GaryinLA

hi im shopping for a good front rack for a 26" lht. i would like on that i can zip tie a basket on top for local use but then use with side panniers for touring, the tubus models dont seem to have a top platform, none of them. the surly nice rack would be great but people say it is significantlt heavier than tubus. the omm sherpa seems to go through front wheel quick release which id like to avoid since the lht has fork mounts. what do u suggest?

robow

Jandd Front rack maybe? IRD made one exactly like it at one time but I'm not sure it's offered anymore.

https://brandscycle.com/product/jandd...FYdFMgodMFQAEw

Erick L

I replaced a Surly rack with an OMM Sherpa. The surly may be nice but the OMM is awesome.

fietsbob

Blackburn's MTB front fixing to mid fork bosses and the dropout eyelets,
will allow a mounting of their Lowrider rack onto it, as well. .

I Have Used a a fork crown bolted Mini rack that braces off the ends of V/cantilever brake Bosses

Plus a separate Low rider rack for Panniers ..

bwgride

I have an OMM but rather than use the quick release, I use long bolts and attach to fork eyelet. I need a offset to make this work, so I added spacers. Very secure -- I was carrying about 30 lbs last on my work commute.

GaryinLA

hi are there any instructions or diagrams from on this installation? im not mechanically inclined. do u agree with me that avoiding the wheel quick release mounting is desirable?

bwgride

No instructions; I will get an image posted soon so you can see how I mount the rack. I agree, I dislike the quick release mounting system and that's why I use bolts and fork eyelets for mounting the OMM front rack.

likebike23

Soma makes a front rack. Looks nice if you've got a silver rear rack. https://store.somafab.com/somialfrra.html

LeeG

I have a 56cm LHT with 26" wheels and fenders. Old Man Mountain Sherpa rack was initially purchased to be mounted conventionally with the axle mount on another bike but I removed the entire axle mount assembly and simply mounted it straight on the top eyelet on the fork dropout with appropriate spacers. The axle mount assembly is the thick bare aluminum connected with four machine screws to the black painted rack. After that attached it to mid fork mounts and cantilever brake studs.

has to be the lightest and most sturdy front platform rack. Changed the cantilever brakes to linear brakes so panniers didn't rub as much although it wasn't too bad with cantilevers. The plastic fenders press up on the underside of the rack but there's still room for the biggest tires the frame can take.

Tourist in MSN

This is not a LHT, different bike. Two front racks, Tubus Ergo for low riders and the cheap Nashbar front rack that I think I paid $10 for that attaches to the front brake bosses. I would not want to put more than about 5 pounds on the Nashbar rack, not sure what your plans were for weight in a basket. I like the front Nashbar rack for those minor things that you occasionally want to strap down somewhere, in the case of the photo it holds my polartec vest when I warmed up.

Medic Zero

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Right now I use the Nitto "Big Front Rack". Skeletal platform that'd be easy to zip tie a basket to and mid/low rider pannier positions as well. Pricey, but its beautiful and has handled heavy, asymmetric loads from me for about two years now with no signs of any wear. It still looks new.

I've also used an Old Man Mountain rack and swear by my Cold Springs model. Totally bombproof, but as you say, attaches through the skewer and you'd like to avoid that. Only problem I have had with that was I wasn't able to put the bike in a friends roof rack on their car as the my OMM rack is thicker through here.

FWIW, there were reports of failure with the Surly Nice Rack. I was originally going to purchase one until I heard about that and instead got the Nitto. I've been extremely happy with my choice as it is a very handsome rack. I suspect the Nitto is stiffer than some other front racks due to its design as well. I wish Surly would acknowledge that there were problems with their rack and state that they've addressed them, it would be nice to have a less expensive option than the Nitto. Although, IIRC, the Surly comes in black and I've had problems with some black racks paint chipping away from the repeated contact of panniers. No problem with that on the shiny Nitto!

I got mine here: https://www.rivbike.com/product-p/r5.htm


Not the best pic, but here's one of it mounted on my commuter:





The rack is actually level when both wheels are on the ground, but the bike is up on its center kickstand.

I really like that it has lots of little features like the small stud to slip elastic cords from flip down panniers on, and M5 threaded holes and lots of good places to run bungees hooks into.

