cyber.snow

Just purchased a Santa Cruz Chameleon 29er that I want to get ready to ride the Great Divide. I notice that there are zero braze-ons and no threaded screw holes on the bike. It also has a short chainstay so I need to have the rack a little further back so I am not kicking my panniers all day.

I live about 120miles from any bike shop so I am faced with either buying something on line and modifying it or spending a day hauling the bike down to civilization and visiting bike shops till I find one that has a rack that will work. I did consider the one from Thule until I read some reviews that said the rack was only good for about 22lbs and fell apart on the same ride.

Has anyone converted their MTB into a tourer? What did you do for a rack?

Thanks.

Happy Feet

Google "bikepacking" and look at seatpost bags.

Otherwise, use P clamps to attach a rack to the seat stays but looking at that bike I would say a traditional rack probably won't work so well.

There are racks that only attach to the seat post but they also cannot carry that much weight. A seat post bag looks like your best bet.

manapua_man

You can either run bikepacking gear, or find a rear rack with mounting hardware that goes on via extra long QR (not sure if there are any TA solutions that work like that) and clamps to your seat post. Might want to check if old man mountain has racks that will work with your bike too, they have setups that will work with some full suspension bikes.

Mtroup

Old Man Mountain has a terrific range of racks that will fit damn near anything. Super tough too. If you do go the rack route, get a tough rack, or you'll be zip-tieing and duct-taping broken struts in short order. The Surly racks are pretty bomb-proof, Tubus should be on your short list as well.

tyrion

If that's an eyelet (on the seat stay close to the axle) then I think you could get a rack mount seat clamp and use a normal rear rack (that can accommodate the 148mm rear width).

seeker333

^^^ it's not an eyelet - it's a swinging dropout system to accommodate two types of thru axle and either geared or SS drivetrain:




You asked a similar question a month ago, and I suggested a trailer since only a ~$267 OMM rack will fit that frame, and even then only with an improvised seatstay mount. Additionally you'll need another $100-200 for panniers. Consider that fitting such a rearwards-load-shifting rack to a short chainstay frame, then adding heavy load (since you seem to be planning rear panniers only) is often a recipe for poor handling (shimmy).

Get a BoB Yak/Ibex trailer and one of these TA BoB mount adapters, modify the trailer yoke, and then you're set to go. Also, after the tour it's fairly easy to sell a used BoB trailer because someone is always looking to adapt a MTB to tourer and this is a popular solution.

cyber.snow

While the Bob Yak trailer may be the ultimate solution. I do want to pursue finding the best rack that I can to sit over the rear wheel. I don't have an issue with OMM racks, just haven't heard from them after several inquiries. If the max I can do is 40lbs, then I will use the rack for a trunk and pull the trailer. Just was hoping to avoid the extra wheel.

sarahbruce

In both of the above pics, it seems like there is an easy solution, to me... I would take one of the top bolts, out of the sliding drop outs, and bring it to the local hardware store. Find a longer bolt with the same threading and a small spacer. Then install a quality rear rack by having the bolt go from outside in, like this- bolt head->rack lower leg->spacer->bike frame->sliding dropout. Then buy a seat post clamp with the integrated rack mounts, if there is one in the size needed. If there is not one of the seatpost clamps that fits, I would probably just use p-clamps for the top rack mounts.

On the other hand... if you are really trying to do a full, heavy load, on just the rear rack, on a bike with short chainstays, you might want to re-think a thing or two. But that has already been mentioned, so there is no need to go into it.

Hope this helps!
Bruce

Leebo

Looked at handlebar bags and frame bags as well?

cyccommute 

There are any number of racks that you can use without going to an Old Man Mountain rack. The Blackburn EX-1 Disc works the same way and is cheaper. In fact Blackburn has a number of different racks you can choose from which work the same way.

Alternatively, you can use Tubus rack adapters on the top and bottom. They are more expensive than P-clips but work much better.

seeker333

OP's bike has a 12x148 thru axle (TA). AFAIK, only OMM makes a compatible rear rack, which must be attached to dropouts by a third party (Robert AP) custom TA adapted for the rack (similar RAP TA required for trailer too).

The Tubus adaptor designed for 10x135 QR is incompatible with the Santa Cruz Chameleon. Additionally the rack needs clearance for 3" tires, which none of the Tubus (with the exception of Fat) can provide.

