djtrackie

Im looking for a road bike for errands around town and commuting. It seems to be hard to find a road bike with configurations to scarry a small load. Any suggestions?

dekalbSTEEL

https://www.fujibikes.com/2007/bikes.asp?id=290&subcat=2

https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/windsor/tourist.htm

https://www.bianchiusa.com/07_brava.html

the beef

The Bianchi Brava. Woo! I used to have one, and I was thinking about how it'd make a nice touring bike actually. It's got all the right eyelets/mounts.

.:Jimbo:.

the trek 1000 has rack/fender eyelets.

Paniolo

Surly Crosscheck has eyelets.

I used to commute daily with a Brooks B-17 (any Brooks with eyelets) and a Carradice Nelson longstrap saddle bag. I'm amazed at what I could cram in there

blickblocks

You don't need eyelets to mount a rear rack, there are many kinds of small hardware clamps that will do the trick for a bike without any. There's also the option of a seatpost mounted rack for under 30 pound loads (although most here seem to disapprove of the 3 inches or so difference in height your cargo will be carried, in relation to the center of gravity).

MichaelW

Bolt-on racks using eyelets are by far the best way to go for loads of any weight.
Many entry level road bikes have eyelets but if you wanted something a bit better you will really have to look at a boutique make like Surley, Soma or Gunnar.
There are some light touring bikes (NB not loaded touring models) which are fine for everyday use. eg Trek Pilot and Specialized Sequoia. Schwinn also make one.
Decide how much tyre and fender clearance you need. The Trek 1000 is pretty limitted but others can take 32mm + fenders.

NealH

The Specialized "Tricross" is another that has them.

Jakey

There is a salsa frame that has them... steel too. woot.

Phantoj

Giant OCR, Cannondale SR...

cooker

My problem with seatpost racks is that unless you have a bike with a sloping top tube and hence a really long seatpost, the seatpost rack is too high under your seat to leave adequate room for cargo.

bbattle

Trek 7.2-7.9FX Road wheels/tires, triple or double chainrings, front and read rack mounts.

And there's the Livestrong model

Phantoj

A seatpost rack like the Delta Post Haste sticks out pretty far back of the seatpost; you don't have to cram your stuff under the seat.

But...

1. The clamp for the rack is wide enough that I hit the inside of my thighs on it.
2. I can't use panniers with the rack; a full trunk pack puts your weight WAY higher than the same weight in panniers.

I noticed that the dropouts on my CAAD4 Cannondale road frame have unthreaded holes in them, about the same diameter as a rack eyelet. My plan is to drill out the derailleur hanger that covers the RH hole, then tap the holes and use them to mount a rack and fenders... using P-clips for the top of the rack and "reacharounds" for the fenders...

alanbikehouston

To avoid your heels hitting the saddle bags, you need a bike with extra-long chainstays. The Trek website lists chainstay length for each of their bikes. Most of their bikes sold as "commuter bikes", hybrids, and fitness bikes have long chainstays. However, every road bike sold by Trek has short chainstays, as they are all either "racing" bikes, or "pretend racing" bikes. The only exception is the 520 touring bike.

And, the same is true of other brands. Bikes marketing as "road bikes" will usually have short chainstays. A light-weight, high quality hybrid with long chainstays is often the best alternative for someone who wants to use full-size saddlebags.

john bono

The Sequoia will take a front and a rear rack. It also has 3 water bottle mounts. I do my grocery shopping using these bags and have had no problems with heel strike.

MichaelW

The length of chainstays you need depends on a couple of factors:
your shoe size
crank length
size of bags
profile (heel cutout or square)
length of rack.

Long chainstays are useful for placing heavier loads inside the weelbase for stability. For light loads in small panniers it is less critical unless you are a tall rider. I use pretty medium sized stays and find that it works without any problems.

gcasillo

Lots of cyclocross/hybrid bikes have eyelets for racks. I happen to have a 1995 Bianchi Avenue that I'm looking to sell for VERY CHEAP, and it is is indistinguishable from new. I'll even throw in a Transit Pro rack trunk. PM for details. I don't have a camera at the moment, but I can get some photos of it in a couple days.

mgearing

All of the Trek Pilot bikes, including the high end carbon fiber ones, have the ability to mount racks, and full fenders.

cooker

Also the height of the rack. On one bike I solved a heel contact problem by extending the adjustable rack struts to full height.

cam117

Trek 1200 has mounts