(though, I'm not on a Surly cross-check)

Look carefully at your Ortliebs. If the rollers are like the packers, you can life up a tab on the back of the hooks and move them forward on the bag, moving the bag back on the rack.

Make sure you firmly return the tab when you've adjusted things, or things might get interesting sometime later.

It's all relative to height and frame size.

How true. When I was a boy, a size 12 foot was huge but in this day and age, seems like every 17 year old boy that steps in my office has size 12 sneakers.

It's the hormones in the milk! At least that's what my mom says...

If you have not already done this, you can move the rear wheel all the way back in the dropouts. That will buy some extra clearance for you.

I'm having trouble visualizing how this would help, since the rack still attaches to the frame at the same place? (I ask, because I have the same problem as the OP with heel strike on occasion, and since my rear rack doubles as a trailer attachment for my daughter's trail-a-bike (Burley), I'm looking for other options). Thanks!

that would only be beneficial (if you could) with a rack that uses the skewer of the hub for mounting and not the standard rear braze ons, or am I missing something here?

Ahh, like the Old Man Mountain racks. I get it. Unfortunately for me, not an option for now.

When you compare photographs of racks on bicycles notice where they are relative to the rear axle. Obviously the ones behind the rear axle have more room for your heels and larger panniers.

This rack's load is behind the axle https://www.amazon.com/Axiom-Journey-...JDS5M8SD6QGWJV This rack's load is directly above the rear axle https://www.amazon.com/Avenir-Rear-Ro...JDS5M8SD6QGWJV

The Axiom Journey and the identical Massload branded variant are designed for adequate pannier setback without using those offset eyelet brackets at the bottom. I like how lightweight and inexpensive this rack is too. https://www.amazon.com/Axiom-Journey-...=axiom+journey

Cross Check + Tubus Vega + Ortlieb Back Roller Classics = Good Times

Surly Cross Check Frame for Touring | Bike Lane Ends

Tubus racks are fantastic. Strong, light, and go on like butter. I can install them in 10 mins.

Jandd Expedition Rack

I agree, that large Jandd Expedition rack allows you to position bags further back but wow, they want $92 for them now, glad I bought mine for half that

I have a 56cm CrossCheck, it may be my weight 230lbs, but I found a large rear load made the bike handle poorly. If I was going to use the CrossCheck for touring I'd use lowriders in the front and any cheap rear rack for top loads and no rear panniers. I could imagine a lighter person utilizing rear panniers well but I still wouldn't rely on a large rear load.

+1 They are well known for this rack setting the bags further back. They are also well known for the paint flaking off rather rapidly. Still a great rack though.

Something to consider in this scenario as well is that if you purchase a rack that sets the load back further, that may well also affect handling negatively.

Yup, like I said it could be my weight but the tail wagging effect is one I'm familiar with when trying to adapt any bike to rear load carrying. CycloCross bikes are nice but they are more for tossing around by a rider than getting tossed round by a load. What I did discover was that there was a noticeable difference between a pannier load (Ortlieb front packers/rollers) on a very narrow rack like the older Axiom Streamliner and a regular wide rack like the Tubus Cargo, Topeak. Same load with two very stiff racks but the tail wagging to the front end was more noticeable with the conventional wide racks.

I think it has more to do with geometry and frame construction than riders weight. I'm a Clyde too (hovering around 275 for far too long now) and can't pack light to save my life, but my old (1989) GT Timberline that I've converted for touring is solid with a Jannd Expedition on the rear and an Old Man Mountain rack on the front, both loaded down with panniers, and more camping gear on the rear deck.

Amazing. Thanks for the replies everyone! Oops, I forgot to mention that the size of the bike is 54cm. I've had a look at a couple of bike shops and they only seem to stock dirt cheap ones for mamacharis. They only have an extremely limited selection of good racks so I thought buying online would give me much more choice.

dellwilson, thanks for the link! It's good to see concrete proof like that, however Tubus racks are a bit too expensive for me.

Clem von Jones, thanks for those links! It's definitely made me understand how to roughly see where they sit on the back of a bike.

I can't seem to find any Axiom racks on any online websites in Japan, so unless I can find an online dealer that ships to Japan for cheap, I think I may have to pass on those. I'm give the Bontrager Back-rack deluxe a look when I'm at work tomorrow. In an ideal world I'd have enough money to buy front and back racks with 4 panniers to put on them. For now, I'm going to tough it out with just a rear rack and panniers until I have enough money to buy the front set. I've only had to bike for a week and I still have lights and a lock on my shopping list along with a bunch of other things. Aaarg!

So wider racks can cause more instability?

I find it believable, but unimportant. If you have your bags loaded... and I mean full&heavy, they are more unstable (until you adjust to it). I doubt that a wider rack makes a bike anything beyond marginally more unstable. I think it's more a matter of looks and need. As I mentioned above, I have the Bontrager Back-rack and it's an ideal width for touring with plenty of room for a tent and sleeping bag and some other odds&ends; it also has plenty of room for tires/fenders. It's wider than I need for a general commute with one bag, so that's a tradeoff. Likewise, wide vs narrow isn't the only factor to consider, how high the bags sit will also influence stability (lower is better).

So, I wouldn't say that wider necessarily causes instability or that it would be noticeable. I think it's case by case and depends on the bike, the weight of the load, the height of the bag and tradeoffs such as tire size and other potential clearance issues.

Another rack worth considering is the PDW Payload which in my opinion is the best looking rack out there after Tubus.

Dang. Bontrager could be a no no because I can't find it online. The bamboo deck and curved design of the bars on the PDW Payload certainly look fancy! Sadly, it's a little out of my range because it's about 180USD in Japan. Eep.

Does anyone have any opinions about and experiences with Topeak and Blackburn racks?