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Panniers on a full suspension bike?

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Old 10-13-08, 10:06 AM
  #1  
npkeith
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Panniers on a full suspension bike?

Hi all. Noob for this forum.
I've been bike commuting to work for about 3-4 months. I ride an Elec-Trek (now Rayos) 8 speed electric bike, about 7 miles each way. I work in a shirt and tie kind of job, so I have to carry my work clothes in a backpack.

My lunch, bike lock and all tools/spares go in a Topeak bag that locks onto a seatpost clamp rack. The problem is, my rear wheel will ride up on its shocks and grind on the rack. Moreover, at one point the rack was heavy enough to bend my seatpost about 5 degrees (heavy lock and chain, now retired).

Does anyone know of a rack/pannier system that will work on a full suspension bike that will transfer the load down to the axels rather than the seatpost? I'm trying to avoid front wheel panniers if I can, but if that's my only choice...
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Old 10-13-08, 12:49 PM
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savethekudzu
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I was about to say that you should look into "disc-compatible" racks, but then again, I don't know of any racks that are designed for the flexing forces that are involved in a rear suspension. I think the two (racks and suspension) are mutually exclusive.

If I'm wrong on this, I'm sure someone will correct me.

You'll find that most everyone here warns commuters away from full-suspension bikes, so to work with what you've got, you might have to stay with a backpack or messenger bag. But I'd also get that seatpost replaced ASAP.
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Old 10-13-08, 01:40 PM
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ncscott
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In case anybody else is interested, this is the bike he's talking about...https://www.electric-bikes.com/bikes/electrec.html
I was going to say that an old man mountain rack is designed for suspension, but the motor looks to be in the way. It still might work??? An OMM front rack would do the trick.
Scott
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Old 10-13-08, 01:52 PM
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Lizzylou
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I've never ridden a bike with rear suspension before. Can you tighten it up to have less travel? When I take a mountain bike on the road I always adjust the fork so that it is less, well... springy.
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Old 10-13-08, 01:57 PM
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That's why my Cannondale Jekyll 3000 hangs unused in the garage. I had the same setup (topeak) and that damn rack drove me crazy. When it would rain it would start sliding around like a yoyo. I'm happy to have my $200 hard tail where I can load my panniers to the gills with no worries.
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Old 10-13-08, 02:02 PM
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Sixty Fiver
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There are rear racks that mount to the seat post that will support panniers albeit with lesser weights...
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Old 10-13-08, 02:11 PM
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this is a rear suspension rack:

https://www.axiomgear.com/product/rac...uct.php?id=137
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