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Problems fitting Tubus Tara Lowrider

Old 03-25-19, 07:11 PM
  #1  
hhk25
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Problems fitting Tubus Tara Lowrider

Just bought this rack and I am having trouble fitting it to my Marinoni Tourismo Extreme. You can see by the attached photo that the the tubing interferes with the q.r. skewer and stops the mounting hole from lining up with the eyelet on the fork. Using a spacer to push the rack outside of the fork won't work because the rack is not wide enough. Has anyone come across this and have a solution? If this doesn't work, any other lowrider front rack suggestions?
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Old 03-25-19, 09:58 PM
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Originally Posted by hhk25
Just bought this rack and I am having trouble fitting it to my Marinoni Tourismo Extreme. You can see by the attached photo that the the tubing interferes with the q.r. skewer and stops the mounting hole from lining up with the eyelet on the fork. Using a spacer to push the rack outside of the fork won't work because the rack is not wide enough. Has anyone come across this and have a solution? If this doesn't work, any other lowrider front rack suggestions?
I mount the Tara on the mounts under the rack. That way the rack is above the quick release. The upper mount is used for fender mounting.
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Old 03-25-19, 11:13 PM
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Yes you can space it out and you wont hurt it. I used the disco rack spacers to space the rack out so the rack clears the fork.
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Old 03-26-19, 05:07 AM
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Investigating further, the underlying problem is that the tubing on my Marinoni fork is large diameter. Compared to my 80s era 520, it's a good 5-7mm larger. Because of that, I can't get the Tubus rack to mount on top of the QR skewer like in Rick's photo. The only reason I can think of for the larger tubing is to have more welding surface for the disc brake caliper mounts.

Photo on the left is my Trek 520, on the right is the modern Marinoni. I guess I'll have to find spacers for the Tubus rack. Or, I'm thinking seriously about refurbishing my Trek and touring with it until it crumbles beneath me.

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Old 03-26-19, 08:13 AM
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use of spacers will not be a problem, I've done it for decades.
Using common sense, ie bolt long enough to go all the way into the threaded part, a good solid spacer, proper tightness and a little blue loctite and you'll be good to go.

Its easy to source those solid aluminum spacers, they have diff hole sizes, so get the right one for your bolts, and then you can cut them to the right length using a hack saw.
The advantage with one spacer is less parts to lose if you have to take off the rack, and a bit easier installation.

On one of my bikes, I did have to mount my Tara using the "wrong" bottom mount on the rack (designed for fender mount I guess), but even though in theory it isnt as strong as the other holes, Ive toured extensively on that bike with a heavy ish front load on very bumpy roads in other countries and all has been fine over 4 1/2 months touring time.

Last edited by djb; 03-26-19 at 08:17 AM.
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Old 03-26-19, 08:22 AM
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if you'd like, I can take a photo of my bike that I had to do some workarounds with the Tara, to give you some ideas.
Let me know

no matter what, the Tara is a great rack, and really nice that it more or less folds up for when putting your bike in a cardboard box for air travel.
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Old 03-26-19, 09:07 AM
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Originally Posted by cyccommute


i mount the tara on the mounts under the rack. That way the rack is above the quick release. The upper mount is used for fender mounting.
+1.
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Old 03-26-19, 09:21 PM
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I use the Disco Rack Spacers from They are machined out of SS. They thread into the the bicycle and have a 10mm flat on the other end with of course a internal thread to bolt the rack to. They come in four lengths. 17mm, 21mm, 25mm and 28mm.
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Old 03-26-19, 09:55 PM
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Originally Posted by djb
if you'd like, I can take a photo of my bike that I had to do some workarounds with the Tara, to give you some ideas.
Let me know

no matter what, the Tara is a great rack, and really nice that it more or less folds up for when putting your bike in a cardboard box for air travel.
That would be great if you could. Might give me some ideas.
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Old 03-27-19, 08:30 AM
  #10  
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Originally Posted by Rick
I use the Disco Rack Spacers from They are machined out of SS. They thread into the the bicycle and have a 10mm flat on the other end with of course a internal thread to bolt the rack to. They come in four lengths. 17mm, 21mm, 25mm and 28mm.
Rick, would these be any different than standard metric standoffs? Like the kind you can buy from McMaster Carr?

