ricster2000

Hi all, I'm new to biking so apologies if this is a stupid question!

I own a Specialized Crosstrail Disc 2017, and recently purchased the Specialized Elite Rear Rack to go with it. I have managed to mount everything fine, but I'm a little bit unsure of the bolts that are mounted to the dropout eyelets. They don't seem to screw in all the way, (maybe only halfway?), so the remaining half is still hanging out. Would the included bolts be too long or is it fine for them to be hanging out? I note that the bolts that go into the Seat Stay eyelets screw in all the way, and they are the same size bolts. I'm confused by this because the pictures of bikes I see online all have passthrough eyelets, so the bolt length doesn't really matter, but the eyelets on my bike are not passthrough (or at least they don't appear to be unless I'm supposed to keep screwing it in to breakthrough to the other side).

Any advice would be appreciated as I'm keen to get back into cycling after being out of it for the past 2-3 years.

hokiefyd 

Hello, and welcome to the forum. When you look at the bolt hole eyelets in the dropouts -- are they through holes? Does it look like the bolt should go all the way through and poke out the other side (if the bolt were long enough). These threaded holes usually are through holes -- it may be that there's a drip of paint on the inside which causes the bolt to stop early. Depending on what's in there, you may or may not want to just power the bolt through (you could mess up the threads). If you have an M5 x 0.8 tap, you could run the tap through to clean out the threads.

I don't know how much bolt is in the hole right now, but it sounds like the head of the bolt is not up to the rack...in other words, the weight of the rack is bearing down vertically on the shaft of the bolt. This is not what you want -- you want the bolt to physically hold the rack stanchion against the bike frame -- that's where the load-bearing connection is -- the rack stanchion to the frame. The bolt itself (and the little bit that's in the eyelet hole) is not strong with a lateral force like that and you'll likely shear the bolt off or force it out of the threaded eyelet hole if you put weight on it right now.

ricster2000

Thanks for your comments, unfortunately it doesn't look like I can post photos on this forum yet as it would be much easier to show!

So the eyelets are not through holes, it is fully covered on the other side. SHOULD they be through holes? or is it normal to see these closed off on some bikes? My concern is screwing the bolts too much and like you say, messing up the threads if it is indeed designed to be this way.

As for your second comment, you're right, the head is not up to the rack right now, so my concerns are completely correct! The bolt goes in about 10-15mm, so probably another 5-10mm still hanging out. Are these bolts (M5) all standard lengths, or would i need to purchase shorter bolts (assuming that its physically impossible for me to screw the bolt in even further than right now, because i'm definitely feeling a lot of tightness/resistance).

p.s. I've just realised there is another forum here called "Bicycle Mechanics" where this post might sit better. Is it possible to move this post? Am I better off recreating this post there?

travbikeman

Are you putting the bolts through these plastic pieces that I highlighted below? These should have came with your back rack and will be needed to have a sturdy rack on the bike:

hokiefyd 

I've never seen these eyelet holes that are NOT done as through holes, but it's possible that they're not. You can absolutely buy shorter bolts -- Home Depot, Lowe's, Ace Hardware, or True Value would all have a nice selection of M5 x 0.8 bolts. I know Lowe's for sure has nice stainless ones in various lengths.

ricster2000

travbikeman I have the Specialized Elite Rear Rack which does not come with the plastic parts that you mention, the metal frame is attached directly to the bike. I thought this was how most racks are designed?

hokiefyd Is it typical for cyclists to source their own bolts when purchasing rear racks rather than use what was supplied? Im guessing there is soo much variety of bikes that it is impossible for the supplier to give every type of bolt around

hokiefyd 

Racks sometimes come with spacers to clear disc brake calipers. And then some racks come with two versions -- one with the spacers integrated into the rack stanchions and one with straight stanchions. You don't necessarily need to use a disc-specific rack depending on how the bike is designed -- there are a lot of variables.

I would say it wouldn't be common to have to use different bolts, but you're right that there are countless different configurations out there and someone is bound to find one where the supplied hardware is not ideal. A picture would be great, but I realize you don't have enough posts yet. If you have pictures you can put on a photo website and PM me the link, I can post the link for you.

ricster2000

It doesnt look like i can send PMs yet either until i hit 10 posts. However, I THINK I've identified the issue. I think the bolt length is fine, because i put a small stick into the eyelets to measure the depth and, together with the width of the rack, would match up to the length of the bolt perfectly. The problem is that the bolts for some reason just dont screw in all the way. Its difficult to look into the eyelet to see if there is any obstruction, and i dont think i should be trying to force the bolt through right? Any ideas?

themp

I have the same rack on my 2016 Crosstrail Disc and here are some pictures of the installation. My bolts went through. On the drive side I used some stainless steel washers to keep it from being so close to the cassette.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/r75f4h66v7...20PM.heic?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/tvfc0ys59w...20PM.heic?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ktos98qo3m...20PM.heic?dl=0

I would take out one of the fender bolts that are on the Crosstrail and see if it will go in all the way. Maybe they sent you different bolts than I used.

ricster2000

Thanks for the photos! However, it looks like my 2017 crosstrail is slightly different to yours. I actual have 2 eyelets either side of the frame, of which none of them go completely through like yours as that portion is slightly thicker. Of the 2 eyelets, the rear eyelet also has a vertical 'hole' so you can see if the bolt is going through. Which brings me to another question: which of the 2 eyelets should i be using to mount a rack?

Hopefully i can post some pictures in the next few days.

ricster2000

Problem Solved! Turns out there was A LOT of paint stuck inside, so used a bit of grease and managed to screw the bolts all the way eventually.

samueljhopewell

Sometimes paint obstructs the eyelets, check for that.

Edit: OP figured it out.