philip041

Hi,

I bought myself, after a lot of googling, a Tubus Cargo Evo 26" pannier rack to fit to my Surly LHT. Just went to fit it and.. it doesn't get on! The rack bumps against the seatstays preventing it from getting so that the top of the rack is flat. I used the upper bolt holes as I have a mudguard and putting the rack on the lower ones and the mudguard on the upper would have a problem too.

Am I being exceptionally stupid or is the most synonymous name in pannier racks not compatible with the most synonymous name in touring bikes?



Black downward part of pannier rack is bumping into seatstay and preventing it from getting fully upright..

phughes

I have the Tubus Cargo Classic on my LHT, 26 inch wheels. It fits perfectly. If you look at the pictures, the tubes on the Classic come down at a different angle, so it fits the Surly better. You could return the Evo for the Classic, or you could simply grind off the bottom edge of the rack where it is hitting. It would not affect he rack's integrity, but you would want to paint the area you ground off.

Tourist in MSN

That is what I would do. With a good file it would take less time than the time to post the message here.

I use black fingernail polish that I bought at Dollar Tree to touch up the black paint on my racks when it is worn to bare metal.

When I had a LHT, the Tubus Logo EVO fit with no problems, but I had a 2004 LHT and they did the dropouts and stays very differently on the first couple of years on the LHT.

cyccommute 

So mount it on the lower mount. That way it won't run into anything. Mount the fenders to the upper one.

And do yourself a favor: use the same type mounting bolts. That way you don't have to carry more tools.

seeker333

Tubus Cargo was originally made differently at the dropout mount, it was revised a few years back and renamed Cargo Evo. The original style is still available, it is called Cargo Classic:

https://www.tubus.com/en/products/re...cargo-classic/

Surly LHT originally came with different style of rear dropouts than present LHTs, which have "Breezer style" dropouts. The newer dropouts slightly reduce cost of manufacturing. Dropout revision occurred around 2008-2009.

The Cargo Classic will fit current production LHTs with no interference. The Cargo Evo will fit old-style LHTs with no interference.

A simple kludge to fit Cargo Evo rack to a current LHT is to file interfering edge of tubing away, as mentioned already by others. This was discussed four years ago here (see thread link in upper right hand corner):

https://www.bikeforums.net/18118406-post8.html

philip041

Thanks for all the replies and advice, very helpful. I tried mounting already on the lower mounts but it blocks the upper mounts making it equally impossible to mount the mudguards. If I can't swap them for the classic (for some reason I thought Evo was an upgrade..) I'll file it down - seems like surely it should affect integrity if it's a tube not a rod though? I guess also if I did that and the rack broke warranty is void.

Tourist in MSN

I am not sure what all the changes were to the EVO, but for the Logo which is the rack I have I thought that the EVO was an upgrade when I ordered my Logo EVO.

You would only have to file off a tiny bit of the tubing where it would not be a structural integrity problem.

Warranty, you probably are right that putting a file on it would void that, but you rarely hear of a Tubus rack that needed a warranty replacement.

But if you want to go through the hassle of returning it for an earlier version of the Cargo, that is your option. It becomes an issue of a year from now, would you look back and say you made the right decision on whichever decision you chose?

Regarding the bolts (as was commented on above), when I bought my Logo I used bolts that I already had that would work with my various multi-tools instead of the Torx head bolts that Tubus sent.

And I always suggest that rack bolts are installed with a removable threadlocker like blue Loctite, or equivalent. Something like this:
https://www.truevalue.com/catalog/pr.../category/517/

MarcusT

I had the same problem with the front racks. The weld on the dropouts for the LHT is so inconvenient.
I forget which Tubus I have, but on the weld in the middle it has a tapped hole to mount fenders

djb

Always use the same bolts and don't use screwdriver type ones, like the Phillips or whatever in photo.

I wouldn't file it, but if need be use a small spacer and mount both on same hole, rack and fender. It ain't the end of the world. Buy a tiny bottle of blue loctite and pur on bolt threads, or thick grease, helps with loosening from vibrations.

indyfabz

Hard to judge depth in the photo, but would using a spacer between the frame and the rack eliminate the conflict? I use a spacer (1/4" I think) on the drive side with my Nitto rack on my LHT to center the rack.

djb

Philip,
As supporting (sic) evidence, I have used spacers on rack bolts for decades with no issues.

Another key point with any rack setup is to periodically check for bolts loosening. Loctite or heavy grease like anti seize helps a lot with reducing vibration induced loosening, but simple checks regularly that take seconds eliminate the problem.

Proper good quality hex key bolts can be bought in various lengths at all bike stores, and again, use all the same ones, simplifies things.
They will also have aluminum spacers, and you can cut down a too long one with a hacksaw, but short ones are available.

Bolts and spacers are good to have extras.

cyccommute 

Mount the fender stays to the inside of the frame or just bend the stays to make them fit. A lower mount on the rack gives a (slightly) lower center of gravity.

Frankly, I'm not sure why the Evo even exists. The Classic is wider and longer than the Evo. Oddly enough, it's slightly lighter as well.

cyccommute 

On the other hand, you could use a spacer for the fender mount on the upper mounts.

indyfabz

Good point. Didn't think of that because I don't use fenders.

Doug64

Philip,

Would yo do me a favor? I bought a Tubus Classic Evo for my daughter's LHT a year ago, but have not installed it yet. She lives in another state so getting access to her bike is not easy. I just looked at the rack when I read your post, and compared it to the one on my LHT. Her rack was supposed to be for 26" and mine is for a 700c. After looking at them and measuring them, I found them to be the same. Her bike has the same style dropouts as on your bike It is probably around the same year. it is the same color as your bike.

Could you measure your rack from the mounting hole to the top of the horizontal rail at the center cross brace? I'd sure appreciate it. I think I may have picked up the wrong size.

Tourist in MSN

Doug, the figure in the lower left might be useful.
https://www.tubus.com/fileadmin/user...Evo_TZ_2.0.pdf

Looks like the options are 360 or 373mm from center of hole to top of rack. It is unclear if that measurement is vertical or along the angle of the side of the rack, but I suspect vertical.

Doug64

Thanks, that is what I was looking for.

Wilfred Laurier

unless I am missing some detail in the photos, filing the edge off the tube will not have any effect on the strength - the material you need to remove is not holding anything.

As for warranty, if you file it smooth and even so it looks clean, then apply a drop of paint after, and provided any failure for which you are seeking warranty service is not in that immediate location, they would be unlikely to notice or care about your modification. If you remove material down to the weld and that weld fails, warranty service would be likely refused.