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Old 03-27-19, 09:09 AM
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quickly, regular old aluminum spacers are not threaded inside, and so you use the length of bolt that will work for what you are doing. Just slide bolt through spacer. I've seen that some have diff width holes, so best to get one that fits closely to a regular width rack bolt for standard threaded frame eyelets.
Havent ever had any issues with using them.

handy thing with using your own bolt is if you need to add on a fender stay or an extra washer or whatever, it works, but I guess these would be no different. You just want to make sure the end that goes into the frame threaded hole goes all the way in, to get the max strength out of the bolt attachement point.
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Old 03-27-19, 10:51 AM
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@ LBS nearby there is a bin pf aluminum spacers collected from past mudguard installations ..

and stacking up plated brass Presta valve Ring nuts is another free/cheap source of spacers ..
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Old 03-27-19, 05:28 PM
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here is the Tara on my Troll, not the same specific layout as your Marinoni, but shows a spacer, also shows how I ending up using the mounting hole on the tara made for a fender mount, so technically not as strong as the beefier other part on the other side.
In the photo you also see how, thanks to a smart mechanic at a bike store I go to regularly, he suggested a piece of metal mounted on the rack bolt hole area, and reaching back a bit so the fender strut could attach to it--all because the disc caliper is in the way. Again, not the absolute best solution for strengthness, but in the end, it was the best solution because it worked, and has worked like this for three trips, including about 4500kms in Mexico etc.

which reminds me, I really have to get a spare piece of metal like that, with two holes in it, in case I lost one or it got all bent and broken in an accident or something. Been meaning to for years now.

so for you, spacers can be used, so try to look at your layout without preconceptions, and or like me, get some ideas from some good smart mechanics.
Ive used spacers like this on other bikes for front racks in the past, to move the rack out from rubbing on the fork legs and scratching the paint.

it doesnt look like you have any other choice than to use a spacer.
Again, once a bolt is in properly and solid, if it stays tight, it will be fine. Just dont let it get loose, but then without spacers this can be an issue also, so use blue loctite or thick grease, to stop vibrations loosening them over time. Check regularly--I do this when I do my once weekly bike go over on a rest day. Dont overtighen of course, but just check for slight loosening.
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Old 03-27-19, 06:00 PM
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A long bolt through an aluminum tube with plenty of slop and the smallest contact area possible. I know the disco rack spacers and the standoffs shown are a much stouter connection. They are square with the world and due to there larger diameter have a larger contact area.
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Old 03-28-19, 06:12 AM
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Originally Posted by Rick
A long bolt through an aluminum tube with plenty of slop and the smallest contact area possible. I know the disco rack spacers and the standoffs shown are a much stouter connection. They are square with the world and due to there larger diameter have a larger contact area.
Rick, its not as bad as you make it out to be.
I have aluminum spacers that the hole is rather tight, and I have to hand screw the bolt through, so no slop, and they match up well to the eyelet area well also.
I have never seen these neat threaded ones before, so regular aluminum ones are all I have seen and used, so they are used without problems by lots of people and for decades.

it is also handy to be able to cut a long one to the exact length you need, which with this Marinoni fellow, could be an advantage
I dont know if the internal threaded ones are easily cut, re the threading inside getting gummed up and not being to screw a bolt in afterwards.

just some more thoughts

hhk--again, another good reason to have a good friendly relationship with a good bike shop, they will not only have ideas, but nearly always a drawer full of little spacers and whatnot to improvise stuff, like those pieces of flat metal with a hole in each end that I use for my front fender stays--I really have that mechanic to thank for that--I would not have figured that out on my own.
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Old 03-29-19, 07:50 AM
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Originally Posted by djb
quickly, regular old aluminum spacers are not threaded inside, and so you use the length of bolt that will work for what you are doing. Just slide bolt through spacer. I've seen that some have diff width holes, so best to get one that fits closely to a regular width rack bolt for standard threaded frame eyelets.
Havent ever had any issues with using them.

