Rack fitting (no eyelets)

[Garry Booth]

For my last tour I left my road bike at home and used my 30 year old steel Orange MTB (26in wheels; 1.5in Schwalbes). Tubus fork mounted rack on the front (no eyelets) for 2 x 15L panniers and regular rack fitted on the guard eyelets for 2 x 30L Crosso panniers at the back.
It coped fine.

[531colin]

Does that say "Bowman" on the frame?
I was interested in the forks, and I googled "Bowman bikes".....I rather wish I hadn't!

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j ... gj-c7wdoL2

I rather wish I hadn’t now! Do you think this frame is safe? Or should I get a new frame and transfer the bits over! I could maybe get something with 32 or 36mm clearance as well.

Yeah, thats the article I found.....its pretty scary, specially the bit about the forks.......a frame failure while riding is unpleasant but may be quite gentle, but a fork failure is a nightmare scenario!
I have absolutely no idea of the relative number of failures to how many bikes sold.
But would somebody go to all that trouble doing cut-ups just for fun?
I would ask the question here and also search other cycling forums if it was my neck (or even my holiday) on the line.
Sorry! I couldn't just ignore it.

[slowster]

I think the issue of the forks needs to be put into perspective. Some small voids like that will probably be found in most carbon frames, as becomes clear if you watch some of Luescher Technik's many videos of cut up frames - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCY9JUM ... Hpb_zbIedQ. However, as 531colin states, the fork is largely far more safety critical than the rest of the frame, and the fact that there were voids in the steerer would worry me because that is a simple round tube. If the manufacturer is not able (or cannot be bothered) to make that part without voids, I would be concerned that there would be a high risk of voids elsewhere, e.g. in the fork crown, where they might pose a far higher risk than in the (top of) the steerer.

As noted, because Bowman no longer exists, so there is no longer a manufacturer who can take appropriate action (or be forced to do so by Trading Standards) if it becomes apparent that the forks are indeed unsafe, and issue a product recall with adverts/warnings in the cycle press and online.

People's views and awareness of the risks with carbon fibre vary greatly. Personally I draw the line at carbon forks with aluminium steerers, which seem to me to be a flawed design because of the risk of disbond between the carbon and aluminium. I think that type of fork accounts for a significant percentage of product recalls, and they seem now to be much less common.

Raoul Luescher built his own carbon fibre frame, and for the forks he ordered three sets of forks from one of the best manufacturers, Enve, and performed an ultrasound scan of each one. The one with the best scan results he kept and fitted to his bike, and the other two he returned. The rest of us don't have easy access to getting an ultrasound scan done, and probably would begrudge paying for it even if we did.

[Biospace]

My experience of racks and eyelets even when shared with mudguard fixings, is that eyelets don't fail, but racks can. The fixing bolts (lower ones, usually) will loosen off when fitted without good anti-rattle washers, preferably nuts too.

[Gee]

Does that say "Bowman" on the frame?
I was interested in the forks, and I googled "Bowman bikes".....I rather wish I hadn't!

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j ... gj-c7wdoL2

I rather wish I hadn’t now! Do you think this frame is safe? Or should I get a new frame and transfer the bits over! I could maybe get something with 32 or 36mm clearance as well.

Yeah, thats the article I found.....its pretty scary, specially the bit about the forks.......a frame failure while riding is unpleasant but may be quite gentle, but a fork failure is a nightmare scenario!
I have absolutely no idea of the relative number of failures to how many bikes sold.
But would somebody go to all that trouble doing cut-ups just for fun?
I would ask the question here and also search other cycling forums if it was my neck (or even my holiday) on the line.
Sorry! I couldn't just ignore it.

Me neither. I think I’m going to search out a new frame I can just swap all my parts over. I just don’t think I’ll feel comfortable on it barrelling down hill. I was thinking I could do with a bit bigger tyre clearance, proper racks eyelets etc. it’s finding something like that but not full tourer. Audax, light tourer kind of bike.

[drossall]

I think there's a conflict between wanting to fit front panniers and wanting a light tourer. Front panniers are generally fitted to full-blown tourers. This is why cyclists get into N+1 situations Me included

If you're going to keep the weight down as you described, however, a light tourer should do it. Maybe consider titanium - I'm not sure carbon would be my first choice for any kind of load carrying. But if you really want to keep the ability to blast along the road with the best of them on day rides, and to go camping, I'd start thinking where you're going to keep that extra bike...

[Cugel]

I think there's a conflict between wanting to fit front panniers and wanting a light tourer. Front panniers are generally fitted to full-blown tourers. This is why cyclists get into N+1 situations Me included

If you're going to keep the weight down as you described, however, a light tourer should do it. Maybe consider titanium - I'm not sure carbon would be my first choice for any kind of load carrying. But if you really want to keep the ability to blast along the road with the best of them on day rides, and to go camping, I'd start thinking where you're going to keep that extra bike...

I have a combined cyclo-cross and touring bike,with front & back pannier racks fitted. I used it a lot to do shopping when living in NW England - a 14 mile round trip to the farm shop for fruit & veg. I found the bike handled best if I loaded the front panniers first. In fact, I often used only the front. It seemed to make the bike more stable, especially going up steep hills.

Of course, speed wasn't a high priority.

Cugel.

[drossall]

Exactly (speed not being a priority). My Mercian tourer is a brilliant bike, and I often ride Audaxes on it. But I tend to plod round. I've a lighter one that I ride when the roads are good and I want to try going a bit faster.

[531colin]

Spa Elan....light tourer....
options are titanium frame or steel frame....carbon forks or steel forks....or get both forks
Travel light (hostelling?) with a Ti frame and carbon forks....swap to steel forks if you want front panniers (camping?)
For day rides the Ti/carbon option will put a smile on your face......or don't buy one!

[Gee]

Spa Elan....light tourer....
options are titanium frame or steel frame....carbon forks or steel forks....or get both forks
Travel light (hostelling?) with a Ti frame and carbon forks....swap to steel forks if you want front panniers (camping?)
For day rides the Ti/carbon option will put a smile on your face......or don't buy one!

Is it through axles front and back? Is it flat mount brakes? Basically, can my standard Ultegra groupset go straight on? Could I have a set of 650b wheels for backup gravelling?

[531colin]

I'm not up to speed with the modern stuff!
I think Elan Mk 2 is flat mount/through axle, but I don't know if there is more than one "standard"
There may not be a through axle/flat mount steel fork?
650 wheels shouldn't be a problem, with a big tyre so the finished tyre diameter is at least as big as (say) 700 x 35, so you don't lower the bottom bracket and get pedal strike?
Its worth going to Spa and getting a ride on several test bikes....phone call first to check sizes available.