Originally Posted by
winfred0000
Hi saddlsores!
What if I bought the Surly racks myself and did the bolt-ons? Is DIY very difficult? The only space I have is my apartment but at this one coop shop you can rent a bike bench for $5 an hour (was the price 2 yrs ago), the same shop that never said anything about bolt-ons ha! Is one brand of bolt-on hardware better than another? I suppose maybe there are DIY tutorials about it.
Do you have a favorite brand of touring rack? Any other advice from you or others is greatly appreciated! I'm going to look at "Talus Logo EVO" rear rack, "Tara racks by Tubus" as another member advised, that's if I got the names right. Maybe I can do it all myself for about $350?
THANKS!!!
WINFRED
PS What is a heavy duty P-clamp? Are there various brands and one better than another? I also remember a shop said once all the braze-ons are installed they would then install the racks at $20 front and $20 rear.
when assembling touring bikes in the usa, i always went with blackburn racks.
check with forum members for current build quality.
you can pick up NOS (new old stock = unused) racks off ebay much cheaper, and they should have the hardware in the package,
including P-clamps for bikes without upper braze-ons.
For example:
New-Old-Stock Vintage BLACKBURN MTN-1+ Rear Rack with Hardware • Black (buy now $60)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/234855024948
Vintage NOS Blackburn Front Pannier Rack FL-1 Lowrider Black Bicycle Touring (buy now $95)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/285366324902
there are many NOS blackburn racks on offer, as well as other brands. these are for illustration only.
and here's an auction for a PAIR of blackburn racks, used but look to be in good shape. the front is a standard type rack, not a lowrider. you could pick this pair up cheap, have a hipster at the bike coop install with P-clamps for $25 or so. start out with these for your break-in tour, later decide if you want to upgrade.
Vintage Blackburn Racks (no bids yet, start $50)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/126024727581