The idea suggested in #8 probably would not work because using the swinger dropout pivot bolt to mount a rack would locate rack (and bags) higher and further forward by ~40mm on a bike with 415mm chainstays. Heelstrike seems likely in this scenario.

djb

all of these seems pretty logical, especially the last bit about the rack being more forward, although who knows how much one could set panniers back on the rack.

my Troll has 419mm chainstays, and is ok with my Tubus rear rack that has longer top support arm thingees that allow it to be further back, given the frame shape and all.
I've ridden this bike with rear panniers only, but never with the weight that this fellow would be using, so despite all the talk of which "fat" rear rack could work, there still is the whole issue of perhaps wanting to try a bike with X weight only on the back on loose surfaces etc, to see how he finds it (and of course, without trying it on his bike, he won't know really how that bike will handle with full rear panniers)

oh, and there is shoe size to consider also, re heel strike.

msquared22

This. A Revelate Designs Viscacha, plus frame bag, plus some sort of handlebar bag should cover things pretty nicely. Rouge Panda makes custom frame bags. Plus a neat a little bag that goes under your down tube.

cyccommute 

Didn't see that it was a through axle.

You misunderstood the Tubus adapter I was suggesting. I'm not suggesting the one that uses the quick release...a cludged solution that I hate...but this seat stay adapter. It's like P-clips but works better and can take more load.

The rack adapter would be mounted on the chain stay above the weld which would make it ride a bit higher so that clearance wouldn't be much of a problem with something like a Tubus Cargo. But the rack adapter doesn't have to be used with a Tubus rack. It will work with any rack.

cyber.snow

Correction on my part.

1. I ended up buying a Chameleon 29er instead of the 27.5+ that I had asked about earlier. For the riding I do, a 2.25-2.5 inch tire is more than adequate.

2. I think I overstated the weight on the rear rack. Just did a 3 dayer on my existing bike using a front bag, back pack and trunk bag with built in panniers. Total weight added to bike was less than 30 lbs.

Does this change anything?

djb

clearly you will have a more balanced bike compared to only rear panniers, but this will have been self evident from your 3 day ride.
What rear rack did you put on it? Show a photo.

cyber.snow

New Bike has not arrived(UPS says Monday). I did the ride on my TREK Dual Sport using a Bontrager rack and trunk bag.

djb

ahh, righto. Misunderstood. You did write "existing" bike, I didnt read properly.

in your research, what rear racks have you found that would work for that rear end width?
In my experience, p clamps or the tubus adapter would work fine, although I dont ride off road really, so less bumps and whatnot going into the mount points.

LeeG

Putting rear panniers on such a short chainstay bike is nuts, go with seat, frame and bar bags.

cyber.snow

UPS says the bike will arrive on Monday. I did buy a seat post clamp in the correct size that comes with 2 braze ones, so I should be able to fasten the rack at the axel and seat post. Still haven't talked to OMM, no one answers the phone and I have left numerous messages and voicemails.

In looking at the short chainstay, I agree that panniers may be the wrong solution. Guess I need to start investigating trunk bags. What about a front rack? Can you put a front rack on a shock fork?

Would have bought a different bike, but really need that low step over.

Darth Lefty 

Probably not on yours.

People keep saying "bikepacking" to you:

LeeG

You don't need a different bike, it looks like a very nice bike. Just give up on the idea you need a rear rack and panniers to tour. A rear rack may be possibility but I'd stick with a top rack load with one. That length of chain stays is less than road bikes used in the TDF 50 yrs ago. The best thing for touring in rough stuff is to have the load close in to the center of the bike not cantilevered out over the rear wheel. Panniers do not define touring.

LeeG

The thing is his experience will be better working with the bike than trying to make it something it's not.

cyber.snow

Bikepacking....have a front pack, frame is too small for a frame pack, can do a trunk pack and a backpack.

Gave up on panniers, just looking for other options.

djb

in the end you'll have to see how much space you can have with various frame bag stuff vs the volume of clothes etc that you are comfortable with. I know folks do do the Divide with rear panniers, and there are options for smaller, lighter rear panniers that wouldnt be as heavy as larger ones, which will help with lifting and pushing the bike at times.
This doesnt solve the whole rear rack issue for your bike , but if you really do end not going the pannier route, then you really will get into the whole area of what stuff you can live with that will only fit in frame bags etc--I would think that it might be challenging, but only you will know for yourself what works and what doesnt packing wise.

My take on The Divide and the minimalist route that you see riders with their bikes, is that they are pretty hardcore folks, and can live with pretty basic and compact (and expensive) clothes, sleeping bags, tents or whatever, and probably put up with being cold and wet much more than I could personally.