handy thing with using your own bolt is if you need to add on a fender stay or an extra washer or whatever, it works, but I guess these would be no different. You just want to make sure the end that goes into the frame threaded hole goes all the way in, to get the max strength out of the bolt attachement point.
My worry with using spacers is that you're applying load to a long lever (the screw), stressing the eyelets and screw itself. I think the stand-offs are better because the flange sits on the surface of the fork and spreads the load over that area and not just on the threads of the eyelet.
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Old 03-29-19, 07:54 AM
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Originally Posted by djb

here is the Tara on my Troll, not the same specific layout as your Marinoni, but shows a spacer, also shows how I ending up using the mounting hole on the tara made for a fender mount, so technically not as strong as the beefier other part on the other side.
In the photo you also see how, thanks to a smart mechanic at a bike store I go to regularly, he suggested a piece of metal mounted on the rack bolt hole area, and reaching back a bit so the fender strut could attach to it--all because the disc caliper is in the way. Again, not the absolute best solution for strengthness, but in the end, it was the best solution because it worked, and has worked like this for three trips, including about 4500kms in Mexico etc.

which reminds me, I really have to get a spare piece of metal like that, with two holes in it, in case I lost one or it got all bent and broken in an accident or something. Been meaning to for years now.

so for you, spacers can be used, so try to look at your layout without preconceptions, and or like me, get some ideas from some good smart mechanics.
Ive used spacers like this on other bikes for front racks in the past, to move the rack out from rubbing on the fork legs and scratching the paint.

it doesnt look like you have any other choice than to use a spacer.
Again, once a bolt is in properly and solid, if it stays tight, it will be fine. Just dont let it get loose, but then without spacers this can be an issue also, so use blue loctite or thick grease, to stop vibrations loosening them over time. Check regularly--I do this when I do my once weekly bike go over on a rest day. Dont overtighen of course, but just check for slight loosening.
Looks like a good solution. Your spacers are rather short so I don't see any problem using them but in my situation, I think I would have to use spacers that are 8mm long with corresponding screws. That worries me because of the load on a long lever (as per my comment above).
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Old 03-29-19, 01:37 PM
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Originally Posted by hhk25
Investigating further, the underlying problem is that the tubing on my Marinoni fork is large diameter. Compared to my 80s era 520, it's a good 5-7mm larger. Because of that, I can't get the Tubus rack to mount on top of the QR skewer like in Rick's photo. The only reason I can think of for the larger tubing is to have more welding surface for the disc brake caliper mounts.
...
Newer forks with disc brakes have to take a lot more stress than older rim brake forks like on your 520. On the 520, when braking with a rim brake, the stress on the fork is mostly up near the fork crown. Disc brake on the newer bike puts a lot more stress on the left fork blade.


Originally Posted by hhk25
My worry with using spacers is that you're applying load to a long lever (the screw), stressing the eyelets and screw itself. I think the stand-offs are better because the flange sits on the surface of the fork and spreads the load over that area and not just on the threads of the eyelet.
While I agree that you are best off without spacers or standoffs, since the front rack usually takes a much smaller load than the rear, I would expect that some spacers or a short standoff could be used. And on a Tara there is no platform, so you are talking about the weight of two panniers and nothing else. (If there was a platform, someone would likely add a 12 pack to the platform on occasion too.) The rear rack where you might have more than twice the weight is where spacers could be much worse when you are using the same diameter of bolt as the front rack
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Old 03-29-19, 02:04 PM
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Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN
While I agree that you are best off without spacers or standoffs, since the front rack usually takes a much smaller load than the rear, I would expect that some spacers or a short standoff could be used. And on a Tara there is no platform, so you are talking about the weight of two panniers and nothing else. (If there was a platform, someone would likely add a 12 pack to the platform on occasion too.) The rear rack where you might have more than twice the weight is where spacers could be much worse when you are using the same diameter of bolt as the front rack
very much a factor, generally our front panniers aren't that heavy.

hhk, if you can source those threaded thingees, great. As long as it works and does a good job, and you dont go Jumbo heavy on your front panniers, it will all work out.
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Old 03-29-19, 02:32 PM
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I looked at the standoffs at McMaster Carr and am impressed. The fiddling around with spacers and extra washers would be eliminated.
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