Originally Posted by
Duragrouch
Panniers behind the rear axle for heel clearance: Truer words were never said. Very hard to find such rear racks. My blackburn TRX-2 is good but no longer made. Axiom has one and with lower pannier tiers like mine. Looks like you finessed your basket mounting even with using only half the rack length, well done.
Darned nice setup at budget cost. Anyone can cook a fine steak. It's making a fabulous meal with low-cost ingredients that shows artistry.
OOO! Bonus points: Notice on your frame, the weld between the top tube and the seat tube, that weld is finish-dressed, sanded, unlike all the other welds. That can be a crack point on the seat tube, and that dressing helps for a smoother transition in stresses.
Here's a top view of how the panniers are mounted on this 30 year Performance Bike rack that I had lying around. As you can see, the pannier mounts are pushed way to the front and the panniers placed on the rear of the rack. The panniers are hooked to the stays but with this extreme mounting position, the back of the panniers tend to fall inward towards the centerline of the bike. I use a Hip Lock reusable ziptie to pull the front corners of the panniers together to counteract it.
