Pannier racks and disc brakes

[DaveP]

Just established that I need a rear pannier rack with a leg that can reach back in under the brake caliper (BB7 FWIW).
Had a quick browse on SJS and discovered that these seem to be few and far between
Theres a Tubus approx £90 Eeeek! the Blackburn EX-1 at £50 and the Toppeak Super Tourist DX at £25.


Does anyone have opinions about any of these? Can anyone suggest more possibilities?
The bike has 26" wheels, and I dont think I can use anything with axle mounts (which rules out the Tubus, I think - shame!)

[fivebikes]

We have this one....Is this the Topeak you refer to?

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/topeak-topea ... prod14818/

Fits onto normal mudguard eyes and fine for 26" wheels . Seems good value and robust so it gets a thumbs up from me!

[reohn2]

How much weight are you planning on carrying on the rack?

[DaveP]

We have this one....Is this the Topeak you refer to?

Yes, that's the one. Glad to hear you think its robust - the bends at the bottom of the legs were worrying me!

How much weight are you planning on carrying on the rack?

Not a vast amount, as I prefer to put weight on a trailer. More a like a daybag for each of us. But then, when you have a rack, and things need moving...
Wouldnt pay to go too cheap!

[fivebikes]

The bends are the extensions that give the clearance for the disc brake. They are drilled alloy square section pieces that are welded in place. Seem to be well fabricated and unlikely to break.

[gilesjuk]

I use a Tubus with rack extension kit on one of my bikes. It means I can position the rack further back.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/tubus-rear-rack-extension/

[reohn2]

If not a lot of weight is to be carried this may be a suitable way of doing it with an ordinary four point rack,the spacer is the two halves of a chainring bolt and enough washers,total spacer width 20mm,and juuuuusssst clears the caliper adjuster,note there is plenty of "meat" around the bolt hole on the alu frame dropout :-

PS,As the dropouts only have one "eye" the M/guard stays are fitted to the rack by electrical cable clips,the smallest size available are 12mm inside diameter,one wrap of innertube rubber around the rack legs solves the problem adequately.

[Landy Mann]

I've got the super tourist on my bike, which is designed for disks, although I don't have them, The rack has been fine with the loads I've given it ( a couple of days clothing & tent ect...) The only think I would say is that you should check occasionally that it's still attached securely. The other advantage is that when I fall off the rack scrapes along the road rather than the derialier....

[DaveP]

Well if you put your pannier on that side, like wot I do, then you wouldnt even scrape the rack!

Seriously, thanks for your endorsement. Looks as if I'll be ordering one as there seem to be none in my area just now.
In the meantime, I'll be improvising as suggested. Just as well I favour the other side!

[Landy Mann]

In use:

And some scratches evident, but there are more in place now, hence the change in handle bar colour above!

[gregoryoftours]

There are plenty of customer reviews on this page bout the topeak rack. I have one and although it's not the disk compatible version I can confirm that it's good quality.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/topeak-super-to ... rack/#more

[Barrenfluffit]

I had problems with bolts snapping on this type of design; take spares. My guess is that putting the extension around the bolt stresses the bolt more ( by applying leverage ) than on an ordinary rack. I'd prefer that the lateral displacement was taken up by a bend in the actual pannier frame or a wider rack rather than the approach taken here.

[bealer]

Instead of the Topeak Tourist I went for the Madison Ridge rack.

It's 200-300g lighter. Can carry up to 25kg. And you can get it online for under £20 if you google around.

It uses a bolt-through-a-tube system too. Since buying mine, I've realised I may not have needed a disc compatible rack despite have disc brakes.

Have a look at this picture (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bealer/567 ... hotostream). Basically the upright part of the frame fits (and I've tried perfectly next to the caliper if I use only two washers so it doesn't bump the upper part of the caliper. There's a gap about a hairline wide between the vertical and the circular brake pivot. Unfortunately the Madison Ridge rack can't be "squeezed" as it'll strain the weld points.

I don't think the bolt/tubes will be an issue. What I don't like is that my panniers stick a couple of inches further out on each side than they would with a non-disc rack. Going through cities I like to be nice and narrow. Plus out in windy places it makes me less aerodynamic. Despite that, for the weight and cost I've not been able to find a better rack.

So it might be worth taking your bike to a few stores. Ask them to see what fits. Obviously certain designs won't. You need a design where the diagonal support is attached to the vertical one that will allow enough space for the caliper.