Originally Posted by
bicyclebradley
the rack in the picture (i believe) is the original rack. the weld at the rear stay has broken and there are hairline crack throughout the welds all around the poor tired old thing. its time to replace and not try to repair.
that Blackburn looks really nice! Way more affordable than the Brice Gordon's ive been drooling over.. hahaah...
I would like a SS rack, the blackburn looks like a good candidate, ive done no homework on racks yet, thats the
...I would consider a dynamo hub but thats when im ready to ride vancouver to mexico in a few years...
+1 on replacing an aluminum rack with steel, either stainless or chrome plated CrMo. If you're planning on a long trip (Pacific Coast), you want something that you can depend on. Since the plan is for a few years from now, keep your eyes open for deals, even lightly used ones.
If and when you go to a dynamo hub, think about shrinking your wheels from 27" to 700c. You can fill the extra space with a wider tire and still have room for fenders.
I did this on my ProTour, earlier model with brazed on post centerpulls. I'm running 700c x 35mm tires on it with room for fenders (haven't put the fenders on yet).
The frame was spread to 130mm, so I can use an 8 speed cassette.
You can also drill two small holes in the frame to allow for internal wiring for a tail light. The cable stop for entrance to the downtube, since it's thicker and reinforced there:
It exits in the middle of the bottom bracket below the mid line. Once I put the fenders on I'll follow the wire up the inside of the fender where it'll pop out where the tail light attaches.
Other than my recommendation for steel racks, pretty much everything on that bike is up to a loaded coast run.