front panniers suspension forks

[rrmbk00]

Hi , Does anyone know of any front fork pannier systems that will work with a pair of MTB hydraulic forks please?

[Gattonero]

Not sure how many people would spoil the work of a suspension with extra-weight right on the sliders, but an alternative could be the use of those "big cages" like the Salsa ones, they are quite popular with people going offroad.
Though the vast majority relies on big tyres and no suspension.



I'd be careful before tightening clips and external stuff onto the alluminium or magnesium sliders of a suspension forks, the damage can happen and will be expensive. Perhaps a "handlebar roll" turns out cheaper than a damaged set of forks.
Ideally, to fit those cages you could have mudguard mounts, some budget/commuter oriented suspension forks have them.

[Gattonero]

Btw, may have a look at this, though I'd still be vary to load anything more than a couple (two) kg on it


http://www.oldmanmountain.com/product/S ... OX-CL.html

[Tangled Metal]

Old man mountain is a very good brand and have been making front racks for suspension bikes for a long time. They're supposed to be very reliable and good quality. AFAIK the weight is on the axle rather than the forks.

If you're worried about weight on your forks then unladen cycling as part of a training and fitness regime will likely have a good effect!

PS Carradice distribute them over here I believe but whenever I looked they were always out of stock. I suspected OMM weren't doing well so had withdrawn from international markets into large enough, native USA market. Could be wrong though.

[Gattonero]

Old man mountain is a very good brand and have been making front racks for suspension bikes for a long time. They're supposed to be very reliable and good quality. AFAIK the weight is on the axle rather than the forks.

If you're worried about weight on your forks then unladen cycling as part of a training and fitness regime will likely have a good effect!

PS Carradice distribute them over here I believe but whenever I looked they were always out of stock. I suspected OMM weren't doing well so had withdrawn from international markets into large enough, native USA market. Could be wrong though.

The problem I have is not the weight on the axle, but the clamping on top of the sliders, where the forks bushing is. This can be very detrimental for the bushing!

[Brucey]

tubus used to make a rack system that bolted to the fork crown and the exposed part of the steerer. This is a good idea in that the bags and rack become part of the sprung mass not the unsprung mass, but they dropped it from their range for some reason. I'm not sure that there is an alternative rack that works in this way, but any means of strapping a bag to the handlebars will have a similar effect.

Racks that bolt to the fork lowers will carry the load but the whole point of suspension is lost, pretty much; the wheel cannot track the bumps very well with any real amount of weight strapped to it. Rather than such a rack you would (literally) be better off with a suspension stem and rigid forks in many cases.

BTW any clamps round the stanchions should be regarded as 'steadies' rather than contributing to the load bearing capacity of the rack; accordingly you can pack them with rubber (eg old inner tube) and not go nuts with tightening them.

cheers

[andrew_s]

tubus used to make a rack system that bolted to the fork crown and the exposed part of the steerer<snip>, but they dropped it from their range for some reason.

Too many different models of forks, requiring too many different clamp adapters, is what I remember.

[pete75]

There's an excellent version of front pannier rack for a bike with suspension forks. You just need a bike designed to have suspension rather than a diamond frame with suspension bolted on as an afterthought.




With a fork mounted front rack it matters little whether it's attached to the sliders or the axle - the effect on unsprung weight will be the same.

[Bmblbzzz]

For a few years I used a Tortec low rider bolted to the suspension fork of my mtb. I used big P-clips with rubber inserts to clamp it to the fork and it was rock solid in use. I only put light things in the front panniers though and I generally, though not always, had the suspension locked out when carrying a front load. It was a rack like this:
https://www.cyclesurgery.com/p/tortec-e ... lsrc=aw.ds

[RickH]

Unless there is a compelling reason to do otherwise, I would suggest going down the front roll bag route with suspension forks. Even if you already have front panniers the cost of a suitable rack (such as OMM) may be more than getting something like one of the Alpkit range (other makes are available).

The bigger Alpkit bags are 20l (plus an additional 3l if you add a Fat Roo pouch, but bear in mind it is designed to go with the Kanga harness if you want to use one) compared to 25l for a pair of Ortlieb Sport Rollers (formerly Front Rollers).

[Gattonero]

There's an excellent version of front pannier rack for a bike with suspension forks. You just need a bike designed to have suspension rather than a diamond frame with suspension bolted on as an afterthought.

FYI, the vast majority of MTB's are designed for using a suspension fork and they'll give you the travel it's optimized for
BTW, the reason why the best forks do not have mudguards or rack mounts should be pretty clear if you know how a suspension works.

[Gattonero]

Unless there is a compelling reason to do otherwise, I would suggest going down the front roll bag route with suspension forks. Even if you already have front panniers the cost of a suitable rack (such as OMM) may be more than getting something like one of the Alpkit range (other makes are available).

The bigger Alpkit bags are 20l (plus an additional 3l if you add a Fat Roo pouch, but bear in mind it is designed to go with the Kanga harness if you want to use one) compared to 25l for a pair of Ortlieb Sport Rollers (formerly Front Rollers).

Indeed, this is very good value for money:
https://www.alpkit.com/bundles/bike-pac ... bar-bundle

[pete75]

There's an excellent version of front pannier rack for a bike with suspension forks. You just need a bike designed to have suspension rather than a diamond frame with suspension bolted on as an afterthought.

FYI, the vast majority of MTB's are designed for using a suspension fork and they'll give you the travel it's optimized for
BTW, the reason why the best forks do not have mudguards or rack mounts should be pretty clear if you know how a suspension works.

Yes and that's why the Moulton front rack attaches to the frame not the forks. Most MTB's are a variant of a diamond frame adapted to take suspension.

[Gattonero]

There's an excellent version of front pannier rack for a bike with suspension forks. You just need a bike designed to have suspension rather than a diamond frame with suspension bolted on as an afterthought.

FYI, the vast majority of MTB's are designed for using a suspension fork and they'll give you the travel it's optimized for
BTW, the reason why the best forks do not have mudguards or rack mounts should be pretty clear if you know how a suspension works.

Yes and that's why the Moulton front rack attaches to the frame not the forks. Most MTB's are a variant of a diamond frame adapted to take suspension.

Of course a frame-mounted rack works better, for example I'm well pleased with the Brompton one, though is not actually a "rack" the frame stays in the bag.

Have you ever wondered why most 29er Mtb's have a "bent" downtube? It is because they are designed to take a suspension fork, they're designed from the ground up with a suspension in mind.

[ConRAD]

tubus used to make a rack ... but they dropped it from their range for some reason ...

... that's a real pity ...