GaryinLA

thanks, that nitto big rack looks great. but, its steel like surly rack. im not doing extended touring, i might prefer aluminum. omm sherpa is alum. i think. also a review on rivendel says to take off front wheel u have to remove quick release. dont know why, does this rack attach via quick release like sherpa? in resp to another post above, i want more than 5lb max on top platform. id want about 10-12lb max, for misc stuff i might put in a basket or tied on , so the 1 piece dual purpose rack is better for me.

Medic Zero

My OMM (Cold Springs) is definitely aluminum. IIRC, they list the exact grade aluminum their racks are made out of on their website.

Rivendell's correct about having to completely remove the quick release to remove the front wheel. Hard to explain, but the skewer is trapped inside the rack (when you try and pull the wheel out) unless you completely undo one side and slide the skewer completely out. It only takes a couple more seconds really, and frankly I consider it a anti-theft feature sometimes!

indyfabz

I use one and love it. Also have taken it off road with no problems. Mine still looks new after two seasons. If you are concerned, Email Rivendell and they will give you the weight. They used to show it on their website but left it off when they redesigned the site. IIRC, it's more than 1 lb. lighter than the Surly Nice.

alan s 

I mounted the OMM Sherpa front rack directly to the braze ons on my Surly Troll. Didn't use any of the lower mounting hardware provided. Works great. Not sure if it would work with your fork, but may be worth a try.

LeeG

On my 26" wheel LHT I also did away with axle mount but used the bottom hole on the rack. The mid fork mount has the aluminum strap connecting straight to closest rack strut with a rubber covered ss strap clamp. The little right angle aluminum piece off the cantilever studs connects further up the same strut with another rubber covered ss strap. Very solid and light set up

bwgride

Here's how I installed my OMM front rack without using the quick release skewer.

Sixty Fiver

Steel is a fine choice for racks... aluminium just won't take the same levels of use and abuse.

We build these... I think it is the best front rack design ever as putting the load behind the axle really improves handling and stability.

robow

May I ask why of those who would prefer mounting their Old Man Mountain racks other than using the standard skewer?

Also Sixty Fiver, I love the workmanship in that rack but does that rear facing stabilizing loop of steel create a greater chance of toe-touch while turning with many bikes since most won't have that slack of a head tube angle or a fork with so much rake or trail as the one depicted in your photo?

Sixty Fiver

It is not designed for a road bike but rather, a touring bike which should have better clearance. As it is it only extends the rear of the fender by 1/4 inch and eliminates all the fender wires so would fit any bike that already has fenders unless there is already a toe overlap problem.

For that we'd just adjust the build and eliminate the rear loop.

alan s 

In my case, it moves the rack a little lower and back further than using the QR mounts, greatly improving handling. With the load mounted higher and slightly forward, the handlebars tend to swing very easily, leading to less stability, particularly at lower speeds. Also, at the time I bought the rack, I was transporting the bike with the front wheel off, locked in a roofrack mount, which was not possible with the QR hardware.

bwgride

I found using the quick release skewer mounting option to be more work than I wanted. To remove the wheel requires releasing the quick release skewer, then unscrewing it and completely removing it since the wheel and rack are mated by it, so one cannot remove the wheel while it is attached the rack. To re-install the wheel requires that the rack and and wheel be in close alignment in order to insert the skewer. While none of this took long to accomplish, I found it cumbersome enough to be frustrating at times. By using bolts as shown in my images, the wheel and rack are completely independent and can be removed separately.

Also, if one relies on the skewer as designed, it could be difficult to find quickly a replacement if that skewer broke while on tour. Very easy and light to carry one or two extra bolts, more cumbersome and expensive to buy and carry a spare long skewer.

Gus Riley

This Jandd is exactly the one I have on my 26" wheeled LHT (non-disc). It served me very well on my TransAm trip in 2012. I had no problems at all with it.

Walter S

I love the surly nice rack myself. I'm ok with a pound! I ride 365 days a year commuting or touring and appreciate the apparent durability. And they keep looking like new thru whatever weather comes my way. I find it hard to come up with a dense enough load to give me concern.

Walter S

I guess I'm over jealous and lucky maybe? I see other comments about the surly breaking and should accept that at face value...